Volume 71 - No. 2 | February 2019
FEBRUARY TIDINGS
Message from Pastor Valeria
Happy February - the month of love! 
This month we will be celebrating my fourth anniversary with you. 
I know I often ask a lot of you. I confront you with uncomfortable truths about ourselves, our church and the world we live in. I ask you to grow out of your comfort zones. And sometimes I push a little bit.
I do think that is my job as your spiritual leader, but I fully appreciate how difficult it can be for you to read and hear!
So, I want to take this opportunity to appreciate what we have. The more I speak to other pastors, the more I realize that we have a lot to be thankful for:
A congregation that is deeply rooted in this community and yet looks further in its ministry and its spiritual and financial support.
A number of dedicated people who are willing to take responsibility and leadership, and who seem happy doing it. A large number of dedicated people who see what needs to be done and do it, without making a big thing about it, who just come in and go to work. 
A community of deeply thoughtful and prayerful individuals who genuinely care about the church, its members and those around us.
The generosity of those who support Trinity Church and what it stands for. 
A spirit of openness, a willingness to ask questions and encourage critical thinking. 
A place of acceptance and welcome.

If I have missed anything please let me know!
What we also have is God's love that "binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:14)
Not unison: All voices are not singing the same thing. But harmony: We sing differently, and together, in God's love, we create a beautiful song.

I thank you for "singing" with me these past four years, for making music together, following the guidance of God's Spirit. 
I thank God for this community of faith and for each and every one of you, filled with God's love, striving to share God's love in all the world. 

Happy Anniversary! Happy Valentine's Day!
In God's Love,
Pastor Valeria.

Visit and follow Pastor Valeria's blog: https://pastorvaleriatrinitychurch.blogspot.com/
WORSHIP SERVICES ~ SUNDAYS, 10AM
February 3 : "The Light of the World" Sonshine Sunday with Communion and installation of new Deacons.

February 10 : "Jesus Tells the Truth." Mary Taber will introduce the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Massachusetts and we will support their services with a special offering.

February 17 : "Blessed Are..." Barbara Sutherland will share her experience in the Holy Land

February 24 :   "Blessed Are... Part 2" with our worship band
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The Worship Team has discussed how to make Holy Week more meaningful and engaging. We are considering offering only a Good Friday service and investing our energy and resources into it. This would mean there will be no service on Maundy Thursday. We are asking for your thoughts and input. Please contact the chair of our Worship Ministry Team, Julia Woodward, [email protected] or Pastor Valeria, or see any of our team members: Donna Greska, Pam Jones, Sandra McCann, Muriel Swenor, Mike Westberry. 
WORDS TO PONDER
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." 
(Jesus in John 13:34)
EVENTS @ TRINITY
Coffee House - Open Mic
Friday, February 8th, at 7pm - IN FELLOWSHIP HALL!
Please mark your calendars for Coffee House now being held the second Friday of the month.

New this year: Purchase a VIP pass! $50 for an individual, $100 for a family. Passes can be purchased at the door.

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).

Also check out the new Coffee House Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ThirdFloorCoffeeHouse

Sign up to help make our Coffee House a success - we need volunteers to donate snack items, baked goods and beverages, as well as help with setting up food the night of the event, collecting at the door or being the MC for the evening.

Please contact Pat Faldetta for more information, [email protected] .  
Saturday Breakfast Fellowship
TOPIC: "Christians, Atheists, and Ag nostics, oh my!"
Saturday, February 16th, at 8am
This month’s topic is be “Christians, Atheists, and Agnostics, oh my!”

What is atheism? What are agnostics? Are we all somewhere on a spectrum from religious to agnostic to atheist? Is there an on-going anti-God movement in our society? Let’s look at these and the many other questions I’m sure you have on the 16th. There are links to a number of articles below. 

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]
 
Links:
American Atheists
Atheism – All about Philosophy
New Atheists
Atheists are sometimes more religious than Christians
Sing Around the Piano with Mike
February 17th after Worship
Mike Westberry will offer open singing for 10 - 15 minutes immediately after worship. Anyone who enjoys singing is welcome to gather around the piano in the Sanctuary.

Please contact Mike for more details: [email protected]
Save the Date! Faith Fair for Kids
Saturday, March 30th, 2 - 5 p.m.
The CE Ministry Team is planning a "Faith Fair" for kids grades K - 12. Representatives from different faith communities in the area will be offering a station with information and activities about their respective traditions. Snacks and games to follow. 

