Dear Trinity Members and Friends,

 Romans 12:10-13

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality .Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Paul wrote these words from Corinth to the church in Rome to introduce his understanding of Christ’s teachings .The teachings are just as applicable today as they were in A.D.56

Paul’s words are a way to experience God, which is an ongoing spiritual adventure that is both a love relationship and an opportunity to become involved in His work.  Our congregation is ardent in Spirit as they serve the Lord and their Trinity family.  Thank you to all of our congregation members and friends who have so generously shared their time and talents with us.

The prayer shawls are a great blessing to God’s people who are in need. Thanks to the Global Missions Committee, we now have enough yarn to make 14 prayer shawls. Thanks to the knitters, we were able to gift eighteen people with prayer shawls since January 2010.

The baptismal banners, along with the baptismal boxes are very special to the newly baptized.  Thank you Mary Jane Schilling and Horst Forester for sharing your time and talent to make a child’s baptism such a special day.

Thank you to all who have donated books to our library. If you are interested in learning more about the women in the bible, check out the books donated by Frank Benz. Thanks to Chris Bailey, we now have several books that may help those of you who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

We are very excited about the new curriculum for all grades in the Sunday School program. With both Ann’s and Stacie’s enthusiasm, creativity, organizational skills and all of the volunteers with their love for teaching God’s word, we can look forward to some exciting programs during this school year.

We are also looking forward to taking our confirmation students on a retreat September 17-19.  We always have a great time as we share God’s love and words with the students.

In our reading from Romans, Paul tells us to practice hospitality. Thank you June Schmidt and all of the congregation members who so generously prepare meals and help with the funeral dinners. This is a needed and appreciated ministry for the people who are suffering from the loss of their loved ones. Let us be hospitable to visitors as well as to each other. I received an email from a visitor last week who complimented our congregation for being so open and friendly.

Zion Lutheran Church has extended their hospitality to us with an invitation to join them on September 21 at 11:30 for lunch and a program on the Holocaust. Please RSVP to Barbara Schmidt or           Jennifer Kingrey.

There are many opportunities at Trinity and in our community to serve the Lord. Examine your gifts and talents with prayer so that you can be ardent in spirit as you serve the Lord.

In Christ’s love,                                                                                             

 Barbara Schmidt                                                                                         

 Pastoral Counselor

SEPTEMBER LITURGY SCHEDULE

Sunday, September 5--8:00 and 10:30--Holy Communion                                                Carolyn Kibler, Organist  

Sunday, September 12--8:00 and 10:30                                                                             Carolyn Kibler, Organist

Sunday, September 19--8:00 and 10:30 --Holy Communion                                     ELO, Musical Leaders

Sunday, September 26--8:00 and 10:30                                                  Rocky Mountain Rangers, Musical Leaders

                                         THANKS TO ALL!                                                                                         Special thanks to all of the wonderful musicians who shared their talents at services this summer. We appreciated Lana Millard’s beautiful piano and cello playing, and we had a hand- clapping good time with Rocky Mountain Rangers and the Dairy Barn Band! Youth musicians led us with joy, and the ELO and Carolyn Kibler inspired us all with their            worship leadership.  We have really had VARIETY in our music this summer! 

ALCM                                                                                                           

What is that?

This year’s American Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) Regional Conference was held in Boulder in July. Our region is huge and covers western Canada south to New Mexico and Arizona, so some people  traveled from far away to attend this wonderful event.                                                                                       

The theme for this gathering was “Faith: A Compass for Leaders.” The key Bible verse was Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes...” which was certainly appropriate for the mountain setting of Boulder.                                                                                                                     

We were inspired by the beautiful worship services and concerts, and invigorated by the practical workshops on all types of music in the church setting. The sessions regarding issues facing Lutherans were thought provoking, and the exhibits were great! The coffee breaks, food, and social times were memorable!

Thanks to Trinity, and especially the Worship and Music Committee, for supporting us in attending this conference!                                                                  

Olivia Tremblay and Marcia Green

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE!!!

Trinity’s musical groups are getting ready for the Fall season. They all welcome new members!

ELO rehearses on Thursday nights at 7:15--ongoing

 Chancel Choir rehearses Wednesday nights at 7:00 beginning September 8

 Trinity Bells rehearse on Wednesday nights at 5:30 beginning September 8

 M & M’s rehearse Wednesday nights at 5:30-6:15 beginning September 15                                                                          

 It’s open to all kids in first grade or older!

