November 21st - November 30th,2025

A Message from Pastor Davis

Matthew 25:2 – “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” A truly wise man, as Jesus once said, builds on the Word of Jesus. There is no other foundation which will stand. Any other path is a foolish one. His Word leads to life, and to depart from His Word leads to death. Clinging to His Word, we know we have His blessing.

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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!

Thank you to the Nina Clement,

Leah Lutz, church members and parents of TLA students who donated items to make 43 Operation Christmas Child Boxes !!!! We appreciate all of your participation.

* 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.

Thank you to all of the church members who participated in our annual Trunk or Treat. It was a great success and all the parents and children thoroughly enjoyed the day !

The second concert is the Athens Chamber Singers'

Yuletide Dinners. This year they are Thursday-Saturday,

December 11th-13th. Reservations are now being accepted. Go to www.athenschambersingers.org for more information on the music, the menu, the price and how to reserve your spot. Please see Janet Rodekohr for any questions you may have.

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,Janet Rodekohr and Harry Bufford 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

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.

Follow us online and on social media!

Website: Trinity-Athens.org

Instagram: @trinitylutheranchurch_athens

Facebook: @Facebook.com/tlcathens

YouTube: @trinitylutheranchurchacade4823/streams