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February 2017
Our mission is to lift high the cross of Jesus Christ by Preaching,
Teaching, and Sharing God’s love and unchanging Word.
Trinity Lutheran Ministries 600 Water Street at Fillmore Edwardsville, Illinois 62025 Trinitylutheranministries.org 618.656.2918
Making Connections within our Christian Family
Inside this issue: From the Pastor 1
From the Associate Pastor 2
From the Minister of Music 3
School News 3
Eric Dunn, DCE 4
News You can Use 5
Official Acts 11
Financial Report 11
We need absolution not excuses.
[Jesus said] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore
whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:17-20)
It is so easy to make excuses for our actions. I was tired or hungry. I had good intentions. Everyone does it. However, in the end all of these are just ex-cuses. Excuses we make to justify our sins.
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus won’t give room for these ex-cuses. But today I still hear from Brothers and Sister in Christ who say, “We just have to catch up with the times.” Have you ever heard someone say that about the Church and Her teachings? Or have you ever made that statement your-self? “The Church just needs to keep up with the changing world or the world is just going to pass the Church on by.”
What does that mean? Are we really this arrogant, thinking that through-out the history of humanity our time is just so very unique. In fact so unique that the Word of God no longer applies to our time. That is what we are implying, when we think it’s the Word of God that needs to change to meet us, instead of us being changed by the Word of God.
Here Christ is clear. His Word does not change and we are called to pro-claim this eternal Word to an ever changing world. Yes, the Law of God reveals God’s will and it also reveals that we have missed that mark by a wide mar-gin. So what is the answer? Well, it is not found in another excuse. Instead, the answer that we need is found in absolution, the forgiveness of sins, through the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf.
Jesus gives to us a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Their righteousness was based on what they did, and this was their hope and their confidence. Your righteousness is based on Christ, on what He has fulfilled perfectly. It is our perfect righteous Lord who proclaims that you are forgiven of all your sins. We can trust this word, this holy absolution, for His Word does not change. This is His Word of promise sealed in His blood, that “It is finished”. Yes, He has fulfilled it all, fulfilled the Law for you, so you now and for all time are FORGIVEN! Amen
God’s blessings,
Pastor Shank Eph. 4:4-6
Proud Member & Supporter of
Metro-East Lutheran High School Association
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From the Associate Pastor:
February 2017
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -1
John 4:10
“What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me no
more!” That’s the popular 1993 Haddaway question.
The song goes on but never answers the question, “what
is love?” Maybe we should be thankful they don’t, as
some of their contemporaries attempt to do. Beyonce is
“Crazy in love,” and Calvin Harris asks, “How deep is
your love? Is it like the ocean? How deep is your love?
Is it like nirvana?” The Bee Gees back in 1977 pondered
the same but concluded, “I believe in you, // You know
the door to my very soul, // You’re the light in my deep-
est darkest hour, // You’re my savior when I fall… //
how deep is your love?” They weren’t talking about Je-
sus, however.
It’s true that the love each of these musical artists are
seeking to define isn’t an epistemological (the study of
knowing) query. While they identify popular ways of
feeling about love, they unsuccessfully grasp love’s ac-
tual meaning. However, and to use them as an example
again, Calvin Harris’ collaboration with the band Disci-
ples, How Deep Is Your Love, offers a shallow answer
to even romantic love, “Open up my eyes and // Tell me
who I am // Let me in on all your secrets // No inhibi-
tion, no sin…”
The world certainly has a twisted way of defining love;
lyrical license doesn’t do justice to the truth of God’s
love. To this end, The Commandments are a summary of
what love is, succinctly, a love of God and neighbor (cf.
Mt. 22:37-40). They describe how in the Law we may
be faithful to God and neighbor, but ultimately in our
lives this call to love is insufficient. We fail to be faith-
ful in respect to both. What is love that we cannot keep?
Sin. And sinfully we describe love both in regards to
God and to the neighbors we call our loved ones. Scrip-
ture teaches us that love, true love, doesn’t have its
origin in us but in God himself. How do we love God
and neighbor? Jesus. Jesus is the good news of the Gos-
pel that declares us sinners righteous, justified, by grace
through faith (cf. Eph. 2:8). Our salvation has everything
to do with how we love both God and neighbor. It is
Christ who first loved us by dying for us, as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and believing this in repentance
and faith we can only then begin to know how to love
others.
