Check Out Pastor Valeria's Weekly Blog:
LINK
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Celebrate the have-nots,
They own the Vision of God.
Celebrate the brokenhearted,
They will be comforted.
Celebrate the humble,
They will inherit the land.
Celebrate those who hunger for justice and thirst for mercy,
They will be invited to the Banquet.
Celebrate the merciful,
Mercy will be shown to them.
Celebrate the passionately committed,
God will be revealed to them.
Celebrate those who build community,
They will be known as God’s children.
Celebrate those who are not treated with justice or mercy,
They own the Vision of God.
Celebrate yourself when people slander you and curse you because of me-
Throw a party and dance with abandon-
Your reward from God is enormous-
You know that they abused the Interpreters who came before you.
-Jesus (via Michael Harvey)
As you read this, you will hopefully have recovered from Christmas and just welcomed the new year. In Germany, the time between Christmas and New Year is called "between the years." For students and some fortunate ones in the work force, it is a time when everything slows down. No schedule to follow, maybe even a mini-vacation. Time to hang out at home, go for walks in the woods, take day trips or visit friends and family. It's a time when the world around us seems to stop.
But then there are those who had to go back to work on December 26 (never mind those who had to work Christmas Eve and/or Day!), who may have trouble finding child care, those who wished the holidays would be over already.
Whatever your Christmas and the week after may have been like, we are now looking at a new year. I'm going to assume with a mixture of dread and hope, in most cases. We wonder what else can happen in the world, how much worse it can really get. And yet there is part of us that still believes in the good in people, that good is stronger than evil and sometimes it takes evil to bring out the best in us. And most importantly, that God is with us.
That's what "Emmanuel" means: God with us. That's what we call the one whose birth we just celebrated: God with us.
God saw us through 2017 - troubling and eventful as it may have been. We are still here. Love is still alive. And hope burns like a small but steady flame.
In the same way, God will see us through 2018. God will be with us, no matter what may happen in our personal lives, in our country and our world. God will be with us.
Wishing you God's manifold blessings for the coming new year, and unshakeable faith that God is with you.
And thank you for your Christmas cards and your thoughtful and generous gifts! I truly am blessed.
Pastor Valeria.
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WORSHIP SERVICES ~ SUNDAYS, 10AM
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Sunday January 7th:
"Where We Need to Be", with Communion
Sunday January 14th:
"Known and Loved"
Sunday January 21st:
"Sonshine Sunday". Please wear bright, summery clothes to celebrate the Son shine in the midst of winter! With an ice cream social for coffee hour.
Sunday January 28th:
"Follow Me" with our worship band. Annual Congregational Meeting after worship.
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Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 28th 11:30am
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The Annual Meeting will take place in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, January 28th following worship. Hope to see you all there!
Information for our Annual Report should be in to the church office no later than Sunday, January 7, 2017. Your help is appreciated! Please email Emily at
[email protected].
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Worcester Fellowship
Sunday, January 21st 9am
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We need volunteers! Worcester Fellowship will be making lunches to donate on January 21st before worship at 9am.
Donations of food or small monetary amounts towards lunch supplies are welcome.
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FROM OUR CHRISTIAN ED DIRECTOR
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January is a great time for new beginnings and getting back into a routine. I am looking forward to seeing all the kids on Sundays and kicking off a great year! Hopefully, the syncing of the message in worship and in faith foundations has been helpful for your families to continue conversations throughout the week.
Coming Soon
: A redesigned children/teens Trinity webpage that will have information about upcoming lessons, videos or project ideas from prior classes, book reviews from our lending library, games kids can play on the computer, ideas and helpful websites for the whole family.
PLEASE HELP!
It is time to fill the volunteer calendar for the New Year. We could really use your help and I promise to make it as easy and fun as possible :-)
We need acolytes! Is your child in grade 4 or above? We would love for them to be involved! All that is required is to please be sure to be at Trinity by 9:50 on the Sunday you are volunteering. Use this link to pick a week(s).
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084dafa92ca31-acolytes
Dates to keep in mind
:
Jan 28th at 5pm Teen Pizza and game night (grades 6-12)
please rsvp to
[email protected]
Feb 4th at 11:30 Safe Church Training.
Please be sure to attend if you volunteer with kids in any capacity at the church. Please RSVP to
[email protected]
Don’t forget we now have a great lending library for youth and teens upstairs!
