Author: Kathy Erat

Trinity Lutheran Church

Newsletter
August 2022

1354 S. Otsego Ave. Gaylord, MI 49735 (989) 732-4816 www.trinitygaylord.com

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"What If?"

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Luke 11:1-2a, 11-13 - Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And He said to them, ... "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
I don't know about you, but in the back of my mind, sometimes, I hear a little doubtful voice saying to me, "What if I pray for this and it turns out to be the wrong thing? What if God hears me and gives it to me, and then something terrible happens? Maybe I should stop praying." I've heard others worry out loud about this. And of course we've all heard the fairytales where people wish for something and it turns out to be their worst nightmare! Jesus reassures us. He says, "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?" The answer is obvious. If the child asks for good, any sane, decent father will give him what is good. In the same way, if we ask for good, God will give us what is good. And we can take Jesus' analogy one step farther, too. What if a child asked for a snake or a scorpion, because he was too little to understand those were bad things? Would a good father give his child the evil thing he asked for? No, of course not. We would not do that. We would say "no" to the child, and give him something good instead. And God is far better than we are. We can pray with confidence, knowing that God will give us the good thing we ask for—or do something that is better in the long run. We can be sure of this because we know God's character. What is He like? The Bible tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (see Colossians 1:15). And Jesus Himself tells us, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9b). So what do we know about Jesus? We know what we see in the Gospels. We see Him healing and helping the poor, the needy, the hurting. We see Him teaching so that everyone has a chance to know God. And we see Jesus willingly going to betrayal, suffering, and death on a cross, because He knows the result of His suffering will be life, hope, and forgiveness for all of us—all of us confused, troubled sinners. The Savior who laid down His life for us and then rose from the dead—how should we not trust Him with all of our wants, hopes, and fears? He will care for us well.

NEWSLETTER
August 2022

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BIRTHDAYS

The following people have August Birthdays
8/7 Donald Rechlin
8/8 Ken Bernthal
8/8 Jennifer Martin
8/12 Laura Beach
8/14 Jean Seibel
8/15 Ken Williamson
8/17 Richard Kowalsky
8/23 Larry Whitney
8/26 Rich Wagner
829 Paula Beach
8/31 Roxy Mohr
8/31 Isabel Wingo

ANNIVERSARIES

The following people have
August wedding anniversaries:
8/6 Paul & Carolyn Cox
8/9 Tim & Janet Arner
8/9 Gene & Cathy Pickering
8/12 Matt & Lisa Boldrey
8/12 Staci & Kevin Brown
8/13 Roger & Elaine Raschke
8/21 Bill & Terry Stiles
8/23 Steve & Judy Anderson
8/30 Mark & Julie Hull
God’s blessings to all of you who celebrate your years of marriage!
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
6/26 76 $ 4,216.00 $ 450.00 $ .00 $ 4,666.00
7/3 66 $ 4,717.00 $ 306.36 $ 700.00 $ 5,723.36
7/10 73 $ 4,795.00 $ 18.00 $ .00 $ 4,813.00
7/17 77 $ 1,534.01 $ 20.00 $ .00 $ 1,544.01
7/24 96 $ 1,919.00 $ 1,469.03 $ .00 $ 3,388.03
*Mt. Hope Shared Expenses
The average weekly receipts needed to meet our 2020 budgeted expenses are $3,553.54.

KUT-UPS

As you know, Kut-Ups is on vacation for the summer. However this is the time to gather up sheets to be used for backings and liners as you clean linen closets or even garage sale. Some of you have left sheets in the closet and they will be sized for the appropriate use before we meet again in September. Enjoy the summer!
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NEWSLETTER
August 2022

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STEPHEN MINISTRY

Do you have a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative who has been struggling with the loss of a loved one, loneliness, cancer, a layoff, relocation, divorce, a spiritual crisis, recuperation, single parenthood, or any of countless other life challenges? Our Stephen Ministers can provide them with the focused care, encouragement, and support they need to make it through the crisis. If you know of someone who is hurting, talk with our Stephen Leaders: Laurie Breen or Pastor Ken or Pastor Paul . They can talk with you about how we can connect the person you know with one of our Stephen Ministers. It’s a great way for you to show how much you care!

OSBORN FUND

Osborn Fund: We have a special fund called the Osborn Fund that helps provide financial assistance to members who may find themselves in some kind of need at Trinity Lutheran Church. This was created back in 1973 in loving memory of Royal Osborn, who was an Elder and active participant at Trinity. It has helped numerous people over the many years.
If you are in need: Please don't hesitate to contact our pastor or your Elder who will help you apply confidentially for assistance through this fund. Examples of assistance given in the past year include: help with rent payment, utility bills, propane gas, and car repairs.
If you are able to donate: The integrity of this fund depends upon donations from members who are able to give above and beyond their normal church offering. If you would like to give a special contribution in order to help your fellow brother or sister in Christ, this would be a good place to direct your funds. You may place your donation in an envelope at church and mark it "Osborn Fund" and place it in the offering plate. Many thanks!

