October 31st-November 9th,2025

A Message from Pastor Davis

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” You only hunger and thirst for what you don’t have. Jesus has come to fill us up with righteousness — His own righteousness. He is the self-giving Lord whose sacrifice inspires us to be givers, too.

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The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

LCMS Stewardship Ministry November 2025

Pointing to the Rock of Ages

Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy Law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. (LSB 761:2)

While the classic hymn “Rock of Ages” shows up in the Lutheran Service Book in the “Hope and Comfort” section, it can also teach us a valuable lesson about Christian stewardship. If that surprises you, stay with me on this one.

No Lutheran would ever dispute the fact that our work does not save us. Ephesians 2 makes it truly clear that we are dead in our trespasses and sins and would remain in that state until Christ raises us by grace. There is not a ladder on which we can climb out of the grave that our sins have dug for us. No blood, sweat nor tears will be able to rescue us. We all know this.

Our works do not save. Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary does! He bore human flesh. He carried the burden of our sin to the cross. His body was beaten, bruised and bloodied for us. He has indeed atoned for us! This is more than enough reason for this hymn to be bouncing around in your head all day today!

But our work has a place. The place is in response to what the Father has done for us in Jesus. The Rock of Ages, who is Jesus, becomes the foundation on which our lives of faith are built. The Holy Spirit uses the means of grace to make us God’s workmanship that Paul talks about in Ephesians 2:10.

Our workmanship does not display our power or prowess. Like the heavens declare the handiwork of the Creator, the works of a redeemed sinner point others to the salvation that is worked only by Jesus alone. Our work is a response to and reflection of a grace and glory that we ourselves could never accomplish or achieve.

We become stewards of the treasure that is the Gospel. When we faithfully support the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our financial support, we are doing the work which points to the One who alone atones. When we come alongside a struggling sister or brother for whom Christ died and we share the stewardship work of compassion and care, we enflesh the treasure of God’s love and redemption. When we make it a weekly priority to arrange our schedule to be in the Lord’s House with other stewards of the Gospel to receive again and again the Gospel’s

precious gift, we are stewards of the Body of Christ in the congregation that points even more people to Jesus.

We cannot do this. Jesus does it through us. We are simply stewards of this precious treasure!

Please join the Board of Education and the Board of Church Properties for fellowship after the 10:00am service on November 2nd to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Tristen Thomas and Sylvia Primm. We wish them many blessings for a very happy future together !

The empty boxes for

Operation Christmas Child are now available for pick-up in the gathering room and need to be packed and returned by November 16th. Thank you for your participation.

Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child sends gift-filled shoeboxes to children around the world. Along with toys and other goodies, these boxes are filled with the message of the

Gospel of Jesus Christ. National Collection week for shoeboxes is November 17-24, 2025. With back to school sales beginning soon, now is a great time to get a head start on collecting supplies for boxes. Here is a link to recommend items to pack in shoeboxes. Feel free to reach out to Nina Clement or Leah Lutz with questions. 

* PASTOR’S PANTRY UPDATE *

Pastor's Pantry is currently seeing some traffic. We have served several different types of people, homeless, partial independent and TLA teachers. Therefore we need a variety of different food

items. All food items need to be regular size and not too spicy.

ITEMS NEEDED

Canned Vegetables: green beans, peas, lima beans, pinto beans,

black-eyed peas, mixed vegetables, canned tomatoes, sweet

potatoes, evaporated canned milk and canned fruit.

Canned Meats; tuna, chicken, beef, chili, beef stew, Vienna

sausage, pork 'n' beans, ravioli, beef-a-roni, etc.

Canned Soup: All varieties. We are very low !

Boxed Meals: Hamburger helper, tuna helper, taco dinner kit,

Pasta dinner, Chili dinner, Mac n cheese, etc.

Pasta Noodles: (no lasagna), spaghetti, elbows, rotini,

wide egg noodles and ramen noodles.

Pasta Sauce: Red, alfredo and taco sauce.

Cereals: Cheerios and other varieties , instant oatmeal,

instant grits , crackers, cookies, chips and peanuts.

Other items: Packs of instant potatoes/rice, canned/jar gravy,

jelly/jam, honey, syrup, flour soft taco/burrito tortillas,

plastic forks, spoons and knives , mayo, salt/pepper.

We do have a small freezer available for donations of: 1 Lb.

pound ground beef packages, hot dogs, small frozen

vegetables packs, waffles, single packs of lunch meat.

*Also, there is container for $1.00 cash donations, gas

cards and other needs.

No fresh produce at this time.

Just one small donation from each of us makes a significant

impact on the life of someone else. The donation basket is located at the front entrance of the gathering room.

