Opportunities For Service

 SUB-HEADINGS
 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE — A Summary Statement
Young Peoples — Youth Group
Junior High Youth Group
LIFE (God's — Love Is For Everyone) — Our Choir
Ladies Aid
Altar Guild
Lutheran Women's Missionary League
LWML Medical Missions
Greeters
Public Relations Committee
Evangelism Committee
Cemetery Board
Board of Parish Education
Finance Board
Memorials Secretary
The Tape Ministry
Fair Booth Ministry
Lutheran Life Society Branch 9035
Braille Work
Lutheran Laymen's League
More to come . . .
 

We have many opportunities for you to offer up your talents and abilities in the Lord's work. (See the rest of this page for a partial list.)

Fellowship! During the year we hold many events. The Sauerkraut Supper, Fish Fry, Beef Dinner, A Mother/Daughter Banquet, Barbecue, Pancake Brunch, and  more .  .  .  you can eat or help and eat!

Small groups! We have two Ladies groups (Ladies Aid and LWML), two youth groups, a choir, small group Bible Studies, and much more  .  .  .

World Wide Ministry! Through our auxiliary's the Lutheran Laymen's League and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League – Canada, as well as through Canadian Lutheran World Relief, our ministry stretches the globe. Perhaps you have heard the Lutheran Hour (the largest Christian radio ministry in the world), or seen one of our Television programs . . .

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The goals of the Young Peoples are to grow in faith by studying God's Word, to develop relationships with Christian friends in the congregation and beyond, and to encourage and inspire one another to grow in God's grace.

Membership consists of youth from ages 13 and up. We encourage our second year confirmation class to join in September. There is no maximum age limit and we are happy to have those away at college or university join us when they are home for holidays.

Our regular meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 pm. As well, we usually hold a social each month, which includes many activities such as sports, movies and concerts. A long standing tradition of our youth group is our sauerkraut supper held each year on the second Thursday in February. On that day a multitude of people from our congregation help us prepare and serve enough food for over 450 people. From this event, we fund most of our activities.

Each year the district plans retreats at various locations in Ontario. We encourage our members to attend by paying part of the expenses. A large Canada wide retreat is held every three years. The next National Youth Gathering will be held at the University of British Columbia in the year 2001.

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A Junior High Youth Group for ages 9-12 began in 1995, and averages 25 members. The purpose of the group is to provide a fun, relaxed atmosphere where the members can develop Christian friendships. Like most congregations, our Sunday School children attend a variety of elementary schools. This group allows them to spend more time together than just the Sunday School hour. This is a parent run program, with one family hosting the day's event, and another family assisting. Activities include devotions, music, crafts, Bible activities, hiking, sports and theme parties. The group meets twice a month, on a Wednesday evening and a Saturday afternoon.

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LIFE is for those who love to sing. It meets every 1st and 3rd Monday evening from 6:30-7:30 pm at the church. We sing to share the love of Jesus with everyone "Make a joyful noise unto God."  Psalm 66:1

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We are a group of ladies who are ready to help the congregation in any way we are needed. We hold our meetings the first Wednesday of the month at 1:30.

We cater to Lions Club dinners, weddings and anniversaries for members of the congregation, bowling banquets, Firemen's ladies nights and funeral luncheons for members of the congregation. We try to hold an annual Fish Fry, Spring Luncheon and Beef Dinner. We serve coffee and doughnuts after Lenten Services, as well as serve cookies and drinks to the children at V.B.S., and help the Young People at their annual Sauerkraut Supper. We adorn the altar with flowers at Christmas and Easter and treat our shut- ins with flowers in February.

As a Mission outreach, we pay for Portals of Prayer for members of the congregation and we sponsor a Seminary student. We donate to Haldimand Charities, Bible-a-Month Club, the Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, Lutheran Hour and T.V. and Canadian Lutheran World Relief. We collect food for our local food bank and the Seminary food bank. We collect grocery store tapes and from the money received, we purchase articles for the Parish Hall.

We have a lot of fun while we are working together, and we invite any and all ladies of the congregation to join us! Some funds gathered from our endeavours are used to help maintain and renovate church properties. We always appreciate extra help when catering to large dinners and other functions. In addition, many ladies help us out by baking, or by participating in work bees.

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The Altar Guild sets up and takes down communion ware, puts up hymn numbers, restocks pews with pencil, paper and communion cards, changes altar paraments when needed and arranges altar flowers. Each Guild member is responsible for one month at a time. Three or four times a year we meet to clean and polish the brass and silverware.

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Trinity LWML is a member society of Lutheran Women's Missionary League - Canada, called to grow in and to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our motto is Called to Serve and we try to serve our Lord in various ways. At monthly meetings we participate in inspirational topic studies led by members, gather and dedicate our "mites" (mission offerings), conduct a brief business meeting, and share in a time of fellowship. We grow spiritually from the study of God's Word and spread this Good News to others. Added to this is the pleasure of each other's company, being with Christian friends is an added bonus.

