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TRINITY
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
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Trinity Tidings October
2017
Volume 31, No. 10
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Welcome to our new online version of Trinity Tidings.
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Upcoming Events at Trinity:
October 8
Trinity Youth
at Project Host
October 11
Chancel Choir begins
Christmas Music Rehearsals
October 21-22
Bonclarken Middle School Retreat
October 22
Youth & Families to Denver Downs Farm
October 29
Reformation Sunday
November 5
Communion Sunday
Commitment Sunday
ONE WORSHIP
November 18
Trinity Basketball
Tip-Off Event
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Trinity's
Stewardship
Season
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“
…and on this rock I will build my church…” Matt. 16:18
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Season of Stewardship:
“On This Rock”
Commitment Sunday - November 5th
ONE WORSHIP at 10:00am
followed by Celebration Luncheon
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Wednesday Night Live
Join us for our regularly scheduled Wednesday Night Live activities:
- 5:30pm WNL Dinner
- 6:00pm Children’s Choir
- 6:30pm CWE, Adult Bible Study
- 6:30pm Chancel Choir Practice
Wednesday Night Live October Dinner Menu
October 4: Baked Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
October 11: Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes,
Green Beans, Roll
October 18: BBQ with Bun, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw,
Chips, and Banana Pudding
October 25: Build-Your-Own Salad with Grilled
Chicken, Brownies and Ice Cream
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Dear Friends,
God has blessed Trinity Presbyterian in so many ways! We share an amazing fellowship of the “saints” in our congregation. The warmth and enthusiasm our people share for one another is evident as our congregation gathers for worship every Sunday morning. The warm smiles, the hearty handshakes, the warm embraces shared by brothers and sisters in Christ as we gather for worship in this place offer powerful testimony of the presence of the Holy Spirit gathering us and shaping us. The relationships which are formed and nurtured as we gather help shape us as disciples of our Lord Jesus.
God has also blessed us by calling us to join him in his mission in the world. Through our small groups we together seek God’s revealed truth as we study the Bible. Through our growing and vibrant youth ministry the power of the Holy Spirit is guiding and forming the foundation of faith in our young people for a life-long journey of faith. Our Mother’s Morning Out ministry is providing a needed service in our community, and helping young families in our neighborhood (and beyond) to know God is at work in this place. Our basketball ministry emphasizes “Christ like” behavior over and above athletics.
Beyond our walls, God has given us the ability to contribute financiall to support benevolent causes through ministries that require specialized resources and skills such as: North Greenville Crisis Ministry, Triune Mercy Center, Habitat For Humanity, Presbyterian Communities of SC, The Outreach Foundation, Thornwell, and others. It is a blessing that we are able to help support these efforts!
All of this and more happens from within our walls. Our finances go out from here. Our daily lives go out from here. “Here” is, of course, our church campus. It is tempting to lose sight of just how special “here” is when we gather “here” so often. It is tempting to just take “here” for granted.
It is true that our blessings as God’s people are received “here”, but God’s blessings cannot be
contained “here”! It is absolutely true that Trinity Presbyterian Church is so much more than our buildings located here at 405 Trailblazer Drive, BUT we are NOT LESS THAN OUR BUILDINGS!
It is that simple reality and truth that is the foundation of our stewardship theme this year:
“On This Rock”
. It is God that has called us into community in this place. It is also God that leads us to follow him in mission from this place into our daily lives. As faithful disciples, we cannot stay “here”, but we do start from “here”!
To put it plainly, we are embodied creatures. We need a place to gather in worship. We need a place to study and learn. We need a place for fellowship. We need a place to organize and plan how we will follow God back out into the world. So, it is that God has gathered us together “On This Rock” we call the church!
All of us know that buildings take money to operate; so we need our campus. All of us know that we can do more when someone is responsible for the organizing of cooperative efforts; so we need staff people. Staff people are paid people which means salaries. It comes as no surprise that our church needs each of us to share in the expenses of the mission God has called us to follow. We call these expenses “operating expenses”. Every year, our congregation is challenged to make an annual “pledge” to enable this part of our ministry to continue.
