Would you like to spend Saturday afternoon of Valentine’s Day weekend with your sweetheart but without your little ones? Well, now you can! Our Faith Ventures youth would like to give you the day off while they entertain your child so that you can relax and unwind!

Your little ones (ages 2 and up) can join us from 1 to 6 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 10, for crafts, a movie, dinner, and lots of fun! Raising money for their summer trip to New Orleans, our teenage travelers are ready to be your extra hands to keep your kiddos happy. Register here.

Sign up today to have our Faith Ventures youth give you a break and provide your kids with an afternoon of fun!

By Jean Schwirtz

Sunday School Coordinator

Jake and June, the Pancake Man and his wife, served a breakfast at Trinity after the service on Sunday, Feb. 4. Students and teachers ate during their Sunday School time. The congregation joined us after church for our February pancake potluck brunch. Children of all ages had fun trying to catch their pancakes flipped through the air at them.

Special thanks go to our Confirmation students for serving and clean-up. They did a great job! This was our 20th year of this fun event. Jake first came in 2003, but we had two years off for COVID. That is a lot of years ... of a lot of fun!

Trinity Book Club Meets Tomorrow!

Join the Trinity Book Club at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, for the discussion of Matt Haig's book, The Midnight Library. This book is sure to spark a good discussion about the choices we've made in our lives and the infinite number of possibilities if we had chosen differently.

Next time we'll discuss Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls, about an early 20th century female bootlegger.

Following a vote during our annual meeting on Sunday, Jan. 28, Trinity's new mission statement is now Together in Christ, we welcome, love, and serve all.

Here is a breakdown of how, in a brief and memorable sentence, the mission statement expresses our new vision to welcome all people, connect with God and each other, and engage in service to our community and the world.

The nature of mission statements is that they are aspirational. Our collective hope is that the new mission statement will inspire and remind us of the commitments we’ve made to welcome, love, and serve every day, in every place, and with everyone we encounter in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After a spirited discussion at the annual meeting, the vote to adopt the congregation's bylaws with the amended article containing the new mission statement passed by more than the necessary two-thirds majority, 74-27.

We thank the many members who were involved in our process leading into this step, including those who took part in the fall 2022 listening sessions and last summer's survey, as well as especially the members of our 2022-23 Discernment Team and 2023 Strategic Planning Team. We also give God thanks for the previous mission statement that served our congregation well for 25 years: Trinity Lutheran Church exists to call people to Jesus; equip people with a faith that functions in daily life; and send people into the world in Jesus’ name.

We invite those who were unable to attend the annual meeting to view Trinity's complete 2023 annual report, including supplemental financial information distributed before the meeting. You can download a copy here or pick up printouts on Trinity's Welcome Center counter in the Koinonia Room.

Our Jan. 28 annual meeting concluded with an original song from Trinity member musician John Hammond, who was melodically inspired by the new mission statement when it was proposed and unveiled with our new art installation earlier in January. You can click here to hear the new anthem, set to slides assembled by Delaney Barbeau, Trinity's youth coordinator.

Trinity member Ken Knutson died Thursday, Jan. 18, at age 94. Please keep Ken's family and friends in your prayers, especially as they also continue to grieve the loss of Ken's wife, Irene, who died on Dec. 27.

Ken's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Trinity with visitation in the hour before beginning at 10 a.m. Video of the service will stream live here. You can also read the obituary for Kenneth O. Knutson from Holly Funeral Home.

Explaining Our Synod Structure

By Nancy Schanke

ECSW Vice President

A little more on the structure of our East Central Synod of Wisconsin. Within our synod are six conferences. Trinity is part of the Tomorrow River Conference. Trinity hosted the Tomorrow River Conference Annual Assembly this past Sunday afternoon. I am grateful for those here who represented our congregation (Tana Griffin, Char Kuenzi, Terry Nellis, Betsy Sachs, Jeff Siemers, and Laurie Tellock). While I wish I could have attended our meeting, it was a busy day for annual conference meetings, and I represented the synod at the Shawano Conference Annual Meeting, which was held at the same time.

I love working with our synod staff; their enthusiasm, knowledge, and dedication to the work of the Church fuels me. The title of vice president is a confusing one to many; it certainly was to me until I had a better understanding of how synods are organized. There is no “president.” Our bishop, Bishop Anne Edison-Albright, is the leader of our synod, and the vice president is the highest elected lay officer. One of my roles as VP is to conduct Synod Council meetings, which consist of lay and rostered leaders from each conference and the president of the Women of the ELCA-East Central Synod. This year we have an emphasis on youth ministries in our Council. More to come on that in the future, but you can ask Delaney, Trinity's youth coordinator, for updates in the meantime. Some great things are happening there.

So there you have it: the basics about the structure of synods and our synod in particular. If you would like to know more, please visit the synod website and/or subscribe to The Wave, the synod’s weekly newsletter.

Be Curious, Be Courageous, Be Christ Together.

Want a map of each Sunday's worship service? Outline bulletins are now available outside the Sanctaury doors in the Koinonia Room. Announcements are available separately on the Welcome Center counter in the form of printed copies of this weekly Trinity Connections newsletter.

Part 5 in a Series of Survey Spotlights

Thank you to everyone who completed Trinity's 2023 Congregation Assessment Tool survey. Since the CAT was completed last summer, our Church Council met with facilitator Kurt Jacobson to learn how to interpret the data. Our Call Committee used the information to complete the Ministry Site Profile for a new associate pastor. In addition, the Council had a retreat to discuss the data in more detail with Pastor Andrea Fluegel, Trinity's transition coach, and the survey results factored into our recent strategic planning process. The staff also discussed the data in greater detail. The CAT will continue to help Trinity discern God’s calling. This is only the beginning of our discernment process.

Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT): #5 Flexible Style

The Flexible Style index registers the degree to which the church is willing to make adjustments in the way it goes about its ministry. The degree of flexibility in a church should be consistent with its strategic priorities. The church should have the degree of flexibility necessary to achieve its mission and ministry. Progressive and conservative describe the degree to which members view issues such as the nature of Scripture and their relationship to the historic declarations and traditions of the Church.

Ages 44 and under (Progressive/Adaptable, Magi Culture)

Members of the church are likely to embrace changes from time to time either because they enjoy variety or they know that change is necessary to reach a changing society. They are capable of intellectual curiosity and an immediate application to how they understand their faith life and how it plays out in their understanding of justice. Magi churches must overcome the temptation to overthink issues or try to be everything to everyone.

Ages 45-64 (Progressive/Settled, Paraclete Culture)

– Members of the paraclete church are intellectually open and reflective but pay attention to structure and ritual. Hospitality, inclusiveness, and spiritual practice carry weight. They are comfortable with the unique spiritual path everyone must follow but believe that there are important patterns to spiritual practice. Paraclete churches are uniquely equipped to focus on ministries of healing, often engaged in frontline work. When the community is warm and hospitable, it can be a haven for those in need of healing or recovery. 

Ages 65+ (Conservative/Adaptable, Performance Culture)

Members of the church are likely to embrace changes from time to time because they either enjoy variety or believe that change is necessary to reach a changing society. Worship is outstanding and offers high impact. People welcome changes in worship. Service to others, spiritual discipline, and clear missional focus are important to maximize vitality.

Takeaways:

Trinity has a diversity of theological perspectives and flexibility depending on lived experiences. Overall, Trinity is slightly in the conservative/adaptable quadrant (performance culture). Worship, service, spiritual discipline, and clear missional focus are important for most of the members at Trinity.