Happy New year!
Sherry :-)
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FROM THE ADULT CHRISTIAN ED TEAM
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Survey - Adult Christian Education Team
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Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to complete the survey!! If you have not....
Your new Adult Christian Education (CE) team has formed and started working on our implementation project #7!
This project calls for us to establish periodic, small group discussions which revolve around Bible studies or conversations on difficult topics. To get this started, we want to gather information on the kinds of group discussions you want and when we should offer them. To that end, we’ve created the questionnaire below.
Please help us get started by clicking the link below and completing the questionnaire or picking up a paper copy in the church office.
If you have any comments or questions about Adult CE, please talk to Jean Leif, Forest Lyford, or Tom Danforth. Thank you for your help.
Please complete the survey by clicking the link below :
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Altar Flowers Needed 2017/2018
ALTAR FLOWER SIGNUP!
JANUARY 21st & 28th flowers needed!!
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Trinity now has online sign-ups for altar flowers! We would appreciate your help signing up to take a Sunday. Please click on the link above or below and after you choose a date to bring altar flowers there is a comment section where you can add the blurb you would like written in the Sunday bulletin. Signup Genie will automatically send you an email reminder six days prior to the day you signed up to bring flowers.
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Messy Church - **NEW DAY ADDED**
Wednesday, January 17th 11am & Saturday, January 20th 3pm
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Messy Church has added a new day and time! Now being offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Wednesday, January 17th and Saturday, January 20th, you are invited to “Messy Church” – a church that is fun, creative, and messy!
We will sing songs, hear a story from the Bible, do a messy craft and have snacks.
All kids age 6 and under are welcome (their parents, grandparents, siblings and friends, too).
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Coffee House - Open Mic
Friday, January 19th 7pm
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Please join the Coffee House Friday, January 19th at 7pm.
We invite you to come enjoy talented musicians performing a variety of music. You may even hear some poetry recitation. Coffee and refreshments will be served with a suggested donation. BYOM (Bring Your Own Mug). A $5 per person donation will be accepted at the door ($10 max per family).
No charge to performers. Contact us for more information,
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Fellowship Breakfast
Saturday, January 20th 8am
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Saturday Breakfast Fellowship will be on Saturday, January 20
th
at 8:00 AM.
We will be talking about the question: “Can you live a spiritual life without organized religion?”
The conversation will be based on an article in the Boston Globe, “Has Secularism gone too far?”Links to the reading material will be available from me or the church office.
I hope you will join us on the 20
th
for fellowship and conversation. As usual, we will start with breakfast and follow with fellowship and discussion.
For more information or to add yourself to the Saturday Breakfast Fellowship email list, please contact Tom Danforth at
[email protected]
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Teen Pizza & Game Night
Sunday, January 28th 5pm
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Calling all teens (grades 6-12)! Join Trinity Faith Foundations for a pizza game night. Bring your favorite game and invite a friend!
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Safe Church Training
Sunday, February 4th 11:30am
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Anyone who currently works with or is interested in working with children, please attend our Safe Church training. See Sherry Clark or Jean Leif for more information.
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Did you know your shopping can earn Trinity money?
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Trinity Church is set up as a charity on iGive! Please consider downloading the app or shopping through the iGive site and a percentage of your purchase will be sent to Trinity Church! This does not cost you any extra money, the donation comes from the stores you already shop at.
Please consider shopping through iGive to help support Trinity.
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Trinity is on Amazon Smile!
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You shop. Amazon gives.
- Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
- AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
- Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com
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Help us get the word out about Trinity Church and its ministries!
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Ongoing Events at Trinity
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Grief Support Group
- Come support and share with others who experienced loss. A Grief Support group is held the first Tuesday of each month, 7:30pm in Room 105. Next meeting date is January 2nd. All ages are welcome. If you have questions, please contact Carey Rublesky, 774-258-1814.
Community Meal
- Join us each Wednesday, 6pm in the Fellowship Hall. The meals are free but donations toward the voucher fund are accepted. Each Wednesday at 6pm there is a new community group hosting the meal. Please join us!
Thrift Shop
- Count Your Blessings Thrift Shop at Trinity Church is open every Tuesday 10am - 3pm and Saturday 10am - 1pm. Gently used clothing and shoes for all genders and sizes! Infant to plus sizes available. Donations of clothing and shoes are welcome, please drop off any donations during thrift shop hours or church office hours (see below).
