The holidays are upon us and we got off to a great start with the Fall Harvest Festival last Sunday. More than 35 households signed up to provide decorated trunks for the Trunk & Treat; we had a maze and face painting and other fun games; and we were able to offer Trinity's wonderful hospitality to more than 1800 people from our community and from Trinity. It was heartwarming to see families enjoying time together in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I so much appreciate all of those who volunteered to serve and help out with this outreach event as well as the wonderful leadership of our Children's, Youth, and Adult ministry staff teams.

This Sunday we'll celebrate All Saints, a day of remembering the saints (with the New Testament meaning of all Christians of every time and place). As we read the names and see the faces, we'll be remembering the lives of all those members of Trinity who have died in the past year and lighting candles in celebration of their resurrection. We'll also scroll the names of all those who have died in the history of our congregation. What a powerful reminder that we are surrounded by the great "cloud of witnesses."

As we consider what it means to live the "Good Life," I'll be taking a look at the Apostle Paul's urging to place our lives before God as an offering and to "work earnestly." We'll see testimonies from Jack Brown and Gina Simonton (members of Trinity) about their life's work and the ways God has blessed them and worked through them in their vocations.(If you missed last week's testimonies from Randy Caton and Franny Long, just click here) The 9:40 service will end with a rousing rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with the anticipated blessing of Hal Bingham on Clarinet.  It will be a time of worship you won't want to miss!

And as Thanksgiving approaches, I want to thank you for your financial and food offerings for our Thanksgiving baskets. Trinity has the privilege of sharing about 1300 Thanksgiving baskets with our community, and we couldn't do it without everyone pitching in. Thank you for all the specific items you have already brought in. This Sunday we invite you to bring boxed macaroni and cheese (Nov. 12, jars of applesauce and Nov. 19, 10-12 lb. turkeys), financial gifts are always welcome as well.  Your generosity makes a difference in our community as people see the love of Christ in tangible ways!

I'll look forward to seeing you Sunday as we remember the saints and the ways we can offer our lives to God as we "work earnestly" in "The Good Life."  

 

Grace and Peace,