This event is open to the public so help us spread the word! 
NEW: Lenten Bible Study Series
Register by February 28th REGISTER HERE
"Learn what Nazareth was like in the first century, discover what scholars know and don't know about Jesus as a historical figure, and explore how Paul really wrote all those letters. And who is the Antichrist anyway?" 

This is how the book  Introducing the New Testament  by Anne Robertson is described. Join us for a six-week series during Lent to explore Robertson's book and acquire a deeper understanding of the books of the Bible on which our Christian faith is based. This is our third Bible study using Robertson's books, and this one looks to be just as interesting and thought-provoking as the previous ones.

We will offer two groups - Sunday after church or Wednesday evenings at 7pm, starting March 10th and March 13th respectively. Please register by Feb 28th using this link: https://goo.gl/forms/WzEB5QqIeHc6UDFl1 or with Emily in the church office.

The book can be ordered on Amazon at the following link:

We hope to see you there.

The Adult Ed Team
FROM OUR CHRISTIAN ED DIRECTOR
Faith Foundations
February Themes:
  • The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15)
  • Love is.... (1 Corinthians 13)
  • The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Faith Foundations Teachers are NEEDED!
Faith Foundations Teachers are NEEDED! Please consider volunteering even if you have never taught before! It is time to fill up the sign-up sheet again for the new year! See Sherry or use this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084dafa92ca31-faith

Also, we now have a wonderful preschool class in our nursery. We look forward to seeing your little ones!

Don’t forget to send in your kids’ forms!
Youth Group
The kids had a lot of fun during January’s youth group competing as teams in Fear Factor. This month the will have the opportunity to do some roller skating on February 10th from 1-4. Please be sure to RSVP to Sherry at [email protected] so that we have enough transportation for all the kids coming.

Sherry
[email protected] | 508-254-2217
Upcoming dates:

Friday, February 8th: Coffee House, 7 pm - 9 pm

Sunday, February 10th: Youth Group Roller Skating, 1 pm - 4pm

Thursday, February 21st: Church Band Practice, 7:30pm

Sunday, February 24th: Church Band, during Worship
CHILDREN & YOUTH
GSA Link
The Link that Connects

The GSA Link is a project connecting local GSA high school students to collaborate, share ideas, and socialize in a SAFE space. LGBT and allied high school students are welcome.

Trinity Church of Northborough
23 Main Street Northborough MA, 01532

6:00pm-8:00pm

February 1st, February 15th

For more information please contact:
Melissa at [email protected] or 508-735-1267
COOKIES FOR COLLEGE KIDS
Attention, Parents of College Students

During the week of February 10th, The Pastoral Care/Friendly Visits team will be mailing out boxes of cookies to our kids away at college. If you want your student to receive some sweet greetings from their Trinity church family please make sure the church office has their name and full college address , or send that info directly to:  [email protected] by February 3rd .

We are asking any cookie bakers to bake a batch (NO NUTS PLEASE) and deliver them to the church kitchen by Saturday, February 9th or bring them to church on Sunday, February 10th – just mark them ‘COLLEGE KIDS’. Our team will box them up on Sunday/Monday and mail them out to nourish our college students and remind them that we are thinking of them. As always, we appreciate your support. THANK YOU!
OUTREACH
Mission Trip Opportunities

International Ministries, our American Baptist partner, is offering several mission trips this year to Asia, the Middle East, and Central America. Please contact Pastor Valeria for more information. 

COFFEE HOUR
Coffee Hour Coordinators Needed!
Sign-up: Please see John P. during coffee hour or contact him directly
Coffee Hour is an important part of our Sunday morning worship together and it is a great way for people to connect and for us to welcome visitors to our church.

We are in need of people to host coffee hour. One way it can be done is have a captain for the month, whether an individual or a committee. They would organize the month and get others to help. However, if someone would like to do it only one week, that is also welcomed.

Please contact, John Posluszny for more information or to sign up: [email protected]

Sign-up: Please see John P. during coffee hour or contact him directly
PROPERTY & FINANCE
Online giving is now available through Trinity's website!
Start your online giving here: LINK
For those situations where a person feels inspired to make a donation in support of Trinity’s mission, online giving is now available on Trinity’s website to make giving easier. 
  • After a person clicks the DONATE NOW link on Trinity’s home page, online giving provides them with multiple options of which fund or ministry they can direct their gift.
  • Payment methods include an electronic funds transfer from a checking or saving account, a debit card payment or a credit card payment.
  • The first time that a person uses online giving, they can set-up their profile so that they will not have to re-enter the information, and they will be able to access their online giving history.
  • IMPORTANT: Current members and regular donors do not need to change how they currently give to Trinity (collection plate, e-checks, etc.), if it works for them.  Online giving is being made available primarily as a convenient payment method for spontaneous givers. Unlike other payment methods, Trinity is charged processing fees for each transaction by VANCO, our electronic payments vendor. 