Give us a review on Google!
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Festive Breads w/Pastor Valeria
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Pastor Valeria is at Festive Breads every Wednesday from 8:30 - 10am and looks forward to your visit! Festive Breads is located at
299 W Main St
in Northborough, near Romaine's.
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Journey Home Singers
January 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st Wednesdays
3:30pm to 4:30pm
We gather in the choir room on Wednesday from 3:30 – 4:30 PM. The exception is the first Wednesday of each month which is a standing hymn sing at Coleman House in Northborough.
Journey Home Singers invite you to attend our rehearsal as another form of the small groups of faith practice offered at the Westborough Congregational Church.
We are a small ecumenical group of volunteers who love to sing and have found a unique way to share that love with others. We are a hospice choir, those who gather around our fellow beings as they are transitioning from this earthly life, to sing quiet, calming music. It is our intention to bring peace, beauty and companionship to those who may be feeling alone, or afraid. Among the many benefits of this activity are an increase in our compassion toward others, and an expansion of our souls as we “walk” with someone on this part of their journey. It has been proven that choral singing can relieve stress and help us to feel more deeply connected to one another.
For more information please contact Kathy Todd at 508-335-1043, or just show up some Wednesday.
Annual Christmas Tree Pick-up - BSA Troop 101
January 6th (Call before 1/6 to arrange pick-up)
Christmas tree removal sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 101 Northborough. Call
508-281-9972 or log on to
http://bsatroop101ma.org and leave your address. This will ensure your address is on our route.
On Saturday January 6, 2018 before 8:30 AM Leave your tree(s) near the curb and place an envelope on your door with $8 per tree (cash or check payable to “BSA Troop 101 Northborough”).
Lifeline Screening!
(ONE
FREE*
screenings available through Trinity Church)
As many of you may not know, stroke is a leading cause of death today, affecting over 750,000 people each year. Every 45 seconds in America, someone suffers a stroke and every 3 minutes, someone dies from one. This means that during the next 45 minutes, approximately 15 people in the United States will have died due to a stroke.
Stroke can be a life threatening and life changing event, and yet according to the National Stroke Association, 80% of strokes are preventable.
By signing up for this health event, not only will you be able to take your health into your own hands, but you will also receive $10 off any package of $129 or more. The Stroke, Vascular & Heart Rhythm Package includes four screenings: carotid artery, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and atrial fibrillation. To schedule your appointment and to receive this special offer, please sign up by these three ways to register calling
1-888-653-6441
or by visiting
www.lifelinescreening.com/communitycircle or text the word circleto 797979.
Join in the fight against vascular disease!
*
Trinity has been given two free screenings through Life Line and we would like to make sure they get used. If this is something you or a loved one may benefit from please contact Emily Donovan for more information at
[email protected]
or by phone (508) 393-8156.
Northborough Community Blood Drive
Saturday
, January 13th 9am-2pm
The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive on Saturday, January 13th from 1pm to 7pm at Trinity Church. Please help support the cause by coming in to donate blood!
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THANK YOU from Sharon & Dave Chin
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Thank you for the many cards, conversations, prayers, and expressions of sympathy to us upon the recent passing of my Mom, Lois Aspinwall. Thank you for making her feel welcome at Trinity when she was able to attend. She was uplifted at church and especially enjoyed the music and seeing the children. I can't express how thankful I am for your friendship and support.
Best,
Sharon and Dave Chin
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IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
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If you know of someone who is hospitalized, ill, suffering from the loss of a loved one, or troubled in some way and in need of a pastoral call, please call Pastor Valeria at the church office, 508-393-8156.
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Deadline Date ~ February
Tidings
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Please be sure to have all your info for the February issue of
Tidings in to the church office by Sunday, January 28, 2017. Your help is appreciated!
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TRINITY CHURCH
23 Main Street ~ Northborough, MA 01532
(508) 393-8156
Office Hours:
Monday 9am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 1pm
Wedesnday 9am - 10:30am & 11:30am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Rev. Valeria Schmidt, Sr. Pastor
Trinity Church is an Open & Affirming / Welcoming & Affirming Congregation
Trinity Church's mission is to fill its people with the love of God
and share God's love in all the world.
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