by Pastor Craig Mueller

We are ready to enter the Three Days. We have come to the end of Lent, and we are hungry to be fed with the great stories of our faith, and the life-giving rituals that bring us to new birth in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is a time for new beginnings. Today is the home opener at Wrigley Field. Tomorrow is the full moon and Jews will begin their celebration of Passover. Spring is in full bloom. It is a time for hopeful expectation. What is old is passing away. A new creation dawns among us. John will be plunged into the waters of baptism on Saturday evening. With unrestrained joy we, too, will go to the water to remember God's faithfulness, and to renew our promises to live as the body of Christ in the world.

As one writer puts it:
"These are the days of euphoria and treachery; days of the smell of oils and our own humanity; days of taking another's feet in our hand and tasting bread and wine on our tongues; days when we kiss wood and splash water; days when we gather around newly lit fire and straggle after it through the darkness until we catch fire from it; days when we sit around the fire and tell stories; days when we become a community able to make "Alleluia!" our song in praise of the Easter Light of the world." (Verna Holyhead)

It's not in doctrines and dogmas that we learn what Christians believe, but rather in the liturgies of the Three Days, and the ways that we are formed to be an Easter people for our hungry world. The Three Days is one liturgy in three parts: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. In our common commitment to one another and our faith, let us be faithful in gathering together with the body of Christ around the world.

A very joyous and blessed Easter to all of you!

Send a note to Pastor Mueller with your comments or reflections!

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER    

Schedule:

Weekly readings 

Can you help? Transportation assistance is needed on Easter Sunday for Elvina Moen. She lives at Astoria Place at 6300 N. California. If you are able to pick her up at 10:00 a.m. and bring her to the 11:00 service, please let Pastor Sevig know ASAP.

President
Meggen Saka

Vice-President
Kelley Bender

Secretary
Megan Whitaker

Treasurer
Steve Hopwood

Outreach
Kristi Harreld, Sarah Hanson

Social Ministry
Ken Duckmann

Finance
Don Marsh

Property
John Flowers, Leon Stevens

Spiritual Life
Megan Eichhorn

Worship
Johanna Olson

Easter Party

Join in on the fun and Easter celebration this Saturday, April 7th at 10:00 a.m. Festivities include crafts, coloring eggs, games and a hunt for treasures in the garden. RSVP to Pastor Sevig with number of children and adults. Volunteers to help on the day of the party are welcome. Please speak to Pastor Sevig if you are interested in helping with the party.

New Member Orientation

Maybe you've attended Holy Trinity a few times or many. Maybe you are looking for a church home. Maybe you have mixed feelings about church and whether it is for you. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome at Holy Trinity! Here is a special invitation to learn more about Holy Trinity, what makes Lutheranism unique, meet some other folks, and find out more about our mission and ministry. Orientation sessions are held four times a year. The next session is Sunday, April 15. We will meet from 9:00 - 10:20 a.m., followed by the 10:30 a.m. worship service. We continue upstairs in Passavant Hall over a light lunch, concluding before 1:00 p.m. Sign-up at the back of the church or email the office (office@htchicago.org).

Shawls... "wrap, unfold, comfort, cover, give solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify"

Holy Trinity's newly formed Shawl Ministry has held its first meeting and we have many hands busily creating knitted or crocheted shawls. Our next meeting will be held on April 15th after the 10:30 service in the choir room where we will bring our creativity and our united prayer of blessing to any completed shawls. We will then send out our woven prayers to people who may need solace or comfort in a time of physical or emotional need or in the midst of a time of celebration. Please let any of our members (Patrice Macken is the coordinator), Craig, Michelle, or Josh about any family or friend who may need the "unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God". And please join us as we range from novice to very talented knitters and crocheters.

Exciting Events on Sunday, April 29:

9:20 a.m. - food4thought
"Advocating for a Slow-Down Movement" -- with Rev. Joan Beck, Director of Spiritual Formation and Pastor to the Community at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Join us for a light breakfast and conversation. Pastor Beck will also be our preacher at both services on April 29. 