CANCER & FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP

Our meetings are the 4th Tuesday of each month The time is 5:30 to 6:30. This month we will be having someone from yoga 45 she is a new instructor there. From what I understand she is good. I am hoping she will be someone we will be able to get to come here for yoga classes once a week or every other week. Should be a fun time for all. Hope to see you at the class everyone is invited for this class, I will get more information and put it in the bulletin the first Sunday in August. For more information You can call or contact Elaine Raschke by email elaineraschke@gmail.com , you can also call or text at
989-350-4391.

NEWSLETTER
August 2022

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LWML NEWS AND NOTES

A planning meeting for the year for LWML will be held on Tuesday, August 16 at 10 AM in the fellowship hall. ALL women are invited. This is where we will be talking about the activities, projects and fundraisers we will be holding for the coming year. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see happen with LWML, please come. We would love to see you.
CHURCH PICNIC 2022
Trinity held its church picnic on Sunday, July 24th, after worship service. We gathered in our Fellowship Hall, due to wet weather outdoors. Lots of people had fun and fellowship and enjoyed the great food. Our thanks to the planning committee for arranging this, Tom Beach for solely cooking all our burgers, Nancy Ely and the kitchen helpers for setting everything out and cleaning up, and all who attended the picnic! We are also grateful to THRIVENT FINANCIAL for the Action Team Grant, which provided food items, paper products, tshirts, and prizes for our event!

As you can see if you were not there you missed a fun time and good food. Thank you to all who helped put the picnic together. God has really blessed our church with a lot of talent. Where there is a will there is a way , rain could not stop this congregation from it’s picnic. (Pictures cont. on next page)

Church picnic continued

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Again thanks to everyone who helped put this together

NEWSLETTER August 2022

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January-June 2022

We express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the following people in whose memory Trinity Lutheran Church received memorial contributions between January and July 2022
Memorials received...
In memory of Robert Breen:
Jim & Sharon Dortman
Nate Duhl
In memory of Vilma Ward:
Bob & Kathy Erat
In memory of Violet Erat:
Mary Applebaum
Janice Millhouse
Pam Affelt
Richard & Susan Straith
Bob & Kathy Erat
Loraine Fhorhriep
David & Paula McCulloth
Sharon Obermeyer
Warren & Bonnie Mason
Del Kruger
Donald & Janet Rechlin
Ron & Sharon Kwapis
Gene & Jean Seibel
In memory of Richard Sherman:
Tim & Jill Kotyuk
The Jensen Family
Detroit Lutheran Bowling Tournament
Association

Richard Sherman cont.
Patrick & Karen Gstalder
Donald & Janet Rechlin
Ron & Sharon Kwapis
Gene & Jean Seibel
Mary Warsop
Del Kruger
Jeff & Nancy Keller
Gary & Donna Cottrell
Bob & Kathy Erat
Helen Van Dusen
Laura Schulz
Stacy Selewski
Shannon Woodruff
Amy Finger
Kathryn Finger
Deter Giese
Northland Sportsmen Club
Carl & Shirley Roos
Robert & Shirley Dixon
Vic & Ida Selewski
Lil Madden & Family
Tim & Dapheny Hansen
Sharon Kato
Shari Burnham
Ernst Pfeiffer
Robert Barrigar
Ken & Ann Mertz

NEWSLETTER August 2022

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FAMILY FARE

Direct Your Dollars points now total 127,302 to meet our goal of 150,000 in order to receive $1,000 for Trinity. That means only 22,698 left to accumulate. We've come a long way so let's not give up now. Remember to ask friends, family, the customer in line for their sales receipt and bring it to church to place in the box on the shelf.

FOOD PANTRY

Our next date for working the food pantry is Friday, August 19, from 11:45 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. The sign-up sheet is on the board across from the office. Your help is needed. It takes at least four people to "shop" and pack and one more to do the paperwork.
The Otsego County Community Food Pantry Board of Directors needs one more representative from Trinity Lutheran Church. If you have questions and would like to serve on the board, please see Donna Cottrell.

BIBLE STUDIES

Sunday morning bible study wi/Dr. Tom Beach is at 10:30 am after the church service. Starting in September.
Wednesday morning bible study w/Rev. Ken Bernthal is at
10 am in the fellowship hall. Starting in September

PRAYER CHAIN

Stay In Touch: Here easy ways that you can stay in touch with what's going on at church if you're not already! Trinity has a Prayer Chain email that includes special requests from our members. This is a great way to support one another in holy prayer. If you do not have a computer and would like to be on the prayer chain just drop off you mame and phone number Please email Elaine in the office if you're interested in being on these email lists.
secretary@trinitygaylord.com

