This Sunday we begin a new sermon series called Faith and Reason: A Thinking Person’s Guide to Faith. Through this series, we are going to talk about some of the questions we struggle with most in our faith. This Sunday we begin the series by talking about faith vs. reason. Too often we think of faith and reason as opposites--that faith is the absence of reason, and that reason is the absence of faith. But what we'll see is that both faith and reason are not only important but essential for understanding each other. Reason is a gift to help us be more faithful and faith is always part of our reasoning and logic. 

We will gather at 11 AM for online worship through Trinity’s Facebook Page and on our website.

Please register your attendance here! You can also list prayer requests as well. To be added to the Prayer Chain click here.

Click here for Children’s Worship Bulletin.

Prelude: Bright Morning Stars Are Rising - arr. Jay Althouse

Call to Worship: (based off of Hebrews 11:1-3 and Mark 9:24)

Hymn: Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom - Hymnal no. 508

We invite the children who are worshiping at home to pay extra special attention. Each week Hannah Day Donoghue will send out Children’s Worship Bulletin for the children to do at home during this time.

Solo: How Firm a Foundation - arr. Christine D. Anderson

Scripture Lesson: Hebrews 11:1-3 (Common English Bible)

¹¹ Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. ² The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith. ³ By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.

The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God.

^*Gospel Lesson: Mark 9:20-29 (Common English Bible)

²⁰ They brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a fit. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been going on?” He said, “Since he was a child. ²² It has often thrown him into a fire or into water trying to kill him. If you can do anything, help us! Show us compassion!” ²³ Jesus said to him, “‘If you can do anything’? All things are possible for the one who has faith.” ²⁴ At that the boy’s father cried out, “I have faith; help my lack of faith!” ²⁵ Noticing that the crowd had surged together, Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ After screaming and shaking the boy horribly, the spirit came out. The boy seemed to be dead; in fact, several people said that he had died. ²⁷ But Jesus took his hand, lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ After Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we throw this spirit out?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer.”.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon: Faith vs. Reason

We invite you to consider giving on-line or giving by text! To give on-line, click here. To give by text, text “GIVE” to 703-783-3034. For further information about online giving, visit here.

     and from these riches we bring this offering.

Hymn: How Firm a Foundation - Hymnal no. 529

Postlude: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr - J.G. Walther

The flowers on the altar are given to the Glory of God.

Worship Online this Sunday: While we aren’t meeting in person, we will be worshiping online via livestream on Trinity’s Facebook page and through our website. Each Saturday evening, we will send out an email with links to the worship sites and the bulletin for worship that Sunday. This Sunday, we will invite you to be intentional about finding a space in your home to worship and to be truly present in a time of worship. For additional questions about how to worship online, please contact the Church Office. 

No Fellowship Time via ZOOM today, Sunday, April 25^th. Please join us next week for Fellowship Time!

Church Council meeting, April 25^th at 1 PM: Our next Church Council meeting will be Sunday, April 25^th at 1 PM via Zoom. All Church Council members are encouraged to attend as we discuss next steps for us as a church. You can join via Zoom here.

Youth Group: 6^th-12^th graders join us this week for games, fellowship and bible study. We will meet via Zoom from 5:30-6:30 PM. Email Hannah Day Donoghue with any questions or concerns.

Faith and Reason: A Thinking Person’s Guide to Faith - Sermon Series starting April 25^th: Starting April 25^th, we will begin a new sermon series to address the questions that we struggle with in our faith. How do we make “sense” of these difficult realities and still have a vital faith in God? Through this sermon series, we will address some of the difficult questions we face as Christians: Is belief in God unscientific? Is the Bible the literal Word of God? Who goes to Heaven and Who goes to Hell? Why is there so much evil in the world? Why do people suffer? Join us for this important sermon series.

Today’s prelude is a previous recording by the Trinity Choir of Jay Althouse's arrangement of the Kentucky folk song. His arrangement of Bright Morning Stars includes two verses of the song. Smithsonian Folkways website has a recording by the Seeger Sisters released in 1957; and in 2011, the Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys released their recording on their fourth full-length album: the title track is the traditional Appalachian spiritual. As a composer of choral music, Jay Althouse has more than 700 works in print for choirs of all levels. He is the co-writer, with his wife, Sally, of I Hear America Singing, a choral work performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. Copyright © 2009 Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-713613. All rights reserved.

Today’s solo is an arrangement by Christine Anderson with piano accompaniment by Anna Laura Page. She attributes her source to the hymntune Foundation published in William Caldwell's Union Harmony (1837). The authorship of this great hymn of the faith is one of the great hymnological mysteries. When John Rippon, pastor of Carter Lane Baptist Church in London, published A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors in 1787, the attribution for this hymn appeared only as “K—.” Hymnologist William Reynolds notes that the 1822 edition designated the author as “Kn,” and the 1835 edition of the collection indicated “Keen.” Finally, an 1844 edition ascribed authorship to “Kirkham.” The anonymous folk tune FOUNDATION is an American contribution to the hymn that first appears with the text in Joseph Fund’s 1832 Genuine Church Music under the tune name PROTECTION. We will sing How Firm a Foundation as our closing hymn today. Some notes from Dr. Michael Hawn. Copyright ©1991 by Agape. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 (A Division of Hope Publishing Company.) International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-713613. All rights reserved.