3:00 p.m. - Doug Williams Organ Recital
Doug Williams is currently Director of Music Minister at All Saints Lutheran Church in Palatine, and has served several Chicago area churches musically in the past. From 1993-2000 he was Minister of Music at Holy Trinity. He has sung and recorded professionally with the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle (formerly the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter's in-the-loop) and accompanied choral groups such as the Windy City Gay Chorus. We are excited to welcome him back to Holy Trinity for this program of Organ Music for Eastertide

Mark your calendars for three important dates in 2012:

--June 3: Holy Trinity Sunday picnic/block party
--June 8: Game Night Fundraiser
--December 2: Christkindl Market

...and find answers to three questions you may have:

1. WHAT are these events? June 3rd is Holy Trinity Sunday, so we'll celebrate with a water-themed block party. June 8th's game night and Dec 2nd's Christkindl Market will be our major fundraising events for 2012.
2. WHY are we having these events? Our annual summer picnic space is limited, so we're eager to take the party to the street--literally. As for our two major fundraisers, we're building on the momentum from last year's events as well as starting with seed funding in this area of the budget--an improvement over 2011! We continue to look for ways to reach out to the community and engage with intention as we work to raise money to support local benevolence at these events.
3. HOW can I be a part of these events? We're looking for people who can help with these events in the coming months! For info about the picnic/block party, contact Pastor Michelle or Megan Eichhorn. For info about Game Night, contact Kristi Harreld or Meggen Saka. Finally, anyone with an interest in making crafts, food, or otherwise helping with Christkindl Market, contact Sarah Hanson or Erika Robeck

Attendance Last Sunday 

8:30 - 32; 10:30 - 190

Special Congregational Meeting - April 22nd

Mark your calendars for a special congregational meeting following the 10:30 a.m. service. During this meeting members will be voting on amendments to the constitution, the allocation of money between the Mission Endowment Fund, Expansive Faith capital campaign loan, and a proposed Operating, Capital, and Opportunity Reserve.

Use the following links to access resources for the upcoming special congregational meeting:

--Amendments to the Constitution (amendments are highlighted)
--Reserve Initiative FAQs
--Reserve PowerPoint (presented at March 4th's forum)

Analyzing and Understanding Systemic Racism Workshop

This 2.5 day workshop will help you understand and analyze racism in our Church and society. Join us for an exploration of:
--The definition of systemic racism;
--The three manifestations of racism--individual, institutional, and cultural, and their effects on both communities of color and white communities;
--The issue of racism and the task of dismantling racism from spiritual, ethical, political and social perspectives, with the goal of equipping people to combat racism within their institutions and in the larger society.

April 26-28, 2012 - LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CHICAGO, 1100 EAST 55TH STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60615

This workshop is conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, caring and safety, and is not based on confrontation, guilt and judgment. Anyone who has an interest in developing a deeper understanding of racism and its impacts on our church and society is invited to attend. PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE - $35 PER PERSON (ELCA), $105 (Non-ELCA) Cost includes lunch, course notebook and workshop materials. See Barbara Wahler or Ken Duckmann for more information.

Announcing Taizé Gathering for Young Adults

A Taizé gathering that is part of the "Pilgrimage of Trust across the earth" will take place in Chicago from 25 to 28 May 2012 (Memorial Day Weekend). The venue will be DePaul University in Chicago. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 from all over the United States and Canada will take part. Three Taizé brothers are now living in Chicago and will be coordinating preparations in the city and region. Among other things, they will be working with friends from Chicago to find accommodation with families for the young adults coming from outside the Chicago area. 

For more information about the Pilgrimage of Trust please take a look at this site. Here you will find many resources explaining what the Pilgrimage of Trust is, as well as a provisional program for the Memorial Day weekend, and a short video promoting the event. 

Food, Faith, and Sustainability

Do you have a desire to know where your food comes from and the effect it has on creation? What does the Eucharist have to do with food sharing? Why do some neighborhoods have access to foods that others do not? Come chew over these questions and others as we explore the intersections between food, faith, and sustainability.

We will gather at 6:30 on Tuesday evenings at Inspiration Kitchens-Uptown (4715 N. Sheridan Rd.) and share a meal (prepared together) and discussion. To help guide our discussion we will be reading Just Eating. With questions, contact Anna and Matthew Petersen (ampete09@att.net)

"Team Trinity" Volunteer Opportunities

Please consider joining Team Trinity today! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Check out Volunteer website for upcoming opportunites.  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

--The Lakeview Pantry

Holy Trinity members help hand out food at the Lakeview Pantry on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. For more information or with questions, contact James Perez.

