Announcements

Holy Week Schedule at Trinity

April 5, Maundy Thursday (No supper served)
7:00 p.m., “Singing Off to Suffering” (Text: Mark 14:20)
First Communion for second-year confirmands
April 6, Good Friday
7:00 p.m., Service: “The Seven Lyrics of Love and Redemption”
April 8, Easter Day
7:00 a.m. - Sonrise Service at Trinity Lutheran Church
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast, hosted by Trinity Youth Group
9:00 a.m. - Easter egg hunt; story time
10:30 a.m. - Worship Service: “Sing a New song of Salvation Certified”

Mite Marathon… Stay Strong – Finish Strong! March and April 2012, Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is presenting a Mite Challenge. You aren’t giving dollars – you’re giving the hope of salvation and the love of Jesus when you pray for, and support our 19 Mission Grants and our mission goal of $1,825,000 for the 2011-2013 biennium. Jesus is ALWAYS the reason! A flyer is posted in the narthex with more information. See Martha Clark if you have questions!

Easter Breakfast: The Youth Group will be hosting Easter breakfast this year. There will be a free-will offering accepted at the breakfast to help support youth group members attending the 2013 National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, Texas. We are looking for donations to help off-set the cost of the breakfast; monetary donations or gift cards to Tops or BJs would be greatly appreciated. Please see the Feuerbachs if you would like to help in this way.

Trinity members and friends: Please let us know if you plan to attend our 50th Anniversary Celebration on July 14-15. On Saturday, July 14, we will have Memories and Music at Trinity from 2-4 pm, followed by a lake-side dinner at the Boatyard Grill. There is no charge for either of these events. (The cost of dinner was covered by a generous benefactor.) Sunday, July 6, our worship celebration with Rev. Donald Cario as preacher will begin at 10:00 a.m. A catered lunch buffet in our fellowship hall will immediately follow our service. A free-will offering will be collected to off set the charges. To RSVP either email 50thAnniversary@trinityithaca.org, drop your RSVP card in the basket in the narthex, or call the church office 607.273.9017.

As part of our 50th Anniversary Celebration Year we have several guest speakers scheduled to visit.

Planning for your fiscal future – Linda Gage (formerly the director of Camp Pioneer) is currently working with the LCMS Foundation to help people plan their financial futures via will and estate planning. There will be an informational meeting with Linda at Trinity on Saturday, April 28. Also note that Thrivent financial for Lutherans now has a new program to enroll in a service to receive legal advice for a small fee.
Rev. Dr. Art Dueker will visit us at Sunday, April 29th, along with his worship band. Pastor Dueker is the pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, the largest Lutheran Church in the Eastern District. During the Sunday School hour his music director will speak about music ministry and Life’s Way Café, a new ministry for people who are seeking but are not willing to go to church. Dr. Dueker will then talk about being intentional in ministry and a soon-to-be-released film they produced, King’s Faith. Dr. Dueker will preach at our 10:30 service, and their worship band will enhance the service with their music.

Housing for Pastor Cario: Former Trinity pastor Don Cario is our featured speaker for our 50th Anniversary Celebration worship service this summer. We are looking for housing for him and his wife Marie on July 13-14. If you are able to host them for the weekend, please let Pastor Foote know.

The Jubilee Cross being used as a symbol for Trinity’s 50th anniversary has been made into a pendant and is available in sterling silver and also in 14k gold. The pendant comes on a chain but, at your request, can also be made into a pin or a tie tack or lapel pin for men. It makes a meaningful and beautiful memorable confirmation gift, graduation gift and or birthday gift. Questions? Call Martha Clark 227-2681.

Prayer and no Pie: Friday, April 6 at 1:00 pm. Bring your prayers of praise and concern; since it’s Good Friday, we’ll give up the pie this week!

Men’s Prayer Breakfast will meet Saturday, April 7, 8:00 a.m. The topic will be “Christianity and the Competition,” a Paul Meier study.

