PASTOR’S
PEN
Dear Friends of Christ,
It was a cold, rainy
spring morning in my second year of seminary and I was walking along Seminary
Ridge from the Chapel to my afternoon class. All of us were nervous; our
internship assignments were being determined. Three professors were playing a
matching game with 27 students and 32 congregations, trying to match each
student to a congregation, knowing that some “ideal” matches might not enable
everyone to have a match. I asked a classmate of mine how she was handling the
wait.
She said, “At times
like this, you just have to say, ‘Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my
spirit’; but if you really loved
me...”
It’s
all that any of us could do. We’d been taught it for 3 ½ semesters, and now we
got to live it. Recently, you and I have gotten to do the same thing. Emily is,
for now, assigned to the Delaware-Maryland Synod. None of us are sure what is
going to happen. I’ve spent 1 ¾ years preaching that we need to trust God, and
now I get to live it with the rest of you. My prayers have gotten pretty darn
close to that of my classmate four years ago, “Into your hands, O Lord, I
commend my spirit’; but if you really
loved me…”
Why
does God want us to pray? What’s the point? I can pray for God to do one thing
and God can have something else entirely in mind. God’s response to me might be
a complete refusal to do any of what I asked. So why does God want me to ask in
the first place?
It’s
all about trust. Trust, in this case, is not the trust that God will do what I
want God to do. I trust that when I turn the steering wheel to the right the
car’s wheels will turn to the right. If they don’t, I lose trust in the car.
That is a trust in the certainty of a desired outcome. God does not offer the
certainty that what we want will be ours. God offers to know what God is doing.
When I trust in God, I trust that God knows what God is doing, and that if
things go contrary to what I desire God is still in command, God is still with
me, and that God is going to remember me even when things go badly…even when I
am dead and gone.
God
wants us to ask God for everything so that we will trust that God is in
control. Any prayer is valid. The lack of the desired outcome does not
constitute a lack of an answer. The point is that we trust that God knows what
God is doing. I can pray for a brand new yacht. God will answer that prayer.
Just don’t expect to see me driving a brand new yacht any time soon! In the
praying to God I come to understand that God is in control, and I come to trust
that God knows what God is doing. That has a profound effect upon me. My
prayers continue, but the result is almost always peace. God will do what God
will do. For now, I am a baptized Christian living in this time and place and I
have a Christian vocation that I am called to do.
All
of my classmates got assigned that spring four years ago. Not all of them got
to go where they wanted to go. A couple of them did not come back. All of us
wound up where the Holy Spirit could work with us. I know I certainly did. The
Holy Spirit gets the job done. Eventually, every prayer boils down to “‘Into
your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’; but if you really loved me…”
In
+ Christ,
Pastor
Timothy A Leitzke
h
COUNCIL CORNER h
Members
Reflect on the
Conference on Congregational Ministries
Four Holy Trinity members attended the New Jersey Synod’s
Conference on Congregational Ministries on March 24. The theme-of-the-day was
“Grow the Church” and the Rev. Brent Dahlseng from
Over 80 hour-long workshops in areas like Prayer, Education,
Giving and Worship addressed practical problems, shared best practices, and
promoted current initiatives in the New Jersey Synod. The session entitled “Red Flags in the Church
Budget” identified typical problem areas and suggested straightforward,
Scripture-based
solutions.
Watch as we use these ideas to improve Holy Trinity’s ministries
this year. Speak to Cindy Markus, Council President, or Pastor Mary if you
would like to attend the next conference in 2008. As an added incentive to any
hardcore Lutherans, there is coffee, tea and a bag lunch at the conference.
~~ Dennis Blazak,
Council Corporate Secretary & Stewardship Co-chair
I
had the opportunity to attend the 2007 Conference on Congregational Ministries
as a representative of the Women of the
our
state annual convention. The Lord does provide! A great day for learning and
networking. Thank you!
~~ Diane Guarini,
Social Ministries Committee
Co-chair
A special thank you to Dennis Blazak, Diane Guarini and Grace
Walton, for joining me at this year’s Conference on Congregational Ministries –
an extremely well organized and attended Conference. We had a chance to see Lutheran friends from
area Churches, hear an upbeat and fun Christian band (and sing along!),
participate in a wide variety of workshops, browse the array of informational
booths and enjoy a “sweet” breakfast as well as a filling lunch! I can’t think of a better way to have spent a
wintry Saturday!
I chose to attend a variety of workshops: “Need a Vision? – A Guide to Congregations;”
“Establishing and Sustaining a Partnership with a Namibian Lutheran
Congregation;” “
A wide spectrum of choices were available, wonderfully set-up
to meet the needs and interest of all and to continue to help us grow
individually and as a Church.
Consider
joining us next year!
~~ Cindy Markus, Council President
Join the
Crew!
The Property Committee crews are hard at work!
The committee
meets at
I encourage you
join to us in what I believe is an enjoyable and rewarding ministry.
