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!

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.

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.

On Sunday, October 8th, HopeWood Pines (formerly Lutheran Memorial Camp) will be hosting the Apple Butter Festival from 11am-3pm, followed by an installation of their new Executive Director, Drew Tucker.

In preparation for the event, they are in need of many volunteers. Whether you’re able to help for a few hours or a few days, they appreciate any time you can spare. Volunteer opportunities include peeling apples, raking and clearing trails, setting up tables and chairs, greeting guests, preparing and serving food, helping with children’s activities, and even making the Apple Butter.

The festival would be a great experience for any youth in need of volunteer hours for school, or if they are interested in learning more about camp! To register to volunteer for the festival, follow the link below. If you have any questions about the registration process or volunteer tasks, do not hesitate to ask!

https://hopewoodoutdoors.org/support/volunteer/

We have just finished our third month of service at the LSS Food Pantry on Champion and Frebis Avenue and have most of the kinks worked out. Holy Trinity has 2 teams that consist of 17 generous-hearted individuals who are willing to give up 4 hours of their time to help distribute food to those in need in our community. We have learned that people can come from any zip code in Franklin County and on one day we were there, we handed out food to over 520 individuals. So the need is great! Any resident of Franklin County may order staple items, such as flour, beans, toilet paper, laundry detergent, canned vegetables, rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, etc. once a month by going on the LSS Food Pantry website. Once a week, they may come through for milk, eggs, meat, and bread. And then daily they can get produce that is donated by the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. And this produce is amazing! Beautiful nectarines, pears, melons, and lovely sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, etc. are just a few of the items we have given out over the months. All of you who have given to LSS or Mid-Ohio Food Bank in the past, know that your money has been well-utilized at all the local food pantries. And if you know of people who are struggling to meet their food needs, contact a local pantry or Lutheran Social Services. No one in America should go hungry! Holy Trinity’s next dates to serve are Thursday, October 5 and Monday, October 16. Please contact Cyndy Decker if you’d like to help out!

Addie Darding, a member of Holy Trinity and senior at Upper Arlington High School, is currently working to coordinate a hygiene kit project for First English Lutheran Church. Everyone in the congregation is invited to contribute items from the list below through October 8 (new date). Holy Trinity’s Tweens group of third, fourth, and fifth graders will then compile the donations into kits for distribution at First English in October.

• –  Toothbrush
• –  Toothpaste
• –  Alcohol-Free Mouthwash
• –  Body Soap
• –  Shampoo
• –  Conditioner
• –  Hairbrush/Comb
• –  Deodorant
• –  Body Wipes
• –  Lip Balm
• –  Lotion
• –  Feminine Hygiene Products
• –  Band-Aids
• –  Q-tips
• –  Tissues
• –  Hand Sanitizer

We appreciate your help in sharing God’s love through these hygiene kits!

On Your Mark ~ Get Set ~ Go!!!

On Sunday, September 10, we began our journey through the second year of the Narrative Lectionary.  We are so excited about the themes surrounding the weekly Bible stories that will shape our faith in the coming year.

This fall, as we hear about God working through people in the Old Testament, we will engage in the ways God works through people like us.  We will consider what it means to be ON YOUR MARK, celebrating the gifts with which God has already equipped each of us to serve.

In the winter, we will GET SET as we hear stories of Jesus’ life in Mark’s Gospel and notice how Jesus transforms people like us for God’s work.

Then in the spring, we will encounter stories of the Holy Spirit at work in the early church while we discover ways that the Spirit sends people like us to do God’s work.  The Spirit tells us to GO! 

 God does not call us simply to remember servants of the past or look forward to service one day in the future. Every day, God calls, transforms and sends us – HERE AND NOW!  On Your Mark!….. Get Set!….. And GO!!!

On Saturday, September 23, First English Lutheran Church will celebrate 175 years of Loving God, Loving their Neighbor, and Serving Together. Everyone’s invited to attend! There will be a service of celebration at 5:00 pm in the sanctuary with a potluck dinner to follow. A main course and drinks will be provided. You’re asked to bring an item to share. Please RSVP by September 15 at https://tinyurl.com/FELC-175th-Anniv-RSVP-Signups or by calling the FELC church office at 614-252-3191.

by Elizabeth Sammons with love from Neighbor to Neighbor (September 2023)

When Sunday Comes and Under the Skin are books that I’ve read myself or seen as books of note.  We on the Neighbor-to-Neighbor ministry team hope you’ll discover how these writings from various generations embrace what it means to be human and to walk in spirit. …

When Sunday Comes by Harold, Claudrena N.
A university professor examines how gospel music evolved in often surprising directions during the post-Civil Rights era. She focuses on musicians like Andraé Crouch, the Clark Sisters, Al Green, and the Winans, and on the network of black record shops, churches, and businesses that nurtured the music. 2020.

Under the Skin by Villarosa, Linda.
“In 2018, Linda Villarosa’s New York Times Magazine article on maternal and infant mortality among black mothers and babies in America caused a stir; a Black woman with a college education is as likely to die or nearly die in childbirth as a white woman with an eighth grade education. Her research lays bare the forces in the American healthcare system and society that cause Black people to “live sicker and die quicker” than their white counterparts.”

Save the date for the next American Red Cross blood drive that will be held at Holy Trinity on Thursday, September 7 from 9am-3pm.  Go to www.redcrossblood.org/give or call 1-800-REDCROSS to make an appointment or find out more.  Thank you for considering giving the gift of life!