So when looking to answer, what is love, forget the mu-
sicians who are grasping at straws and open your Lu-
theran Service Book to hymn 706:
1. Love in Christ is strong and living // Binding faithful hearts as one; // Love in Christ is true and giving. // May His will in us be done. 3. Love in Christ abides forev-er, // Fainting not when ills attend; // Love, forgiving and forgiven, // Shall endure until life's end.
Pastor DeBlieck
SCHOOL NEWS
Trinity continues to collect Box Tops. There are boxes in the narthex and school hallway to place your box tops. Trinity is also continuing the Scrip program. Orders are placed once a month, on the second Monday of the month, with the order being received that Friday. The school receives a percentage of each gift card purchased — please consider this worthwhile fundraiser. It’s especially helpful for your everyday needs such as gas and grocery. Order forms are availa-ble in the narthex, school office, church office, and online. Check the calendar on Trinity’s website to get the dates for basketball games for girls and boys!
What is Love?
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February 2017
Rise and shine for your light has come! This past Sunday, this was the message of the adult choir anthem. Jesus is our light- the light shining in the dark, sinful world. Jesus, our perfect example of how to live, how to love. He comes into our heart at Baptism and chang-es our whole attitude from the inside to the out.
Wes Jones, Principal
Dear Friends in Christ, As January has quickly moved by, I realized
that I needed to stop and reflect upon the magni-tude of what we are doing here. The school is a tremendous part of the mission of Trinity. We reach the next generation of congregation and community members with the message of God’s love and His unchanging word each day. We prepare students to serve the Lord through serv-ing their neighbors. In the first half of the school year, we raised funds for missionaries, worked at the Glen-Ed Food Pantry, completed yardwork at a shut-in’s home and purchased dozens of pre-sents for community families in need.
During our celebration of National Lutheran Schools’ Week, we had a Bible trivia competi-
tion. The students answered some very difficult questions about scripture. It gave me great joy to watch this knowledge coming from our students. When I think of that knowledge, along with the many ways that they have served the Lord, I know that we are truly doing the Lord’s work at Trinity.
I ask that you continue to pray for our facul-ty, staff, school board, pastors, parents and stu-dents. Pray that the Lord will continue to guide us at Trinity as we lift high the cross of Jesus Christ by preaching, teaching, and sharing God’s love and unchanging word.
In HIS Service,
Wes Jones
Jan Arneson, Minister of Music
The words to hymn 411 say it best: 1 I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow Jesus. God set the stars to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus. In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus. 2 I want to see the brightness of God. I want to look at Jesus. Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path, And show me the way to the Father. In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
3 I’m looking for the coming of Christ. I want to be with Jesus. When we have run with patience the race, We shall know the joy of Jesus. In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
Shine for Jesus today!
Blessings!
Jan
Congratulations to Lynn Koch who was selected as a winner of
Lutheran Church Extension Fund's Teacher Appreciation
contest. LCEF gives thanks to God for Lutheran schools.
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Eric Dunn, DCE
February 2017
Chapel Offerings for Quarter 3 Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) in Madagascar was estab-lished after years of negotiations with the Madagascar Lutheran Church. Since most Malagasy people speak both Malagasy and French, all of LHM's programs are broadcast in both languages. FM radio, a form of communication that many take for granted, has only recently been established in Madagascar. Now there are FM radio broadcasting stations popping up throughout the country, and LHM is working with these new stations to spread their message. LHM—Madagascar ministry programs:
Weekly Radio Program
Online Discussion Board
Booklets
Bible Correspondence Courses
Rallies
Musical Group
Film Showing
Youth Ministry Equipping the Saints Workshop
For further information, go to the Website: lhm.org and open the Global Ministries tab to find Madagascar
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Trivia night is coming up on Febru-ary 25 at 7 pm at the Legion in Ed-wardsville. Please plan to get a table together. We will be judging for best decorated table this year as well, so bring your decorations and make
your table look awesome.
The Jr. High has a lock-in coming up on February 26th from 7 pm to 7 am. The only thing the youth need to bring is sleeping stuff (if they want to sleep), a bible, and a snack
and drink to share. There is a Trinity Jr. High dance
that night in the church basement at 7pm that our public school youth have been invited to attend as part of the lock in. This should be a fun night for everyone. I hope to see your youth there.
The Sr. High also has a lock-in on
March 11th from 7 pm to 7 am. The
only thing the youth need to bring is
sleeping stuff (if they want to sleep), a
bible, and a snack and drink to share.