~~ Buzz Goode
Property
Committee Co-chair
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION g
On April 21 and 22, we joyfully welcomed
the following young people to the Lord’s Supper for the first time:
Saturday,
April 21
Cadan Edward Fox
Claypoole
Tyler David Osborn
Gwendolyn Fall
Alexander Stupar
Victoria Lynn Galvan
Megan Ann Suchecki
Alexandra Gibson
Nicholas James Wagner
Jennifer Jean Wall
Sunday,
April 22
Kirsten Elisabeth
Barnes
Dane S. Brazinski
Christopher Centrella
Donald T. Corson III
Julianna Marie Fren
Katrina Margret Hand
Sara Elisabeth Hegna
Cameron Lawrence McIver
Madison Hope Newman
Paige Sydney Regan
Alexander Michael
Restucci
Caitlyn Ryann Sutton
Phillip Lars Vorbach
Joseph Robert Waldeyer
Haley Jessica White
We proudly share their poems, written as
part of their preparation to receive first Holy Communion and read aloud during
worship:
The
In Holy Communion
by Cadan,
When I step into the
sanctuary, I hear
the sound of Jesus
talking -- in the
pastor’s voice and when I
pray and sing.
I see the candles burning
bright:
the altar candles, the
paschal candle,
the eternal light.
I smell the candles and
the wine. They
smell so good.
I feel the bread of Christ
and the cup of
Christ in my hand, and
the blood of
Christ on my lips.
I taste the wine in my mouth.
When we eat the bread it tastes
good.
Amen
Our First Holy Communion:
A Poem to the Lord
by Kirsten, Dane,
Christopher, Sara, Cameron, Paige, Alex and Donald
I
see the Lord in heaven.
I
hear the Lord, too. I see the cool, colorful flowers.
They
smell good. I hear music in my ear.
I
see pretty dresses and colorful ties in the pews. I smell the wine.
I
like the smell but not the taste. Sometimes I do drink the wine.
It’s
really different. I touch and taste the bread and sometimes it’s sweet.
I
feel the wafer; it feels like paper.
I
pray at the altar. I hear others pray.
Amen!
Holy Communion
By Julianna, Katrina,
Madison,
Nicole, Caitlyn, Joe and Haley
We
see people who have come to help us celebrate Holy Communion, family and
friends.
There
are also people we love but can’t
see,
who are with us in Spirit, looking
from
heaven. When we kneel, we see
the
cross. We smell the bread, wine and grape juice.
We
touch the bread and common cup. We feel our hands pressed
together
when we pray. We taste the bread – it’s like a tiny cookie.
When we taste the bread and wine, we
remember it’s God’s Body and Blood.
We hear and say, ‘Amen.’ Amen!
Many
thanks to those who participated in the children’s preparation to receive the
Sacrament of
Holy
Communion, including Pastor Mary,
Pastor
Leitzke, Karen Astrom and Robin
Baymore,
who created certificates for the children. Our ongoing appreciation also goes
to Terri Restucci and Tami Regan who teach the 3rd grade Sunday
School class.
Musically Gifted
Veronica
Colarusso and Richie Orozco are the proud recipients of the Schwarz Music Fund
scholarship. They received their checks at the 5 p.m. service on May 5.
Veronica is currently studying piano and
Richie’s desire is to study piano. This
gift will make the dreams of both of these children come true as they continue
to share their talents with the Holy Trinity congregation and their friends and
families. Congratulations to both of you
from your Holy Trinity family. Heartfelt thanks to Arno and Jeanne Schwarz who
established this fund for our youth.
Luthermania at Chuck E. Cheese
Join us from 3:45 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May
18 for pizza, games and fun. Open to kids in the fourth, fifth and sixth grade
and
those who will be in the fourth grade in September. Admission: $5.00 per child.
Many thanks to all who
supported the Christian Education Adopt-a-Book Coffee Hour on April 15. Here
are a few of the books that were “adopted”: two beautiful art books, A
Child’s Book of Prayer in Art, by Sister Wendy Beckett and Mary, the
story of the mother of Jesus, written and illustrated by Demi; and The
Forever Dog, by Bill Cochran – Mike and his dog Corky promise to be best
friends forever, but what happens when Corky becomes very sick and dies. This
is a warmhearted story for younger children about loss and a promise broken yet
kept. Perhaps my favorite is A Mama for Owen, by Marion Dane Bauer, the
true story of a baby hippo separated from his mother in the 2004
Please
visit the Sunday School library, where you will find these and many other “good
reads.”
~~ Ellin
Greene
h
EVANGELISM & STEWARDSHIP g
We will be receiving
new members on Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10.
We are working to match prospec-
tive
members with sponsors who will guide them into our congregation’s
fellowship. Please consider saying “yes”
if a member of the Evangelism Committee asks you to be a sponsor.
Date to remember: May 20, “Meet and Greet”
at 7 p.m.
2007 Church
Photo Directory Update
The last portrait session, held on April 12, brought the total
number of pictures to 117. We are on
track for directory distribution by Pentecost. Remember that anyone who sat for
a portrait is entitled to one photo directory. If you chose to have your
portraits delivered to the church, they are available in the church office.
