We want to better serve the congregation, by providing current and correct information on a
timely basis.  We need your help to do this.

If you have information of importance to the congregation, or anything else you would like to see
in the newsletter, please email it to newsEditor by November 17th.
November 2010 Trinity Observer
                            From Reverend Jim Offrink:

                             November Greetings:

Here we are, in the midst of     fall, stuck between the warm late summer days of September and the cold of
winter.  Christmas decorations are all ready going up.  A nice lady clerk at Staples mentioned to us that, “By
the time Christmas gets here I’ll be ready to shoot those moving, talking, Santa Claus displays! Each and
everyone of them.”

With the beauty of the fall colors and the harvest almost complete, we should be feeling pretty thankful.  No,
the economy isn’t the best.  No, there isn’t world peace.  No, life at home and work isn’t perfect.  But…
come on, think about it.  God walks with us each and every day, his Spirit joins us in good times and bad,
that’s why we sing “Bind Us Together.”  Still such change and problems we’ve seldom seen.

With the beauty of the fall colors and the harvest almost complete, we should be feeling pretty thankful.  No,
the economy isn’t the best.  No, there isn’t world peace.  No, life at home and work isn’t perfect.  But…
come on, think about it.  God walks with us each and every day, his Spirit joins us in good times and bad,
that’s why we sing “Bind Us Together.”  Still such change and problems we’ve seldom seen.
Times are tough, but we should be honored to be a part of Christ’s ministry here in this
community.  God has given us this time, a time of social change and church upheaval, to of social change
and church upheaval, to change and form the kind of ministry Christians will do in coming generations.  We
don’t like doing the uncomfortable, but when led by the Holy Spirit we must recognize that only a Get-R-
Done attitude is going to move the church forward.

Author Jeffery Jones, in his book, “Traveling Together” p. 2, writes…”I believe that because of the
significant cultural and societal changes that have taken place during the past several decades, virtually all
the old answers about what it means to be and do church don’t work anymore.”  And… that means that
every thing we think we know about church school, youth work, music, worship, outreach, evangelism,
engaging people and following the word of the Lord, need to be re-learned and re-invented!   Due to a
monumental paradigm change we are on the outside looking in.  

We know God is forever, his truth is never changing, but that doesn’t mean the way we do things should be
the same.  Guttenberg’s printing press changed Christianity forever!   The Internet has done it again, and
even more so!  By the way, did you know, the sound on our Internet web broadcast of our church worship
isn’t very good?  SEVERAL people have mentioned it to me!  Do these people want to participate in our
worship by watching on their computers?  YES!  Have we got it right yet? NO!  But there’s hope, and there’
s hope we’ll begin to get immediate responses and participation in and to worship by the use of Face Book
and other means to respond!  It’s already happening in some congregations!  Why not here?

In the coming months and years, Trinity Church is going to be challenged by this fact of life.  “Nothing” that
we think we know will work exactly as we did it before.  “Everything” will look different.  God’s truth as
always will continue, the media by which God is engaged will continue to change and evolve, as it has from
oral tradition, to ‘Dead Sea’ scrolls, to hand written parchment, to the printing press and now 300 to 500
years later, to the internet, websites.  We will bring forth a changed worship that more engages emotion, as
well as, enables us to become ‘missional,’ and ‘visional,’ within the community around us.

In this time of scrambling, I welcome the coming of our new church sign, a LED sign that will, if used well,
engage the community around us in a new way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yours,
Jim O

                                                     ANNOUNCEMENTS

                                                         FROM THE DEACONS

During the Thanksgiving Season, the Deacons on behalf of Trinity United Presbyterian Church, will reach
out to families of the congregation who are experiencing difficulties.  We will be offering food cards to assist
families with their Thanksgiving meal.  If you know of such a family, please contact Alice Shirley (810-653-
0580), Karen Fischer (810-720-3326), or any Deacon, on or before November 14, 2010.  If you would like to
help with this effort, just place your donation into an envelope and mark it “Deacons-Thanksgiving”.  As
always, your help will be appreciated.  Thank you and bless you!   The Deacon’s

                                                           WOMEN’S NEWS

We are planning an exciting November and December.

In November, we are planning a trip to Whiting for a choral presentation entitled “Repeat the Resounding
Joy”.  Ticket prices , if we have 20 attending, will be announced.  Otherwise tickets are $22.00 each.   
Reservations can be made through the church office.

