Greetings!

It is expected that pastors in the Florida Conference will participate in some kind of continuing education each year. I am fortunate to be able to participate in The Living School, a ministry of Richard Rohr, until 2021. I applied to his school because I sensed the need to go deeper in my own spiritual development. I wanted to learn more about contemplative prayer and meditation in the Christian tradition and how living out our faith should be an outcome of our prayer life.

While at the first intensive gathering last month, I began to ponder how these ancient practices might help not just me as an individual, but help the church too. I asked myself what would a contemplative church look like?

I’m frustrated with the general state of the church universal right now. I’m frustrated when folks hear about a business that is thriving and they try to use those worldly methods to transform the church. I’m frustrated when mega churches offer seminars in “best practices.” These churches have mega staffs, mega budgets, and a mega-sized volunteer pool to pull off what they are doing. To try those things elsewhere is, in my experience, a waste of time.

I’m frustrated when programs that have served the church well in the past are no longer meeting the needs of the community around the church. Maybe if we just try harder the people will come back? That doesn’t work either. I’m frustrated with the mountain of books published each year promising a few easy steps to make your church relative and vital again. 

While at The Living School, I felt God say to me “Why don’t you try something that most churches are not doing: cultivate a space that is full of Heaven’s stillness for your individual lives and the congregation? Return to silence, stillness. Try meditative prayer. Seek nourishment. Transformation will come but focus on the practices of prayer. Find a way to partake of the unhurried rhythms of grace and be present to the fact that God is with you.”  

You know, this might just work! This is, after all, God’s church. Who better to lead it? In his book, “I am a Follower”, church futurist Leonard Sweet reminds us that everyone, even pastors, should be followers of Jesus. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is our leader.

And so we embark on an exciting and bold experiment to slow down and connect with God in an intentional way. We will begin with a new worship service in the style of Taizé, the third Wednesday of each month. This style of worship is different than a typical Sunday morning worship experience. It's a candlelight service. There are short musical choruses that are sung over and over, which helps to quiet our hearts and minds. We will read the Gospel reading for the day from the Revised Common Lectionary, after which we will observe 20 minutes of silence. After the time of silence, we will say a common prayer, sing one more chant and then quietly depart in peace to love and serve the Lord. The service will last about 45 minutes.

This is certainly a time, a place, and a way to “Be still and know that God is God” (Psalm 46:10). I hope to see you on September 18th at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary.

I LOVE being your Pastor!

Todd

Make plans to join us as Pastor Todd continues his sermon series on "The Exciting Church!" 

God’s heart is that his church is full of joy and excitement. It is God’s plan

that lives are transformed in exciting ways through the church.

This series will explore, over nine weeks, the various aspects

of the church that make her the most exciting place to be.

September 1, 1 Thessalonians 2: 5-12 , The Exciting Church: Where People Witness .

God’s design for the exciting church is for those people who have been transformed by God’s love through Jesus Christ to then share that love with others. The church is always one generation away from extinction. If there is to be a church tomorrow, we must be God’s witnesses today!

September 8, Mark 10:17-27 , The Exciting Church: Where People Give Generously .

Giving is not just about money, though that is involved. Being generous is a way of living a full and rewarding Christian life. Not only will we talk about our money in this sermon, we will explore generosity from a holistic view for living. NOTE: We will celebrate not one, but two baptisms this day! Courtney Weeks’ boys Wyatt and Walker (Don & Jan Mogk’s grandchildren), will be baptised during the early service. One is 2 years old and the other is 2 months!

September 15, Matthew 5:1-12 , The Exciting Church: Where People Serve.

What was I made for? What is the real purpose of my life? I know that I have a purpose, but what is it? Life without meaning is truly drudgery. Life with meaning is an adventure! The exciting church reaches out beyond itself to discover that authentic meaning and purpose in life is found in serving others. God made us to serve!

September 22, Luke 16:1-13 , Who Do We Serve? ( Parable of the dishonest manager.)

We live in a world that compartmentalizes everything between secular and sacred. In reality, everything is sacred. If God spoke creation into being, then everything is from God and therefore holy. The challenge for us is to learn to recognized God in everything and choose to serve God with our whole heart.

September 29, Luke 16: 19-31 , Lazarus and the Rich Man .

True evangelism is not about saving the masses. It is about the relationships we build – one at time – over our lifetimes. Jesus wants us to do more than ladle out food to the poor. We must ladle out love and treat the poor the same way we treat our friends and relatives, around the table God has provided.