However, there is another expense for our shared ministry
here
“On This Rock”
. It is an expense no less important or vital to our continued life together than our “operating expenses”. It is our monthly mortgage payment “On This Rock”! Since its inception as a “construction loan” members of our congregation have made a building fund pledge to support this expense. To date our pledges have been in three year commitments. Our current three year commitment concludes December2017. Beyond that the mortgage remains, and so will the monthly payments. If we do not meet the mortgage payments, this place will no longer be our “here”!
In the belief that the true “occupancy cost” of our shared ministry “On This Rock” includes BOTH the operating expenses and the monthly mortgage payment, the Session instructed the Stewardship/Finance Committees to interpret for the congregation not only our operating expenses (what we have always done) for 2018, but to also begin annually seeking commitments to meet our mortgage expense. Together, these expenses are the true “occupancy cost” of the mission “On This Rock” to which we are called.
So, on Commitment Sunday, November 5
th
, we are asked to make two commitments to support the actual occupancy costs of Trinity Presbyterian for 2018. To highlight the importance of both our operating line item budget for meeting God’s mission from Trinity Presbyterian Church, and our mortgage payments, we will use two pledge cards. Each of us will have an opportunity to make two commitments.
I encourage each of us to prayerfully consider how God is calling us to join him in his mission “On This Rock”!
Blessings, Marc
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It has been such a great couple of months here so far! I have genuinely enjoyed getting to know Trinity’s youth. This past month I have really been able to develop relationships with each of them. Whether it’s grabbing lunch after church, or hanging out with the middle schoolers on Wednesday nights, each day brings a new gift to me through this ministry.
YWE has been off to a great start so far, and I am looking forward to the rest of the fall semester exploring Romans with the middle schoolers and the Corinthians with the high schoolers. Thank you to the parents that have brought dinner for us so far, and thanks to the parents that will be bringing us dinner throughout the rest of the semester!
If there are any youth that would like to help out on Wednesday night, please let me know. There are never too many helpers. It has been wonderful to see the gifts and talents everyone brings on Wednesdays, and to see them invest in the younger children's lives.
I am looking forward to the rest of the fall semester, especially to jump into fall activities with the youth this month. Please remember that we will be going to Project Host on Sunday, October 8th, and we will be meeting in the church parking lot at 8am that morning.
Thank you for allowing me to invest in your children.
Hannah Smoak
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Youth and Family Fall Outing
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Sunday, October 22nd
Join us for a fun afternoon together at Denver Downs Farm - pumpkin patch, corn maze, farm animals, food, games and more.
$15 General Admission pass
$30 All Access pass-includes haunted maze & houses
Plan to meet in the church parking lot at 3:00pm for carpooling and/or a ride.
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Dear Trinity Church family,
Thank you so much for your prayers over the recent weeks. I appreciate you all very much.
— Delores Canham
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We have entered our annual stewardship season at Trinity. It’s the time of year we prayerfully consider our pledges for the coming year which will be used to execute our missions. Unfortunately for many of us it is something to which we don’t look forward. We struggle to keep to a budget and giving is generally not the first of the line items about which we are worried. In fact, if we aren’t worrying about money, then we probably aren’t thinking about it at all.
If you are one of these people, I have a wonderful devotional for training our minds to think God’s way about money. It’s called
Money Matters*
. It’s a quick 30-day devotional by Time of Grace and it is excellent. Topics range from real wealth and trust in God’s providence to inheritances and gifts. Consciously thinking that what we earn is not because of our own doing, but because God gave us the ability to do it, puts us in the right frame of mind for stewardship.
2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” It is good to be reminded that what we have on this earth will fade, but only what is in heaven will last. This helps us focus our talents on spiritual and missional growth rather than material growth – a relevant reminder always!