Many thanks to everyone who came out for the photography sessions and to those
who helped work on the project!
Women’s
Fall Retreat:
On a Wing
and a Prayer
The dates for our annual women’s
retreat are Friday, Sept. 14 (late
afternoon/dinnertime) through lunch on Sunday, Sept. 16. Once again our location will be St.
Marguerite’s Retreat House in Mendham. The
approximate cost is $160. Financial
assistance is
available for those in need of it; just speak
with Pastor Mary. A $35 nonrefundable deposit is requested to reserve your
space. Please make checks payable to Holy Trinity, with “women’s retreat” on
the memo line.
Seven women have signed up. Nineteen openings remain. Our theme will be prayer. We will walk the
labyrinth on the retreat house grounds, embrace the psalms as the “prayer book
of the Bible” and pray in community, solo, silently, aloud and through
journaling. If you would like to serve on the retreat planning team, please let
Pastor Mary know!
Hope for the
Homeless
Recently our Holy Trinity college students received care
packages from our congregation. What a
rewarding thing for us to do and what an uplift for our youth. Some young people are not so fortunate. The following is from Making Christ Known,
a publication of the
“Kimberly graduated from high school in the top 10 percent of
her class. She went to an ELCA college
in hopes of going on to seminary. Her
plan was derailed when she was diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders
and hospitalized 13 times while struggling with depression.
“Unable to enroll in seminary, Kimberly bounced between
jobs. Kimberly began volunteering at
Care Corps, Inc., in
“Gifts to our ELCA World Hunger Appeal
fund domestic hunger-fighting programs and projects to help neighbors in need
around the corner and throughout our church.
In partnership with congregations, social ministry organizations, and
other hunger ministries, our church’s domestic hunger grants provide hope to
those who hunger and a prophetic voice calling for justice for those living
with poverty and des pair.
“Your gifts to the World Hunger Appeal help fund hunger-related
programs like Care Corps through the ELCA domestic hunger grants program. Each year Care Corps runs a shelter for over
600 children, women and men who are homeless.
Life-skills classes, counseling, case management, and drug/alcohol
assessments are additional services offered by Care Corps to help families find
employment and affordable housing.
“In
~~ Carla Conaty,
h SOCIAL MINISTRY g
Love in
Bloom
A
live plant in a hand-painted flower pot is a beautiful way to say “Happy
Mother’s Day!” Designed and created by members of the Social Ministry
Committee, the potted plants will be sold for $8 apiece after services on May
5, 6, 12 and 13 in Fellowship Hall.
h
W.E.L.C.A. g
WELCA would like thank everyone who
helped with the Attic Treasures Sale
May 4 & 5. Next month we will note the charities that
received donations from the proceeds.
The Circle of Hope will meet Saturday
May 5 to help with the Attic Treasures Sale. In June they will meet on
the 2nd at 9 a. m. at church. Please call Nancy Smarr (732) 681-3369.
WELCA
Executive Board will meet Friday, June 1 at 9:30 a. m.
at church.
ANNUAL
COMMUNION BREAKFAST
Wednesday, May 23
9 a. m.
WELCA will sponsor the Service
followed by
Brunch
in Fellowship Hall.
All Holy Trinity members
and their friends
are invited.
RSVP on the WELCA Bulletin Board
h
CHILDREN OF GOD g
Holy
Trinity welcomed Chase Banas Ali into the Body of Christ through the Sacrament
of Holy Baptism on Saturday, April 14. His
sponsors were David and Victoria Petrie. Chase is the son of Ehab and
Dawn Ali. His sister, Paige, is 3 years
old. Chase was born on Aug. 3, 2006.
Jessica Rose Mackown was born on March 29,
2007 to Michael and Jennifer Mackown. Her grandparents are Nancy and Greg
Hannah, and her uncle is Gregory Hannah.
Megan Elisabeth Liggett was born April 22, 2007 to Mark and Susan Liggett. Megan’s brothers are Matthew, 5, and Daniel, 3. Holy Trinity member Helen
Sproul is the Liggett children’s maternal
grandmother. Their
paternal grandparents are Barbara and Brad Liggett.
Janay Sharisse Jackson was born April 23,
2007 to Kathy Starke and Shareef Jackson. Former Holy Trinity members Paul and
Rae Starke are Janay’s grandparents.
h
MAIL BAGg
Dear Pastor Mary and the
Thank you for the
privilege of using your church. Everyone was so kind, warm and inviting. You
truly are walking expressions of God’s love and grace.
Thank
you again,
The Tuesday Night
A. A. Big Book Study Group
♥
The Breakfast Club
thanks everyone who contributed loose change to Coins for the Kingdom. More
than $370 was raised. All profits will be donated to our sister congregation,
the Uudhengelo Lutheran Parish in
~~ Kathy Lynch and Jeff Clayton
♥
Dear
Holy Trinity,
Thank
you for remembering me down here in good old Glassboro. All the food and
goodies are greatly
appreciated and were delicIous. Thank you
again for remembering me!
~~Eric
McLaughlin
♥