Author: Kathy Erat

Trinity Lutheran Church

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

1354 S. Otsego Ave. Gaylord, MI 49735 (989) 732-4816 Pastor: Joseph W. B. Polzin

Inside this issue:

PASTOR’S CORNER

Pastor’s Corner	1
Birthdays & Anniversaries	2
Financial Report	2
Family Fare	2
Men’s Ministry	3
Stephen Ministry	3
Cancer & Friends	3
Confirmation	3
Food Truck Giveaway	4
LWML Events	5
Kut-Ups	5
EFT’S	5
LWML April Meeting	6
LWML Rally	6
Trinity Bible Studies	7
Praise & Prayer Page	7
Church Extension Fund	7
Here we Stand 2018	8
Here we Stand cont.	9
Education News	10
Relay for Life	11
Church Leaders	12
People who Serve	13
Calendar	14

LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
SERVE THE WORLD

Getting What We Don’t Deserve
Beginning in May, both Trinity and Mt. Hope Lutheran Churches will begin organizing our 2018 Community Food Distributions for Otsego and Crawford counties, respectively. Mt. Hope’s first date is May 5th and Trinity’s is May 30th.
If you haven’t had a chance to join us for these, they are a lot of fun, and great way to meet lots of new people. We bring in a semi-truck from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan full of food, unload it in our parking lot, and distribute it to residents from all over the county.
It’s hard, however, not to have lots of different thoughts when we do something like this. I’ll admit, some of these I’ve even been tempted to think before, including, “Is something like this worth the cost?” “Aren’t there others who are better equipped to do this?” “Do people really need this help?” “Do they even deserve it?”
These thoughts are not healthy for us as Christians to have for many reasons, including that we never know what someone is actually going through, and what help they may actually need. We should also crave the opportunity to interact with people from our communities and appreciate any chance to do so.
But I would argue the most compelling reason for our church to engage our community in acts of love and service like the food distribution is precisely because people don’t deserve it. In fact, none of us do. And this is how radical the love that God shows us truly is.
After all, which one of us deserves God’s love, or love from anyone? The answer is no one! We don’t deserve anything from God, except the just wages of our sin, which is a future separated from God and an eternal death in our sin.
But! God gives us exactly what we don’t deserve. Psalm 103:10 – “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” God provides us with our daily needs. And God gave us Jesus, and the forgiveness of our sins through Him. Which one of us could claim we deserved the life of God’s own Son, and the eternal life He gives for free?
Now, as Christians, we get to continue the trend. We get to give others exactly what they don’t deserve: unconditional love. Jesus encourages us to do this – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).
The next time we are given the distinct privilege to serve our neighbors, and not just on the food distribution days, but every day, we can thank God. Thank Him for the opportunity to share His love, and thank Him for the love that He first gave us.

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BIRTHDAYS

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

The following people have May birthdays:
5/1 Christopher Cox
5/2 Merwyn Avery
5/3 Amber Techel
5/4 Roger Raschke
5/6 Grant Bliss
Aaron Smith
5/8 Stacey Holzschu
5/10 Rita French
5/13 Irene Pollock
5/18 Sharon Techel
5/19 Rachael Woiderski
5/20 Mischa Beyers
Mark Hull
Sharron Kato
5/21 Marge Kunisch
5/22 Cliff Coultes
Robert Dittman
5/24 Sharon Kowalsky
Dolores Mouch
Richard Sherman
5/26 Harold Armstrong
5/28 Kristy Forrest
5/30 Billy Stiles
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

ANNIVERSARIES

The following people have May Wedding anniversaries:
5/14 Grant & Jackie Bliss
5/20 Mike & Joyce Goodrich
5/22 Jon & Carla Elenz
5/22 Ron & Sharon Kwapis
5/28 Rachael & Derrick Wolderski
God’s blessings to all of you who celebrate your years of marriage!

FINANCIAL REPORT

The past month’s statistics report…
Date Attendance Offerings Special funds Reimbursements Total Deposit
3/25 81 $2288.00 $ 515.00 $ .00 $2803.00
4/1 109 $3377.00 $ 67.00 $ .00 $3444.00
4/8 75 $4207.00 $ 80.00 $ 1119.58* $5706.58
4/15 28 (snowstorm included with week 4/22)
4/22 127 $ 3501.00 $ 1643.00 $ 2636.54* $7780.54
*Mt. Hope Pastoral Pay
The average weekly receipts needed to meet our 2017 budgeted expenses are $3,144.50

FAMILY FARE

Family Fare receipts: If you shop at Family Fare, please save your receipts and turn them in to Trinity. We can collect them and turn them in for money. Family Fare supports community non-profit organizations in this way. A collection container can be found by the narthex shelf. So far the total for the Family Fare 20,469.

