February 2015 Vol. 81 No. 2

Trinity United Methodist Church Merchantville, NJ

In 1865 while Trinity’s founding families were developing Merchantville and incorporating the Trinity Chapel,

America was still fighting the Civil War, President Lincoln was reelected and soon would be assassinated.

Those families built their lives on Jesus Christ in the midst of a very chaotic world.

Jan 4th - The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters near Wall Street Jan 31st - Congress passes 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in America (121-24) Feb 8th - 1st black major in US Army appointed during US Civil war - Martin Robison Delany Feb 20th - M I T forms 1st US collegiate architectural school Mar 4th - Confederate congress approves final design of "official flag" Mar 4th - President Lincoln inaugurated for his 2nd term as US president Mar 18th - Congress of Confederate States of American adjourns for last time Apr 3rd - Union forces occupy Confederate capital of Richmond Va & Petersberg Apr 9th - US Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee and 26,765 troops surrender at Appomattox Court House to US Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant Apr 13th - Sherman's march through Georgia begins Apr 14th - US Secret Service created to fight counterfeiting Apr 14th - President Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater Apr 21st - Abraham Lincoln's funeral train leaves Washington May 5th - 1st US train robbery (North Bend Ohio) May 10th - Jefferson Davis captured at Irwinsville Georgia May 13th - Battle of Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas: final engagement of the American Civil War, Private John Jefferson Williams of B Company, 34th Regiment Indiana Infantry is last man killed May 17th - The International Telegraph Union is established. May 19th - President Jefferson Davis is captured by Union Cavalry in Georgia May 23rd - -24] Victory parade in Washington, DC (Grand Review) May 23rd - Flag flown at full mast over White House, 1st time since Lincoln shot Jun 13th - President Andrew Johnson proclaims reconstruction of confederate states Jun 19th - Siege of Richmond, VA Jun 19th - Union General Granger declares slaves are free in Texas Jun 28th - The Army of the Potomac is disbanded

Christ Our Cornerstone

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. More timeline dates to come later

The WST daytime study group will be looking into Seventh Day Adventist

beliefs at their next meeting on Thursday, February 5th at 9:30am. The evening group will meet at 7:00 pm on Monday, February 16th to continue their study ,Following Jesus - steps to a passionate faith by Carolyn Slaughter. All women are wel-come to attend. WST will meet for the monthly breakfast meeting on Saturday, February 14, 8:30am at the Pennsauken Country Club.

Hello Friends! The scheduling of the release of last month’s Tidings caught me a little off guard and a couple of you called me on my article. At least I know you’re reading my messages! ;-) And I wasn’t wrong, we did have nice services celebrating on Christmas Sunday and our Candlelight service on Christmas Eve. The messages were inspirational and the music was beautiful. Thanks to the Brass Band, especially to Jack for his rendition of “Believe”, Helen’s organ solos, and the choir. Trinity has always been blessed with professional quality sing-ers as choir directors and of course, Doc Maddison’s “Oh Holy Night” was definitely goose-bump worthy. Rev. Mander also started a new tradition of having a Vesper Service at sundown on New Year’s Eve. Those of us who attend enjoy the chance to reflect on the old years passing and asking God’s blessing on the new year. Now that we’ve put away our Christmas decorations lit-erally and figuratively it’s time to start planning for 2015. One thing we’ll be hearing a lot about, especially for the next couple of months, is our 150th anniversary celebra-tion. I’m hoping that lots of people will return to Trinity for the anniversary celebration Saturday & Sunday March 14th & 15th. Cece Torok, Linda Migliaccio, Jack Thomas, and the planning committee are doing a lot to make sure the celebration pays tribute to the contribu-tion that our church has given to its members and the town it serves while reflecting our Savior’s love. You may tire of reading this but I never tire of thanking those who help serve our church by being Greeters, Ushers, and Worship Leaders. If you’re ever inspired to serve in any of these areas, please stop by the bulletin board and sign the volunteer sheet. I also appreciate those who serve as Fellowship Hosts and/or donate financially or provide paper goods, coffee products, and snacks for Fellowship Hour. Every donation is greatly appreciated. I wish us all God’s blessings in 2015! May God bless us, Everyone! Debbie Curcio Worship Committee Chair

Experts confirm that fruit and vegetable consumption reduc-es risk of all cause mortality, especially cardiovascular dis-ease mortality.

Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber – all beneficial to good health. Citrus fruits in par-ticular contain a number of phytochemicals with antioxidant and antimutagenic properties and positive associations with bone, cardiovascular, and immune system health.

Eating a variety of different fruits and vegeta-bles provides us with a better variety of nutrients, which work together to provide us with health benefits. I recently read an article that encouraged eating 30-40 different fruits and vegetables in a week! I got close to 20.

Keep a list of the fruits and vegetables that you eat, for one week. Count them, see where you are, and try to increase your variety. Aim for at least one source of citrus daily. Fresh, frozen, canned (low sodium vegetables & fruit packed in their own juice), dried, and dehydrat-ed are all OK. Try new fruits and vegetables!

Barbara Wilson, Registered Dietitian barb246rd@yahoo.com

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Anniversary CelebrationAnniversary CelebrationAnniversary CelebrationAnniversary Celebration

invitations are in the mail!invitations are in the mail!invitations are in the mail!invitations are in the mail!

Invitations to our 150th Anniversary Celebration have been mailed to all Trinity members, and the Anniversary Committee is very excited

about the weekend and the opportunity to celebrate the rich heritage of our church. We hope everyone will be able to join in and participate in at least some part of

the weekend’s activities. We also hope everyone will take a minute to stop by the table under the quilt in the Fellowship Hall, where some pieces of historic church memorabilia are on display. Our celebration kicks off with a concert by Beck’s Philadelphia Brigade Concert, a Civil War reenact-ment group , at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. On Sunday morning, March 15, morning worship will begin at 10 a.m., rather than 10:45 a.m., and will be followed by a luncheon at 1 p.m. at the Pennsauken Coun-try Club. Transportation assistance will be available anyone needing help getting from the church to the country club. Luncheon attendees will be able to choose from one of three entrees: Filet Mignon Au Poivre (a choice cut filet topped with a peppercorn brandy sauce), Honey Glazed Salmon (salmon glazed with a light dijon-naise crème sauce) or Chicken Italiano (chicken served in white wine, Italian herbs, fresh basil and diced tomato). The menu also includes soup, salad, a vegetable and starch, dessert, and iced tea or coffee. We feel especially fortunate that Jack Thomas, a member of Trinity’s church family since childhood, has been able to arrange for Beck’s Philadelphia Brigade Band to perform a concert at the church. Jack is a member of the band, which was formed in 1991 to honor the original 1830 Beck Band. That band was started by eight brothers, whose last name was Beck and who performed together during the Civil War. After the war, they continued to perform as a concert and parade band along the East Coast. The band’s final performance was in 1876 at the Centennial celebrations in Philadelphia’ Fairmont Park. The band members perform in sky blue pants, dark blue frock coats and forage hats of the Union vol-unteer infantry. The uniform also includes brass shoulder scales and white gloves. Tickets to the band concert are $10 and can be purchased from Jack Thomas (856-534-7754) or at the door that evening. Children under 15 can attend for free.

Eyeglass Recycling at Trinity The Lions Club International collects, cleans, neutralizes and designates the prescription of used eyeglasses for distribution to needy individuals worldwide. The N.J. Lions Eyeglass Center is located at the Katzen-bach School in West Trenton. It handles approximately 1,200,000 pairs of eyeglasses each year. We have a box for your used eyeglasses at Trinity located in the chapel. Trinity member, Harry Pray, is a member of the Lions and will see that our donations will get to the N. J. Center. More information concerning Lions Recycle for Sight is available the Bulletin Board in the Chapel.

submitted by Karen Hoffman

How Trinity Celebrated

Past Anniversaries

While doing some research in the church archives to help prepare for Trinity’s 150th anniversary celebration, the Anniversary Committee was interested to find programs and other information from past anniversary celebrations. It’s been an eye-opener to see how much effort must have gone into preparing for those celebrations!

