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Growing as Disciples of Jesus Christ Through
Worship, Learning, Fellowship and Outreach
The Messenger
January 2014
OF TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH
GROWING AS DISCIPLES Part Three: Outreach
As we continue to examine our mission statement: Growing as Disciples of Jesus Christ through Worship, Learning, Fellowship and Outreach, we will move out of order and consid-er how Outreach helps us grow. We need to start by defining Outreach. The definition I am using is broad. Outreach is reaching out with the love of Christ. That means it can be evangelism, serving at FLOOD, ministering to your next-door neighbor, supporting an overseas missionary, or anything in between. There are several things that make us grow when we reach out with the love of Christ. First, when we reach out with His love, it means that He is working in and through us. When we are loving others in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are opening ourselves to the Spirit’s work in us. In choosing to love, we are choosing to act like God. We need to be clear that this love is not worldly in nature. It is not what our culture means by love: bland tolerance that believes that everything is permissible as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. It is not a warm feeling of friendship for others. God shows us what love is in the Cross. Love is giving oneself away in order to bring God’s best for them into being. When we reach out with that kind of love, we open our-selves to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us and we are changed. Second, God often calls us to reach out in ways that take us beyond our abilities. Like the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the Lord calls us to do that which takes us outside of our comfort zone and capabilities. The Lord often calls us to places where we have to trust Him. Outreach is one of His favorite areas to do this. As we follow Jesus obediently into these places, we grow as we find His power to be more than enough in our weakness. Our faith is built as we see that He is indeed alive and well in us, working that which is infinitely greater than anything we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Finally, with regard to the particular outreach of evangelism, God does remarkable things in us when we share our faith. We need to remember that our God is a missionary God. He did not sit in heaven and tell us how to get to Him, if we are able. No, He came to us. He sought us out to save us. God pursues the lost in or-der to offer them salvation. When we share our faith, the Holy Spirit helps us speak and draws us into the life of our missionary God. Every disciple is charged with the joyful duty of sharing their faith. It isn’t optional. And we can’t hide behind solely “showing” our faith, but never speaking. I am convinced that the failure to share our faith is stunting the spiritual growth of countless disciples. Something powerful happens when we share our faith, no matter what the hearer chooses to do with it. How we share our faith is a topic for another time. Let it suffice to say that it must be done in love, bathed in prayer, and sensitive to the hearer. But there is a very simple way to share our faith with others in our community: invite them to Alpha. The Alpha Course is a ten week program in the basics of Christianity. It is a good refresher course for believers, but is truly meant to be an evangelism program. Where you might not feel fully prepared to discuss finer points of theology or objections to the faith, you are perfectly capable of inviting others to come listen to someone who is prepared to do so.
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Trinity Family Ministry
Growing Together in Christ
Sunday School (11a.m.)
PreK-8th Grades meet in Bldg. 3
Youth Group - Sunday 5:30-7:00pm in Bldg. 3
1/5 Teaching & Games 1/12 Movie Night 5-7:30pm 1/19 Teaching & Games 1/26 AMOR Fundraiser 8am-1:00pm
Contact Fr. Mark with ?’s at [email protected]
Mexico Mission Trip Cinnamon Roll
Fundraiser
Sunday, Jan. 26th after services
Please support our youth going to Mexico this summer to build a home with Amor.
The Book of Judges the Flawed and the Flawless
A Church-wide Bible Study January 5th-February 15th
We will begin studying the book of Judges in our Discipleship Groups using Dr. Timothy Keller’s new study. If you are not a part of a group, you are invited to join one for this six week study. If you are interested in starting a group, contact Fr. Mark
Study Books are available for $5
An Invitation to Something Better
Some people say that there are two givens in life, and that is death and taxes. I think there is a third given that we do not talk about much, but is nevertheless inevitable. That is conflict. The fact that we are relational beings who pos-sess individual ideas, habits, desires, and person-alities means that differences will naturally exist. Add to this the biblical reality that we are born into this life with the natural default setting of our hearts being me, my, and mine. We see that con-flict is guaranteed to come our way. I’d like us to reflect upon how we usually deal with conflict, and if it is biblical. Let’s begin with a few questions.