Twice yearly Rallies are held when we meet with other societies in the Niagara Zone; once every two years District and National Conventions are held. They have interesting and inspirational speakers, as well as serving to carry out the business of the League. A wonderful publication 'Tapestry' is published four times yearly.

Members have a "mite box" in which we put small change offerings for projects chosen in Ontario, across Canada, and in mission fields around the world. These mites, when gathered with those of other members, amount to a lot of money and help with all sorts of mission projects. We have a mite-box Sunday each month when congregational members bring their offerings for our work if they wish.

Each school year we adopt a student from St. Catharines Seminary, remember him with monetary gifts, prayers and cards for his birthday and at Christmas and we invite him to join us at get-togethers. Several of our members make monthly visits to the shut-ins of our congregation and share a devotional reading with them. At the end of November we hold a mother/daughter/granddaughter Pot Luck Banquet. It is always well received and helps prepare us to celebrate a blessed Advent and Christmas season.

Fisherville LWML is one of two depots for Medical Missions in Ontario. Several times a year we have a packing day and much needed articles are mailed to places around the world.

Our meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of the month. Ladies of the congregation are invited to join us at any time. We greatly appreciate the men, women and young people who help with Medical Missions packing, and those in our congregation who fill mite boxes with their mission offerings for LWML mission endeavors.

In 1999 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the LWML in our Zone, thankful for our Lord's continuing blessings on our work.

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We have had a Medical Missions depot at Trinity church for 15 years, one of two depots in Ontario. Ladies groups from all over the province supply funds needed to pay postage and hospital supplies such as gloves, masks, and instruments for doctors and nurses.

Groups in these congregations assemble layettes and sheets, knit and roll bandages, make patient gowns from shirts, fold gauze squares, collect band aids, vitamins, aspirin, soap, adhesive tape, Tupperware, and antibiotics. The parcels are left at our church basement for repacking. Sometimes outside groups and young people help our own volunteers to pack, tape, label and deliver boxes to the Post Office. The cost to mail each box is approximately $40. In a typical year we ship over 100 boxes to a dozen locations in Africa, New Guinea, and the Philippines, and also many boxes go to Canadian Lutheran World Relief at no cost, thanks to Home Hardware in Selkirk.

We regularly get letters from recipients of these parcels, and it is good to know that they are really needed and deeply appreciated. It is a witness to people around the world of our love for Christ, illustrated by our concern for them.

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The  goal of this group is to make people feel welcome in our church. Greeting worshippers as they enter Church for service. Anyone may become a greeter by contacting the coordinator. Your turn comes approximately every 8 months. If unable to attend on your scheduled day, simply call the coordinator or exchange with a fellow greeter.

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Our purpose is to make others aware of what we have to offer at Trinity Church. This committee looks after advertising and submitting of information to publications. We help to organize a congregational barbecue and look after refreshments for fellowship time at special services and events, such as acknowledging the newly confirmed and new members as part of our congregation. We recognize the faithful service of members with the presentation of a plaque. The committee consists of two deacons and one representative from various groups within the church.

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Our purpose is to help our congregation 'make disciples of all nations'. To this end we seek to find ways to help our congregation better share the good news of what Jesus Christ has done, and is doing for us.

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The Cemetery Board consists of six elected members with a chairperson. They regulate and manage the cemetery on behalf of the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church.

When some changes are to be made, they are presented to the Church Council and then adopted by the Voters' Assembly.

The Board has to make sure that maintenance of the cemetery is done properly. They are thankful for all those who help out at work sessions.

It should also be noted that we hold a special memorial service each August.

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Our membership is made up of an elder, the Sunday School Superintendents and support staff, 2 Sunday School teachers, a Young Peoples representative and 2 members at large. Our purpose is to oversee the education programs of the congregation.  During our approximately 8 meetings per year, we set up the budget and oversee programs for the Sunday School, V.B.S.'s (both summer and March break), Bible Studies (LifeLight etc.), Young People's (resource material etc.) and Confirmation. We are in charge of selecting superintendents for both V.B.S.'s and for organizing Rally Day. We are also responsible for decorating the church for Christmas.

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The Finance board meets weekly to count and record the money that is in the offering envelopes. Four members are elected each year for a three year term. There are 12 members on the board, therefore you will only need to open envelopes every third week.   Schedules are prepared for the year for each member of the board and if you cannot come on at your scheduled time you may change with another member. There is much fun and fellowship at these meetings. This is a job that anyone can do and you will be surprised how fast 3 years can slip by!

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The Memorial Secretary looks after collecting the money for the memorial cards for funerals of our church members and also delivering them to the funeral home. This may be done in person or by phone. Church members sometimes pick up cards for funerals of friends from afar. After the funeral, donations are itemized and the money is given to the treasurer. At the end of the year, a list of donations is given to the financial secretary. Receipts are sent to all who make donations, members and non- members alike. The donations may be made to Missions, Lutheran Hour, Cemetery, Seminary, Building Fund, Church Improvement Fund, a few church organizations or whatever the giver requests.