Thank-you to everyone for participating.

Contact Pastor Davis or Harry Bufford if you have any questions.

ELDERBERRIES GATHERING

Thanksgiving Lunch

Wednesday, November 19th @11:00 a.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church

Fellowship Hall

Please bring a side dish !

This year the “Sew and Sows” had a total of 97 quilts. The smaller lap quilts were donated to the Loran Smith Cancer Center to be given to the cancer patients. The larger quilts were donated to Family Promise, with a missionary from Ecuador, homeless students and homeless shelters. If anyone knows of a place that needs quilts, please let us know. Anyone who would like to help with this mission can join the "Sew and Sows" on Thursday mornings from 10:00-12:00 in the Fellowship Hall. No sewing experience is necessary. For further information please contact Brenda Malueg at bjmalueg@yahoo.com or 706-207-8636. Thank you.

If you have any items you would like to donate, let us know and we can post them for you in the newsletter.

On behalf of our TLA team, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has generously purchased gifts from our Amazon Wish List. We would like to recognize Suzanne Miller and Janet Rodekohr for their above and beyond generosity to TLA. Your kindness and support mean the world to us and make a real difference in the lives of the children we serve.

Each item you've donated helps us create a more enriching, joyful, and nurturing environment for our little ones. From educational toys to essential supplies, your gifts are already bringing smiles and blessings into our classrooms.

We are truly grateful for your continued love and support. Thank you for being such a vital part of our ministry and for helping us care for our children with such grace and generosity.

With gratitude,

The TLA Staff

****Click Here To Purchase Gifts for TLA****

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed

The BCS would like to invite you to take a Sunday and host coffee hour. It does not need to be fancy and only a couple of items are needed. It is nice to have a bite to eat as we socialize with our church friends. Harry takes care of all aspects of the coffee- set up and clean up. There is a yearlong sign-up sheet on the door in the Gathering Room. If you have any questions, please talk to a BCS member. Thank you for considering this fun opportunity.  

COFFEE FELLOWSHIP SIGN UP SHEET FOR

NOVEMBER 2025

NOVEMBER 2ND - BCE AND BCP FOR TRISTEN & SYLVIA

NOVEMBER 9TH - VETERANS DAY COFFEE HOUR

NOVEMBER 16TH - GUVEN FAMILY

NOVEMBER 23RD - PIE SOCIAL

NOVEMBER 30TH - ELDERBERRIES AND HANGING OF THE GREENS

Trinity Lutheran Church

EDUCATION OFFERINGS 2025

SUNDAY

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Ages 3 to Grade 2 taught by Celina Guven in the Pre-K building, Room 5. Grades 3-6 taught by Ruth Wietbrock in the church library.

(Middle and High School students to be added if interested.)

ADULT BIBLE CLASS: 9:00 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Led by Pastor Davis.

YOUTH CONFIRMATION CLASS: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the Pastor's office. They will be studying Luther's Small Catechism and the Bible.

SOLO DEO GLORIA: 2nd and 4th Sunday after the second service in the church library. Bring your own lunch and someone brings a dessert to share. Led by Virginia Reece. They will be studying the books of the Bible in order (beginning with Ecclesiastes.)

LWML: 1st Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

TABS (Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study) for women: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the Gathering room. Led by Deaconess Carol Schroeder.

TUESDAY’S CHILD: 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month at 7:00 p.m. Led by Bill Malueg at the Malueg residence in Watkinsville. Will resume meeting in September.

THURSDAY

FAMILY BIBLE STUDY: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Led by Pastor Davis. Food will be provided.

RASCHKES’ FELLOWSHIP: 2nd and 4th Thursday each month at 7:00 p.m. Led by

Ron Raschke at the Raschke residence in East Athens. They will be studying "The Story" by Max Lucado, on hiatus during September, to resume in October until Thanksgiving. They will break for the holidays and resume again in January 2026.

SATURDAY

WaW (Wings and Word): Men's Bible Study. One Saturday a month (TBA) at 11:00-12:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Lunch will be served (bring a couple dollars or so to offset food expense). Led by Pastor Davis

Shut In List

Here is a list of our brothers and sisters who are unable to venture from their home. Please consider sending them a card or encouraging note to remind them that they are loved.

Aluminum Can Recycling

This is a reminder that Trinity recycles aluminum cans (drink cans only). The receptacles are located in the fenced area behind the Fellowship Hall kitchen. You can’t miss it - there is a sign posted on the gate - just place your bagged cans (squash them if you can, but it’s ok if you can’t). Proceeds go to Trinity Youth Group.

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Website: Trinity-Athens.org

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Facebook: @Facebook.com/tlcathens

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