Married Couples Date Night: Trinity's Marriage Ministry will be hosting an evening of laughter on Friday, March 30th, at 7:00 - 8:30pm. We will be showing Mark Gungor's hilarious DVD series, "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage..." Session 2: A Tale of Two Brains. These powerful and practical vides are designed to bring hope and positive change to your marriage, rekindle the romance, and improve communication in a way that is fun and entertaining. The event is free. Ir you are interested in coming, please contact Stacey or Mike Christodoulou.

Thrivent Choice Contributions: Many of us have insurance or investment products through Thrivent. As a non-profit, Thrivent supports benevolent activities in our churches and communities. Each member of Thrivent has the opportunity to designate "Thrivent Choice" dollars to organizations of their choosing. Trinity has two certified organizations, "Trinity Lutheran Church", and "Trinity Lutheran Preschool". The council has decided that Thrivent Choice funds to the church will be maintained in a special "long term" building fund for church expansion, and funds designated for the preschool will be used for scholarships. To designate your choice, you can go on-line to www.thrivent.com/choicedollars or call Thrivent directly at 800-847-4836. Note that there are many other organizations that you can also designate. Collectively, these Choice Dollars can be significant. Trinity currently receives between $50 and $200 per month in designated gifts. Additional donations beyond Thrivent can also be made directly to the long term building fund or for school scholarships.

Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekends: The next opportunity for this wonderful weekend event is April 20-22. The location will be the Park Inn in W. Middlesex, Pennsylvania (1 hour north of Pittsburgh). The cost is $45.00 per couple registration fee, plus a contribution of any amount you choose at the end of the weekend to be used toward the continuation of the program. For questions or to register go to www.GodLovesMarrige.org or contact the directors, Fred and Julie Schamber at 724-325-3166.

Travel with Concordia College to Germany! 11 days in the Lands of Luther: May 15-25, 2012. Only $2,699 from New York. Contact Rev. Gregory Dwyer for more information: 914-337-9300 x2198 or Gregory.dwyer@concordia-ny.edu.

Volunteer opportunities at Trinity… full descriptions of the responsibilities are in the notebook on the shelf in the narthex. A brief summary is below:

Lay Deacons prepare the building for Sunday morning worship services. This includes setting up the fellowship hall, preparing the coffee pot, posting hymn numbers on the hymn board, etc. See Emm Thurston.
Ushers greet worshipers at the door and distribute bulletins, pass the offering plates, count attendance, and tidy the pews after worship. See Nancy in the church office or an elder to volunteer.
Kitchen Cupboard: Once a month (3rd Wednesday, 1:15 – 3 pm) Trinity members staff the Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard at the Salvation Army. This involves handing out food to folks who bring in a voucher. See Sally Aluisio for details.

The Flower chart for 2012 is posted in the narthex. The cost of the flowers is $20. Please note if you are commemorating an event (wedding, memorial, etc.) you would like noted in the bulletin. You are encouraged to take the flowers home with you after the service, but please return the vases to the church kitchen when you are done with it.

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed: As we continue to strive to follow church-building as in Acts 2:42, 45, this year we are devoting to Fellowship! To that end, please sign up to host a fellowship-coffee hour! It is simple and is greatly appreciated. A sign up sheet is in the narthex, along with directions.

Chesterton House is Cornell’s Center for Christian studies. They announce the following visiting Christian scholars, open to the public:

"Facebook, Friendship, and the Search for Real Community"
Tuesday, April 10, 5:00 pm, Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall (G76). Dr. Felicia Wu Song, a sociologist at LSU, will give this semester's Beimfohr Lecture.

Email Notification List: We are planning to start a group list for email notification of special events. If you would like to be included on this list, please fill in the following form or send you name and email address to secretary@trinityithaca.org.

Other opportunities to serve include hosting coffee hour (see the folder in the narthex for details), reading the Scripture lessons (contact Clif Pollock or the church office to volunteer), and purchasing flowers for the altar (sign up sheet near kitchen door).