NOVEMBER Monthly Newsletter
Time
Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. (Mark 13:33)
On November 3, Daylight Saving Time will end. Officially at 2 a.m. on that day, the clock should be turned back one hour. Daylight Saving Time is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. It is an attempt on our part to make time work to our advantage. For example, adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. While there are some advantages (and disadvantages) to adjusting clocks, time is beyond our control. The sun will rise when it rises. The rain will fall when it will fall.
More important for us is this fact: Jesus will come at the appointed time. We do not know when it will happen. There is nothing we can do to stop it, change it, or delay it.
Because of this, Jesus tells us, “Take heed, watch, and pray.” There is only one part of time that we can control: the present. What are we doing now (if anything so that when Jesus comes again, it will be a good time for us? Do we even care?
The time is coming, and it can be a day to look forward to and not dread. Jesus has provided us with what we need to be ready. He provides forgiveness in abundance in His Gospel. He keeps our faith strong through His Word and His Body and Blood. The time is coming when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. Take the time now to make sure you are ready when that happens.
In Christ,
Pastor Klein
A Day To Be Remembered!
What has been the most IMPORTANT event in your life---a day to be remembered and treasured??? Most of us don’t even remember this day; the day we became a member of God’s Kingdom, THE DAY OF OUR BAPTISM!!
In an effort to help Trinity members reflect and “remember,” Trinity is honoring the baptismal birthdays of our members. On the last Sunday of each month, members, young and old, who were baptized during that month can sit together, enjoy a treat and, perhaps, share stories during the fellowship hour.
We do have the dates of baptism for most of our members; but, if we missed yours, please let us know so we don’t miss it again. Any questions and/or dates, please contact the church office: 645-4438.
Arise and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts 2:16
Baptism doth also now save us. I Peter 3:21
November Baptisms Anniversaries
Mark Barlau Matthew Harvey Tracy Hinz
Sandy Nelson Jared Nybakke Ruth Ohmann
FROM THE TREASURER
September Home Fund Budget Status Report
Home Fund Balance on September 1, 2024 $21,557.61
September Home Fund Contributions $36,021.37
Designated Giving* $34,112.00
Loose Plate Giving** $709.37
Rental Property Fund $1,200.00
September Home Fund Expenses $18,325.00
Home Fund Balance on September 30, 2024 $39,253.98
* Includes giving by people who use offering envelopes and e-giving
**Includes giving by people without offering envelopes
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES
10/3/2024
Call meeting to order
Attendance
Mr. John Greenfield (Congregation President/Tech)
David Ohmann (Stewardship)
Rev. Dr. Brent Klein (Sr. Pastor)
Jackie Ohmann (Stewardship)
Rev. Dr. Armand Boehme (Assoc. Pastor)
Brent Casmey (Trustees/Tech)
Joshua Wagner (Elder/Tech)
Karen Wagner (Education)
Jim Koch (Elder)
Becca Koch (Education)
Ruthie Wagner (Education)
Opening Prayer - Pastor Klein
Approval of Minutes
- Motion to amend the minutes from the 9/5/2024 Council meeting. “Mr. Kurt Klein (Elder) –
temporary Chair” should have be “Mr. Kurt Anderson (Elder) – temporary Chair.” MSA,
Pastor Boehme, David Ohmann.
Old Business
- Additional member for Christian Education Committee. Ruthie Wagner
has said that she is willing to be a member of the Board of Education.
Motion to add Ruthie by Karen Wagner, Second by Jim Koch.
Approved.
- New youth person (Sheldon Volkert)
o Paying for expenses? (Mileage, et al.). Reporting responsibilities?
o Motion to state that Sheldon will be overseen by the Board of Education and salary
coordinated between the Board of Education and the Board of Elders. MSA.
- Stewardship – Jim Koch expressed appreciation for the excellent coordination of the
stewardship drive this year.
New Business
- Budgets
- Parking going forward: Looking for solutions for the reduced number of available
parking spots resulting from the addition of the bike lane on 8th St.
- Parking lot repaving: Ray Larson is checking into getting a quote for putting down
a 2” layer of asphalt on the parking lot. He would be willing to lead a fundraiser
if the quote comes in at a manageable amount.
- Thrivent Requests: none
Reports
Pastor Klein
- Prayer Vigil – November 2, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; 6 time slots available this time
around. If people don’t want to fill a slot themselves they can join up
with others, or they can join Pastor Klein, who will be covering the final
slot from 2-3 pm.
Pastor Boehme
- Der Luteraner continues with chapter 5 of Eusebius’ history
- Weekly Bible Study continues.
- The congregation at Kilkenny will be having their final service sometime
around the end of this year.
Elders
- We discussed budgets, Sheldon, and the Prayer Vigil.
Education
- Happy to have Ruthie join us. Talked through having Sheldon join us.
It is going to be important.
- Ruthie started a Saturday morning Bible study that has been going well and
has been well attended.
Tech Committee
- No response from Roger Fette yet. Josh will contact him again.
Fellowship Committee
- October 12 – dinner and movie (CANCELLED, rescheduled to Spring
time?)