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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MEN’S MINISTRY BREAKFAST

Our next Saturday Morning Men’s Breakfast will meet Saturday May 19th from 8 to 10 am in the Trinity Fellowship Hall. This month, Ken Mertz will be leading our study and will provide details in the weekly worship bulletins. This is as a great opportunity for Christian men to get together for fellowship, food and the sharing of experiences, hobbies and interests. Let’s grow together in our faith while becoming better husbands, fathers, grandfathers and ambassadors of Christ. Please let us know if your attending, Sign-Up Sheet on the board in the Narthex or contact Ken Mertz @ (734) 709-8768.

STEPHEN MINISTRY SUBMITTED BY LAURIE BREEN

Pastor Joe and I are very pleased to announce that a training class for new Stephen Ministers will begin on May 12. We’ve been blessed with six people who signed up from Mt. Hope, and two from Trinity. The training is a two hour commitment per week for twenty weeks with monthly “Continuing Education” classes after that. Adding more Stephen Ministers will allow us to expand this ministry to the Mt. hope area as well. Please keep us all in your prayers as we strive to expand our Stephen Ministry team to better serve our Lord and the members of our churches. This is a serious and long-term commitment from these people, and we all appreciate your ongoing support and prayers. Submitted by: Laurie Breen

CANCER & FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP

Trinity Lutheran Church has started a Cancer support group, the group meets on Tuesday evenings at 5:30. This month on May 22nd we will be meeting in the Fellowship Hall. Our guest speaker will be Amanda Dobzrelewski on Healthy Eating. Amanda has been part of a team presenting a six week program on Healthy Habits Made Simple. We will be glad to have Amanda join us this month and explain some of the programs.
Cancer & Friends Support Group is for Cancer survivors, patients, caregivers, spouse, family, friends and loved ones. All of us can use support at sometime. Our meetings will be the fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30. There is more information available on the shelf in the narthex or on the church web site. Including our guest speakers for this year.
You can call or text Elaine Raschke @ 989-350-4391 email elaineraschke@gmail.com. Or check Trinity's web site at trinitygaylord.com.

APRIL CONFIRMATION

Confirmed on April 22, 2018 were
Trinity's students were: Molly Bartley, Tanner Beyers, DeLayni Brown, and Brock Wingo.
Mt. Hope's student is: Evan Schwartz.

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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COMMUNITY FOOD GIVEAWAY COMING AGAIN!

The Board of Outreach and Church Council is planning to host a Community Food Giveaway event in our parking lot on Wednesday, May 30th. We did this last year, and it was a great success! This is an opportunity to be the hands and heart of Christ providing food to those in our community, thereby communicating God’s love and care to them. We need at least 30 volunteers for this from our congregation, and even more would be better!
We have ordered a semi-truck of food - fresh, frozen, and non-perishables. This is a larger truck than we had last year. The pallets of food will be unloaded in our parking lot at 10am, and we will position the pallets in stations, so that people can be given free food after registering. We are in the process of advertising the date and time, and people will be advised to bring their own containers to collect and transport their food. Each person/family is allowed to take food from each station in varying quantities, depending on the volume provided. We expect maybe 200 families to come through in 2-3 hours!
If you can be available to help, please put your name on the sign-up sheet in the narthex, so that we know we can count on you and be assured that we will have enough help. Volunteers should plan to arrive at 9am to receive directions, and a lunch will be provided for our volunteers. We also need donations of lots of plastic bags. Please bring them to the church, and place them in the designated tub in the narthex. One more thing each of you can do is pray for the success of our first food giveaway event – that the food would get into the hands of those who need it and that God would be glorified in the entire activity.
If you have any questions, talk to Pastor Joe or Donna Cottrell or Kathy Erat.