NEWSLETTER
August 2022

TRINITY CHURCH LIBRARY

Our church library has a LOT of great reading material to share with you! There are biblical reference books, inspirational readings, children’s books, and interesting Christian novels with a religious dimension. Wander in, take a look at our shelves (across from the church office), and feel free to sign out a book in the red spiral binder. Please mark in the sign-out book when you return it, as well.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Daily Devotions 1
Birthdays & Anniversaries 2
Financial Report 2
Kut-Ups 2
Stephen Ministry 3
Osborn Fund 3
Cancer & Friends 3
LWML 4
Church Picnic 4-5
Memorials 6
Family Fare 7
Food Pantry 7
Bible Studies 7
Prayer Chain 7
Church Library 8
Church Personnel/Leaders 8
People Who Serve 9
Church Calendar 10

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2022 Church Personnel/Leaders
Pastor Paul Schneider
Pastor Ken Bernthal
Elaine Raschke, Secretary (989) 732-4816
E-mail: secretary@trinitygaylord.com
Church Council
President Bob Erat
Secretary Kathy Erat
Board of Education Nancy Ely
Board of Outreach Elaine Raschke
Jennifer Martin
Board of Properties Roger Raschke
Board of Stewardship
Treasurer Mark Mohr
Assistant Kathy Erat
Financial Secretary Joann Whitney
Assistant Karl Scheiterlein
Member at Large Jim Kunisch
Member at Large Donna Cottrell
Event/Communication Coordinator
Tina Stier
Elders
President Tim Arner
Vice President Ken Mertz Wally Beasinger
Tom Raithel
Paul Schneider
Glenn Smith
Other Leaders
Stephen Ministry Laurie Breen
Sunday School Superintendent
Sharon Techel
Vacation Bible School Nancy Ely
Youth Director Dave Beyers
Staci Brown
Adventures in Faith Carla Elenz
Children’s Church Marge Kunisch
Helen VanDusen
Cancer & Friends Elaine Raschke
Choir Director Tom Beach
Organ/Piano Tom/Jean Beach
Virtual Organist Bob Erat
Judi Stutzman
Terri Raithel
Library Laura Beach
Kut-Ups Donna Cottrell
Nehemiah Group Roger Raschke
Altar Guild Co-Chairpersons
Judi Stutzman
Karen Schneider
Ladies Guild
President Elaine Raschke
Secretary Sharon Kwapis
Treasurer Karen Schneider
LWML “Women for Christ”
President Carla Elenz
Vice President Tina Stier
Secretary Marge Kunisch
Treasurer Kathy Erat

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DATE	TIME	ELDER	USHERS	GREETERS	COFFEE SERVERS	COUNTERS	ALTAR CARE	CHILDREN’S / TALK
8/7	9:00 am	Tim / Arner	Tom / Raithel, / Ron / Tesolin	Wally & / Pam / Beasinger		Brian / Techel, / Karl / Scheiterlein	Kathy / Erat	Nancy / Ely
8/14	9:00 am	Glenn / Smith	Dave / Beyers, / Roger / Raschke	Ken & / Ann / Mertz		Nancy / Ely, / Sandy / Smith	Jeanine / Boldrey	Nancy / Ely
8/21	9:00 am	Tom / Raithel	Mike / Goodrich, / Risa / Sherman	Bob & / Kathy / Erat		Ric / Francis, / Kathy / Erat	Ann / Mertz	Nancy / Ely
8/28	9:00 am	Ken / Mertz	Roxy / Mohr, / Linda / West	Appold / Family		Larry / Whitney, / Wendell / Smith	Nancy / Ely	Nancy / Ely

August 2022 Service Schedule

Jim K. Kathy E. Nancy E. Joann W. Judi S. Nancy E

LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
SERVE THE WORLD

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

Our God is a great God! We thank and praise Him for…
Continuing care of our congregation during our pastoral vacancy;
People who tirelessly carry on with the tasks God has given them to move our church forward in His mission;
The gift of Christian support during our trials;
The gift of His Word to guide us along life’s path, which ultimately leads us to our eternal life with Him.
Oh Lord, you have given us so much! Please grant us one thing more—a grateful heart!.

If you would like info on summer camp we have a brochure in the office about Camp Concordia in Gowen MI. Camping experiences are available for students grades 1-12. Inquire in our office, or go to
www.campconcordia.org.

SUMMER CAMP
Summer camp

Daily Devotion	1
Birthdays & Anniversaries	2
Financial Report	2
Stephen Ministry	3
Osborn Fund	3
Cancer & Friends	3
Carla’s Story	4-5
Outreach	5
Covid Food Dist. Truck	6
LWML 5-5-5 Walk	6
Movie Night	6
LWML News	7
Kut-Ups	7
Family Fare	7
Praise & Prayer	7
Kids Page	8
Church Personnel/Leaders	9
Prayer Chain	9
Service Schedule	10
Church Calendar	11

Our policy for bad weather is to cancel all activities when the schools are closed. Worship Services are very seldom cancelled unless you are notified by email or a phone call.

CANCELLATION POLICY

THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS

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