How do we view conflicts? Do we run from conflicts, or do we run into
them? Is our primary goal to assert that we are
right, and therefore win the argument? Or do we feel that not addressing the con-
flict is a way to “keep the peace”? We usually fall into one or the other category of attacking or withdrawing when conflict arises. And oftentimes both of these approaches flow out of our sinful nature rather than our union with the Holy Spirit. Before unpacking that last statement, let’s think about a biblical truth that can shape how we view conflicts. In Jesus’ description of the Kingdom of God, we see that God is always inviting us into something better than where we are currently (Matt. 13:44). Now if we believe this to be true, what happens when we chose to view conflict as an invitation to something better? Better for us and better for others. Better for us in that we are following Jesus’ pat-tern of dealing with things head on. Better for those others because we’re approaching it as members of God’s Kingdom.
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Nancy Haddad Arlene Burrow Evan Foster Sadie Dry Vince Hoss Alice Underhill Hazel Perkins London Ray Sawyer Smalley Malcolm White JoEllen Holt
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS In The Parish Family
Merna McNamara Jan Schieber Jan Smith Pete Smith Paul Wagner Tracey Ray Lynne Hall Jake Young Harlene Haskett Julia Goodrich Noah Hall
Congratulations to…
...Karen Cartmell upon earning a Masters degree in Spir-itual Formation and Soul Care through Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Thank you…
…The Family of Jesse Monroe extends their deepest grat-itude to all of Trinity Anglican Church for all the prayers, cards, flowers and love in the recent loss of our loved one. Jess was a quiet man, who passed away at home peaceful-ly and quietly in his sleep.
...to all for your kindness and prayers for me and my fam-ily in my episode with kidney stones ~ Fr. Karl+
...to the Altar Guild, Ushers, Choir, Acolytes, Lectors, Greeters and Eucharistic Ministers who helped make our Advent and Christmas celebrations so beautiful and pow-erful!
...to all who helped make the Thanksgiving potluck a suc-cess, especially those who contributed to the Mission and the committee members~ Mildred Woods, Chairman
Our Prayers and Sympathy are with…
…Claudia Moore and her family on the recent death of her brother.
Greetings from…
...Deacon Mo and Barbara Campbell. Your prayers for healing are greatly appreciated. For those who want to keep in touch with the Campbells, their e-mail address is: [email protected]. Their mailing address is 1151 Park View Court, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801. Their tele-phone number is: (307) 674-9753.
THE THE ALPHA COURSE
Are you Looking for more in life and don’t know where to find it? New to the faith and want to learn more? In need of a refresher on the essentials of Christianity? Wanting to plug in deeper at Trinity Anglican Church?
COME TO ALPHA!
The Alpha Course covers the basics of Christianity. It answers questions like: Who is Jesus?, and Why did he die? The Alpha course lasts 10 weeks, with a Saturday retreat in the middle. Each week, guests gather for about two hours. They share an informal meal, listen to a talk on how Christianity approaches the question at hand, then gather into small groups for discussion. The talks each week act as a springboard for small group discussions.
Tuesday Evenings ~ 6-8pm Course begins February 4 Trinity Anglican Church ~ Building 3 For more information or to join the Alpha Team, call Fr. Karl (861-6020)
Click here to register
Continued from page 1 We will be offering the Alpha Course this Winter/Spring with the intention of making it a regular staple in Trinity’s evangelism outreach. The Course will meet on Tuesday evenings starting February 4th and run until April 8. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow through Outreach: Who are you going to invite? Yours in Christ, Fr. Karl+
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TRINITY STATS
Attendance
Dec. 1st 238 Dec. 22nd 275 Dec. 8th 232 Dec. 15th 240
Giving
November Year-to-Date Actual Budget Actual Budget Income 39,755 44,333 449,369 487,663 Expense 40,572 44,186 400,572 486,046
KAIROS INTERNATIONAL PRISON MINISTRY
Kairos International Prison Ministry is scheduled to con-duct a meeting here on the Olive Drive Church campus on Saturday, February 1, 2014. This prison ministry is eager to put together a team of volunteers from the men of our local churches in Bakersfield. If you are interested in learning about this ministry project, or if you have ques-tions, please contact Dcn. John La Mar. To those women who might be interested in learning more about Kairos women’s prison ministry work, please contact Christine Miller.
PRELIMINARY STUDY GROUP We would like to thank each and every member of Trinity Anglican Church for your support of our combined efforts in Phase I and Phase II of the Dis-cernment Process. This could only happen with the grace and guidance of our Lord, your support, and our collective prayers to help lead us in His direc-tion.
We have completed Phase I, and those results were reported to each of you and are now on the website for your informational reading.