* You can download this devotional on your mobile device if you have the Bible app.
In Christ,
Mary Pace
Finance Committee
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We are ¾ of the way through 2017. With summer vacations and the like, some of us may have lost track of where we are versus our annual pledge commitment. Now, at the start of the 4
th
quarter, may be a good time to check. You can contact the church’s financial secretary, Lynn Adcock at the accounting firm, Cresswell, Edwards-Thomas:
lynnadcockcet@cs.com
or
864-610-9780.
WAYS TO GIVE TO TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
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Personal check
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Cash
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Online Bill Pay through your bank’s online banking program for one time or recurring payments.
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Automatic Bank Draft for monthly contributions. Print the form
here
and turn it in to the church office. Forms are also available in the church office.
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Debit or Credit Card Payments through PayPal. Click on Trinity's website:
trinitytr.org
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Gifts of Appreciated Securities. Please contact your tax advisor to see if this is appropriate for you. Contact the church office for transfer instructions.
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A Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA. If you are 70 ½ or older, please contact your IRA custodian for details.
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Name Trinity Presbyterian Church as a beneficiary in your will. Please contact your legal advisor or attorney for more information.
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Fall is here!
We have added lyrics on the projector screens to the 11am service for the hymns. We will continue to make adjustments as we go, based on feedback, to make it the best experience possible. We are continuing with the final phases of installation for our new sound equipment; so far, everything has been working (mostly) to plan. The upgrade should be completed and fully operational by the next newsletter.
September 6 marked the return for choirs. October 29 we will celebrate 500 years of the Reformation movement.
We have several Furman students joining us on both the 9am and 11am worship teams; if you see some new faces, be sure to give them a friendly welcome!
Eric Barnhart, Director of Music Ministry
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We’re hitting the ground running this Fall!
The Chancel Choir is preparing anthems through the end of the November, and will soon start on repertoire for Advent and our “Music Sunday” on December 4!
Let me tell you, this year’s music is going to be beautiful and moving and a fitting tribute to the anticipation of Christ’s birth! I’m ever grateful to be working with such an enthusiastic, positive, dedicated and FUN choir community. The Lord is leading this church in a vibrant Music Ministry!
Joyfully in Christ,
Leah
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Music Ensemble Rehearsals:
Wednesday Nights
6:00-6:20pm Children’s Choirs
6:30-7:45pm Chancel Choir
Sunday Afternoons
4:00-5:00pm Handbells
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SING CHOIRS OF ANGELS!
SING IN EXULTATION!
Calling those who “can’t carry a tune in a bucket”...
don’t jump to conclusions!
Advent might be the perfect opportunity to “join the mighty chorus”—as
Joyful, Joyful
would have it—and it’s almost here. Advent music will bring special meaning to your holidays: from familiar carols to beautiful anthems you’ve never heard before. Invite neighbors and others you know who love music but may not have a church home of their own. No experience needed. God is always singing through his servants. GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!
Contact Leah (
nearlyheadlessleah@gmail.com
) with any questions about getting involved, or just show up-
Oct. 11 @ 6:30 PM in the Choir Room
!
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North Greenville
Crisis Ministry’s
2017 Tournament of Hope
Annual Fundraiser Gold Tournament
will be held at
Green Valley Country Club
on Monday, October 23rd
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Tournament Details:
- Cost—$100 per player
- Includes green fee, cart fee, range balls, breakfast biscuits and box lunch
- Registration begins at 8:30am
- Shotgun start at 10am
- Closest-to-Pin, Longest Drive & Straightest Drive for Men and Women
- Golfers of all skill level are welcome!
- Prizes for everyone!
- Form a team and sign up!
- To pre-register, sign up on-line at ngfcministry.org
- Registration forms are available in the church office; for more information, call the church office at 864-834-9897.
- There are many Sponsorship opportunities as well, for those who don’t play.
