In today's first reading we hear, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Yet we know we cannot achieve perfection. Our attempts to love neighbors and even our enemies fall short of what God desires for us. Yet in Jesus we see one who loved even those who persecuted and killed him. We are made holy in baptism, and forgiven at the table of God's mercy. As a people made holy by God, we go in peace to love as we have been loved.

Schedule this Sunday:

• 8:30 a.m. - Simple Eucharist
• 9:15 a.m. - Choir Rehearsal
• 9:30 a.m. - Adult Forum and Sunday School
• 10:30 a.m. - Sung Eucharist and Installation of Congregation Council 
• Music: Choir

Sunday Forum

This Sunday: Reflecting on the Scriptures of the Day
9:30 a.m. (St. Mark's Room - upstairs)
Join us as we discuss the lessons for today.

Fair Trade Sales

Following each service, several members will be selling Fair Trade goodies such as coffee and chocolate. Stop by and see what they have, buy some to support fair trade!

Lessons for Next Sunday

Prayer of the Day
Holy God of compassion,
you invite us into your way of forgiveness and peace.
Lead us to love our enemies,
and transform our words and deeds
to be like his through whom we pray,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Attendance Last Sunday
8:30 - 25; 10:30 - 158

Financial Update Through January 31, 2011
Actual Offering through January 2011: $23,001
Budgeted Offering through January 2011: $28,375
Difference: ($5,374) under
Total Offering through January 2010: $32,428 - $2,332 over budget

Tonight 7 p.m. - Contemplative Eucharist

Taize Service on February 23, 7 p.m.

If you like the use of the piano in worship, if you like a quiet, contemplative service, if you appreciate candles and incense, if your spirit seeks some spiritual nourishment, we hope you will come to the Contemplative Eucharist in the Style of Taize. The liturgy includes some simple repeated chants, and a generous period of silence. We appreciate Andrew Fredel coordinating these monthly services.

Support Music at Holy Trinity

The music at Holy Trinity is inspiring and beautiful not only on festivals and at special musical events, but at every liturgy. Though our operating budget includes funding for choir music, instrument maintenance, and contract musicians, it does not cover the costs of our annual music program and special music series. Help support this important ministry of music with which we are so blessed! Write a check to Holy Trinity with "Music Series" on the memo line, or give online now. Special music events this year:

• Bach Cantatas in worship (likely March and October)
• Brass quartet at both Easter services
• Vocal recital by Dr. Steven Lancaster (teacher of vocal studies at Notre Dame)
• Annual Advent Lessons and Carols

New Members

This past Sunday we welcomed the following new members to our community of faith: Mark and Kathy Lund; Andy and Lisa Snyder; Matthew Steiner; John Nordwall; Tonya and Kurt Ames. Please greet them when you get a chance. Get to know them better by reading their bios and putting names with faces here.

New Congregation Council
This coming Sunday we will install the Congregation Council for the coming year:
 Karen Andersen-Moran (president), Lisa McDaniel (vice-president), Megan Whitaker (secretary), Steve Hopwood (treasurer), Sarah Hanson, Ed Beach, Leon Stevens, Meggen Saka, Kelley Bender, Kristi Harreld, and Pete Hillman. We are thankful for their leadership and please remember them in your prayers. 

VOICES Initiative: Purpose & Principles

After five months of conversations and listening, see the results of our hard work! Read through our Purpose Statement, Guiding Principles, and Strategic Directives here.

 

food4thought.................................
Sunday, February 27, 11:45 (following the 10:30 a.m. service) 

   

 

Economy of the Kingdom: Jesus on the Practice of Grace    Led by Ray Pickett, professor of New Testament at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago   The current economic crisis provides an opportunity to look at the market economy as a totalizing system that defines value and deforms desire. In this session we will discuss practical wisdom from the teachings of Jesus about how the practices that release us from captivity to an economic system that keeps us beholden can improve the quality of our life together.

 

Meet some of the great people of Holy Trinity

Enjoy a healthy, delicious meal 

Engage a stimulating topic

 

The meals prepared for food4thought support local farmers, educate volunteers from the congregation in healthful cooking, and help us care for creation through organic and sustainable food systems.

 

Ways You Can Still Help With the Meals:

1.     Help Matthew cook - learn some culinary skills! (2-3 people, start at 9:15 a.m.)

2.       Help clean-up from 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. (2 persons)

Sign-up for one of the above by emailing the office.

Books Available: Rediscovering Values

Each year Holy Trinity designates a book for our community to read together in Lent. Lent is still a month away, but we want you to get a head start on reading this wonderful book! Through a special sale we were able to get the hardbound books for $10. They are available at the back of the church! There will be several discussion options offered during Lent.

Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street.
By Jim Wallis, bestselling author, public theologian, and international commentator on religion and public life.
Wallis invites us to use our economic uncertainty to find moral clarity. Too often we have been ruled by the maxims that greed is good, it's all about me, and I want it now. Those can be challenged only with some of our oldest and best values--enough is enough, we are in it together, and thinking not just for tomorrow but for future generations. Wallis challenges us to wrestle with the questions of values together: as families, friends, churches, mosques, synagogues, and entire communities.    