If you have any questions about online giving, please contact Pete Carlsen, Treasurer @ [email protected] .

Start your online giving here: LINK
THRIFT SHOP NEWS
The “Count Your Blessings” thrift shop is open for the season.
Saturdays 10am - 1pm and Tuesdays 10am to 3pm. 
 
Donations of gently used clothing can be dropped off in the marked bins in the church hallway. 

We are also looking for more volunteers to “work” at the shop on Saturdays and/or Tuesdays.  Please contact Linda Corbett if you are interested: [email protected]  or 508-688-9392
FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS
Please help by bringing food donations to Trinity.
Trinity Church has a drop off area for donations going to the Northborough Food Pantry.

Please check the dates on food items to make sure they have not expired.

Thank you to the volunteers who transport the donated food to the Northborough food pantry.

ALTAR FLOWERS
Altar Flowers Needed 2019 !! ALTAR FLOWER SIGNUP!
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.

The altar flower sign-ups are now linked on the Trinity website, too! ALTAR FLOWER SIGNUP!
ONGOING EVENTS @ TRINITY
Festive Breads w/Pastor Valeria
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.
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 - Thrift shop hours of operations are Tuesday, 10 – 3 and Saturdays, 10 – 1. Donations of gently used clothing can be dropped off in the marked bin in the church hallway. Give us a review on Google!

Coleman House Service - Tuesday, February 19th at 2:30pm.
IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

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.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Shir Joy Chorus presents "Building Bridges Through Song: A Winter Concert"
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 7:30 pm (snow date: Sun., Feb. 10, 2019, 7:00 pm)
Held at: Congregation B'nai Shalom, 117 E. Main Street, Westborough, MA
This concert of Jewish music is aimed at uniting and healing the community through song. Selections will include rounds and part songs from ancient times to the present, and will include soloists on cello and banjo, as well as piano accompaniment by Lisa Marcus-Jones. Come hear a bluegrass song written by Nefesh Mountain in response to the Pittsburgh synagogue tragedy, as well as a new composition by our director based on a poem by Wendell Berry. Also included will be songs based on Israeli folk dances, as well as a Yiddish piece for which the music was likely written by Mozart. Shir Joy's concerts always include a sing-along!

Tickets:$15. May be purchased at the door, or ahead of time from a chorus member or on our website using Paypal. For more info send email to [email protected] , visit www. shirjoychorus.com or “Shir Joy Chorus” on Facebook or Instagram, or call 508-366-7175 .393-8156.

The Northborough Free Library is presenting a series of films aimed at bringing our community together to reflect upon and share our cultural views and experiences. Join us in February for a screening and discussion of two critically acclaimed films:   Hidden Figures  on Saturday, February 9 th  from 2 to 5pm, and  First Reformed  on Thursday, February 28 th  from 7 to 10pm.
Hidden Figures  is a dramatization of the true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson who worked for NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in these three African-American female mathematicians who were segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws in spite of their groundbreaking successes. This film is rated PG and includes mild language and depictions of racism and sexism.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay,  First Reformed  tells the story of 46-year-old Reverend Ernst Toller, the solitary parish pastor of the historic First Reformed Church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. The church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life. When a pregnant parishioner asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, Toller faces questions of faith and morality, and his own traumatic past and equally despairing future. This film is rated R for disturbing violent images and some language.
Registration is not required. We encourage all attendees to stay for the entire program which includes the viewing of the film followed by discussion. The discussion about  First Reformed  will be led by our own Pastor Valeria Schmidt.  The next three films in this series are Fed Up on March 14th, RBG on March 23 rd  and Bag It on April 6 th .
Deadline Date ~ March Tidings
Please be sure to have all your info for the March issue of Tidings in to the church office by Sunday, February 24th, 2019. Your help is appreciated!
TRINITY CHURCH
23 Main Street ~ Northborough, MA 01532
(508) 393-8156

Office Hours :
Monday: 9am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm
Tuesday: 8:30am - 1:30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 10:30am & 11:30am - 3pm
Thursday: 9am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm
Friday: 9am - Noon & 1pm - 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.