- All proceeds benefit the North Greenville Crisis Ministry, a non-profit 501c3 organization.
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Men's Open Gym Basketball
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Open gym time for men on Monday evenings
from 8-10pm at Trinity
If you are interested in participating or for more information,
please see Ryan Tiwari or contact him at 864-415-0055.
We are also in need of another person to host this open gym time on some of the Monday evenings;
if you can help, please contact Ryan Tiwari at 864-415-0055.
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Trinity Youth Basketball Season 2017-2018
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2017-2018 should be another exciting year of
Trinity youth basketball!
Trinity will have teams in the following GRADE groups:
1st grade & under COED – Girls & Boys ages
5, 6 & *7 (we’ll also allow 4 ½ year old to play)
3rd grade & under – Girls & Boys ages 7, 8 & *9
6th grade & under – Girls & Boys ages 9, 10, 11 & *12
9th grade & under – Girls & Boys ages 12, 13, 14 & *15
*Note that the cut-off date to determine what GRADE group to play in is September 1, 2018, so the player cannot be over the max GRADE group age on that date.
We’re all about FUN and FELLOWSHIP regarding our Trinity youth basketball ministry.
Our basketball motto is:
F – un
A – cceptance that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior
S – portsmanship
T – eamwork
Costs: $20 for first child, $15 for each additional child; $20 additional per player if you need a new jersey
Please join us for our 2017-2018 Trinity youth basketball season!
We are now forming our team rosters
and would love to have all our youth participate! Just fill out a registration form and mail it to or drop it off at our church office (Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM), or give or email the form to Tom McCorkle at
tbmccorkle@aol.com
. If you have questions, please contact Tom McCorkle at 864-787-2707.
Please turn in Registration Forms soon
.
Registration forms are available in the Narthex and for download on our website,
trinitytr.org
,
or click
here
for the form
.
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Trinity Presbyterian Church recently welcomed Kinny and Kelley Powell to our church family.
Kinny is originally from Whiteville, NC. A retired banker, he enjoys travel and golfing at Green Valley. Kelley is back home in Greenville after having lived elsewhere in times past. She LOVES being a Kindergarten teacher, even if she gets really tired by the end of the school day. They have two adult sons. Kinny and Kelley can be found sitting near the back on the right side of our Sanctuary during the 11:00 Worship hour. Take just a moment and say "Hello" to them.
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Small Groups For Everyone!
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Sunday Adults:
Fellowship Class:
Focus - Rotates study of the books of the Bible with Christian books and studies that enrich our lives. Format- Combination of lecture with interactive discussion, all in a relaxed environment. Leadership changes annually with a rotation of teachers from our class. The Fellowship Class will begin a new study on October 15 called
Who Is This Man: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus,
by
John Ortberg
.
This study includes videos followed by class discussion. Class Contacts – Theresa Horton, Claudia Burns
Christianity and Contemporary Issues:
Focus - Discussions relate the messages contained in Scripture passages to current headlines. Format - lecture and interactive. Facilitators – Mary Pace, Annette Taylor and class members.
Spirituality
(Starting in January): Focus- Spirituality as the experience of God in our daily lives. We will discuss the use of Spirituality in the history of our Christian faith and how we can incorporate it into our daily modern lives. Format - interactive/ casual and experiential. Group Facilitator – Jim Capobianco
Trinity Class:
First Sunday School Class created at Trinity and has been active ever since. Focus- Study of the Bible with the help of the Standard Lesson Commentary.
Format - lecture and interactive with class discussion strongly encouraged. Teachers - Beauford Williams, Fred Moehlenbrock and class members.
Sunday Youth:
Sunday Children:
6th-12th Grades—Hannah Smoak CWE 4K-1st Grade—Robin Blakemore, Joanna
Newcomer, Leslie Weikle
CWE 2nd-5th Grades—Allen Clark, Eric Smith
Tuesday Morning Women:
Rachel Bible Study
meets weekly at 10:00 a.m. A lesson is presented by one of the participants taking turns each week. Facilitator - Nancy Simonton
Wednesday Night Live Small Groups
CWE 1
st
– 5
th
Grades
:
Led by Hannah Smoak and youth assistants.