The earliest anniversary celebration we have a record of was held in 1902, when Trinity marked the 7th anniversary of the dedication of our current sanctuary. That dedication occurred on Sunday, May 5, 1895, and the 1902, commemora-tive events were held from Sunday, May 4th to Tuesday, May 13th. During the week there were worship and devotional ser-vices, sermons and remarks delivered both by Trinity’s pastor, Rev S Monroe Van Sant, and various visiting ministers, a Sunday School reunion, and a social evening hosted by the Ladies Aid Society.

The program doesn’t list any musical offerings, but it’s likely that Trinity’s choir and orchestra did take part. The program shows 13 members for each group and the orchestra even had someone who played the mandolin!

On our 75th anniversary in March, 1940, Trinity held a week-long Diamond Jubilee celebration. The Sunday morning and evening services on March 10th and March 17th served as bookends for a Diamond Jubilee Church Party on Tuesday, March 12th, an Anniversary Night Service on Wednesday, March 13th, and a Diamond Jubilee Banquet on Thursday, March 14th.

Trinity’s pastor, Rev. Earl Townsend Hann, served as Toastmaster at the banquet. The after-dinner program included remarks offered by pastors from five area churches and six of Trinity’s former pastors, as well as vocal duets and marimba music. According to the menu in the souvenir program, the banquet dinner was vegetable soup followed by roast turkey with giblet gravy and dressing, mashed potatoes, Harvard beets, fresh peas, rolls, and coffee with ice cream cake for dessert.

One other thing of interest in the program is a list of the 20 members in 1940 with the longest membership records. The top spot was held by a woman named Louisa R. Dill, who joined Trinity in 1876!

(While Ms. Dill was a member of Trinity for an impressive 64 years, some of our current members can claim a longer membership. Cora Assenheimer and John Smiley, who were both confirmed in 1938, have been members for 77 years.)

Trinity celebrated its 100th anniversary with another week-long celebration in March, 1965. On Sunday March 7th, the morning worship service was led by Trinity’s pastor, Rev. George S. Howe, and included musical offerings by the Senior Choir and the Young People’s Choir. (Apparently the Youth Chancel Choir and the Junior Chancel Choir, whose pictures are included in the Program Book, were given the day off.)

That evening, church members participated in a presenta-

tion of “An Historical Drama” at the auditorium at the Merchantville High School (now the Merchantville School). Among the many church members listed as taking part in at least one of the drama’s nine scenes were current members Elaine McBride and Jack Thomas.

On Thursday, March 11th, 424 members and friends gath-ered for an Anniversary Banquet at the Holly House, which was located at Browning Road and Crescent Blvd. (Route 130) in Pennsauken. Dinner that evening was a fruit cup and chicken soup followed by baked Swiss Steak, mashed potatoes, peas, a chef’s salad, rolls and butter, and ice cream for dessert.

Many of us remember the 125th anniversary celebration, which was held over the weekend of November 18-19, 1990. Our pastor was Dr. Donald Marks.

On Saturday evening, November 18th, a dinner was held downstairs in Weller Hall, followed by a program in the sanctuary about the church’s beginnings. On Sunday morning, the two regular church services were consolidated into one service at 10:30 a.m.

During the service, the church recognized people who had been members for more than 50 years and also confirmed 25 new members, who at one part of the service lined up along the altar rail. At another point in the service, Rev. Marks presented a check to the minister of the newly organized New Hope Methodist Church. New Hope, which now occupies a modern church building in Voorhees, had for a short time held services at Trinity while raising money to build its own church. Trinity set a goal of raising $1,250 for them, and happily was able to exceed that goal.