Blessings,
Eric
PLEASE SAVE
THE DATE!!
What?
Lutheran Summer Camp
Where?
Camp Sherwood Forest in Troy, Missouri
Cuivre River State Park
When?
1st Week is Monday, June 26 - Saturday, July 1
(for students currently in 5th and 6th grades)
2nd Week is Sunday, July 2 - Fri-
day, July 7 (for students currently in 7th and
8th grades)
PLEASE MARK YOUR
CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND!
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Women’s Activities
Ladies’ Aid Ladies’ Aid meets
the first Thursday of the month at 1pm in the church’s lower level
Ladies’ Aid Quilters Meets every
Thursday from 9am —1pm in the church’s lower level except for the 1st Thursday of the month
Dorcas Society Dorcas Society
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm, unless otherwise noted in the hap-penings, in the church’s lower level,
News You Can Use
February 2017
Don’t forget to save your box tops and
Coke rewards—turn them in to the
school or church office for our school to reap the benefits!
Save the date and make a reservation with
Brenda for our next Senior Sages bus trip to
Springfield, Il. We will be leaving Trinity on
Friday February 24th at 8:00 AM and returning
at 5:00 PM. We will explore Lincoln’s Museum,
lunch at Golden Corral and on to the Dana
Thomas House. Please call Brenda at 656-2918
by February 21, 2017. The cost will be $40.00
per person.
Trivia Night - Feb. 25, 2017. Get your teams together and help support Trinity! Free Beer and Fun at the American Legion Hall.
Heart of an Eagle Hawaiian Lu-au...Trinity Lutheran School is planning our 7th annual Heart of an Eagle Dinner and Auc-tion to be held on March 18th at the Crystal Garden in Edwardsville. The theme this year is “Hawaiian Luau”. Tickets will be $40 per per-son and will be available for purchase in Janu-ary. We are accepting donations for the auction in the office. For more information, contact Lauren Ide - [email protected].
SAVE THE DATE * LWML Mother Daughter Banquet, April 23, 2017 - 1:00-3:00.
Ladies Aid Quilting...Join us on Thurs-days at 9:30am in the church basement, weather permitting. We meet every Thursday with the exception of the first Thursday which is the Ladies Aid Meeting. Questions? Call Sarah Yates 288-9208.
Upcoming LWML Events...February 26, Prayer Service 2:00 pm, Jerusalem Lutheran 305 Collinsville Avenue, Collinsville. Celebrat-ing 75 years of Commending Christ from One Generation to Another.
Confirmation & Graduation Pic-tures … Confirmation and Graduation pictures will be taken on April 27th at 6pm in the sanctuary at Trinity.
LWML Mother Daughter Ban-quet...Save the Date! April 23, 2017 at Trinity from 1-3pm.
Concordia University Scholarship for graduating Seniors and returning students attending a Concordia University. Trinity Men’s Club offers a scholarship to those stu-dents studying for a degree to serve in the min-istry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Re-quests to receive a scholarship MUST be re-ceived by the Men’s Club by April 1, 2017. Please turn in a written request to the church office, attention: Ed Cook.
LWML Spring Retreat...Diamonds Are Forever: A Grace-Re-formation. At Zion Lu-theran, 1810 McClintock Ave. Belle-ville. March 11, 2017 from 9:00am-2:00pm. Worship, service project, Bible study, fellow-ship activities. Cost: $20 RSVP by March 1 to Beth Small, 8702 Parkdale Dr. Caseyville. Reg-istration form on narthex bulletin board and in the online Happenings. Questions or interested in car pooling call Pat Harmon at 656-9388.
MELHS Open House...Metro-East Lu-theran High School invites you to an Open House on Sunday, February 12th from 1:00-3:00 in the afternoon at Lutheran High. Come find out more about this dynamic minis-try and take a tour, visit with faculty and admin-istration, get information on financial assistance and scholarships, and get all of your questions answered. For more information or to RSVP please contact the school office at 618-656-0043 or email Dr. Krause at [email protected]
MELHS Accepting Applica-tions...Metro-East Lutheran High School is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 school year. Any new students (freshmen or transfer) interested in seeking enrollment at Lu-theran High school please go to the school web-site at www.melhs.org and download the admis-sion and enrollment packet or contact the school office at 618-656-0043. If you have additional questions please contact Dr. Jay Krause, Princi-pal, or email him at [email protected]. Come be a part of this dynamic ministry in 2107/2018!