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LWML EVENTS

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

PLEASE SIGN UP!
Sign-up sheets are posted on the narthex bulletin board for the following:
“Say Yes to the Dress Again” is a bridal fashion show of dresses from weddings of the past, to be held in our Fellowship Hall on Friday, May 4th, 7pm. There will be bridal gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, mother-of-the-bride dresses, and stories about the weddings in which they were used, to accompany the dresses as they are modeled. Wedding cake, punch, and coffee will be served. We invite all to attend – women, men, friends, family. If able, please bring a “wedding gift” of a non-perishable food item, which will be donated to our local food pantry. If you plan to attend, please sign up in our narthex, as that will help us be prepared with enough seating.
Paint & Sip: Friday, May 11th, 6:30pm is when this fun event will take place! Attendees will paint a picture as we sip beverages and snack on treats. Local artist Mary Backlund will once again guide us on some artistic principles and share creative ideas. This year it will be held at Michaywe Clubhouse, 1535 Opal Lake Road, Gaylord. Cost: $15/person. Beverages are available for purchase at Michaywe, but snacks to share may be brought in. Please sign up in the narthex at church if you are attending, so that Mary is prepared with enough supplies for our artwork. If you have questions, please contact one of our LWML board members – Carla Elenz, Kathy Erat, Roxy Mohr, Ann Mertz, or Marge Kunisch.
14 Baskets for Shut-ins were prepared at LWML’s April meeting. Items for these baskets were purchased with funds provided by a Thrivent Action Team Grant. At the April meeting a cute skit was presented by the LWML Board. It was lots of fun!
LWML Spring Zone Rally will be held at Mt. Hope, Grayling on Saturday, May 19th. Registration begins at 9am, with opening worship at 10am. Watch the church bulletin for more details.
LWML Michigan District Convention is July 20-22 in Port Huron. Please contact Carla Elenz, 732-1607 for details on accommodations and registration if you are interested in attending.
LWML will take the summer off from regular meetings. You can look forward to regular meetings resuming in September.
re: LWML. Nominations for Vice President and Treasurer positions are open for next election. Please contact Jean Seibel or Donna Cottrell if you're interested in taking an office position Thank you
!!

KUT-UPS

Kut-Ups invites the ladies of Trinity to join them, Meetings are on Mondays at 10am. In the fellowship hall. Meeting dates for May are The 7th and 21st.

ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFERS

We are pleased to inform you that we now are able to accept donations through
Electronic Funds Transfers from your checking or savings account. In order to do so, go to our website www.trinitygaylord.com. From the home page click on the link at the top of the screen “Donate Online”. This will take you to the Vanco site who is the provider for this service. There are options for making one time donations, weekly, or monthly. You can also make donations to our various funds and special services such as Advent and Lent. This is a convenience that many asked for and is especially convenient for those who take extended trips and still wish to donate without having to send checks to the office. If you have any questions about how to do this, feel free to contact me, June Weber or Dave Beyers. Thank you. Bob Erat

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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LWML April meeting

On Tuesday April 17th at LWML’s regular monthly meeting they had a skit night also put together
baskets for some of our shut-ins. A few pictures taken at the meeting below.

LWML RALLY

The LWML Rally will be held at Mt. Hope on Saturday, May 19, 2018. ALL ladies are invited to attend the rally. The speaker will be Ann Hume, president of God’s Children, Haiti. Watch for more information on Ann and her mission.
We will be having an ingathering for her and God’s Children, Haiti and are inviting the members of Mt. Hope to be a part of it. The following are items Ann said she is in need of for the mission. You can help by donating any of the following during April and until May 13th. There will be a table for your donations. The items needed are:
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Men and women deodorants
Peanut butter
Boys belts
Men’s belts – sizes 28 to 32
Boys and men’s white socks
Men’s boxers – size small
Boys boxers – size 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18

.

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TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

TRINITY BIBLE STUDIES

Bible Studies:
Sunday morning 10:30 am led by Dr. Tom Beach in the tutoring room.
Monday evening at 6:45pm led by Rev. Paul Schneider in the fellowship hall.
Wednesday morning at 10:30am led by Pastor Joe in the fellowship hall.

PRAISE & PRAYER PAGE

We at Trinity have so many blessings for which to be thankful! A few come to mind, and we thank God…
For those who have had surgery this past month and are recovering.
For the gift of comfort for the families who have lost loved ones.
For the gift of Christian friends;
For signs of spring;
For hearing our prayers;
For giving us what we need, which isn’t always the same as what we want;
O Lord, who has given us so much, please grant us one thing more—a grateful heart.
(Feel free to submit specific praises to be included in future issues.)

