REGULAR WORSHIP
English worship – 11:00 AM every Sunday.
German worship – 9:30 AM on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.
All of our services are livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
Upcoming (and past) live streams can be found at: TLC YouTube livestreams
Missed a Sunday and want to catch up?
The TLC YouTube channel has recordings of all of our services for the last 2 years; select “Live” to see recordings of our Livestreamed events and “Videos” to see recorded services.
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December 2024 Team
The Christmas edition of the Trinity Team is now available – to read it on-line click on the image below:
(pdf reader required). Paper copies are available in the Atrium at Trinity if preferred.
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October Council Meeting Summary
The Church Council met with some Property and Maintenance committee members at our October meeting. We heard more details about plans for a security assessment of the area surrounding the church, which is currently planned for November. The property committee has had a reduction in volunteers over the past several years, so if you or someone you know might be willing to help out with projects from time to time, please let Norm Ritter or the office know. Other topics discussed at the October meeting were the adoption of a new code of conduct for church council members, the volunteer appreciation event in October, and the upcoming November coffee with the Council to discuss a draft rental policy. In addition, the Council discussed a request from a liquor store for Trinity to write a letter of support to the city for the store to put up advertising near our cemetery, which the Council decided to decline.
We look forward to seeing Trinity members after the English service on November 24 for our rental policy discussion – please mark your calendar and plan to join us!
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Mark Your Calendars: 55+ Christmas Dinner on Thursday, December 5th
Trinity Lutheran Women are sponsoring their annual 55+ Christmas Dinner on Thursday, December 5th, 2024. The doors are open at 12 noon for refreshments, with luncheon starting at 12:30. This event is open to everyone, and TLW encourages you to invite your family and friends to share this celebration with them. The participants will be enjoying a hot catered meal (traditionally turkey and fixings) and wonderful entertainment. The tickets are $35.00 per person and are available between the services and after the English service on November 10th, November 17th, and November 24th. They will also be available at the office until Thursday, November 28th. Please note that no tickets will be available after November 28th, and they will not be available at the door.)
If you have any questions, just ask any TLW member. They look forward to celebrating with you!
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Advent Book Study
We are gearing up for an Advent book study! Be welcome to journey through the season with Christine Valters Painter’s book A MidWinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness. Here we dig into the apparent absence of God during times of loss and grief, and encountering God during moments of silence and abandonment.
The book can be purchased at Chapters-Indigo here or at various independent sellers.
We will meet on Thursdays at 9:30 AM both here at the church and via Zoom starting November 21st, 28th, December 5th, and 12th. Contact Pastor Erin or the church office if you wish to participate! If you aren’t able to attend during that time but would like to go through the book anyway, contact Pastor Erin. She would love to continue to journey with you!
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Kids’ Activities
It is wonderful to see children coming to services at Trinity with their parents, but we know it can be hard for young ones to sit through a whole service. We want to involve kids more and are looking for help from the congregation. One way to invite children to participate is by having them use simple percussion instruments (like maracas or shakers) for some of the songs. If anyone has any small hand-held percussion instruments at home that you would be willing to donate to the church, please let Pastor Erin know. The second way you can help is if you would be willing to be part of a team available to do an “on-call” Sunday school. If you would be willing to have your name on a list of people who would be willing to help with crafts or activities on Sundays when we have several kids in church, please send a note to the Council Chair (councilchair@trinity-lutheran.ab.ca). If you have other ideas for ways we can support children and families at Trinity, please send your ideas to that same email address. Thank you!
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September Council Meeting Update
This month, our Council spent most of our time on two significant topics. First of all, we had a report from the revenue generation task force on the work to date. They have been generating ideas and exploring options, and while there are no easy solutions, there are several possible avenues to increase rental income that are being explored. We anticipate hearing more from them in the coming months. In the meantime, an important question has been raised about our policy on what kinds of activities will be acceptable to us. We would like to have a conversation with the congregation about a policy regarding this topic, so please mark your calendars for a “Coffee with Council” discussion after the English service on November 24. Concerning finances, our donation and rental revenue is at expected levels, however, our expenses to date this year are higher than anticipated due to the unexpected need to repair our air conditioning unit this summer. As we enter the final few months of the year, please consider whether you might be able to donate a little extra to help us close the gap.
The second major topic of conversation was about the unmet needs of our neighbours without houses, and the impacts of encampments on our church building and congregation. We know that we have a responsibility to both care for our neighbours without houses, and to maintain the safety of the building and surroundings, our congregation, and church tenants. To do our best to act on both of these responsibilities, the Council has decided on two actions. We are pursuing a security assessment of the church building and the posting of “no camping” signs as recommended by the police. We will also be seeking donations of clean, gently used blankets and maintaining our pantry supply of non-perishable snack food to be able to offer help to our neighbours.
We are grateful to all those who are part of our church body and contribute in so many ways.