--The Crib

The Night Ministry has reopened their youth/young adult homeless shelter, The Crib. Holy Trinity will be preparing and serving a meal once per month. On the third Saturday of each month, volunteers will meet at Holy Trinity at 7 p.m. to prepare the meal, then will head to The Crib to serve the meal. For more information, speak with or email Ken Duckmann.

--The Night Ministry Outreach Van

Holy Trinity will be assembling and distributing 'meals in a bag' with the Night Ministry in Rogers Park on a quarterly basis. Stay tuned for more information and how to help out.

--PAWS Chicago

Spend an evening socializing shelter dogs and cats! Attend periodic adult volunteer nights where you can spend time acclimating dogs and cats to a life with a family by playing with them, brushing them, petting them, showing them how to play with toys, or just letting them curl up on your lap. You are welcome to pick dogs or cats - or both! THERE IS NO NEED TO ATTEND ORIENTATION. For socializing, you will be shown what to do at the Center. If you would like to do more advanced things, like walk dogs, feed the dogs and cats, etc., contact Beth Morris to talk about scheduling a more advanced orientation. .

Next Baptism Dates: April 22. More info.

Next New Member Orientation Date: April 15.  More info.

Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Wed., 12:00-7:00 p.m.; and Sun., 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 

Listen to last Sunday's service, including the dramatic PASSION ACCORDING TO MARK narrative, here   

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

    1:20 p.m.  Cubs Home Game 

    7:30 p.m.  Liturgy of Maundy Thursday 

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

    7:30 p.m.  Liturgy of Good Friday

SATURDAY, APRIL 7

     9:00 a.m. Preparations in the Sanctuary

     10:00 a.m. Easter Party 

    12:05 a.m.  Cubs Home game
    7:30 p.m.  Easter Vigil Service

    9:30 p.m.  Easter Vigil Reception

SUNDAY, APRIL 8

    7:45 a.m.  Choir Rehearsal
    9:00 a.m.  Easter Festival Eucharist w/strings, brass and Holy Trinity Choir

    11:00 a.m.  Easter Festival Eucharist w/strings, brass and Holy Trinity Choir

    1:20 p.m.  Cubs Home Game

MONDAY, APRIL 9 - **Church Office Closed**

    7:00 p.m.  Meditation Group

    7:05 p.m.  Cubs Home Game

TUESDAY, APRIL 10

    7:05 p.m.  Cubs Home Game

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 

    1:20 p.m.  Cubs Home Game
    6:00 p.m.  Contemplative Eucharist

    7:30 p.m.  AA & SAA (St. Mark's Room & Passavant Hall)   

Full Calendar of Events  

 

COMMEMORATIONS FOR THE WEEK

Wednesday, April 4 - Benedict the African, confessor, died 1589
Born a slave on the island of Sicily, Benedict lived as a hermit until the pope ordered all hermits to attach themselves to a monastery, at which time Benedict joined the Franciscans. Though illiterate, he was highly respected as a confessor and later superior of his community.

Friday, April 6 - Albrecht Dürer, died 1528; Matthias Grünewald, died 1529; Lucas Cranach, died 1553; artists
These great artists revealed through their work the mystery of salvation and the wonder of creation. Dürer's work reflected the apocalyptic spirit of his time. Though he remained a Roman Catholic, he was sympathetic to Martin Luther's reforming work. Grünewald's paintings are known for their dramatic forms, vivid colors, and depiction of light. Cranach's work includes many fine religious examples and several portraits of Martin Luther. Cranach was also widely known for his woodcuts.

Monday, April 9 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, died 1945
Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who wrote profoundly, yet in an accessible manner. In the Second World War, he became a leader of the Confessing Church in Germany that resisted the Nazi movement. Linked to a plot to kill Hitler, he was hanged shortly before the end of the war.

Tuesday, April 10 - Mikael Agricola, Bishop of Turku, died 1557
Consecrated bishop of Turku, Finland, without the approval of the pope, Agricola began a reform along Lutheran lines. In only three years, he translated the New Testament and worship texts into Finnish, in the process establishing the rules of Finnish writing that are still used today.  

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2010 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #26481.

Congratulations to Dick Tribble who will receive the Holy Family Ministries Wings of Gold Award for being a faithful board member, volunteer, and friend. For tickets to the fundraiser event head here

New members Adam and Amber Damerow gave birth to their daughter, Denali Josephine Damerow, on March 20.

Please send news about awards, new positions, life passages and other important events in your lives for this section of our e-news.

Rite of Passage: Imagining Baptism at the Easter Vigil in the Fourth Century  

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