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS:

Those who continue to grieve the passing of loved ones:
Those with upcoming surgery:
Those recovering from surgery: Doug Arego, Jennifer Martin, Ted Speerstra.
Those with health concerns: Elmira Affelt, Grant Bliss, Joan Brown, Hope Buchinger, Bob Breen, Laurie Breen, Rose Dittman, Megan Goodrich, Kay Gregg, Brenda Hart, Heather Kinberg, Zoyie Larson, Ruth Luebs, Brian Morgan, Richard Ohlrich, Jack Osantowski, Gene Seibel.
Those diagnosed with cancer: Carl Bliss, Blaine Colwell, Mark Jackson, Roxy Mohr, Hope Osantowski,
Bill Polzin.

CHURCH EXTENSION FUND

Planting Seeds, Reaping the Harvest
Planting a seed. That's all it takes. Each and every "seed" invested with the Church Extension Fund (CEF) serves a ministry purpose. While providing financial opportunities for our investors, these funds help ministries and church workers in the Michigan District. Call the CEF Rate Line for this month's rates (800.242.3944) or for more information, call us 800.242.3944 or visit www.mi-cef.org

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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michiganintouch.com/commission/stand-2018-summer-events/
The Reformation 500 Walk,
Bike, Run Challenge is Back!
From May-September 2018, members of
congregations and schools are encouraged to
form teams that will work together to complete
500 miles by walking, running, and/or biking
during the 5-month period. This event is an
opportunity to come together to financially benefit individual congregations and schools while
supporting the Michigan District’s Here We Stand campaign, as well as enjoying a summer of
physical activity.
How Does it Work?
1. Organize Your Team. A team may be comprised of as few, or as many, individuals as
you would like. Congregations can have more than one team.
2. Collect Financial Pledges. Each individual team member is encouraged to collect
financial pledges. Upon completion, participants will be responsible to collect their
pledges. These will then be distributed to each participant’s church or school (50%), and
to the Michigan District’s Here We Stand campaign (50%).
3. Complete the Mileage Goal. Each individual team member will complete any
combination of miles (by running, walking, or biking) each week, and then add their total
completed miles to their team’s accumulating results, which will be kept on a master log.
Visit herewestand.michigandistrict.org/thereformation500 to download your documents and get
started today!
Here We Ride II
Here We Ride II is a FREE single-day bike-riding event that will be held on Saturday, August 4,
2018 at Bethany, Charlevoix.
How does it work?
1. Starting and finishing at Bethany, you and your family are encouraged to ride the
distance you choose: 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 miles are available (and anything in
between). There will be starting times for serious cyclists and other riders. A come-and go
family picnic will be available at Bethany throughout the day for riders, their families,
and the community.
2. Here We Ride will take place on the Little Traverse Wheelway—a multi-use paved trail
that skirts the beautiful waters of the Little Traverse Bay. There are plenty of
opportunities to rest and enjoy the scenery, and happy volunteers will be stationed along
the route.
3. As mentioned above, Here We Ride is intended to be entirely FREE for ALL
PARTICIPANTS. However, participants are encouraged to collect pledges for the miles
they will ride. We ask that you give 50 percent of the money raised to your church or
school for its ministry purposes, and the remaining 50 percent to the Here We Stand
campaign initiatives. All participants are asked to register online. More information can
be found at michigandistrict.org/hereweride.
During the summer of 2017, between the two events, teams raised $10,910.81 that went to
their congregations and the Here We Stand campaign. For more information, visit the
webpages or email Ray Zavada at ray.zavada@michigandistrict.org or Linda Ekong at
linda.ekong@michigandistrict.org or call Linda at 888.225.2111 ext. 265.
Photo by Cindy Zavada/Michigan District, LCMS

HERE WE STAND 2018 SUMMER EVENTS

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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EDUCATION NEWS

Trinity Learning Center
Trinity Learning Center will hold the last tutoring class for this year on Monday, May 7th. We will celebrate the students’ success with a pizza and ice cream party from 4 to 5 pm. All members of the congregation are invited to celebrate with our students and tutors.
We would like to thank the tutors who make this mission possible: Lead Teacher, Jean Beach; Exercise and Game Leader, Tom Beach; Snack Supervisor and Tutor, Paula Beach; and Reading and Math Tutors, Laura Beach, Judy Anderson, Marge Kunisch, Helen VanDusen, and Joann Whitney. The many hours of volunteering performed by these tutors has made our Center successful for another year.
Vacation Bible Adventure
The theme for Vacation Bible Adventure for this year is “Splash Canyon, God’s Promise on Life’s Wild Ride.” This event will run Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 18th through the 20th, from 9 am until noon each day.
We are asking for adult volunteers to be Group Leaders, (taking a group of 5 or 6 children around to the events); Craft Assistants, (helping the children with the crafts); Design Helpers, (designing and setting up the event); River Run Storytelling Leader, (manages a room telling the Bible story of the day); and many more volunteers for various positions. Please volunteer if you can give a few hours on one or all of these three days. We will need you!
We will hold a volunteers’ meeting on Thursday, May 17th, at 3 pm following the Third Thursday Service. Please plan to attend to make this the best VBA yet!

