HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH Tidings Gretchen Luebbe, Newsletter Coordinator [email protected]Grow in Faith, Love God, Serve Our Neighbor Volume 38 Issue 2 March 2017 Special Points of Interest: Pastoral Call vote needs 145 confirmed members for quorum Meet & Greet for Pastor Gerry - Sat., March 4 Property plans Clean-up/ Fix-up Day Fellowship plans for Progressive Dinner Women’s Annual Retreat Scheduled for Mar/Apr Ash Wednesday Potato/Salad Bar 2 Smile.Amazon. Com 4 Pastor Gerry’s Biography 5 Committee News 6-7 VBS Registration 8 Annual Women’s Retreat 12 Inside This Issue: Call Committee Recommends Pastor Gerry Johnson Special Congregation Meeting Set for March 5 Well, it looks like we are through most of the winter, and we are certainly no worse for the wear. The weather this week- end [Feb 25-26] is supposed to be nearly 70 degrees and a great weekend for flying, working outside, exercising outside, and generally just enjoying life. I’m celebrating! I’m also celebrating the work of our Call Committee and the Church Council. The Call process was much more laborious than I ever imagined it would be, and it has taken hard work by all of us. From the Church Assessment Tool to the comple- tion of the Mission Site Profile, the Transition Team was fully engaged. Then the Call Committee was selected, interviewed many candidates, and finally selected a primary candidate. Next the Council met and inter- viewed the candidate. Each step sounds fast and easy, but remember that we live in Loudoun County, where all have busy family, work and social lives, and we needed to come together as groups each step along the way. There were a lot of moving parts! And now it is back to the entire Congregation. On Sunday, the 5 th of March, Pastor Gerry Johnson will preach at the 9:30 Service. After the service, he will devote about 30 minutes to speaking with the Congregation and will let everyone get to know a bit about himself. We will have a Synod representative with us that day, someone who will once again go over the entire process and will share some views from the Bishop. Following Ash Wednesday - March 1, 2017 A day of Worship and prayerful fellowship 12:00 Noon: Traditional Ash Wednesday Service* 12:45 PM: Soup & Salad Lunch 5:30 PM: Children’s Choir Rehearsal 6:00 PM: Family Ash Wednesday Service* 6:30 PM: Potato Bar & Salad Dinner (Details on page 2) 7:00 PM: Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 PM: Traditional Ash Wednesday Service* * Each service will include imposition of ashes and Holy Communion. (Continued on page 2)
12
Embed
HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH Tidings-26] is supposed to be nearly 70 degrees and a great weekend for flying, working outside, exercising outside, and generally just enjoying life.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Grow in Faith, Love God, Serve Our Neighbor Volume 38 Issue 2 March 2017
Special Points of
Interest:
Pastoral Call vote needs 145 confirmed members for quorum
Meet & Greet for Pastor Gerry - Sat., March 4
Property plans Clean-up/Fix-up Day
Fellowship plans for
Progressive Dinner
Women’s Annual Retreat Scheduled for Mar/Apr
Ash Wednesday Potato/Salad Bar
2
Smile.Amazon. Com
4
Pastor Gerry’s Biography
5
Committee News 6-7
VBS Registration 8
Annual Women’s Retreat
12
Inside This Issue:
Call Committee Recommends
Pastor Gerry Johnson Special Congregation Meeting Set for March 5
Well, it looks like we are through most of the winter, and we
are certainly no worse for the wear. The weather this week-end [Feb 25-26] is supposed to be nearly 70 degrees and a
great weekend for flying, working outside, exercising outside, and generally just enjoying life. I’m celebrating!
I’m also celebrating the work of our Call Committee and the Church Council. The Call process was much more laborious
than I ever imagined it would be, and it has taken hard work by all of us. From the Church Assessment Tool to the comple-
tion of the Mission Site Profile, the Transition Team was fully
engaged. Then the Call Committee was selected, interviewed many candidates, and finally selected a primary candidate. Next the Council met and inter-
viewed the candidate. Each step sounds fast and easy, but remember that we live in Loudoun County, where all have busy family, work and social lives, and we needed to
come together as groups each step along the way. There were a lot of moving parts!
And now it is back to the entire Congregation. On Sunday, the 5th of March, Pastor
Gerry Johnson will preach at the 9:30 Service. After the service, he will devote about 30 minutes to speaking with the Congregation and will let everyone get to know a bit about
himself. We will have a Synod representative with us that day, someone who will once
again go over the entire process and will share some views from the Bishop. Following
Ash Wednesday - March 1, 2017 A day of Worship and prayerful fellowship
12:00 Noon: Traditional Ash Wednesday Service*
12:45 PM: Soup & Salad Lunch
5:30 PM: Children’s Choir Rehearsal
6:00 PM: Family Ash Wednesday Service*
6:30 PM: Potato Bar & Salad Dinner (Details on page 2)
7:00 PM: Chancel Choir Rehearsal
7:30 PM: Traditional Ash Wednesday Service*
* Each service will include imposition of ashes and Holy Communion.
P.S. Thank you all for the wonderful Christmas Eve music from our 25-person Festival
B’Orchestra!