On December 19th, we are planning on another trip to Whiting for “Holiday Pops”.  For this performance,
tickets will be $21 each.  Reservations MUST  be made by the first of November   for either, or both of
these planned events.  Reservations can be made through the church office.

Come celebrate the “Joys of Christmas” on December 4th, here at Trinity, from 1:00pm-5:00pm.  Activities
will include “Children’s choir performance, crafts, cookie decorating, a bake sale, story telling, a display
collection, a cake walk and a light supper.  This will be open to everyone.  If you have a collection to  
display, let us know.  A photographer will be available to take pictures of costumed families that are dressed
for a manger scene.

                                   SESSION REPORT

Session will operate with eleven elders until January, 2011.  Jeanne L. Kidle has resigned as a member of
Trinity  United Presbyterian Church.  Grace Tucker will take over the church’s website.  Jeanne worked
hard to get that project up and running.  Mary Krist will become the Membership Team’s Chairperson until
January 2011.

Audrey Resler and her daughter, Gayle Kettler, were received as the newest members of Trinity United
Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 26, 2010.   They were former members of Farnumwood
Presbyterian Church. On October 31, 2010, we will receive two more new members.  There are 174
members on the roll as of  September 26, 2010.

As a fundraiser, the church is selling packages of assorted nuts. You may place an order or take orders  for
your families and friends. The brochures are in the narthex.

Rev. Jim and Mrs. Sally Offrink have a new grandson.  Walker Owen Offrink was born on October 7, 2010,
and is the first child of Andrew and Kelly Offrink.

Performance evaluations have been completed on the church staff, not including the two ministers.

Clerk of Session, Delphine M. Holland, reported that the Trinity United Session Minutes and the Church
record book were both approved at the annual review, October 9, 2010 at Flushing Presbyterian Church.  
The Session offered commendations on the work .

A truckload of Wash Rocks has been ordered for the center ditch in the parking lot.  Waste Water Services
will not sign off on our erosion permit until we do something to “stop the erosion”.  Pat Rice is asking for
volunteers to help shovel the rock, once it  arrives.

Trinity's extra set of bells  is now on loan to Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, in the care of Dr.
Eleanor Goodman.

The Christian Education Team will be asking adults and children to take part in the Christmas Program.
Sharon Bonney, one of our new members has donated a Pottery Communion Set to the church.  She made
the gift in memory of her sister, Jacquie Bennetts.  The set was made by Jacquie's husband Bill Bennetts.
Submitted by Session Clerk, Delphine M. Holland










                                                         HARVEST DINNER

The yearly Harvest Dinner has been scheduled to take place on November 21, 2010, following the worship
service. Please mark your calendar.  More information will appear in the weekly bulletins.  Thank You, Mary
Krist,  Membership Chair.
































                          Can You Help Out Our Budget?


Are you interested in donating items for the church to ease up money paid out each month, for important
bills.  

To help with costs, we will gladly accept the following donations:   
FOR NOVEMBER, WE NEED:

 Large boxes of plastic forks        
 Large packages of napkins                
 Large boxes of gallon storage bags                        
 Large boxes of quart size storage bags
 Large plates for meals

One place you can purchase these is Gordon Foods
Any and all  of the items will be appreciated.
Each month there will be a different list from which to choose.  If we have enough supplies on hand, we will
not ask for any.

(If you would like credit on your church statement, for these items, please bring the bill to the treasurer,
Janis Beach, who will give you a voucher.  Pat Rice, Sharon Auger, or Delphine Holland can sign the
voucher. You will be issued a check.  Endorse the check and return it to Jan and you will get credit on your
statement.) Thank You!

                                LECTIONARY READINGS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 7, 2010
**Haggai 1:1-15b-2:9              2Thesalonian 2:1-5, 17-21

“The Haggai Complaint”
Rev. James F. Offrink
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 14, 2010
Psalm 23                                             2 Corinthians 9:6-9

“More Than Enough”
Rev. Annie R. Duncan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 21, 2010
Colossians 1:11-20                                   Jeremiah 23:1-6
“How To Make Your
Christ Wish List”
Rev. James F. Offrink
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 28, 2010
Isaiah 2:1-5                                          **Matthew 24:37-44

“It’s Going to Happen!”
Rev. Annie R. Duncan
A multicultural
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