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

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RELAY FOR LIFE
of OTSEGO and MONTMORENCY COUNTIES
THEME: CARNIVAL
NEW DATE/TIME/LOCATION!
Saturday, May 19, 2018
10 am to 10 pm
The Ellison Place, Gaylord
Opening Ceremony 10 am
Survivor Ceremony/Lap/Lunch: 11 am
Survivor Spa 12-3 pm
Silent Auction: 12-5 pm
Luminaria Ceremony: 6:30 pm
Live Auction 7 pm
Womanless Beauty Contest 9 pm
Closing Ceremony 10 pm
Free Admission to Relay
Carnival Games 12-3
$5 wrist bracelets available
(Child bracelet includes hot dog, drink, luminaria bag, games)
TO REGISTER: www.relayforlife.org
Or for More Information: Tina Van Til @tmvantil!@yahoo.com
or call 989-350-3287
Luminaria Ceremony: 6:30 pm

TRINITY NEWS
May 2018

Trinity Lutheran Church

1354 South Otsego Ave.
Gaylord, Michigan 49735

Church Phone: 989-732-4816
Church email: secretary@trinitygaylord.com
Church website: www.trinitygaylord.com

At Trinity we are
EXPERIENCING THE HEART OF GOD!

Sunday May 13th

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2018 Church Personnel/Leaders
Pastor Joe Polzin (989) 732-4816
Cell Phone (608) 395-8029
E-mail: pastorjoepolzin@gmail.com
Elaine Raschke, Secretary (989) 732-4816
E-mail: secretary@trinitygaylord.com
Church Council
President Bob Erat (989) 732-7153
Secretary Kathy Erat (989) 732-7153
Board of Education Nancy Ely (989) 732-7903
Board of Outreach Elaine Raschke (989) 448-8165
Co-Chairs Jack Udebrock (989) 939-8545
Board of Properties Roger Raschke (989) 448-8165
Board of Stewardship Jack Udebrock (989) 939-8545
Treasurer June Weber (989) 732-4144
Assistant Kathy Erat (989) 732-7153
Financial Secretary Joann Whitney (231) 585-6163
Assistant Jim Forrest (989) 350-2848
Member at Large Teri Raithel (989) 370-5056
Member at Large Donna Cottrell (989) 732-9875
Event/Communication Coordinator
Sharon Kwapis (989) 732-5257
Elders Tom Beach (989)448-2409
Bob Breen-Chair (989) 939-7432
Wally Beasinger (231) 546-3001
Ken Mertz (734) 709-8768
Gene Seibel (989) 732-9691
Ron Tesolin (989) 619-0921
Other Leaders
Stephen Ministry Laurie Breen (989) 939-7432
Sunday School Superintendent
Sharon Techel (989) 732-3973
Vacation Bible School Nancy Ely (989) 732-7903
Youth Director Carla Elenz (989) 732-1607
Adventures in Faith Carla Elenz (989) 732-1607
Children’s Church Marge Kunisch (989) 732-2803
Helen VanDusen (231) 546-3888
Trinity Mom’s Group Jennie Polzin (608) 395-8505
Choir Director Tom Beach
Organ/Piano Tom/Jean Beach (989) 448-2409
Library
Kut-Ups Donna Cottrell (989) 732-9875
Nehemiah Group Roger Raschke (989) 448-8165
Altar Guild Co-Chairpersons
Judi Stutzman (989) 939-7438
Donna Cottrell (989) 732-9875
Ladies Guild
President Jean Seibel (989) 732-9691
Treasurer June Weber (989) 732-4144
LWML “Women for Christ”
President Carla Elenz (989) 732-1607
Vice President Roxy Mohr (989) 390-3970
Secretary Marge Kunisch (231) 732-2803
Treasurer Kathy Erat (989) 732-7153
Christian Growth Ann Mertz (734) 709-8768

THRIVENT FINANCIAL

CANCELLATION POLICY

MENS MINISTRY AT TRINITY submitted by Bob Breen

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