If there is one thing we stress at Triune, it is living in a radically welcoming worship community. One of Jesus' foremost commandments was "Love one another." 

        Hard to do that in isolation.

        So we worship, eat, study, wash clothes, garden, make art, and volunteer together. And our ideas bang and clang off one another.

         As I was preparing a sermon this winter, I stumbled across Clarence Jordan's commentary The Cotton Patch Version of Paul's Epistles. And in those three chapters of

 I Corinthians in which Paul deals with spiritual gifts, including speaking in tongues, he interrupts himself to talk about "a still more excellent way." And instead of a period after the sentence, Jordan places a colon -- a colon that introduces chapter 13, the so-called love chapter. In other words, spiritual gifts are fine, but the content of this love chapter is paramount.   

     "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I  am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."  

        One of our parishioners, Karen Lucci, bounced off that idea to write this poem: 

Repunctuation

It first came to my attention as a possibility when my pastor changed a period to a colon

                                                    At the end of the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians

                                                    Changing the meaning immensely

                                                    Giving the scripture more grace

                                                    Making it more proactive

And I thought to my self

                                                    Maybe I've been punctuated all wrong

                                                    Maybe handfuls of periods were indiscriminately flung

                                                    Into my life where colons and dashes should be

Maybe bushels of periods have been cramping my style

                                                     Restricting my life

                                                     Damming me up

Maybe I'm more like a free flowing melody than a tidy paragraph

Worship and Bible Studies (Average Attendance):

Sun AM ..... 249               Sun PM .... 36               Tues PM  .... 116           

Meals and Assistance Programs:

Hot meals ............ 1,878                                  Adult clothing recipients ... 310                       

Grocery boxes......... 188 households               Child  clothing recipients... 102             

Pop-top groceries... 116 individuals                 Coats ................................. 51  

Laundry loads .......... 75                                    Blankets ...........................   74 

Bikes .......................... 3          

People admitted to drug rehabilitation.......  7           

March 3, 11 AM -- Mechelle Luster and Denise Smith will solo, and Deb will preach on "Found in translation." 

6 PM --  Robbie Boman will lead a service on "Prayer and Prophecy."  

March 10, 11 AM --  Guitarist Taylor Moore will join us, and Deb will preach on "We fall down."    

6 PM -- Rev. Jerry Hill will speak.  

March 17, 11 AM -- The Triune Gospel Band will perform.  

6 PM -- Rev. Jerry Hill will speak. 

March 24 , 11 AM -- The choir from First Presbyterian Church of Greer will join us for Palm Sunday, and the Voices of Mercy will perform "Hosanna" from Jesus Christ Superstar. Chris Rose will solo.

6 PM-- Christopher Bailey, a Princeton Seminary student interning with United Ministries, will speak.  

March 27, 6 PM -- Walk to the Cross, a quiet and solemn walk among our downtown churches with stops for Passion readings, will begin on the steps of Buncombe Street UMC and end in the Triune sanctuary. 

March 31, Easter Sunday, 7 AM -- Join Earle Street Baptist, Trinity Church and Triune for this combined sunrise service at Triune. We'll feature musicians from all three churches, and Deb will preach on "The constant gardener."  

11 AM -- The Voices of Triune will sing for this joyful Easter service. 

6 PM --  Rev. Jerry Hill will speak. 

 City Prayer - Each Wednesday at noon       

Serving in March:   

Advent UMC                                                  Pelham Road Baptist  

Buncombe Street UMC                                  Piedmont Park UMC

Earle Street Baptist                                         Prince of Peace Catholic

First Baptist of Mauldin                                   St. Giles Presbyterian

First Presbyterian of Greer                               St. Matthew UMC

Food for Life Ministries                                    Trinity Church

Grace Covenant Presbyterian                       Triune Mercy Center

Holland Park Church of Christ                       Valley Brook Outreach Baptist

In memory of Carol Whatley - Leith Whatley

In memory of Carol Whatley, Cleon Moon, Lewis Stewart, Paul Bently, and Mike Johnson - Alvin & Sarah Drake

In honor of Sally Reid & Todd Lauterio wedding - Devon & Todd Anker

Aldersgate UMC

Robert & Susan Ariail

Cathy Bailey

Joyce & Joseph Bearden

Julia Bellew

Harold Boman

Leanne Boone

Jim & Sandra Cain

City Church

Robert & Dawn Coyne

Farroll Daniels

Sheri Donofrio

Carla Felton

First Presbyterian Church of Greer

Fluor Daniel

Mike & Sandy Franklin 

Allen Freeman

Gleaners Sunday School Class - Covenant UMC

Christopher Goss

Mike & Trish Harrison

Margaret Heatherly

Carol Hinton

Susan Inman

John Knox Presbyterian Church

Brian Jones

Sharon Manquen

Don & Cheryl McMahan

Cecile Michon & Jerry Lloyd

Ken Moody

Dianne and Luis Moreno 

Pisgah UMC

Praise Cathedral Church of God

Questers Class - Aldersgate UMC

Resurgent Capital Services, LP

St. Giles Presbyterian Church

Shalome

Bernard & Cynthia Showman

Kenneth Smith

Southern Om Yoga Studio

Russell & Susan Stall

Sarah Swartz

Ten Thousand Villages

Theologs Group - Westminster Presbyterian Church

Mark & Beth Vanostenbridge

Carole & Robert Vaughn

Jo Ann Walker

Barbara Wallace

Valerie Weatherly

Cooper & June White

P.B. Wickensimer

Hans Wiegert

Margaret Williams

Mary Frances Willingham

Plus, thanks to all our faithful worshippers!

And thanks to: Rachel Adams, Betsy Baumgardner, Harriett Bell, Berea Friendship UMC Women's Circle, Kathy Brown, Pam Bruce, Buncombe Street UMC Boy's Basketball teams, Carole Dansby, E. I. Day, Minnie Sue Douglas, Earnestine Drummond, Edwards Road Baptist Church, Leslia Fairfax, First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Women's Bible Study, Hayden Hays, Lea Hurdle, Albert Jillson, Little Pampered People, Bob Lloyd, Joe Malone, Terje Pollard, Elsa M. Poole, Katherine & Mitchell Rogers, Barbara Rumrill, Gwen Seagraves, Dan & Betty Shearer, Stainless Ministries, Princess Stall, Susie Taft, Carolyn Tomlinson, Trinity Lutheran Church, Leith Whatley, Doris Williams, Elizabeth Wilson and Tim Youginan for donations of clothes, food, and other items.