- November 27 (Wed before Thanksgiving) – Pie and Coffee
- December 14 – Men’s Christmas Breakfast
Trustees
- Tony talked with Brian from the city because we were concerned that
the lowering of the sidewalk would result in the freezing of our
water line. The person at the city said that it should be fine.
- The railing that we had is going to be moved and reinstalled. If it doesn’t fit
they will make us a new one.
- The city workers did erect a new mini-retaining wall on the Winona
side.
Missions
- No update.
Stewardship
- The Stewardship Committee will meet October 14th, at which point we should
have a total from the pledge cards.
Meeting adjournment
Motion to adjourn by Pastor Boehme. Adjourned at 9:09 p.m.
Next Month’s meeting on November 7, 2024.
The Consequences of Shallow Thankfulness
Can you imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie? I know I can’t! To not have these on the menu, or worse, to run out of them with the family around the table, would be a culinary sin of epic proportions. An attempt to serve bratwurst and hamburgers in place of the standard fare would ring hollow and seem totally inappropriate and out of place. It isn’t that the food would be bad; brats and burgers are pretty tasty. But not for Thanksgiving — they just don’t go together!
This month, as we continue to walk through the stewardship hymn, “Forgive Us, Lord, for Shallow Thankfulness” (LSB 788), we turn our attention to verse three. Here, William Watkins Reid, Sr., the man who penned this text, draws attention to some things that do not go along with faithful, thankful stewardship.
Forgive us, Lord, for selfish thanks and praise …
We see this often with small children. They greedily snatch the candy out of a grandparent’s hand, savagely destroy the wrapper, and attempt to stuff the entire delicacy in their mouth in one bite, only to have a parent say, “Tell grandma thank you.” This is followed by the pro forma thanks that is uttered between chocolate chews. It isn’t really thankfulness; it is simply checking a box to keep mom or dad off their backs.
We never really outgrow this either. Our shallow thankfulness takes the form of feigned humility when praise is being offered. We are thankful that our admirers noticed and called us out: “Look at me! Aren’t I special?” No thought at all is given to the fact that the Lord was the One who gave us the ability and opportunity for accomplishment. Our false blush is really only masking our selfish, credit-seeking gain. Once again, we find ourselves idolatrously thanking ourselves.
For words that speak at variance with deeds …
What carries more weight: words or action? The steward who gives voice to the Gospel in the Divine Service but then lives like a pagan in the world does great damage, not only to others but to the Gospel itself! This is the consequence of failed stewardship. It is idolatry that separates the steward from the Lord.
Worse yet, it also impacts others negatively. When the failed steward is the reference point outside the Christian community, there are those who want no part of being Christian or
following the Christ they claim. We see this play out in the impact of overt political activity among Christians based on governing policy as opposed to fidelity to the Word of God. When our lips and our lives are out of sync, like what used to happen with old movie projectors, the impact isn’t funny — it obscures the Gospel!
Forgive our thanks for walking pleasant ways unmindful of a broken brother’s need …
Our creature comforts often become an obstacle to faithful stewardship. This is true of both individual and corporate stewardship. Financial stewardship is often limited by our desire to be comfortable and have the latest toys and gadgets. Congregational stewardship is often limited by the desire to focus on what is best for the congregation as opposed to how resources might be best stewarded to reach the community with the Gospel.
When we see someone in need, or broken by the world, we often look at them as freeloaders. We admonish them to get a job. We insist that they learn our language, learn our customs, and make them their own. But this gets in the way of seeing every human being the way that Jesus sees them. Remember, that broken person is one for whom Jesus went to the cross to die and rise. When we are unmindful of these needs, our shallow thankfulness also stands in the way of the Gospel.
This stanza reminds us of the challenge we face. Our hearts are master idol-makers. Our shallow thankfulness threatens our souls and hinders others from seeing Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Stewardship is serious business. It is a task for which we were created. In our sinful failings, we are never relieved of these duties. In our Baptism, we are restored to be stewards of the Gospel. Our faithful stewardship is all about that Gospel.
Forgive us when our thanks are shallow, O Lord! In this month of Thanksgiving, grant us the grace to offer heaping helpings of this stewardship so that others may see Jesus!
LCMS Stewardship Ministry – lcms.org/stewardship
TRINITY NEWS
PRAYER VIGIL
Trinity will have another prayer vigil on November 2nd, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. This is an opportunity for you to join with your brothers and sisters in Christ in lifting up our needs and thanksgivings to the throne of grace.
Please consider signing up for one of the six one-hour time slots. Plenty of resources will be available for you to use. If you wish, you can have one or more people sign up with you for one of the time periods. Pastor Klein will have the final time slot. If you have never participated in one of these vigils, feel free to join him.
As part of the vigil, we will, as we did for the vigil we held last May, have a prayer box available. You may write down any prayer requests you have, either for yourself or someone else. These notes will be available to those who will be a part of the vigil.
The sign-up sheet for the vigil is in the hallway. There are plenty of time slots still available. If you have any questions, please ask Pastor Klein.
