Your Trinity Herald Newsletter!

I wish you a happy and healthy new year! May your faith be strengthened and renewed in marvelous ways in 2024! We are so blessed that our God is faithful, loving, and merciful— every day of the year.

I am deeply grateful to this wonderful congregation for your generosity and support through the Advent and Christmas seasons. Thank you for sharing your gifts, time, talents, donations, acts of service, beautiful music, and prayers. The church staff joins me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude for the very generous Christmas gift to us! We feel blessed to serve the Lord through this church, and we are committed to serving with you as partners in ministry. I’m also grateful for your generosity through our outreach ministries to the Wesley House UMC Center, Pleasant Ridge Elementary School, and our food pantry ministry. Thank you for shining the light of Christ in our community!

The new year brings the season of Epiphany on January 6, and we will celebrate this holiday on Sunday, January 7. We will hear Scripture that emphasizes the light of Christ for all the world. I encourage you to take time each day to consider the warmth of God’s love shining upon your life, and share his light with others. Another important occasion to mark on our calendars this month is the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Please join me in the annual Day of Service with other congregations on Monday, January 15, to show our support for racial healing and justice.

Join me in this prayer for the new year: “Eternal God, you have brought us to a new year, the start of a new journey, with its freshness and potential. Let us enter the new year cleansed and made whole. Let us go forth in the confidence that the one who has called us will also go with us, now and forever. Amen.”

Blessings,

Barbara

January 7: Matthew 2:1-12

January 14: John 1:43-51

January 21: Mark 1: 14-20

January 28: Mark 1: 21-28

Scripture Readers

January 7: Don Manley

January 14: Jeanette Stevens

January 21: Carl Tockstein

January 28: Pam Cunningham

Chancel Choir

Beautiful work on the cantata! Thank you for your extra time.

We start rehearsals again on January 3 at 7:30 pm

Music in Motion

How fantastic were you during your Christmas program?

Amazingly fantastic!

Jadelyn:

A true leader among the group!

Tuesday:

So funny and creative!

Bennett:

Always working towards getting better on stage until you have reached the best!

Nyla:

A natural performer with a great voice!

Tanner:

Not afraid to improvise and you held so still through the whole program. Well done!

Our first rehearsal back will be Sunday, January 21 at 4:00 pm. Just wait to see what we have in store!

Come Join The Choir

Whether you are a songbird or a buzzard, choir might be for you!

We invite you to join us on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm for rehearsals

You do not have to know how to read music!

Please pray for our elected officers and leaders for 2024. We will have a special time of prayer and dedication for them during worship on January 14.

Church Leadership Council: Chair: Pat Gillespie, Lay Leader: Carl Tockstein, Secretary: Kristen Clark, Financial Secretary: Cindy Strozyk, Treasurer: Jeri Dodd, Lay Member of Annual Conference: Pat Gillespie & Alternate: Carl Tockstein, Youth Representative: Benjamin Freeman, Ex-officio: Deborah Glenn (District At-Large Member of Annual Conference), Rev. Barbara Clark; Panel of 2024: Scott Newby, Rick Nodell, Pat Gillespie; Panel of 2025: Jeff Bunch, Joe Cunningham, Tom Wallace; Panel of 2026: Lynn Raymond, Randy Hobbs, Tammy Judd.

Church Ministry Council: Chair: Ron Raymond, Worship Co-Chairs: Pat Gillespie & Teresa Gross, Teaching & Discipling: Gail Vandiver, S.S. Superintendent: Mary Catherine Gouge, Outreach & Missions: Randy Hobbs, Parish Nurse: Becky Piercy, Communications: Deborah Glenn, UMM: Joe Cunningham, UWF: Frances Cunningham, Youth: Donald Balcom, Young In Heart: Linda Wallace, Feeding Ministry: Suzy Ooten, Scouts: Scott Newby, Evangelism: (TBD), Food Pantry: Ron Raymond, Young Adult/Families Representative: Sarah Browning.

Endowment Committee: Wally Gillespie (Chair), Scott Newby, Gail Vandiver, Tom Wallace.

TCDC Board of Directors: Randy Hobbs (Chair), Scott Newby, Carl Tockstein, Gail Vandiver, Tom Wallace, Liz Wright, Barbara Clark; Co-Directors: Beth Williamson, Carol Williamson.

For those 70 ½ 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 70-1/2 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)

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 [email protected]

Janice Sabo

Holly Fuquay

Rick Clark

June Nickle

Pat Land

Belle Simms

Sadie Kinnamon

Cheri Holley

Kim Deaton

Bob & Carla Brown

Bill Smeltzer

Betty Hall

Season of Generosity Stewardship

Peace in Israel

Peace in Ukraine

Our troops and their families

The leaders & staff of Trinity

1/3 Jeanne Mitchell

1/4 Erin Dunaway

1/6 Donna Patschke

1/7 Jimmy Ooten

1/8 Katherine Forester

1/8 Elizabeth Forester

1/9 Joe Cunningham

1/9 Ann Morris

1/9 Elliott Raxter

1/9 Hunter Deaton

1/13 Gail Jones

1/15 Celeste King

1/15 Jadelyn White

1/17 Rusty McGill

1/18 Melinda Ross

1/19 Gary Teams

1/20 Chance Bunch

1/21 Nancy Flynn

1/22 Russ Fuquay

1/25 John Bush

1/26 Peter Beddia

1/26 Peyton Reed

1/26 Herbie Piercy

1/27 Jennifer McNeil

We distribute food on Wednesdays from 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

Boxed Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti Noodles

Pasta Sauce

Rice

Club or Saltine Crackers