Worship Service October 1, 2023 – 10:00am
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Engaged by Grace Weekly October 1 – 8, 2023
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All Congregation Fall Festival
including Dedication of the Renovated Playground and
Retirement Affirmation of Child Development Director Nancy VanFossen
Sunday, October 29
4:00pm Playground Open House and Greetings for Miss Nancy
4:45pm Dedication of Playground and Affirmation of Miss Nancy & Preschool Teachers
5:00pm Lutheran Heritage Oktoberfest Meal, Music and Merriment
6:30pm Auf Wiedersehen (aka See Ya Later)
God Works Through People Like …
Young and old, Holy Trinity members, friends and Child Development Program — plan now to attend the all congregation Fall Festival! Under our ministry theme for the fall, “God Works Through People Like …” we’ll take the opportunity to celebrate the people in our lives whom God has used to help each of us grow and thrive.
Prominent among such people for 25 years’ worth of preschool students and their families is Miss Nancy, who always put children first! And for the past 17 years, she has excelled as Director of the Child Development Program, achieving a 5-star Step-up to Quality Rating, sustainable fiscal health and a sense of community consistent with that valued and promoted by the congregation as a whole. Now after her steady leadership through the pandemic and the renovation of the playground built in large part with grant funding that she secured, Nancy is ready to pursue new opportunities.
A member of Holy Trinity for more than 30 years, Nancy will be available to receive your greetings and well wishes on the playground at 4pm, Sunday, October 29. At 4:45pm we will have a brief playground dedication and affirmation of service for Miss Nancy and the other preschool teachers. Then at 5pm, the celebration continues with
- activities for children on the renovated playground,
- a group project to collect the names of God’s helpers in all our lives and
- our annual Lutheran Heritage Octoberfest with polka music & dancing over hot dogs, spaetzle (noodles), apple sauce, cream puffs and cider (especially for the children) with brats, potato salad, sauerkraut red cabbage, beer, wine and soda as well.
While there is no cost for attending the event, donations will be accepted to help defray the cost of dinner. It will also help our preparations if you would let us know that you might attend by signing up inside the preschool door, at the sign-up corner in the Gathering Space or online here
Thankfull Holiday Meal Bags
The Lutheran Social Services Network of Hope provides hope and healing for people in crisis. The LSS Food Pantries serve people in need by offering a source of nourishment to families who are food insecure. Active in hunger relief since 1927, the LSS Food Pantries operate an 11-county food pantry system, one of Ohio’s largest. Our pantries provide emergency food to 4,000 families each month.
Our holiday traditions are deeply intertwined with food. But tough choices-between food or medicine, food or utilities, food or transportation, and even food or housing-mean that many of our neighbors struggle to enjoy the festive meal that graces the Thanksgiving table. You can help by donating Thankfull Holiday meal bags to help families in need celebrate Thanksgiving! Bags are distributed to families with a turkey, bread and produce for their Thanksgiving meal.
Bags should contain (only):
* 2 pouches or one box of mashed potatoes
* 2 cans or jar of fruit (peaches, applesauce, pears, etc.)
* 3 cans of green beans
* 2 cans of corn
* 2 cans of pumpkin
* 1 can of cranberry sauce
* 1 box or bag of stuffing mix
* 1 turkey gravy packet
* 1 boxed yellow cake mix
Contents should be assembled in reusable shopping bags. Thanks in advance for your contributions between now and Sunday, November 12!
Personal Hygiene Kits
Firstly, I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has made contributions towards our personal hygiene drive. The Tweens of Holy Trinity (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) and I plan to assemble these kits on Sunday, October 8th in order to distribute them at First English later in October. As of right now we would greatly appreciate these items: small tissue packs, chapstick, lotion, toothbrushes, and travel size bottles of shampoo/conditioner/body wash. If you have questions, please reach out to Addie Darding at adarding06@gmail.com.
Columbus Marathon is Sunday, October 15
The Columbus Marathon, a showcase for the city, can sometimes be an obstacle for people trying to get to Holy Trinity. Because the racecourse encircles the church, it’s a good idea to build in a little extra time to get here and anticipate speaking with a police officer that is stationed along the route to direct and allow traffic to pass. For more information and a map of the course, please go to https://www.columbusmarathon.com/marathon-map. If you can’t make it to church on Sunday morning, you may want to consider attending Sunday afternoon’s special musical devotion by the Cornerstone Chorale and Brass which incorporates elements of worship as well as music.
Concerts at Holy Trinity
The next installment of Holy Trinity’s concert series will feature the Cornerstone Chorale and Brass on Sunday, October 15 at 4:00 pm. The Cornerstone Chorale & Brass presents a powerful message of reconciliation, healing and social justice through narration and a wide variety of traditional music. Woven together with newly composed musical themes, the concerts encourage faith communities and individuals to reach out in service to those in need.
The nationally recruited professional ensemble brings together 20 singers, 7 instrumentalists and a narrator from across the country. Our 2023 program is centered around appreciating the many blessings in our lives, reminding us that we are called not only to recognize, but also to respond to God’s love and grace by working for peace and justice for all people.
High School and Middle School Youth Events
All high school and middle school youth and their families are invited to visit the pumpkin patch at The Maize at Little Darby Creek on Sunday, October 22. We had a great time with this event last year and hope to see you all there this year. We’ll meet at church at 12:30pm and be back between 5:00 and 5:30pm. Noelle Fox and Vicar Jaren will be driving and hopefully some others will be able to drive as well. Please let Noelle (noelle.fox@engagedbygrace.org) or Vicar Jaren (jaren.summers@engagedbygrace.org) know if you can make it or if you have questions.
And save the date for Sunday, November 19 for Outdoor Games and a Hike at one of the Metro Parks!
Endowment Fund Grants
Holy Trinity’s Endowment Committee is pleased to announce that we have $6,500 for the disbursement of grants for the 2024 funding cycle. Once again, the funds will be applied across our three designated constituencies:
- Community Outreach efforts
- ELCA activities within synods, seminaries, colleges, or local social service agencies
- Holy Trinity program enrichment, ministry support, or capital improvements
Application materials are available at Holy Trinity’s Info Center or click here. All materials must be submitted to Holy Trinity no later than Sunday, October 22, 2023. If you know of an entity that might be interested in submitting an application, please inform whoever would be responsible for completing the forms. For anyone requesting grants for Holy Trinity ministries, organizational history, financials and 503(c) information are not needed. Our goal would anticipate making grants that would be of measurable impact to the receiving organization. Thank you for your interest and help. If you have any questions, please contact Endowment Committee chair Leah Forts.
About this blog
Welcome to my running online dialog on matters of our life together in faith community at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church—where the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord engages each of us and, in turn, sends us out to engage others with that grace as well. I look forward to learning and growing together.
- Pastor Steve Wachtman
Upcoming Events
Oct
4
Wed
10:15 am
Bible Study
Bible Study
Oct 4 @ 10:15 am – 11:15 am
Socially-distanced in-person at the church and Online via Zoom (contact the church office to get connected)