PARTICIPATE IN A LENTEN DISCUSSION GROUP on

Rediscovering Values:

1) Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. as part of the Sunday forum; beginning Sunday, March 13
2) Sunday noon - Special young adult (20's/30's) group, discuss over lunch after church; beginning Sunday, March 13
3) Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. - for those free on Thursday mornings; beginning Thursday, March 10 

 

Winter 2011 Dinner Groups

Always popular here at Holy Trinity, these groups meet in a home for dinner in which the host provides the main course and others provide the side dishes. Sign-up as a couple, with a friend, or by yourself at the back of the church or by emailing the office by Wednesday, February 23. Let us know if you are willing to host 8 - 10 people and if you request a location near an el stop. After that we will divide the participants into groups; the host will contact you by e-mail and your group will set a weekend date in late March or early April. Over 50 people participate in dinner groups at Holy Trinity; it's a great way to meet new folks in our community!

Love In A Glovebox

Holy Trinity's Sunday school children are excited about a new service project called Love in a Glovebox. 

Bags full of necessary and helpful items for the homeless will be assembled by the children, blessed by us all and distributed to Holy Trinity members. Keep one in your glovebox or backpack and when you come across someone who looks like he/she could use a lift, hand them a bag of necessities.  

 

Please help by donating any of the following items. Bring them to the church office or place in the designated box in the back of the church:

• Gloves (scarf, hat or headbands also welcome)
• Boxes of raisins
• Granola bars
• Cough drops
• Lip balm
• Travel Kleenex
• Combs
• Gallon Ziplock bags
• Small bottles of lotion and hand sanitizer
• CTA passes
• $5 Gift Cards for Jewel, Dominicks, Burger King or McDonalds

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Sevig 

Holy Trinity Chosen for Yale Congregations Project

Holy Trinity is one of seven congregations of various denominations nationwide chosen for the Congregations Project of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Read more about it here 

Stardreamers Theatre Company needs you!

We're looking for a few stage crew personnel to handle props and puppets for our production at Unity in Chicago on Feb 26. Our "Ebony Ones" (you'll dress in black) will need to rehearse with us on Monday 2/21 and Friday 2/25 evenings, then be in the performance at 2pm on Feb 26. This is a short inspirational children's production based on Will Crutcher's book, Stardreamers' Land of YesYouCan (Will is Barbara Wahler's partner). If you'd like to sign on or learn more, please email Barbara Wahler or call: 773-973-3785.

Save the date: On Feb 26, Stardreamers' Land of YesYouCan by Will Crutcher will be staged at Unity of Chicago!

"Team Trinity"

Please consider joining Team Trinity today! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Thursday, Feb 17 - 6:00 p.m. at Lakeview Pantry; Sat., Feb 19 - 7:00 p.m. at Youth Shelter.  It is Holy Trinity's goal to register as many members on-line to assist in helping with our ministry projects within the community.  Simply log-in now and sign-up online to volunteer today: http://holytrinity.volunteerhub.com.  Let's serve those in need together!

Dates to Remember:

New Members: View pictures/bios of recent new members: October here, December here, February here.
Next Baptism Dates: May 15, June 26, August 21, October 23, December 4. More info.
Next New Member Orientation Dates: May 1, 2011.  More info.

Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Wed., 1:00-8:00 p.m.; and Sun., 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 

Those ill or in special need: Mary Nack and family, grieving the death of her mother; Kathy Lund, those struggling with infertility; Susan Pare, Bruce Beal's mother; Tish Depner and her family; Paul Hanson; Tish Depner, friend of Greg Zinkl; Liam Anderson; Victims of the shooting in Tuscon, Arizona and their families; our political leaders and our country; Bob & Carol Stoher; Sam Zangri; Paul Geist III; Christine, friend of Susan Twetten; Mary Cannon; Sam Patitucci; Patti Ann Smith; James Emery; Brent Vicknair; Sam Horcher; Colin and Veronica Fiegel; Sam and Ang Zangri; Mark Sauer; Barbara Wahler's friend, Jim Haring; Bill Glawe, Garrett Glawe's grandfather; The Levine family; Alan Stang, Jeff Stang's father; Paul Weber; Scott Johnson's mother, Virginia Johnson; Chris Stelter's grandmother; Rick Boyum's mother; Victor Jimenez; Vivian Carter; Marji Shannon's sister; Ken Duckmann's nephew, Anthony Drago.

Those in leadership: President Barack Obama, congress and judges; Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and Metropolitan Chicago Synod Bishop Wayne Miller; the pastors, staff and congregation council at Holy Trinity. 

Serving in the Military: Benjamin Brackley, in Afghanistan.   

Metropolitan Chicago Synod Prayer Rotation:  

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke, Chicago IL 
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Archbishop Jukka Paarma
• Greater Milwaukee Synod, Bishop Jeffrey S. Barrow 

Ministries Supported by Holy Trinity: ELCA World Hunger Appeal; RefugeeOne; Lakeview Action Coalition; Lakeview Pantry; The Crib; Lutherans Concerned; The Night Ministry; Christian Peacemaker Teams; Arise Chicago; Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches; The Lutheran Volunteer Corps; Anti-Racism Team of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod; Holy Family Lutheran Ministries; Lutheran Youth on the Northside (LYONS).