NATIONAL BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15

Much like school, many people take a break from church. It might be during summer when they go out on vacation, or it may be an extended break of years! Perhaps there is someone that has never been. Just like there is a “Back to School” day, Trinity is going to be celebrating “Back to Church!” day this month. “Back to Church Sunday” is a nationwide event where congregations invite their friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, strangers, etc. to church on Sunday, September 15th.

Two weeks prior, on Sunday, September 1st, members and friends of Trinity will be given an invitation card to write the name of a person that hasn’t been to church for awhile, or someone they know who doesn’t go to church. They will be asked to pray for that person, contact them, give them the card, and personally invite them to Trinity on September 15!

When asked, the invitee can be told that Trinity is an off-the-scale friendly place where they can sense a feeling of belonging, in spite of where they have been; it's a place where they can experience God’s love in their life.

Let’s share the Good News! Invite someone to church on September 15th and we’ll ensure that they feel welcomed into a warm, engaging, non-threatening atmosphere where God’s love abounds! For more information, on this special Sunday, contact Pastor Todd Bardin at [email protected] or call the church office at 386-734-4425.

CHURCH COUNCIL NEWS

SAVE THE DATE!

Trinity has been selected to participate in a new process the Florida Conference is doing to onboard new pastors with their staff and church leaders in an accelerated fashion.

The onboarding process will be fully explained to us on Monday evening, October 7th, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. The event is open to everyone; however, all ministry team leaders are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in this new and exciting venture in leadership development!

There will be more information to share, as it gets closer to October. In the meantime, click on this LINK to SAVE THE DATE by automatically adding the meeting date to your Google and iCal calendars.

John Campbell, chair

FINANCE TEAM REPORT

Interim Pastor Appreciation Offering

In June, a special offering was taken up to show appreciation for Beth Fogle-Miller, Dan Casselberry, and John Campbell handling pastoral duties for three months. The pastors have requested the offering be used toward paying apportionments. The generosity of Trinity comes through once again as the total collected is $4,445.

Mark Moor, Treasurer

Christian nurture, the edification of believers, helps people understand, know and love God more. Teaching, guiding ministries must be a priority to help fulfill our church's purpose.

If you are interested in serving on one or more of our nurturing ministries, email Donna Beaty.

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE IN 2020

Dear Exciting Church,

It is not too late to sign up for the Holy Land Pilgrimage! So far, 22 people have expressed an interest in the trip. There is no cap. We can take as many pilgrims as sign up! We are six months away from our journey so don’t delay - sign up today!

Also, trips like this are more fun with a friend, so invite someone to join you. They don’t have to be Trinity members, or even Methodists! Invite anyone you wish to join us. Flyers with instructions on how to register are in the Narthex and outside the church offices. There are no visas required to travel to Israel. Passports expiration dates should be more than 6 months after our travel dates.

 

Our trip Includes: All tours and guided sightseeing / Roundtrip Airfare from Orlando / Taxes, Fees, and fuel surcharges / Tips / First Class Hotels / Breakfast and Dinner Daily / Guides / Deluxe Motorcoaches / Drivers / Entrance Fees. Price with Air from Orlando is $3,498.00 per person. Optional costs: travel insurance, lunch out daily, and a love offering to be collected for our tour guide and bus driver.

 

To register for the pilgrimage, follow these steps:

1.   Go to www.eo.travelwithus.com 

2.   On the homepage, click on the box that says, “Know your tour information?”

3.   Tour # is HL20. Date: 020420. Code: F

ID # is 54898 (this is my personal Tour Host number). All pilgrims traveling with me will need to use this number so EO will keep us together as a group.  

4.   The next screen is our trip information page. You can read all about the trip here or download a brochure. A link at the bottom of this page will take you to the online registration form. Please note that EO uses PayPal to process payments.

I’m excited to take this journey with you!

Pastor Todd

MUSIC AND WORSHIP MINISTRY

Great things are happening in the Music Ministry! The Chancel Choir resumes their Wednesday rehearsals on September 4th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. If you are interested in joining this special group that provides music for the 11:00 a.m. service, please contact me at [email protected] for more information.

Do you have an unknown talent for playing an instrument? We would love to get you involved in the Music Ministry. Please see Conya Hartman or Larry Graham, organist, for more information.

The Joyful Noise Praise Team is still seeking an experienced volunteer drummer to replace our beloved Bob Brooks, who recently retired.  

Candlelight Concerts 2019: The Christmas Choir will be sharing “LET THERE BE CHRISTMAS”, on December 13th & 14th. Our kickoff rehearsal will be Sunday, September 29th from 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Candlelight is a good first step into the Music Ministry through a short-term commitment. We will be accompanied by our Larry Graham, and cello!