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February 2017
B Team Consolation Champions Holy Cross Tournament
A Team 2nd Place
Peoria Tournament
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February 2017
Consolation champs
The Lutheran Federal Credit Union (LFCU) reached a signifi-cant milestone of 2,000 members -
thank God for His blessings. To those who already are members, LFCU
looks forward to continuing to serve you with exceptional financial
services and products within a faith-based environment. To those who are
not yet members, we invite you to visit Lutheran FCU.org and join the movement that blesses individuals, ministries and the church body as a
whole. LFCU looks forward to serving you, as well.
Consolation champs
High school seniors - The Lutheran Church Extension Fund is offering three Take Heart Scholarships. The deadline for submitting an essay is April 5. More info to come. Check lcef.org/take-heart-scholarship
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February 2017
Making bracelets for the Honduras Mission Team
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February 2017
Lutheran Schools Week
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February 2017
More fun things coming for us….
Our Annual Bows & Bowtie Dance— Feb 10
Troop IL 1901
This Month we hosted our Mid Year Awards Ceremony! Our group of 33 girls received a variety of badges, patches, pins and service start pins! One of the badges they have earned together is ALL GOD’s CHILDREN, the tasks focused on disabilities and awareness of all of God’s people. With the help of our special guests, Pas-tor Andre and pianist, Amanda Munzert teaching the Hymn Blessed Assurance by Fannie Crosby we were able to complete the requirement's. * Just to list some amazing achievements our group has accomplished this far: * Presence in the community by Walking for Life to support Mosaic. * Touched the lives of over 550 Children with the Gospel through Operation Christmas Child. * Teamed with DORCAS ladies to prepare and make fleece tie blankets and baby quilts for over 20 Fairmont City Families * Stood Up to Support our Veterans by walking in the Edwardsville Veteran’s Day Parade. * Senior Shut In Blessing Bags with Personal Christmas Carolers to almost 2 dozen Trinity Members. * Leadership & Girls together have served about 800 Service Hours total in our Community. It has been an amazing first half of our Program year! Can’t wait to See how the last half unfolds! Our hearts are filled with so much gratitude for our Church and School Families. Thank you for your continuous prayers for our learning and success!
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Financial Reports Official Acts
February 2017
Scrip will now be available to order once a
week through Christmas. Please consider us-
ing the scrip program to purchase your
Christmas gift cards. Order forms are availa-
ble online and in the office.
**New** - You can also download the Benefit
Mobile app through ITunes or Google Play to
purchase giftcards through your phone. Right
click and open hyperlink on the following link:
https://vimeo.com/187890613 to check it out.
Just be sure to pick Trinity Lutheran as your
beneficiary!
Any questions? Contact Brenda in the church
office.
December, 2016 Baptism Miles Oliver Stephens 12/23/16 Parents: Travis and Kelly Stephens Cassidy Hoelscher 12/31/16 Parents: Rick Blundy and Sheri Brown Funerals Doris J. Helm dod: 12/24/16 funeral: 12/30/16 Officiant: Rev. John Shank Members Released or Transferred Godfrey Jarabak, transferred to Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO 12/1/16 Patricia Singleton, transferred to Hope Lutheran Church, Granite City, IL 12/22/16 New Members Phyllis Ramirez, transferred from Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Houston, TX 12/7/16 (Schoenleber) Sheila, Megan & Nathan Langendorf, trans-ferred from St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hamel, IL 12/7/16 (Mertz)
Save The Date! March 18, 2017
Trinity Lutheran School’s
Heart of an Eagle
Hawaiian Luau
6th Annual Dinner Auction
Crystal Garden,
Edwardsville, IL
Visit www.trinityptl.org for more info
December 31, 2016
Current Month Fiscal Year to Date
Operating Receipts
General Offerings $105,432 $450,735
Tuition, Fees, School Donations, Int. Earned 67,848 408,092
Transfer from Bequest
Total Operating Receipts $173,281 $858,828
Expenses $144,995 $888,747
Complete financial reports are available in the church office upon request.
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Reverend John Shank Senior Pastor
H: 618.505.3868 C: 618.407.1067
Reverend Jared DeBlieck Associate Pastor C: 618-340-2566
Eric Dunn Director of Christian Education
C: 618.406.4152
Jan Arneson Minister of Music
C: 314.606.5703
Wesley Jones Principal
C: 618.830.0324
Della R.K. Field Business Manager
H: 618.656.2918
Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Website: trinitylutheranministries.org