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Food Donations Needed for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is coming up on Sunday, October 13! That means we will be starting our annual donations drive. This year, our food pantry is still relatively stable in terms of groceries. So we are seeking donations of dry and canned goods that will be donated to the UofA Campus Food Bank. Post-secondary students have been hit especially hard during this season of inflation, and their food bank continues to see record-breaking numbers of people needing healthy food. Stay tuned for a full listing of how we can offer support!
Thank you all for sharing together in our Thanksgiving Season!
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ARCHIVED ITEMS:
Fall Kickoff BBQ, This Sunday, September 22nd
Our annual fall kickoff BBQ is being planned as we speak! On Sunday, September 22nd, join us for a combined service at 10:30 AM with both our German and English congregations. Be sure to bring your school backpack, briefcase, or item from home that represents how you are entering this fall season, as we will be having our “Blessing of the Backpacks and Briefcases” during the service!
Afterwards, we are all welcome to join our church council for a BBQ out in the parking lot. Bring folding chairs to sit on, a set of cutlery and plates for you and your family, and enjoy some terrific food and great company. Let’s celebrate our wonderful church and community together!
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Worship Bulletins Going Back to Old Format
Thank you all for your patience as we experimented with reducing paper usage and creating accessibility in our weekly bulletins. Mixed feedback has suggested that returning to how we had the Sunday bulletins before would be more helpful, but with the agreement that we need to steward our paper resources faithfully and to become more carbon neutral as best we can.
With all of these comments in mind, we will return to using the former template of Sunday bulletins – including the order of service and announcements pages together. We ask that couples attending the service together consider sharing a bulletin. A blue bin will be placed in the sanctuary for folks to deposit their bulletins after the services should they no longer require them during the week.
Thank you all again for your patience as we seek to include accessibility, communication, and good ecological and economic stewardship together.
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June Church Council Meeting Summary
Church Council has a new practice of inviting a different Trinity group to join us for the first part of our monthly meeting, and our guests in June were the TLW. It was a good opportunity to celebrate their work to build community in our congregation and hear their questions and concerns.
Some good reminders for us were the importance of providing regular financial updates (we will aim to do this monthly going forward), to ensure that the congregation members are aware of who they can call if there are concerns with some of our neighbours who are unhoused (new posters are up to remind people we can call 211 for non-emergency requests, and 911 for emergencies), and to acknowledge that there will be changes for all of us as Sorin is working in the new part-time office assistant position. We are in an adjustment phase, and we ask for patience as we work through the transition.
Other conversations at our regular meeting included welcoming Anita Witzke as our newest member of the Council, an update from the revenue generation committee that they will deliver a report to the Council in September with some options, discussion about a process for updating the bylaws to reflect the smaller congregation size and early planning for events in the fall such as a September BBQ – please hold September 22 in your calendars! As always, please feel free to reach out to any member of the Council with questions or suggestions or send an email to councilchair@trinity-lutheran.ab.ca.
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German Confirmation Class at Trinity
On Tuesday, April 17th, a German-language Confirmation class will start at Trinity Lutheran Church. If interested, please contact the office. You can also email or speak directly with Pastor Reichel.
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Asking for Your Feedback
The Worship and Music Committee (Beverly Kavanaugh, Rosanne Thede, Deena Hinshaw, and Pastor Erin) has been reflecting on how Trinity’s mission statement applies to worship planning and, in collaboration with the pastors, will be trying some new elements in our worship services. Some of these elements involve opportunities for members of the congregation to participate in services in different ways, ranging from quiet reflective time during the service to actions such as lighting candles or congregational reading of prayers of the people. The worship and music committee is interested in hearing ideas and feedback from members of the congregation as we try new things, so please send input to us through the church office.
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Volunteers Needed
Trinity has many different volunteer committees and groups that through their work serve, support, nurture, and grow our congregation community in various ways. This is a wonderful time of year to explore the diverse opportunities available and get involved in great ways to connect with your church community. For further information, feel welcome to contact the church office.
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Community Services at The Neighbour Centre
The Neighbour Centre, operated by the Mustard Seed Society and located very close to Trinity at 10015 – 81 Avenue NW, is a great resource hub for the homeless community in Old Strathcona. They offer a wide variety of services, from hot lunches, showers, and laundry to computer and phone access, employment, mental health addictions, and dentist support. For a comprehensive schedule of the Neighbour Centre, please click here.
Columbarium Niches at Ellerslie Cemetery (Still) on Sale!
This is a friendly reminder that you can still save $400.00 if you purchase a columbarium niche at Ellerslie Cemetery! For more information, please consult this brochure or contact the office.
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SUPPORT OUR MINISTRIES
Interac Donations Now Possible
You can now use Interac from your online banking app to securely send your donations directly to Trinity. Just send the funds to: donation@trinity-lutheran.ab.ca. It’s safe and secure and managed through your banking app. You don’t need to provide any credit card information, and the donations will be recorded on your Trinity statement along with any donations made directly at church. Plus, Trinity does not pay a commission on these payments. Thank you so much for supporting our ministry!
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CLICK BELOW to make a secure donation through CanadaHelps using your credit card.
