Trinity Newsletter for July 3, 2025
Congregational Meeting
Session has called a Congregational Meeting following worship on Sunday, August 24, for the purpose of electing a Pastoral Nominating Committee.
Pennies From Heaven - Update
We collected 25 pounds of coins last Sunday. Thank you to Lois Zerrer for going through them. We found a few wheat pennies, a nail, a British six pence coin from 1944 and a Barbadian 10 cent piece.
We'll continue collecting coins through August. The goal is 1 million pennies, or its equivalent, $10,000.
Photos Needed!
To commemorate Trinity’s 10th birthday, the Welcome & Fellowship committee is preparing a slide show. We’d love to include your snapshots of “church family moments” through the years! Please email photos to Jeanne Simpson no later than Aug. 17: design.simpson@gmail.com
Needed: One Good, Used Car to Sell to a Refugee
Mike Simpson has been teaching one of our refugees how to drive. The Burmese man is the father of a family of four. He currently rides a scooter 5 miles to work evenings in all sorts of weather. Taking his family on outings involves city bus rides with two young children. He and his wife have been saving money and hope to buy a good, used car. If you know of someone who has such a car to sell, please contact Mike Simpson (870) 736-2172.
Trinity is Turning 10
Save the date!!
Trinity will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Sunday, August 24.
We've begun planning a festive weekend that will look back to our founding and ahead to our next faithful step.
Liturgists for June & July
We are grateful to the following people who are sharing their gifts with Trinity by serving as liturgists during the month of June.
July 6th - Cletus Johnson
July 13 - Sue Reynolds
July 20th - Melissa Hutton
July 27th - Mary Kay Hoops
If you would like to serve as liturgist, please contact Martha Bledsoe.
Slides Before Worship Service
If your group would like to get slides in the pre-service announcement time, they need to email them to Robert Reed.
Prayer Chain
There are currently 11 people on Trinity’s Prayer Chain. Pray-ers receive text messages whenever someone requests prayer. Prayer requests can be as specific or general as the requester wants. Two people were added to the Prayer Chain after filling out Helping Hands at Trinity Connects on January 26. If you would like to be added to the Prayer Chain, please text Pastor Tom at 920-237-9840. If you would like to request prayer, please text Pastor Tom at 920-237-9840.
Contacting the Church Office
To reach Alyssa Spradlin, Director of Communication & Administrative Ministries, to communicate with the church office use this and only this email address:
Screen Time?
Our wonderful AV team would like to request that if you ever need anything put on the screens for any service that is held at Trinity, please let us know in advance so we can load things into the program properly. Sometimes it is very hard to load things moments before an event. Thank you for this consideration.
Wiggle Room
Everyone is welcome in the sanctuary. If you have a fussy child and would like to step out while continuing to participate in worship, please feel free to make use of our new Wiggle Room in Room 14. The room is outfitted with comfortable chairs, a changing table, a small bathroom, and a new (to us) television mounted on the wall, showing the livestream. Please note that children in the Wiggle Room must be accompanied by a grownup who brought them. Children three-and-under can be dropped off in the Nursery in Room 12.
Trinity Sunday School Classes
Sunday School opportunities for all ages. Please consider joining us in exploring our faith and learning from one another in spaces of grace and love. All classes begin at 10:15 a.m.
Adult Sunday School classes meet jointly in the summer in the Fellowship Hall at 10:15 am. Please join us as we explore our next, faithful steps during this transitional time.
Children’s class is on break for the summer and will resume in the fall.
Four and More: This Bible study derives its name from meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays (presently meeting in person in room 17 at Trinity, and by Zoom). Anyone wanting to join can send their email address to the study leader Jane Huffstetler, and she will provide the Zoom.
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The Work of Your Church
From the Session
The Session met on June 15, 2025 in the Trinity Room at Trinity Church. The next meeting of Session will be August 17,2025.
During this meeting, the Elders
Approved To update The Manual of Administrative Operations. Let Patty Dunn know if you would like to receive a copy via email.
Examined and approved new members Colene and Harvey Hank.