MLK Concert Thank You
Dear Nancy Fox and Rachel Newell,
Please thank the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and St James Episcopal Church
Children's Choirs for participating in the 2017 "Lift Every Voice" Choir Festival honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Your delightful singers and unique instru-
ments were greatly appreciated and contributed significantly to a meaningful
Choir Festival.
For 2018, the Loudoun Chorale will try to plan for an under two hour program!
Again, thank you for this year's participation,
Gary Pritchard, Loudoun Chorale, 2017 Choir Festival Organizer
Our First Communion Instruction will be held
Sunday, March 20, 11:00 AM - 1:15 PM
Students will receive their First Communion on April 2, 2017.
This class teaches our youth more about the Lord’s Supper to prepare
them to join us at the Table. It is designed for students in grade 2 and
above. Parents should plan to join their child(ren) for this one-time
class. Registration materials will be mailed to all second-grade chil-
dren. Please contact Mary Samios (708.777.4912 x4 or email
Reminder!! Sunday, March 5th is an Important Day! Reminder!! Sunday, March 5th is an important day to attend service. Following service, we as a con-
gregation will vote on accepting the Call of Pastor Gerry Johnson. Please attend.
Everyone will have a chance to meet Pastor Johnson and his wife Sandy at a casual get together at
the church on the 4th of March. If you have time, please try to stop in sometime between 6:00 pm
and 7:30 pm that evening. We will have cheese and crackers and soft drinks and coffee.
Here is a short bio of Pastor
Johnson:
As a 2001 graduate of Gettysburg Seminary, Pastor Gerry has served at
Bethel Lutheran Church in Manassas, VA; Trinity Lutheran Church in Smithsburg,
MD; and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in
Fairfax, VA. Of particular note, he did his seminary teaching parish assignment
of one year at Holy Trinity in Leesburg in 1997. He is a second career pastor with
experience in consulting, finance, and
banking. He has a BS in Business Ad-ministration and Finance from Towson
University and an MBA in Finance from Loyola College. He also is a Certified
Public Accountant (CPA).
Pastor Gerry has provided leadership
in church planning, small groups, chil-
dren and youth ministries, and communi-ty engagement. He has led adult and
youth mission trips, fostered special events, and enhanced worship with different themes and presentations. Ministry under his leadership has focused
on making connections with people and the community and engaging and welcoming all people into an experience
of God. He loves children and actively supports youth and family ministries, helping to making our faith a visible part of our everyday lives. He is delighted to service Our Lord and the church as a pastor and looks forward to be-
ing part of Holy Trinity once again.
Pastor Gerry is married to Sandy and they have two grown and married children, Kevin and Erin, and two grand-
daughters. They enjoy family time, traveling to the beach and other places, and going to the movies.
Join us at church on Saturday, the 4th of March to learn more about the pastor. I look forward to seeing you all then and certainly at church the next day!
John Sapienza
Congregation President
Come to the “Meet and Greet” on
Saturday, March 4th sometime between 6:00 PM
and 7:30 PM to get to know Pastor Gerry
Johnson and his wife, Sandy.
PAGE 6 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 2 TIDINGS
News from our Committees
Women of the ELCA March Meeting
Holy Trinity’s Women of the ELCA will
meet at the church on Tuesday, March 14th at 10:00 AM. We have so many
unfinished quilts that we will work on
quilts again for Lutheran World Relief. Bring your lunch and join us. Every-
one is welcome... Please Come.
Dotty Martel, President
Social Ministry Planning Meeting
An update on the success of the Silent Auction will be
distributed at the end of the auction. Thank you all so much for your participation.
The Social Ministry Com-mittee will be having their
planning meeting on March 2,
2017 and would like to invite anyone interested to join us.
We could use your new ideas and welcome new members.
We will be serving dinner as well.
The Social Ministry Committee is looking for those
who may need assistance in their home for light work such as light bulb changing, yard work, carpet cleaning or
light painting for our April's Angels project. If you could
use a working hand around the house, please contact Rita Sims or Sandy Phillips. We are also searching for those
handy men and women who can assist with the work. A sign-up sheet will be posted and announcements made as
we near the event. Rita Sims
March / April Plans
The Fellowship Committee would like to thank every-
one who participated in the very successful chili fest. We had a great turn out and lots of
great food. Thank you also to those who are on the commit-
tee that helped set up and
serve during the event. A spe-cial thank you to Mike Geyser,
who was our great announcer as usual and gave out the
awards. Congratulations to the winners. It was great to see so many new faces this year.
The Fellowship Committee is gearing up for the Pro-gressive Dinner, planned for this spring (exact date TBD).
We are looking for three homes to host appetizers, dinner
and desserts. If you are interested, please contact Rita Sims or Sandy Phillips. This is always a fun event and we hope that you will join us. If you have never attended this event, it is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow
family members. More information will be included in next month’s Tidings and the “This Week” announcements over
the coming weeks.
