October 2024

Dear Trinity Members,

We are blessed to be a church family within the United Methodist Church and within the Body of Christ. The UMC is a connectional system in which we work with each other, our District Superintendent, Bishop, mission agencies, and all brothers and sisters throughout the denomination. We share our resources so that our mission can be as far-reaching and effective as possible. One of our responsibilities as United Methodists is to uphold the mission and policies of our church. The past few years have brought opportunities as well as concerns about the vision we hold for the UMC and for Trinity.

In response to the recent General Conference decisions, our Church Leadership Council (CLC) voted to submit the following decision to our District Superintendent:

“Trinity United Methodist, Knoxville, TN, is informing the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church that our Leadership Council, which includes all church trustees, has voted to not allow same-sex marriage services to be performed on the church property. We further voted to request that the Cabinet of Holston Conference not appoint as pastor to us a self-avowed practicing gay clergy member.”

Please realize that not all of Trinity’s members hold the same beliefs on this matter, and we desire to be respectful and civil towards one another. The leadership and I want to keep the congregation informed of all pertinent information regarding the recent General Conference and Holston Conference decisions; therefore, the CLC members and I are planning to hold an informational session on Sunday, October 13, immediately following the worship service. You may contact our CLC officers (Pat Gillespie, Carl Tockstein, Scott Newby) and me with any questions or concerns.

We serve the risen Christ who is with us in every circumstance. I pray that all of us will continue in faithfulness to our Lord and to the mission of Trinity.

With hope and prayers,

Barbara

October 6: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-10

October 13: Mark 10:17-31

October 20: Mark 10:35-45

October 27: Mark 10:46-52

 Scripture Readers

October 6: Greg Drinnen

October 13: Vanessa Waller

October 20: Braxton Kiser

October 27: Mariah Lohr

Soup’s On!

The Music Department will host a fundraiser to raise money for Christmas musicians. We have decided to sell soup this year instead of hoagies. We will take orders through the month of October. The last day to order is Saturday, November 3. You can pick up your soup Saturday, November 9 between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm at Trinity.

We will offer two kinds of soup:

Chicken Noodle

Made with savory rotisserie chicken and egg noodles

Mimi’s Italian Bean Soup

A brothy bean, ham, and elbow macaroni soup with garlic and Italian spices. Delicisos!

$10 for soup, corn muffins and our famously huge chocolate chip cookies.

Music in Motion

Music in Motion continues every Wednesday this month from 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm. We dance, we sing, we act, we praise! No rehearsal on October 9 due to fall break!

Be sure to check out the newly updated knoxtrinity.org website! Thanks to Wally Gillespie for his many, many hours of work on this project. 

Our grief support group meets on Tuesdays from 11:00 am until Noon in the Parlor.



This is a group for persons who have experienced loss of any type. Confidentiality is primary. We are using Kate Bowler's book, 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days, as a guide. If you or someone you know would like to join this group, please see Pastor Barbara for details.

We are delighted to welcome our new members!

Trinity is blessed to receive these four friends as official members of our church: Judy & Aaron Jones, Carol Sparks, and Anna Thomas. Please offer warm Christian hospitality to Judy, Aaron, Carol, and Anna, and include them in your prayers.

In Memory of

Christine Taylor

Given by

Joe and Charlene Mischlich

In Memory of

Sadie Kinnamon

Given by

Joe and Charlene Mischlich

Operational Fund Balance as of the close of August:

$32,130

New for 2023: The Secure 2.0 Act raised the age that account owners must begin taking RMDs. For 2023, the age at which account owners must start taking required minimum distributions goes up from age 72 to age 73, so individuals born in 1951 must receive their first required minimum distribution by April 1, 2025.

For those 73 or older with retirement accounts that require an annual minimum withdrawal, there is an option to make a direct distribution to a qualified charitable organization (QCD) and have that amount count toward the minimum distribution but not count toward taxable income. Trinity UMC is a qualified 501 (c) 3.

This option may be appealing to some since the 2018 changes to our tax law made it more difficult to have a charitable donation deduction. Please check with your brokerage /account manager to see if this is an option that might be beneficial to you as you meet your annual commitment to Trinity.

IRA owners age 73 or older may now make a one-time qualified charitable distribution (QCD) of up to $50,000 from an IRA to fund a charitable life income gift vehicle (CGA or CRT). Payments can be made to a donor and/or donor’s spouse. This is great news for individuals who do not need their Required Minimal Distribution and non-profits/churches who need funding and welcome this new opportunity to support their mission. (Source: Holston Foundation)

We distribute food on Wednesdays 10 am to 12 pm at the main entrance.

For Those In Need 

We have no qualifying requirements. If you are in need of food, just ask! Food is available on a first-come-first-served basis on Wednesdays. We suggest that you call the church office at (865) 588-5763 before you arrive to make sure we still have food available that day.

For Those Who Wish To Help 

Prayer: Ask our Lord to help us have the resources we need, the people to volunteer, and an end to hunger.

Time: Our Food Pantry gives every church member an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. On a weekly basis, we take inventory, shop for groceries, pack the food bags, and distribute the food bags. If you have the time to help with any of these tasks, just ask and we’ll find a place for you.

Donations: We have a large collection box located at the entrance to the Sanctuary. Below is a list of the items we routinely need!

Food Pantry Shopping List

 Canned Tuna or Chicken

Canned Fruit & Vegetables

Boxed Breakfast Cereal

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Cookies

Boxed Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti Noodles

Pasta Sauce

Rice

Club or Saltine Crackers

Mike Ooten is looking for a few good people who are interested in learning to video the Sunday morning worship and then edit the video and upload the service to Facebook and YouTube.

If you are interested in learning the processes and volunteers, please talk to Mike or email him at mike.ooten@knoxtrinity.org

10/1 Bennie Satterfield

10/2 Lisa Woods

10/2 Kristen Clark

10/3 Annie Loewen

10/4 Larry Carroll

10/6 Charlene Mischlich

10/9 Jeff Bunch

10/9 Jordan Hosack

10/10 Kimberly Burkley

10/12 Betty Black

10/12 Karen Hosack

10/13 Lori Anderson

10/15 Bob Brown

10/17 Pat Summers

10/19 Melissa Welch Thompson

10/19 Diana Dunaway

10/20 Ella DeRoche

10/23 Alison Huynh

10/24 Sarah Browning

10/24 Judie Black

10/24 Haley Witzak

10/25 Carl Tockstein

10/26 Amanda Hobbs

10/27 Steve Jacques

10/27 Jessie Loewen

10/29 Jeanette Stevens

10/31 Janie Hensley

Donna Patschke

Randy Hobbs and his Nicaragua Mission Trip

Janell Snodgrass

Doris Frazier

Roy Elliott

Cecile Clark

Paula Williamson

Major and Joyce Ooten

Kurt Land

Chris Lindsay

Deborah Welch

Betty Hall

New School Year

Peace in Israel

Peace in Ukraine

Our troops and their families

The leaders & staff of Trinity

Suzy Ooten is in need of help in the kitchen! If you are interested in helping, please contact Suzy!

Save the date for the 2024 Christmas Brunch and Craft Sale! Join us on Saturday December 7 at 10 am for this annual event! All are welcome and tickets will be $20.

Online worship on Facebook and YouTube,

and in-person worship in the sanctuary.

Join us on Sundays at 10 am!

The deadline for newsletter submissions is the 20th.

Please email your newsletter submissions to contact@knoxtrinity.org

Trinity United Methodist Church 5613 Western Ave. Knoxville, TN 37921

Office (865) 588-5763 Trinity Child Development Center (865) 588-6833