Childcare is available through 5K.
Adult Bible Study
:
A seminar style format encouraging discussion. Meets in the Thorpe Building. Led by Rev. Mason. We will be studying I Samuel.
Thursday Morning Men
Men’s Fellowship
meets Thursday mornings at 7:15 a.m. for a biscuit and coffee breakfast, a devotional, followed by a program. Programs include guest speakers from the community as well as members of the group. Facilitator - John Burns
Monthly Groups
Miriam Ladies Group
meets one Sunday afternoon per month at different members’ homes.
Naomi Ladies Group
meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 3:00 p.m. at members' homes. They also study a selected series which is moderated by one of the class members.
Facilitator - Esther King
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Septemer Session Meeting Minutes
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Members Present
: Dennis Tavernetti, Jeff Burton, Bob Lewis, Mary Pace, Sherry Ogletree, Annette Taylor, Latain Bireley, Justin Mullis, Lawrence Garabedian, and Stan Coleman.
Excused
: Thomas Barksdale and Olin Blanton
Opening Prayer and Devotional
: After opening with prayer, Marc Mason gave a devotional from Psalms 1 and 8.
Declaration of Quorum
: A quorum was present.
Pastor’s Report and Housekeeping Details
: Marc Mason gave an update on members who are sick, in the hospital, and recovering.
Marc Mason will conduct a funeral service for Dr. Adrian Grubs (NM) at Trinity on September 23, 2017 at 1:00pm. A Baptism will be conducted on September 24, 2017 for Jason and Gretchen Snow’s foster children, Penelope Ariahna McKitrick and Gabrielle Myra Ensley. Annette Taylor will represent the Session.
The Lord’s Supper was celebrated on September 3, 2017.
The Officer Training dates are set for September 18, October 9, 30, and November 13, 2017.
The Rev. Dr. John Hartman will fill the pulpit on October 1 and November 12, 2017 while Marc Mason is away on leave.
Marc Mason asked the Session to change the November Stated Session Meeting to November 16, 2017. Annette Taylor made the motion and Mary Pace gave the second. The motion passed.
A corporate resolution is needed to name Janie B. Burton as representative on Raymond James Brokerage account. Justin Mullis made the motion and Latain Bireley gave the second. The motion passed.
Monthly Budget Report
: Mary Pace reported that for the month of August, Operating Account receipts were $23,087 while the expenses were $28,043. The Building Fund account had receipts of $10,965 while expenses and interest payments were $14,148. Dennis Tavernetti made the motion to approve the report and Justin Mullis gave the second. The motion passed.
Diaconate Report
: Marc Mason reported that the Diaconate is meeting and doing their work.
Membership Update
: As of September 14, 2017, the church has 479 members, of which 464 are resident and 15 are non-resident.
Clerk Report
: Approval was asked for the minutes of the Stated Session meeting on August 10, 2017 and the Called Meetings on August 27, and September 4, 2017. Latain Bireley made the motion to accept the minutes and Jeff Burton gave the second. The motion passed.
Communications
: A letter of transfer request for Bill and Linda Curran was received. Jeff Burton made the motion to approve the transfer. Lawrence Garabedian gave the second and the motion passed.
Old Business
: Starting October 1, 2017, members will be able to pay contributions on-line. Mothers’ Morning Out is full and has a waiting list of five.
New Business
: Stan Coleman gave the report on the Foothills Presbytery meeting held on August 13, 2017. The next stated meeting will be on November 14, 2017 at Easley Presbyterian at 9:30am. Latain Bireley volunteered to attend. Annette Taylor made the motion to approve and Lawrence Garabedian gave the second. The motion passed.