 Trinity Wind Ensemble rehearses as needed before special musical events!  Watch for notices!

 Bill Gee’s inspirational and fun KAZOO song highlighted some of the ensembles. Here’s are some excerpts from his song with a few additional verses!           

                    OUR CHURCH

          by Bill Gee (with additional verses by others)

Our church is more than a building                                                                     

 Our church is more than you see                                                                      

Our church is more than a building                                                                    

Our church is a family                                                                                         

e sing together                                                                                                  

We pray together                                                                                               

 We love the company                                                                                        

Our church is more than a building                                                                            

Our church is a family                                                                                             

M & M’s is the group for the young at heart                                                          

First graders or older, please come take part!                                                    

They sing and they move and they play on the drum                                        

 Praising God with our music is FUN, FUN, FUN!                                      

Eclectic Lutheran Orchestra, also known as ELO                                                

They strum and sing and some use a bow!                                                         

Once each month, they lead us in song                                                              

They’d love for you to join along!                                                                       

Chancel Choir will sing from the fall to the Spring                                            

They give us a joyful sound!                                                                                 

 So join us this fall, we’ll make room for you all                                                 

We’d love you to be around!                                                                                

 If you can’t really sing, the Bell Choir will ring                                                 

They have a lot of ding-a-lings!                                                                         

 They make a beautiful sound and have talent abound                                        

So just give them a ring!                                                                                  

 (NOTE: the Bell Choir does have some GREAT singers!)                       

The wind ensemble is the way to go                                                              

If you play an instrument that you blow!                                                  

Come join in with your woodwind or brass                                                        

 And give our services a touch of class! 

Imagine working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, for $150.00 a month, … you are one of the lucky ones to have gotten this cushy  job ……….After work, you walked 3 miles to your home, which you share with an average of 8 other people.  Thanks to some wonderful people from the United States, this home is a castle, compared to the shack you once lived in, trying to keep your elderly parents dry through the plastic makeshift.  There were no beds in that shack; and now the one bed provided by this community brings some comfort to your aching body, even as you share it with the others living with you.  Your pregnant, single daughter has prepared your gayo pinto, as your spouse has had to travel to Costa Rica or Spain to get any kind of job.  And your elderly parents are there to welcome you.  Your next oldest child is absent as well, because it is Saturday, and she is diligently spending her one day off from working in the fields studying at the university.  What a blessing to have received a beca (scholarship) from the Trinity Lutheran Church/ Lord of the Mountain Lutheran Church/Loveland Habitat for Humanity community.    Yes, life is good.

We are that community which helps make life better.  Whether you participated in attending the mission trip or prayerfully supported it from here, we have made a difference in the lives of families in Cacauli and Somoto, and 4 surrounding villages, Nicaragua. (Please note the needs for next year are in bold print.)     

Houses:  Baille de lodo:  The dance of the mud!  Cement encrusted workboots; falling in love with the children and feeling the pathos of the local folks you are building for and with;  being fed humble and delicious soup, comprehending the team efforts; revisiting the homes of previous recipients and being welcomed as family………..so much more than a building.  The reasons we go back again and again!  This year we helped with the construction of a cement block home in Somoto for a single mother with four daughters. The oldest daughter is pregnant; tragically her husband had just been killed in an accident two weeks before we arrived. Needless to say the workers spent a great deal of time also supporting the family in their grief. We also worked on two adobe homes in Cacauli, both of which had large and extended families. Amazingly the cost of the three homes came to just $9,000.00. Our lowest cost yet, due to the good stewardship of Amado and the people of Caucali. The funds were provided by Lord of the Valley  in Granby Co., Trinity Lutheran and Loveland Habitat for Humanity. During our time there we received many requests for housing. The selection committee from Somoto and Caucali will process those requests, visit with the families to determine the greatest needs. Next summer we plan to build at least five houses. It also needs to be mentioned the great joy that Kim Buford brings to the equation with her “Make a House a Home Project”. Comfortable beds and mattresses were provided for all three families whose sleeping conditions were most undesirable.                                                 