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The worship services at Trinity are taped on a cassette recorder every week and are available to anyone who requests them. It is a great way for these people to keep in touch with their congregation and worship God.

Are you unable to attend a worship service? Catch it on the tape. The technology really isn't difficult to master - put your earphones on, push a button and listen. But, some of our shut-ins have an aversion to new things and need some help and encouragement. If you are a shut-in and would like to hear the services on tape or if you know someone whom you think would like this, please let the coordinator know. The ideal situation is for a relative or friend to act as a courier. Other arrangements can be made to suit each need.

In order for our supply of tapes to keep current, please return to the church all tapes that  you are now finished with. Thanks!

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Trinity congregation joins yearly with neighboring congregations of Lutheran Church - Canada from Delhi, Tillsonburg and Simcoe in having a booth at the Norfolk County Fair held every October in Simcoe. In the spring of 1999 the Fair Booth Ministry celebrated over 25 years of this service to the community, inviting volunteers from each congregation to an Appreciation Tea.

The booth focuses on reaching out to the unchurched by handing out literature such as Christian tracts. The Fair attracts around 150,000 people yearly and we reach about 4% of those children and adults who stop at the booth and show an interest in the material. Each congregation supports the booth financially and volunteers take turns manning the booth.

Our prayer is that God the Holy Spirit will move the hearts of people to respond to the tract messages. We plant the seed but God grants the increase - all glory to Him!

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Our society is comprised of individuals and their families who have insurance with Lutheran Life (headquarters in Waterloo) and who belong to Trinity or Redeemer congregations in Fisherville, and Faith Lutheran in Dunnville.

We have supplied napkins and place mats for meals, e.g. the Sauerkraut Supper, Rally Day, installations, Conventions, and Ladies Aid meals. Our major project is the annual Good Friday Pancake Brunch. Funds raised in the past from the Brunch have gone to a variety of projects. At present we are saving to provide small items in our building program. Lutheran Life assists by matching with a grant the money we raise. We enjoy doing this and take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us in the past by attending the Brunch.

Members in all three congregations receive plants for their 50th, 55th, 60th, etc. wedding anniversaries, and 80th, 90th, etc. birthdays. We give a carnation to Moms on Mother's Day, and to Dads on Father's Day, and we present the newly confirmed with a cross on the day of their Confirmation.

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For twenty-five years braille books have been mass produced by volunteers in Centres across Canada (ten Centres to date, the closest to us is at Redeemer, Hamilton). Each Centre strives to produce 150 books each month (in many languages) and these are mailed all over the world. Most go overseas to third world countries, to people who are blind and capable of reading braille. In many cases these are the only braille books these needy people most gratefully receive and read. The books are provided free of charge. Volunteers who help to produce braille in this way do not need to know the braille 'code'.

Another way to produce braille is by actually brailling the dots, using a brailler which is somewhat like a typewriter, and these volunteers have to learn the code. Now that we have advanced technology available, a lot of braille is produced by computer. Braillists who work in this way produce Christian material such as books and Sunday School lessons, etc.

Three members of our congregation work with braille, and more volunteers are needed. It is similar to learning another language, so if you have time to contribute and like new challenges, you may want to consider volunteering for this very worthwhile cause.

 

Lutheran Braille Workers

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Lutheran Hour Ministries

The radio program "The Lutheran Hour" is the cornerstone communication tool used by Lutheran Hour Ministries with the theme - "BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS, AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH".  This program is a weekly worldwide broadcast heard in more than 110 countries and produced in 31 languages. Dr. Dale Meyer is the speaker, with Dr. Wallace Schulz as the associate speaker (on English speaking stations). The Lutheran Hour is heard locally at 8:30 a.m. on 820 CHAM Radio.

Other Gospel outreach efforts of the Lutheran Laymen's League include print and cassette ministry; Lutheran Television (animated specials and TV series like, "This is the Life", now on VISN Cable);  and the "Woman to Woman" radio program, hosted by Phyllis Wallace and geared to today's issues of interest not only to women, but to everyone in need of Christ's forgiveness.

Efforts are also made to follow up ministry programs through referrals to Lutheran pastors in listening areas, the offering of Lenten and Advent devotional booklets to congregations and others, Bible study series, seminars and clinics. A Christian teaching program for TV "On Main Street", featuring Lutheran Hour speaker Dr. Dale Meyer is available on VISN TV. The program shares practical suggestions on today's issues from a Christ centered, Biblical perspective.

Membership:  Lutheran Hour Ministries support is given by individuals in congregations. Over 110,000 volunteers are furthering the Gospel in the world through membership in the Lutheran Laymen's League.

You can support the LLL financially and through prayer. Pray that the Lutheran Hour Gospel message may continue to go forth throughout the world, that all may hear the saving good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Sponsorship options are available in a variety of formats. In Trinity congregation, please see the contact person to renew, or subscribe to L.H.M. Sponsorship by calling 1-800-555-6236, in Canada, or from USA call
1-800-944-3450.
 

Lutheran Hour Ministries — Listen to a Lutheran Hour Sermon . . .

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This page was last updated on May 8, 2000