TRINITY NEWS
Volume XLVII, Issue 11 ~ November 26, 2024
The Pastor’s Paragraphs…
Having ADHD and having been in school nearly half my life, I am utterly unable to read books one at a time and cover-to-cover. This makes reading novels a real challenge. But I find it advantageous when reading non-fiction. Right now, a dozen partially read books litter my living room and office. Their authors are priests (Richard Rohr and Matthew Fox), organizational management gurus (Margaret Wheatley, Simon Sinek, and Joan Garry), psychologists (Brene Brown and Francis Weller), apologists (C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton), political observers (David Blankenhorn and Kevin Phillips), memoirists (Jon Katz and Drew Gilpin Faust), and artists (David Bayles and Ted Orland).
None of these books are about church. But slowly, slowly (because I have to read and re-read – a lot), wisdom and expertise from outside the church are seasoning my understanding – and eventually, I pray, my practice – of ministry and polity. The collective insights of so many bright and creative people are helping me connect the dots in my own life and work. And if I’m doing the job I believe Jesus is calling all of us to do, I hope to share those insights with all of you.
How do my own experiences of grief and loss parallel experiences of my fellow Americans in this post-election season? How do personal vulnerability and accountability help build high-functioning groups? What is contributing to the decline of civility in our public life and how might a shift in theological thinking from fall/redemption to creation/incarnation help us rediscover our interconnectedness? What is hurting us as a people and how do Christians follow Jesus into spaces of seeing, hearing, healing, and mutual affection?
I don’t know if increasing my book-knowledge is the way to make the world a better place. But it’s certainly a place to begin. What’s your starting place? Where do you find inspiration and “seasoning” for your dreams? When you think about taking action (“serving up” whatever your inspiration has cooked up), what does the first step look like? What do you hope that one first step will accomplish?
What do you need to take that first step? Let’s talk about that. Maybe the church can make that possible.
Adult Christian Formation: Advent Edition!
December 1, 8, 15 and 22 at 11 am in the West Fellowship Hall
Songs for the Waiting: Devotions Inspired by the Hymns of Advent, by Magrey R. deVega. “Despite the presence of many beautiful Advent songs in many of our hymnals, most of us prefer to skip right to singing our favorite Christmas carols. But in our rush to get to the joy of Christmas, we forget what Advent is about: watching and waiting for the coming of a promised king…Through the words of moving Advent hymns and the powerful words of Scripture, Songs for the Waiting will help readers reclaim a sense of the beautiful anticipation and preparation that is central to Advent.” Copies of the book will be available free of charge on December 1.
DECEMBER
BIRTHDAYS
12/1 Karigan Kleene
12/4 Betty Dyer
12/4 Staci Scheurenbrand
12/4 Madison (Van Dam) McLey
12/5 Lora Jean Hervey
12/7 Ardie Carson
12/7 Nancy DeLay
12/8 Sarah Hunter
12/10 Camryn Overton
12/12 Frankii Van Dam
12/13 Barb Albrecht
12/13 Betty Labertew
12/13 Beth Leuwerke
12/13 Harriet Seehusen
12/14 Dewain Clausen
12/14 Julie Coffey
12/15 Susan Tinder
12/16 Theresa Dyer
12/17 Maurice Dyer
12/17 Phil Porter
12/17 Tom Kimball
12/22 Campbell Lanning
12/23 Carol Ford
12/24 Dennis Britton
12/24 Joe Weinman
12/27 Zachary Anderson
12/27 Rod Hervey
12/28 Paul Dalluge
12/30 Barb Moul
12/31 Al Wood
IN OUR PRAYERS
Dawn Dixon for energy and strength.
John & Bev Anderson for strength and healing.
Thank you to my Trinity friends for all the cards and birthday wishes! It means so much! – Janella Guilford
AREA CARE CENTERS
Westview Care Center
John & Bev Anderson
Sandy Newell
The Village Care Center
Dawn Dixon
CIA SCHEDULE
(CHRISTIANS IN ACTION)
12/4 – Shop, Wrap, & Pizza – Bring $5 (or what you can) to help us shop for our adopted family at Walmart.
12/8 – Worktrip Fundraiser Pancake Breakfast following the Youth Christmas Program. Be at the church around 9:45 am to help set up, cook, serve and clean-up – bring your food/drink items!
12/11 – Guest Speaker
12/15 – No Pancakes with Van Dam 😞
12/18 – CIA Christmas Party – Bring a ‘no more than’ $10 gift to exchange, food/drink item from signup and wear an ugly sweater or pajamas for a fun evening!
12/25 – No CIA – Merry Christmas!