Music Makers has begun and we have a GREAT, EXCITING new group of kids ready to praise God through musical drama. We still have openings for the program up to September 9th!

And, finally, we would like to purchase two banners for our altar area at a cost of $170.00. If anyone would like to help us with those expenses, please contact me at the church.

Conya Hartman, Director of Music & Worship

SheGrows CONFERENCE

SheGrows is coming to Florida!

First UMC of Lakeland is pleased to host the Lakeland SheGrows Conference on Friday, September 20, at 6:30 p.m. SheGrows helps women link lives to grow a deeper faith. The goal of SheGrows is to show women the power of linking older women with younger women, and to grow their faith by breaking down some common misconceptions of what mentoring means.

Come and experience worship, inspirational messages, conversations, and a night out with friends. This event is for every gal from every generation! Featured speakers are Amber Stephens (Atlanta), Laurie Polich Short (Santa Barbara), and Brooklyn Lindsey (Lakeland).

The event will inspire and equip you to connect in strong relationships with other women, help you understand the nature of mentoring, and how to identify and seek these relationships in our lives!

SHEGROWS CONFERENCE

FRIDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 20th

6:30-9:30 p.m.

First United Methodist Church

72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland

SPECIAL PRICE $39 PER PERSON - DISCOUNT FOR A GROUP OF FIVE

Click HERE to watch an intro video on the SheGrows movement and to register online! For more information, contact Anita Campbell.

SUSANNA CIRCLE

The Susanna Circle invites you (men & women) to join us on September 9 at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall for an informative look at Habitat for Humanity. Speaking to us will be Magda Hiller, Executive Director. Although Magda has only held this job since January, she has learned an amazing amount and will share that with us. Magda has a musical background, but has been too busy to pursue that since taking over Habitat. Come learn more about DeLand's community. Enjoy some delicious goodies also.

Lana Saxon, Chairman

OUTREACH MINISTRIES

To spread the love of Christ and connect our congregation with opportunities to serve our community, both locally and globally.

If you are interested in serving on one of our outreach ministry teams, contact me. We are engaging in some fantastic community and mission-led activities and would love to get you involved.

Dee Miller, Coordinator

Citrus Grove Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Trinity's Outreach Team reached out to our school-partner, Citrus Grove Elementary, and gave all 80 classroom teachers and other instructional staff a $25 Target gift card to aid them in purchasing much-needed back-to-school supplies for their classrooms.

These gifts are so very much appreciated. Thank you, Trinity members, for your ongoing love and support of the children and staff at our partnership school!

Leslie LaRue and Anita Campbell, Partnership Coordinators

IT'S ALMOST

FALL FESTIVAL

TIME!

SAVE THE DATE AND SAVE YOUR STUFF!

Saturday, October 5th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Need more information? Contact Melissa Fuller at church.

Greetings from Antiques and Collectibles,

The Final Stretch for Fall Festival is here. The Finish Line - the last day we will accept articles - is Tuesday, September 10th. On that day, from 9:30 a.m. to3:00 p.m., we will be in room 214,( second floor, top of the ramp,) to accept any antiques/collectibles in showroom condition. If you need help with your donations, call the church office that morning and we will come downstairs to assist. For further information, call chairman Harriet Bolin at 386-736-0884.

Breakfast at Trinity

Many thanks to you, Trinity family, for donating so many toiletries & shoes over the last month. Our guests sometimes go to the “free” table before even eating breakfast—they want to look over what we have. We will continue collecting toiletries, good shoes, and rain gear during the month of September. In July, we served 104 guests; in August, it was 88. The Volusia Co. Health Dept will continue to give free Hepatitis A shots during the next 3 months. Hispanic Health Ministries will check blood pressure, glucose & cholesterol levels. Volunteers---we need you! Come serve God as you serve others---the blessings will be yours. The next Breakfast is Sept 27 from 9:30 – 11:15.

  

Lana Saxon, Chairman

H.O.P.E. (Helpers of People Enslaved)

    On Thurs, Sept 26, at Orange City UMC in the Sanctuary, H.O.P.E. And the Freedom 7 Task Force will host a Human Trafficking Awareness Night. Groups which are involved in the mission to stamp out trafficking and other groups who work with survivors to provide housing and restorative care will be there with informational tables. A Freedom 7 member will speak.  The night will include awarding a $15,000 grant, the proceeds of our Night for Freedom Banquet/Auction held this past April at Stetson. The H.O.P.E. Board has been interviewing applicants and has finally settled on a winner. 

     Join us at 6:30 to peruse the tables. From 6:45 – 7:30, hear the speakers and the award presentation.