THANKSGIVING PIE AND COFFEE
Following the Thanksgiving Eve services at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on November 27th, the Fellowship Committee invites you to stay for a slice of pie and a cup of coffee in the Fellowship Hall. You can choose from several varieties of delicious pie, and there is no cost or signup sheet. Your extended family and friends are also welcome to attend. The Fellowship Committee members are Barb Anderson, Colleen Gottsch, Rob Gottsch, Linda Hutton, Kay Koch, Darlene Larson, Linda Munson, and Bobbi Schmidtke.
TRINITY BOOK CLUB
Book Club will meet the first Monday of each month at 10:00 am. We are now meeting at Kildahl Court on the campus of Northfield Retirement Community instead of at Trinity.
Here are the books that we will be reading and discussing in the future:
“Women” by Kristan Hannah (November 4)
“A Christmas Memory” by Richard Paul Evans (December 2)
“The Medicine Women of Galveston” by Amanda Skenadore
(January 6, 2025)
All are welcome to participate!
VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES
On November 10th, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon will have a ceremony that celebrates Veterans Day. This ceremony will be at Trinity from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. After the ceremony, there will be food served.
Also on November 10th during the 9:00 am worship service, Trinity will recognize its military veterans. Following the sermon, Pastor Klein will invite the veterans forward for a brief ceremony giving thanks to God for their service to our country. We also would like to take a group photo after the worship service.
NOVEMBER 2024 READINGS
NOVEMBER 3 - All Saints Sunday
Revelation 7:2-17
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
NOVEMBER 10 - The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 17:8-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
NOVEMBER 17 - The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Daniel 12:1-3
Hebrews 10:11-25
Mark 13:1-13
NOVEMBER 24 - The Last Sunday of the Church Year
Isaiah 51:4-6
Revelation 1:4b-8
Mark 13:24-37
NOVEMBER 27 - Thanksgiving Eve
Not available at time of publishing
CHURCH VACUUMING SCHEDULE
October 27 to November 2 - Tony and Bobbi Schmidtke
November 3 to 9 - Brent Casmey
November 10 to 16 - Rob & Colleen Gottsch
November 17 to 23 - John Pfeiffer
November 24 to 30 - Jim & Kay Koch
WORSHIP CAMERA OPERATOR SCHEDULE
November 3 - Josh Wagner
November 10 - Olivia Voight
November 17 - Nybakke
November 24 - Brent Casmey
November 27 (Thanksgiving Eve) - Pastor Klein
(Either 2:00 pm or 7:00 pm)
GREETER SCHEDULE
November 3 - John Pfeiffer, Kurt Anderson
November 10 - Craig & Kathy Schuster
November 17 - Larry & Joan Pralle
TRINITY COMMUNION ASSISTANTS
November 3 - John Greenfield
November 10 - Tony Schmidtke
November 17 - Deb Thomforde
November 24 - Kurt Anderson
November 27 (Thanksgiving Eve) - John Pfeiffer
USHER SCHEDULE
November 3 - Group G December 1 - Group D
November 10 - Group H December 8 - Group E
November 17 - Group A December 15 - Group F
November 24 - Group B December 22 - Group G
November 27 - Group C December 24 - Group H
(Thanksgiving Eve) (4 pm Christmas Eve)
December 29 - Group A
Group A - Ray Larson, Dave Downhour, Ray Ozmun, Larry Pralle
Group B - Tom Pumper, Jeff and Holly Ciffra, Jackie Ohmann
Group C - Kurt Anderson, Brent Casmey, Russell Kraft, Jim Koch
Group D - John Greenfield, Josh Wagner, Jesse Hinz, Kevin Mortensen, Sheldon Volkert
Group E - David, Erin, and Jared Nybakke, Jonathan Ohmann, Martin Ohmann, David Ohmann
Group F - Tony and Bobbi Schmidtke, Grant Hovland, John Pfeiffer
Group G - Craig and Kathy Schuster, Jim Grieser
Group H - Dan Wett, Rudy, Myleen, and Ashlie Maurer, Rob Gottsch, Jim Frederick
NOVEMBER VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE
PLEASE NOTE: If these times do not work for you, please remember that it is your responsibility to find a replacement or someone to switch with. (Special services are in bold, italics.)
WORSHIP ASSISTANTS USHERS WORSHIP CAMERAS
November 3 - John Greenfield Group G Josh Wagner
November 10 - Tony Schmidtke Group H Olivia Voigt
November 17 - Deb Thomforde Group A Nybakke
November 24 - Kurt Anderson Group B Brent Casmey
November 27 - John Pfeiffer Group C Pastor Klein
(Thanksgiving Eve)
VACUUMING
Tony & Bobbi Schmidtke Oct. 27 to Nov. 2
Brent Casmey November 3 to 9
Rob & Colleen Gottsch November 10 to 16
John Pfeiffer November 17 to 23
Jim & Kay Koch November 24 to 30
GREETERS
November 3 - John Pfeiffer, Kurt Anderson
November 10 - Craig & Kathy Schuster
November 17 - Larry & Joan Pralle
ALTAR GUILD - Becky DeMann, Barb Greenfield, Marcia Huber
COUNTING TEAM- Larry & Joan Pralle
Paul & Jean Childers