Mark your calendar…
No Youth Group January 1 – Happy New Year!
January 3-4 – Lock-in at the church – We’ll meet at the Indianola Wellness Center at 5 pm for some swimming fun/time in the gym and then head back to the church. More information to come!
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” 3 John 1:2
Please call or text Van Dams with any questions at (515)689-2797.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The church office will be closed on Thursday, November 28 & Friday, November 29. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Pastor Macc will be out of the office on November 28 and 29. Please call her in case of pastoral emergency during this time. Pastor Macc will also be out of the office from December 25 through January 1. In case of pastoral emergency, please call your deacon and s/he will put you in touch with the pastor on call.
The Peace & Global Witness Offering collection total for 2024 was $2,850. Thank you for your generosity!
Mission-related Gift Ideas – There will be olive wood items from Touch of Grace in Bethlehem for sale in the Fellowship Hall, following worship on November 24. This is a Presbytery-initiated project to provide a small amount of financial relief to those who are dependent on (currently nonexistent) tourism.
Des Moines Concert Handbells will be here in our sanctuary on Saturday, December 7 at 4 pm. Join us in listening to some fabulous music by the very talented ringers from the Des Moines area. Bring your friends and neighbors – everyone is welcome. Let’s fill the sanctuary and enjoy the best music of the season! A free holiday concert right here at Trinity!
TEST and Don Justo Coffee will have El Salvador items available for sale in the Fellowship Hall, following worship on December 8. Sales support the mission of Our Sister Parish which is dear to the hearts of many at Trinity. The olive wood items will also be available on that day.
Don Justo Coffee Specials – November special is all 1lb flavored coffee for $10. December special is 3 for $5 on all samples.
It’s fertilizer time for our Salvadoran families. Your support will help good things grow in the lives of our families in El Salvador. Enjoy picking a family picture and put it up somewhere at home where you can see it regularly to think and pray for them. Thank you for your help and support for our Trinity Salvadoran families.
CIA is collecting donations to fill blessing bags and care packages for Trinity graduates. We will put a basket in the entrance of both buildings if you can help. Items needed: mini shampoos/conditioners, bar soap, toothbrushes & small toothpaste, Ziploc bags (gallon & sandwich size), individual snacks, pudding cups, pull off top soups/SpaghettiOs/ravioli, applesauce cups/packets, big bags of chocolate bars, ramen/mac-n-cheese cups, gum packets, Chapstick, fruit snacks, small containers of pringles, breakfast bars, gift cards, etc.
Martha Morning Circle will meet on December 11 at 9:15 am in the Fellowship Hall. Betty Crawford will be our hostess and Marilyn Lawson will lead us as we study Lesson 4 – Water Justice. Please join us for fellowship, Lesson 4 and a short business meeting. All are welcome.
Stewardship Drive – Please consider your commitment for next year and return your pledge card and time & talents sheet to the church office as soon as possible. Our goal is to receive a pledge card from all members and friends of Trinity. Thank you for your continued support. I&S
Annual Report Deadline – To allow time for the preparation of the Annual Report for Trinity’s Annual Congregational Meeting, please plan on emailing all reports to the church office by Friday, December 6. If you have any questions, please call or email Wendy.
Mission Ministry Team Update – Mission continues to make an impact on our community. Heal House has assisted 41 guests (including 17 children) ranging in age from 2 months to 72. Trinity member Jo Byers serves as Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator. Deacon Bill Hopkins volunteers on Tuesdays and when needed. Mission has given money to the Trinity Quilters to help buy needed supplies. They make beautiful quilts to give to people in need. A mission that touches the lives of many. We will be holding the Touch of Grace in Bethlehem in a few weeks. A perfect time to do some Christmas shopping and help a struggling country. Rebecca Swainey and Rodney Prickett volunteer once a month at Open Table. This is an important ministry. In the first 10 months of 2024 there were 1,831 free meals served.
Directory Updates:
Mark Koskamp
110 E Center St
Des Moines, IA 50309
Everett Brown
1203 North E St #2333
Indianola, IA 50125
Budget Update October 31, 2024
GENERAL OPERATING FUND
Beginning balance $ 71,910.73
Revenue 23,434.58
Expenses (33,823.03)
Ending balance $ 61,522.28
RESTRICTED FUND BALANCE $ 63,682.37
Highlights from the October 23 Session Meeting
- Update from PNC – Tom Westbrook and Maurice Dyer presented the video that was created by the videographer. It will be shared with the congregation soon and is being added to the website. Discussion on effective salary range for new pastor. More time is needed for budget information to be gathered.