We just completed Phase II and that involved the gathering of data and information from each of the ministries at Trinity regarding usage, space, current needs, and projected needs. In January, we will have that data available on the website for you. It has been a glorious journey through Phase I and Phase II.
We are now entering Phase III, and will have that information along with Preliminary Recommenda-tions regarding space, initial cost allocations, and facility needs for the January, 2014 Parish Board of Directors meeting. These are NOT "hard and fast" recommendations, but simply a starting point of dis-cussion gathered from your input on the survey and the input from the ministries at Trinity Anglican Church. The initial cost analysis is that, an initial starting point and will serve as a baseline of infor-mation as we go into the next Phases of Discern-ment and Development.
We continue to seek your support and your prayers as we progress on our pathway to our new church home. We have been blessed by His grace and His guidance, and we pray for your continued sup-port for Trinity Anglican Church today, and for all of our tomorrows.
May we each give Thanks and Praise as we cele-brate the birth of the New Year, 2014. Respectfully, The Preliminary Study Committee
NOMINEES FOR ELECTIONS
Board of Directors
3-year terms (4 to be elected)
Anne Arnold Giles JoEllen Holt Steve McCalley Chad Savage Chris Thomas Mike Young
Unexpired 1-year terms
(2 to be elected)
Guy Lingo Jeff Mendoza Claudia Moore Bryan Oberg
Delegates to the Convention (5 delegates & 2 alternates)
Mary Carpenter Dick Giles R.J. Chaffee Sandy Roper Cathi Chrisco Jim Stubblefield Anne Arnold Giles
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WE NEED USHERS!
We have a shortage of ushers for both the 8 a.m. service and the 11 a.m. service. If you feel this might be the ministry for you, or if you know of someone, please call the church office (861-6020).
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Luncheon Elections and Reports
Preliminary Study Report
January 19, 2014 12:30 p.m.
Glass Garden Room
DISCIPLESHIP
GROUPS
Come grow as a Disciple of Jesus through
studying God’s word in fellowship with others
To Join, look on the website or contact the Church Office.
New Ministry Opportunities
Please pray about whether God might be calling you to serve in one of the ways listed below.
GARDEN PROJECT FRUIT PICKING TEAM CAPTAIN
Responsible for being point person at Trinity for the Garden Project. Trinity will have a fruit picking team of volunteers. Garden Project will contact the Team Captain with a fruit picking location in the vicinity of the Church, and then s/he coordinates the volunteer team members for the picking. Gar-den Project will supply the necessary items.
ALPHA SMALL GROUP FACILITATOR Help facilitate a small group for Alpha for 10 weeks on Tuesday nights beginning February 4th. One evening training is required.
ALPHA SERVING TEAM Help prepare and serve meals for the Alpha course. Also help set up and break down for the evening.
DISCIPLESHIP GROUP COORDINATOR
Serve as a liaison between group leaders and the clergy. Ensure that information is disseminated to groups, help start new groups, and visit groups regularly.
SUNDAY SCHOOL VOLUNTEER Help out with teaching and doing crafts for stu-dents Pre-K through 5th grade, or help teach Mid-dle School.
TRINITY TECHNOLOGY TEAM Many people struggle to live with technology that youth, especially, utilize so well. We want to de-velop a team of tech-savvy folks who can help oth-ers with basic technology needs like setting up a smartphone, computer, or printer.
If you have any questions or are interested please contact the church office.
Continued from page 2 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). To make peace is not to fight for victory, nor is it to “keep the peace” at any cost. Rather, its goal is to have the conflict brought out into the light of God’s goodness and blessing. Next month we’ll talk about what this can actually look like in our lives.
In Christ, Mark+
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Our Clergy The Rev. Karl E. Dietze, Rector
The Rev. Mark Hall, Assistant
The Rev. John M. Wilcox, Retired
The Rev. John LaMar, Deacon
Our Staff Sue Wagner, Director of Music
Tara Michaels, Office Manager
Kendi Miller, Bookkeeper
5500 Olive Drive, Bldg. 3
Bakersfield CA 93308
661-861-6020 Office
661-399-3615 Fax
www.trinitybakersfield.com
January,
2014
Trinity Anglican Church 5500 Olive Drive, Bldg. 3
Bakersfield CA 93308
The Messenger
Trinity Anglican Church WORSHIP SERVICES
Sunday Morning 8 Holy Communion
(1928 Prayer Book)
11 Holy Communion (Rite II)
Thursday Morning 10 Healing Service