Trevor Lee started ringing in 1980 at his childhood church in West Fargo, North Dakota, and started solo ringing in 1986. Since 2001, he was a member of the Olivet Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND) bell choir and rang with the community group BELLissimo (Fargo, ND). In addition to ringing, Trevor has been a member of the Area 7 Handbell Musicians of America board (Registrar) since 2005. In 2018, Trevor and his wife, Sandi, moved to Virginia from Moorhead, MN. Trevor has been a member of Virginia Bronze in Northern Virginia. When he is not ringing, Trevor spends his time as Director of Client Services at a software company in Centreville, VA. Trevor and Sandi enjoy reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time at the lake.

It is with great sadness we share the death of Lois Bigler, the Aunt of Trinity Member, Polly Hanson. Please send condolences to Polly Hanson and George Pinn at 2019 S. Langley Street, Arlington, VA 22204.

Join the Trinity Prayer Chain: During times of trial and uncertainty, we pray to grow in our faith and encourage one another. To respond to our growing prayer needs, we will be starting an email prayer chain to share our prayer concerns with one another. We will share joys as well as concerns and needs. If you are interested in being part of this prayer chain or have a prayer request, please email us here.

Outdoor Communion Worship Service, Sunday, May 2^nd at 9 AM: On Sunday, May 2^nd at 9 AM we will have an Outdoor Communion Worship service. This service will be in-person in our Courtyard and will be an abridged worship service with Holy Communion. Please note this worship service will be in addition to our online worship service at 11 AM. Sign up here!

Youth Mission Week! Youth 6^th-12^th graders, join us for a mission meeting on May 2^nd after Youth Group. Come hear about what we tentatively have planned for our Neighboring Mission Week! The date of the mission trip will be July 18^th-23^rd. On July 18^th we will have a required worship blessing as well as begin mission activities. This is a Youth and Guardians meeting! Email Hannah Day Donoghue with any questions or concerns.

Thanks to Everyone Who Volunteered & Donated Blood Saturday, April 10^th.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Semi-Annual Blood Drive: from the donors to the volunteers, we’re so thankful to have you! We had a very successful drive with 32 donors registered and 28 units of much-needed blood donated, which has the potential to save the lives of 84 sick hospital patients. Thanks to all the donors, including our faithful repeat donors and many new folks.  Special thanks, too, to all our blood drive volunteers that make calls and welcome and register people the day of the drive: Mary Gillman, Karen Beasley, Linda Cancellieri, Naomi Morales, Paul Painter, Shauna Root, Paul Taylor, and Sharon Taylor. Thanks Trinity for another mission success! Please keep an eye out for our next drive in November (date to be determined but likely Sat., Nov. 13) — remember, it must be at least 56 days (8 weeks) between donations, so in order to donate on November 13^th, you can’t donate after September 18, 2021.

Volunteers Needed to Help with Food Ministry: Mission is seeking volunteers who are willing to make food deliveries to Rising Hope Mission Church on Tuesday or Thursday mornings. Someone from the Mission Team will determine delivery contents and will help you load your vehicle. Sign up here. For additional questions or concerns contact Mary Gillman.

Centering Prayer meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, via Zoom. Centering Prayer is a 20 minute practice to sit in quiet prayer to make ourselves open to God. A reading is shared by the leader with a short discussion prior to the prayer time. Click here to connect. For more information contact, Alva Smircina.

COVID-19 Vaccination Registration Information for Alexandria City Residents who are 65 years and over: If you are 65 and over, or have a condition that places you at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, please complete this registration form by clicking here. For more information contact Alexandria City Health Department.

1. Give online through our online donation portal.

3. If you prefer to mail in your donation, you can send a check to Trinity Church, 2911 Cameron Mills Road, Alexandria, VA 22302.

For further questions about how to give, visit here!

Trinity has switched our financial management system from Vanco to Breeze. If you still give through Vanco, you can access your Legacy Vanco account here. We encourage you to switch to Breeze, our new online management system as soon as you can. Please cancel your Vanco account first and then set up your new giving through Breeze. Thank you for however you give, it is all very much appreciated! For additional questions or concerns, contact the Church Office.

Did you know you can support Trinity UMC with a tax-free transfer from your IRA?  If you are age 72 (or 70½ before Jan 1, 2020) and have a Traditional, Rollover, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA, you are required by law to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) annually.  But did you know that you can use the RMD as a way to make a tax-free transfer to a charity, including Trinity UMC?  The transfer must be directly from your IRA to Trinity, and your broker can help you with this process so that you get the full tax benefit. Please notify Trinity when you authorize a transfer so that we may confirm receipt.  

Another way to provide financial support to Trinity is with a gift of stock.  Please consult with your broker and a tax adviser (prior to selling stocks intended to benefit Trinity) on how to handle to maximize the tax benefits.  But if you do decide to give stock – please contact the church help. We can provide a form for your broker or tax adviser to facilitate the transfer.  

As always, Trinity is very grateful for any gifts. It makes everything we do at Trinity possible.  If all else fails - please contact Rich McKinney. Thank you again for your giving - no matter how you give!

Sunday, April 25^th

   5:30 PM   Youth Group via Zoom

Wednesday, April 28^th

Thursday, April 29^th

   8:30 PM   Chancel Choir Rehearsal via Zoom

Sunday, May 2^nd

   9:00 PM   Outdoor Communion Worship Service in the Courtyard

Wednesday, May 5^th

Thursday, May 6^th

   8:30 PM   Chancel Choir Rehearsal via Zoom

Sunday, May 9^th ~ Mother’s Day

   5:30 PM   Youth Group via Zoom