Fellowship
Sandy Phillips
Spring Schedule
I would like to say a big
“THANK-YOU” to Jack Allen for officially taking over the
Property Committee Chair position from Jim Truxel
whom has graciously been the chairperson for as long
as I can remember. While Jim will continue to be a part
of the property committee, he was thrilled to have someone willing to take on this job and may be seen
smiling a lot more in church from here on out.
Our Mowing Schedule Starts on March 19th with a
two-week cycle for each team.
Also, look for a spring clean-up/fix-up day that all are encouraged to join in to be announced in the near
future. All hands on deck to make our place safe, look nice and be welcoming to all that attend and use our
facility. Peace,
Property
Leigh Johanneck, Property Liaison
VOLUME 38, ISSUE 2 PAGE 7 TIDINGS
Little Blessings Preschool - February Summary
February was a busy month at Little Blessings Preschool! We opened registration for the 2017-
2018 and are happy to report that we almost filled all classes. We still have openings in our three-
year-old classes for next year so please pass on this information to any friends or neighbors who may
be interested.
The children celebrated Valentine’s Day with parties and our Red class celebrated their 100th
Day with activities, games and all things 100! We had a visit from a local dentist to teach the chil-
dren about good dental hygiene and we ended the month with our Patriotic show presented by the
four-year-old classes.
In March at Little Blessings we look forward to celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday with plenty of fun activities
each day! Our Green Café will be up and running for the kids to prepare green eggs and more! We also will be par-
ticipating in “Read Across America” to see how many books we can read at home.
In Chapel the kids will learn the story of Easter. Each child will get to take home their Resurrection Eggs so
they can share the Easter story at home as well.
Thank you to Holy Trinity staff and members for the continued support throughout the school year.
Heather Robért, Director,
The Congregation Council met for its regular monthly meet-
ing on February 21, 2017. Items discussed and actions taken include the following:
DEVOTIONS – Mike Geyser, referencing The Servant by
James C. Hunter
Not making a choice is making a choice.
Agape love is a verb describing how we behave, not a
noun describing how we feel.
Discussion of relational bank account to teach us the
importance of keeping healthy relationships.
Can’t legislate other’s behavior; if the leadership team
is on the right page, the rest will follow naturally.
Our behavior influences our thoughts.
Stages of learning new leadership skills:
1. Unconscious and Unskilled
2. Conscious and Unskilled
3. Conscious and Skilled
4. Unconscious and Skilled
TREASURER’S REPORT:
See full report on Council bulletin board in Commons
prepared by Juli Geyser for details. Items of Note:
Smile Amazon Earnings for 4th Qtr of 2016 -
$14.59.
Offering for January totaled $56,787.75 which in-
cluded the end of year offerings collected that were associated with 2016 giving statements.
January Expenses for 2017 were considerably lower
Council Highlights - February 2017 than 2016. No Snow Removal Bills.
Mortgage Balance is now $1,387,790.39 (Dropped
below $1.4 million).
Bare bones weekly requirement in 2017 is up from
2016.
NEW BUSINESS:
There will be 3 services on Ash Wednesday – Pastor
Tarja Stevenson.
Reviewed flyers for
the SciKidz camp
t h i s s u m m e r . There are 4 week-
l o ng s e s s i o n s scheduled. Council
approved posting
flyers.
OLD BUSINESS:
Fundraising monies: Best way to handle monies is de-
posit in the bank and classify it to the appropriate
fund/committee for financial tracking.
Executive Committee Meeting: As required
Next Council Meeting: March 21, 2017
Please contact one of the officers regarding agenda of next meeting.
All Council meetings are open unless an executive session is called.
All HTLC members are invited to attend. Approved Council meeting
minutes and reports are posted on the Council bulletin board in the
Commons.
PAGE 8 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 2 TIDINGS
Mighty Fortress Vacation Bible School at HTLC
July 17-21, 2017 9:00 AM – Noon
Join us as we learn how God is our refuge and strength through
Stronghold Storytelling, the Victory Village Bible Challenge,
Festival Crafts and Tournament Games!
Early registration for Holy Trinity and Little Blessings families
starts now! Forms are available at the registration desk outside
of the Christian Education office. Open enrollment begins
March 1, 2017. Register now -- classes fill quickly!
In the Mighty Fortress, we learn how God is our refuge and
strength through Stronghold Storytelling, the Victory Village
Bible Challenge, Festival Crafts and Tournament Games. Forms
are available at the registration desk outside of the Christian
Ed office. Registration continues through April 30, 2017. Reg-
ister now -- classes fill quickly!
Adults & Youth - be a part of the excitement as a VBS volun-
teer! Check out the Registration table near the Christian Edu-
cation office.
Junior Crew
A special program for rising 6th graders! Rising sixth grade students are enthusiastic help-
ers, but they also seem to miss participating in some of our Vacation Bible School centers.
Join Junior Crew:
* Designed specifically for rising 6th grade students
* Includes opportunities to learn leadership skills
* Provides hands on experience volunteering in different aspects of Vacation Bible School.
* Incorporates Bible learning and age appropriate crafts.
* $20 registration fee covers cost of t-shirt and art materials
Save the Dates:
Annual Women’s Retreat
Friday-Sunday, March 31 - April 2, 2017
A planning meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 4 at 5:30 PM