Mission church:  music; It was great to listen to the hymns played by 3 students who had received keyboard instruction from the musician hired by the directiva(church council) in 2009. Just another example of how our support results in   empowerment of the local people. Church members volunteer to pay the electric bill so the community can use the church! We also enjoyed a wonderful Sunday morning worship service at the church, two baseball games, two church suppers served by the women of the community for at least 160 people at each gathering. It was impressive to see the adults and especially the children wait patiently for their food which took quite a while to serve. During the worship service Sunday school class was held in the parsonage.                                                                         Medical:  To see a 15 year old boy be carried into the hotel by his dad and be  fitted to the wheel chair brought smiles to their faces and tears to mine.  The other wheelchair was fitted to a child in Los Popitos, a private school where care is given to the handicapped children and support systems are provided for the parents.  Also, see the report from Lord of the Mountain.                                           Scholarships:  Funds for scholarships come from more than 50 donors and heartfelt thanks go to all who have embraced this endeavor.  I have letters of gratitude from all our students, and look forward to sharing their individual stories and  progress with you at a later date.  The management of these funds, selection process, bookkeeping, and student mentoring are all the responsibility of 2 local                  committees (who receive no compensation for their efforts). We met with all the students, and the committee updated us:  We are proud of 4 graduates: Two are primary school teachers, one is working in bank finance, and one is continuing schooling in Managua , funded by Dr. Cesar of Merced CA.  Two students were removed by the committee for poor attendance or grades. Our present financial commitment is to 22 university students:  $600 a month covers all their tuitions, and some incidental costs, such as transportation and food.  This also covers 10 students (including Pastor!) who are learning English in the church in Cacauli ($9.00 a month per student).  Tax deductible donations can be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, memo:  Pastor Smith’s endowment fund for scholarships and mailed to 3333 Duffield Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. Every bit helps and 100% goes to the students.  For next year, we would like to gather at least 100 notebooks, 50 pens, and other school  supplies. Casa de Materna:  (budget:  $0.00; all donations)  Thanks to the folks at Trinity, we were able to bring more than 50 layettes  to this home for single, poor, and/or abused expecting moms. The look of gratitude on the faces of the recipients was heartwarming; their stories unbelievable.  The head nurse said 450 women pass through each year.  So our challenge for next year is for just that:  450 layettes from at least 3 churches. We also had 4 handmade dolls to present, which will certainly be cherished, as no one has a doll. Contact Chris Bailey 669-1119 to begin contributing items or to volunteer to organize your community to commit to helping out.

Casa de Ancianos:  Once again, the senior citizens entertained us with poetry, song and even a little shuffle. Personal hygiene items are good to donate here.

English classes and library:  (budget for books:  $0.00; all donations) Although books are heavy, they are worth their weight  when you see children hungrily pouring over the books and reading.  They don’t usually have books in their homes, so these are precious donations. And the books were great for the interactions between our homebuilders and the children! Several genres were contributed for all ages to the lending library which was begun in 2008 in the Lutheran Church in Cacauli. Pastor Concepcion is very grateful for the books specific to ministry. Each home we built received a Spanish Bible. They also received bilingual books to support the instruction in the English classes the church community is sponsoring.  These books will also be shared with the local instructors who teach English in Somoto.   It is inspiring to hear more and more English spoken and see more opportunities for literacy.

Store:  Thanks to everyone who collects things during the year.  Thanks to the participants who offered to pay for the extra bags these days.  All items which were not donated elsewhere were given to the directiva, mostly shoes and clothes.  They set up the store, did the pricing and opened it up to the entire community (after ensuring that the poorest of the poor in other outpost villages received needed items).  That committee decides how the “profits” will benefit the entire community.  Shoes, especially black children’s shoes, ladies’ go to college shoes, men’s’ work boots, and sports’ shoes would be an added bonus, girls’ white knee socks, nice fashionable clothes.  We noticed the following needs and niceties would be used: umbrellas, hair doodads, shoe polish stuff, rubber boots, bike reflectors,……..We’ll update as we think it through. 

Sewing Micro industry:  26 school uniforms have been made by the sewing cooperative (started in 2006) of the Lutheran Church in Cacauli.  Other items have been and are also in process.  This was supposed to be self-sustaining, but the co-op didn’t have the heart to get money from the very poor families who received the uniforms; big lesson learned here:  Just like the payback system they established for house recipients, they need to make enough money on the uniforms to be able to continue to make uniforms!  We hope anyone who helped get this started and anyone else interested will help them restart this business, with lessons learned!   Money for school uniforms;  information about grants for micro industries……..

Paneria:  Start up money was given in Cacauli and we will see if a bakery results!  Hopefully, it will be another self sustaining income producer.; 

We look forward to continuing to be blessed by our eye-opening, heart-opening (and wallet opening) experiences in Nicaragua.  We appreciate your interest and support and encourage you to join us.