- Margaret Blair and Barb Yearous will attend November 9 Presbytery meeting in Grinnell as commissioners.
- Session meetings from now through May will start at 7:30 rather than 7:00 to allow choir members time to practice.
- Review of Sexual and Physical Misconduct Policy complete.
- No Lord’s Supper on November 3 due to All Saints’ Day.
- Session will host SWAT on November 13.
- Approval of fund raising projects – CPSR to sell olive wood items from Touch of Grace in Bethlehem to help provide financial relief to those who are dependent on tourism. Items will be available November 24 – December 8. TEST to sell items from El Salvador prior to the holidays to support OSP.
- Recognition of Member Nick Van Dam for painting the new PATH door.
Looking Ahead in December:
December 1 – 1st Sunday of Advent/Communion
December 8 – 2nd Sunday of Advent/Youth Christmas Program followed by CIA Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
December 15 – 3rd Sunday of Advent/Chancel Choir Christmas Cantata
December 22 – 4th Sunday of Advent/Christmas Joy Offering
December 24 – Christmas Eve Service at 7 pm
The Christmas Joy Offering has been a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s. The Offering distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. The Assistance Program provides critical financial support to church workers and their families. Presbyterian-related schools and colleges provide education and leadership development while nurturing racial and ethnic heritage. This has been a Presbyterian commitment for nearly 140 years. The Christmas Joy Offering will be collected during Advent – December 1 to December 22, 2024.
Pause for PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee)
11/10/24 Service, By Tom Westbrook
So, how many Presbyterians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: We really don’t know. Presbyterians sit and pray for the light to come back on.
When our light goes out, when it is time for a change, we get to work. And isn’t it the case that when we change that old worn-out bulb, the new light shines even brighter? PNC is in the process of changing our light!
I want to review a few items we learned from our engagement process with you last month.
We discovered that our congregation is:
- passionate, thoughtful, and vocal – that’s good
- has a strong desire to succeed – no complacency – we’re ready to change the lightbulb
- we are better than we think/act – from our history of mission, our music programs, Christian education, SWAT, VBS, youth trips, etc – we are Faith In Action!
What we most want:
- We want to grow the church – no biggy here but there is no consensus on how
- We have a strong interest/need to incorporate elements of the contemporary service into our times together – again, no consensus on how
- We want prayer to serve as a cornerstone of our congregation’s actions – with no consensus on how
We don’t need to wait for our new Pastor to address these items and it is time to change our lightbulb on each of these.
What we want in a new Pastor:
- A person whose sermons resonate with us, are pertinent to our lives, make us think, stay with us throughout the week and invite us to come back each Sunday.
- A person whose work and actions invite us to be a member of a vibrant community of faith whose DNA is rooted in mission, spiritual development and community.
- A person who is present in our lives – from youth to seniors to staff – who knows us and cares about us.
- A person who has experience serving a church or churches – someone who has been around the block a bit.
Applying Koozes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, we want our new Pastor to:
- Model the Way of our faith, our values and for our faith development.
- Inspire a Shared Vision of our possibilities and reality – is forward looking.
- Challenge the Process – moves us to higher levels of success – helps us to understand that the status quo will not sustain us.
- Enable Us to Act – we are Trinity and it is we – you and me – who will make the difference. To this end, we want a Pastor who will build our confidence that we can do so much more if we believe in God, each other and ourselves.
- Encourage the Heart – who helps us to recognize our accomplishments and celebrates our successes. Who is with us in good times and when we struggle. To help us realize we are worthy.
A few challenges we face:
- That the demand for Presbyterian Pastors far exceeds the supply of available Pastors. We will do the best we can.
- That our compensation package may not be competitive, at least in comparison with regional Presbyterian churches or local churches. We will do the best we can.
Next Steps – (a quiet phase):
- We will complete our MDP and hope to have it live early January.
- We will receive a list of candidates.
- We will start the selection process.
Our Commitment – to keep you informed every step of the way. Let’s work together to change the lightbulb and realize a brighter future. Thank you!
TRINITY STAFF
Transitional Pastor – Rev. Erica MacCreaigh
Office Administrator – Wendy Dowell
Children and Youth Director – Amy Fredricks
High School Youth Directors – Nick & Becca Van Dam
Middle School Youth Directors – Paul & Rachael Wilson
Minister of Music – Mark Koskamp
Chancel Bells & Calvin Choristers Director – Chari Kruse
Chancel Choir Accompanist – Anna Lackaff
Calvin Choristers Accompanist – Gary Richardson
Custodian – Kerry McKasson
Sunday Childcare Attendant – Glenda Richards
Financial Secretary – Betty Dyer