Committee Reports
Benevolence & Mission
: The Benevolence & Mission Committee will discuss how to designate the offering to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
Discipleship
: Annette Taylor reported that the Christian education programs were going well.
Finance & Stewardship
: Mary Pace said there was no new news to report.
Long-Range Planning
: Bob Lewis reported that there would be no new fund raising events this year.
Personnel & Administration
: Sherry Ogletree asked for approval of the new job description for the Christian Education and Youth Director. Annette Taylor made the motion to approve and Stan Coleman gave the second. The motion passed.
Property & Grounds
: Stan Coleman said the roof leak repair and the parking lot lining are in process to be done.
Spiritual Development & Evangelism
: No report.
Worship
: Latain Birely brought a motion from her committee to not have communion on December 3, 2017. The motion passed.
Motion to Adjourn
: Stan Coleman made the motion to close the meeting with prayer. Jeff Burton gave the second and the motion passed. Marc Mason closed the meeting with prayer at 8:15p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Fred Moehlenbrock, Clerk Marc Mason, Moderator
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North Greenville Crisis Ministry
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Thank you for your continued support for this ministry.
Their current needs include:
·
Peanut Butter and Jelly,
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Mac N Cheese, Soup, Green Beans,
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Shampoo, Toothpaste
Please place donations in the shopping cart in McKinney Hall.
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Sermon Audio Files Now Available
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To access Sermon Audio on the website:
2) On the menu in the upper right hand corner between the options CALENDAR and CONTACT US you will see an option entitled MEDIA.
3) Roll your mouse over MEDIA and a menu should appear.
4) Click SERMON AUDIO.
5) It will take you to the iTunes website where you are now on the preview page for the Trinity Podcast.
6) Click the blue button that reads VIEW IN iTUNES under the green Trinity logo on the left side.
7) You will receive a prompt to open iTunes. Or if you don’t have it, you will be prompted to download iTunes.
8) For Windows/PC Users: if you already have iTunes on your computer and receive a prompt to download it again, click the gray button to the left of the blue download button indicating that you already have iTunes on your computer and you wish to sign in.
iTunes will then open to the Trinity Podcast Page.
To receive a copy of each new sermon to your iTunes every week:
When you reach the podcast page in iTunes, click SUBSCRIBE under the green Trinity logo on the left side.
To receive a copy of a particular sermon to your iTunes:
When you reach the podcast page in iTunes, scroll down the list of sermons and click “GET”
on the right hand side of the sermon you’d like to have a copy of.
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Congratulations on the
marriage of Rev. Mason’s
daughter and son-in-law,
Emily and William Byrd
9/30/2017!
We wish them all the best and God’s richest blessings!
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October Birthdays
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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3 Barbara Weiner
5 Blake Blakemore
6 Will Zix
Nancy Herron
7 Kristen Short
Mary Sue McClain
8 Jack Russell
9 Tom Ronald
10 Teresa Bennett
11 Jean Kennett
12 Mae Tavernetti
13 Sheila Koza
20 Scott Murr
21 Jack Zix
Beauford Williams
Ramsey Tiwari
Mary Blair Garabedian
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22 Michele Perdue
23 Tom Wall
24 Paul Ingalls
Rose Childers
25 Lauren Blakemore
Richard McClain
Cindy Mitchell
Lynn Cole
26 Thomas Barksdale
27 Shawn Stokes
Patsy Sharpe
28 Myron Messich
Jim Capobianco
29 Stan Coleman
Emily Moehlenbrock
31 Virginia McCorkle
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Updated Trinity Presbyterian Church Member Directories
are available in the Narthex. Please take one per family.
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Newsletter Deadline: The deadline for newsletter information is the 25th of each month. Please send all information to the church office (834-9897). If you are able, please E-mail info to Trinity@trinitytr.org
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Church Office Hours
9:00a.m. to 1:00p.m. Monday through Friday
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