With the continued generosity of our congregation and the  amazing commitment of the Women of Faith and Dorcas Circles there was 105 health kits delivered to Denver depot.

           With the ongoing disasters in the world this will be an  committed outreach for Trinity.  Thanks to each of you.

If you care to help the most needed items are:

DARK colored hand towels and wash clothes;                                    

nail file with clippers;   band aides (1/2-3/4 size); large tooth combs and bar soap.

Place your gifts in box in Narthex.

~New Members Class~

New Members class to begin on Sunday, October 3rd at 9:15 in the fireside room.  The purpose of the class is to learn more about what we believe and profess as Lutherans, answer questions folks have about God, make new friends, get to spend some quality time with Pastor Ed, and help people decide if Trinity Lutheran is a good church home for them.  New members will be received on All Saints Sunday November 7th during the 10:30 a.m. Worship service.  A ham and turkey luncheon will follow the worship service.  If you would like to join us for the luncheon please bring a side dish, salad or desert to help compliment the meal.  If you are interested in this class or know of someone I should get in touch with please let me know.                                                                                                                                                                   Pastor Ed

HOUSE OF NEIGHBORLY SERVICE – HNS continues to provide food and other essential items to an increasing number of needy families in our community.  Trinity Lutheran donated 254 items to HNS during July.  Thank you so much for your generous support of this very vital program.  Your help and prayers are very much appreciated by our less fortunate neighbors.  September is soup collection month for HNS.  Our goal here at Trinity is to collect 200 cans.  However, anything you may wish to contribute is very helpful.  Note:  Hotel/airline small quantity items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. are ideal sizes for our homeless individuals.

~CROSSROADS   SAFEHOUSE~   We thank everyone for their donations to Crossroads Safehouse.  This month Sunscreen, Bug Bite stuff, Pregnancy Test kits, Anti-acid Relief  Meds and, of course larger diapers.  They have no babies at present.  but do need toddler sizes.  The house is full with women and children.  Thank you for your continued support of this deserving outreach ministry.~

We will return to our traditional schedule on

September 5th.                                                                   

Services will be on Sundays at 8am and 10:30 am.

We will have communion on the first and third Sundays of the month                                                                                         

As a reminder, we have nursery care available for all worship service times as well as during Sunday school.

Join us for Rally Day, on Sunday, September 12th, 2010.

Sunday School for all ages will begin at 9:15 am.  A celebration and potluck will be at 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall.  The clowns will be back with face painting, balloon animals, and there is a craft for all ages.  Please bring a side dish to share as we chow down on burgers, hotdogs, brats and cake.  For more information, contact Stacie Davis at 215-9175 or  stacie.davis@mesanetworks.net

~Happy Back to School~

From the staff at Trinity, we hope you have a fun filled year of learning and making great friendships.  God Bless~

CHILDREN’S CHURCH

Our program for children ages 4 years old through first grade will begin September 5th, at the second service after the Children’s Sermon and through the end of the service. 

Kids will learn the scripture lesson of the day by singing, playing games and making crafts.  Parents are welcome to pick up the kids during Communion Sundays for a blessing, or after the services.  For more information please contact Stacie Davis at 215-1693.

Rally Day is September 12th. 

Ages 3 through 12^th grade, join us at 9:15am in the Sanctuary for music, puppets, and fun.  A celebration and potluck will be at 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall.  The clowns will be back with face painting, balloon animals, and there is a craft for all ages.  Please bring a side dish to share as we chow down on burgers, hotdogs, brats and cake.  For more information, contact Stacie Davis at 215-9175 or stacie.davis@mesanetworks.net

Global Missions Outreach for September

TO SUPPORT OUR

 CHURCH’S EMERGENCY FUND

The Global Missions Committee will designate the funds raised from the September sale of gift cards to go towards Trinity Lutheran’s  emergency fund.   This is a fund set aside for when the unexpected happens or for those who are going through a hardship and could benefit from this fund. 

 You can help support this project by simply purchasing King Sooper and Safeway gift cards after services on Sunday or during the week in the church office.  Global Missions is able to give back 3 to 5% of our total monthly card sales to support our monthly recipient.  This averages to $150 to $250 dollars a month!    The more you buy the more we can give back!

 Our cards come in $25, $50 & $100 amounts and we accept cash or checks.  If you have any questions please stop by and talk to us.  Look for the “STOP” sign as you grab a cup of coffee after services.  Thank you for helping Global Missions to help others!

 REMEMBER TO BUY YOUR GIFT CARDS!