    Human Trafficking is rampant all over the world; DeLand, FL is not exempt. Over 100,000 American children are at risk of being trafficked for commercial sex in the US. This begins when they are between 11 and 13 years old, although many are younger. All of us need to be educated and aware of what is going on, so we can share this information with and protect our children and grandchildren.

    For more information, contact Lana Saxon, Board member of H.O.P.E.

Sneakers for Kids

   For those who have been wondering if Sneakers for Kids was still active, the answer is YES. We will be helping kids in need at Citrus Grove Elementary the last of November. You have been so generous that we have enough money and socks for this “buy” in November. In March of 2020, we will make our second “buy” and for that, we will need more donations. We usually provide 50 children with brand new sneakers to replace the worn-out, torn-up, smelly, too large or too small sneakers. This not only gives them safe footwear, but increases their self-esteem and keeps the other kids from making fun of them—now they can concentrate on learning. Your monies are doing a wonderful thing for these children. Many thanks!!!!!

Lana Saxon, Chairman

The Witness Team coordinates, plans, carries out, and evaluates the congregation’s witness ministries, helping all to know and respond to the love of God in Christ. This includes intercessory prayers, planning and implementing our evangelistic efforts outside the walls of the church, including visitation and hospitality.

If you are interested in being a part of this new team, contact me by email using this link Rob Miller or by leaving me a note in the church's Witness Team mailbox outside the pastor's office.

Rob Miller, Coordinator

PRAYER CORNER

Printed in a recent Sunday bulletin were the words, “We REJOICE in the enthusiasm that Pastor Todd is bringing to the congregation!"

Worship services led by Pastor Todd, have been exciting, indeed. Especially meaningful to me is the beauty of our prayer time together. The pastor ushers us into God’s presence with a spoken or softly sung verse of scripture which we repeat until our hearts and minds grow quiet and we find ourselves kneeling before our awesome God to present our praises and petitions. During the next two minutes of silence, each of us prays in our own way to the Holy One, followed by a brief prayer by the pastor and the Lord's Prayer. We know we have been in His presence. Following worship services, the pastor invites all who feel in need of prayer to meet him at the altar, where he annoints them with oil from the Holy Land and prays for their needs.

Pastor Todd has just returned from a Meditation and Prayer Conference in Arizona and will be sharing new, exciting ways in which Trinity can become a House of Prayer. A Taizé Service of Prayer and Meditation will be held on the third Wednesday of each month, beginning Wednesday, September 18th at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. The service will last approximately 45 minutes.

Taizé services are designed to help us encounter Christ in a prayerful atmosphere using scriptures, prayers, repetitive singing of simple harmonized tunes, readings and periods of silence. Silence is so important, for it enables us to hear God’s whispers. Please mark your calendars now; you won’t want to miss this beautiful event which is sure to bring serenity and peace to our world-weary souls.

Will you join me in praying through our church directory? Please pray for:

Susan Largen, Vangie Laverdure, Rev. Howard Leach, Vernon & Carolyn Linder and Joanne Logsdon.

Carolyn Harner, Prayer Team Coordinator

If you do not personally know some or all of these ministry team leaders but want to contact them about volunteering, call the Church Office (386) 734-4425 to request an updated "People Directory."

Friends,

There is still time to register for the next Lay Servant Ministry (LSM) training on Friday, September 20 & Saturday, September 21 at New Horizons UMC in Haines City.

LSM is a led by lay people in the local church. They plan two trainings a year. One in the fall and one in the spring. This one is in Polk County, last spring was held in Lake County. The spring 2020 LSM class will most likely be in Orange or Seminole County.

Those of you who are Certified Lay Servants, remember that certification expires after three years. Only those with current certification should be listed in the Annual Report to the Charge Conference. Click HERE for the report. 

The LSM weekend in September will be the last opportunity you have to renew your certification before your Charge Conference.

Click HERE to print a brochure to share in your congregation and small groups Click HERE for online registration. Questions? Contact Lynn Campbell [email protected].

Blessings,

Claudia

Claudia Sava

East Central District Administrative Assistant to

Rev. Dr. Bob Bushong, District Superintendent

Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church

EC Office 407-636-9240 ext. 4 

[email protected] 

https://www.flumc.org/eastcentral/ 

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

The people of The United Methodist Church

How much do you know about the Bible? Find out with this week's Bible Quiz and Crossword Puzzle . 

GOD HAS ASKED US TO

GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND

MAKE DISCIPLES OF MEN, WOMEN

AND CHILDREN.

PLEASE JOIN WITH US ON THE JOURNEY!

306 W. Wisconsin Avenue

DeLand, Florida 32720