Following the service, the congregation gathered on the lawn for a picture. It is hanging on the same hall as the pastor’s office, near the corner room known as “the bride’s room.”

Two other things of note from Trinity’s 125th anniversary celebration were a prayer chain, which was held from noon to midnight on Friday, November 17th, and a large panorama, created by Lydia Brown. The panorama depicted a history of the church and w displayed on the walls in the chapel. The panorama no longer exists, but it was photographed and there are pictures of it in the archives.

One important piece of memorabilia from that celebration that does still exist is the large blue and white anniversary banner that is now hanging in our sanctuary. When the banner was created in 1990, the number “125” was prominent in the center of the logo, which shows a triangle inside a circle. Pat Nelson and Karen Hoffman were able to replace that number with “150” so that the banner could be used again this year.

We are grateful to Pat and Karen for their work on the banner. We also give thanks for all the many people who have helped to celebrate Trinity over the past 150 years, both for the events we have a record of as well as for the many things that happened here for which we don’t have a record.

And we hope all of Trinity’s members and friends will be

able to take part in helping to celebrate our church’s 150th

anniversary over the weekend of March 14-15, 2015!

Cece Torok - Anniversary Committee Chair

Canned meat or fish Condensed soup Canned vegetables Canned fruit Cereal

As always, all donations are appreciated!

Feb. AnniversariesFeb. AnniversariesFeb. AnniversariesFeb. Anniversaries

6th Debbie & Thomas Curcio

14th Bobbi & Tony Stagliano

17th Pat & David Nelson Joyce & Joseph Thompson

22nd Sandra & Bayley Hoeflich

24th Abi & Moses Jones

February BirthdaysFebruary BirthdaysFebruary BirthdaysFebruary Birthdays

2nd Daniel Elliott

3rd Barbara Wilson Michael Gilliss

4th Trevor Dowdney

5th Gary Hartman Larry Truax Austin Gilliss

7th Bayley Hoeflich

11th Evelyn Carter

13th Elaine Reinas

14th Brian Riley

15th Greta Brocious

16th Tyler Dowdney Steven Moulier Jr.

17th Chidubem Ezeiruaku

18th Deborah Elliott Michelle Crye

19th Mary Korhammer Wes Mander

23rd Harry Pray

24th Xyla Crye

26th David Arber Jr.

27th Steve Moulier

28th Kathleen Plasket

Through the end of 2014, A Future With Hope has com-pleted 131 homes and has hosted 8,954 volunteers in relief and recovery.

Shop Now for Merchandise!

A Future With Hope has opened an online store through Land's End. You can buy shirts, sweats, hats and bags with A Future With Hope logo.

www.tinyurl.com/shopfuturewithhope

Basic Lay Servant Classes

Begin in February

Basic Lay Servant Classes will take place at

Chews UMC, 319 Black Horse Pike, Glendora, NJ

on the dates on the following dates.

Thursdays, 7-9pm, Feb. 19, 26, Mar. 5, 12, 19, 26

and Sat. Mar 7 @ District Resource Day.

The classes are for participating members of a

United Methodist Church and those who sign up

must attend a minimum of 14 hours of class time.

Attendance at all sessions is strongly recommend-

ed. Pre-registration by Feb. 2 is required to take a

class.

Those interested may go to www.tinyurl.com/

layservantinfo for more information.

BOY SCOUT

Saturday, February 21Saturday, February 21Saturday, February 21Saturday, February 21

4444----7pm7pm7pm7pm

Tickets are $10 Adults, $5 Children and $8 Seniors. Dine in or take out available.

Trinity United Methodist Church 36 W. Maple Ave. Merchantville, NJ 08109

The Tidings A periodic publication of

Trinity United Methodist Church

Office Hours Tues. - Fri. 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

(856) 665-1806 Fax: (856) 665-9556

Email: office@gotrinity.org

Website: www.gotrinity.org

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2015

Sunday Worship 10:45 AM

Sunday School 9:30 AM