Approved A Pennies From Heaven campaign tied to our 10th anniversary to apply toward the church’s operating budget.
Approved not meeting in July.
The following is a list of various committees’ activities and their chairperson.
Christian Ed. And Faith Formation: Daphne Anderson 2025
Didn’t meet in June
Communications: Marsha Landrith 2025
I was able to delete:
The 2024 pledge campaign page from fall of 2023
A page referencing careers at Trinity with no offerings
A directory update page that went nowhere.
I changed:
I did what I could to enhance the readability of the site-wide text. That’s sort of a decision Squarespace makes for you.
I added a Presbyterian Women page under the Get Involved tab on the main page. I double checked that the links all function.
I changed the Calendar tab under News and Media, making it a summer Sunday School information page. There was a link to the calendar on the cccbchurch site, which is completely messed up, so the link was deleted until it’s fixed. That’s going to need login information for that side of the site and a lot of training for how that cccbchurch software functions(?). A software programmer suggested we use a Google Calendar, and I created one. I’m just not sure from where to pull information that is correct. Therefore, no link yet.
Generosity and Engagement: Bill Trotter (E) and Nancy Winchip (D).
The Generosity and Engagement committee has been planning the fall stewardship campaign. The committee is working on awareness around the ways to help provide for our membership, community and beyond. There will be speakers, ideas around random giving during a windfall, learning from our mission projects on where our donations help, and a letter from Pastor Tom with a pledge card sent out the first week of October. The annual Pie Supper at the end of the campaign is October 26, 2025 after the service. Thank you all in advance for your generosity!
Finance Committee: David Hart 2025,
The Finance Committee continues to monitor the church’s financial situation and prepare for the
transition of bookkeeping tasks to the accounting firm of Nippes & Associates. The committee has
requested help from staff and is in the process of creating an inventory of the church’s property.
Mission and Public Witness: Teresa Olsen (E), Mike Simpson (D)
The May meal served at Safe to Sleep was a great success. Nine people from Trinity
helped serve and provide desserts for approximately 35 women. They were so grateful
and loved all the desserts. Our next scheduled meal is July 22 and The Deacons are
providing this meal.
Trinity House at Eden Village is ready. Move-in day will be June 23. Thanks to everyone
for all the support! We are eager to meet our new resident as soon as the staff chooses a
good fit for us.
The local portion of the Pentecost Offering will help the Presbyterian Children's Home
and Services purchase school supplies for the children.
Welcome and Fellowship: Kristin Butler 2025
The Welcome & Fellowship Committee helps develop the common life of Trinity Presbyterian Church, providing regular opportunities to build and deepen relationships. We seek to make Trinity a place where everyone is warmly welcomed and given resources to support their engagement in worship, study and fellowship.
The committee met on June 5 to prepare for summer gatherings, including the Pentecost potluck and Trinity’s 10th birthday celebration on Aug. 24. We welcome suggestions for community-based gatherings (baseball games, concerts in the park, theater productions, etc.) Share your ideas with Kristin Butler or Sarah Muegge!
Worship and Music: Teresa Olsen and Kristen Butler, Elders and Co-chairs
Worship & Music committee seeks to prepare worship that is engaging, accessible to all, and open to the glorious creativity of the Holy Spirit. Whatever form it takes, our worship is an act of gratitude to God.
Anyone interested in serving as an usher, liturgist, or communion server may contact Kristin Butler, Martha Bledsoe or Teresa Olsen!
Trinity will celebrate communion on Sunday, July 6.
Commissioner’s report from Presbytery: Kristin Butler, Commissioner
John Calvin Presbytery held its 218th state meeting at Crocker Presbyterian Church on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The theme was “How are we Generous?”
Morning worship was led by The Rev. John Anderson from First Presbyterian Church in Joplin. John spoke poignantly about generosity being distinct from stewardship. Living in God’s loving presence makes us alert to the needs of others, moving us to compassionate witness in a hurting world.
Presbyterian Women (PW)
PW’s generosity includes one-time grants to help churches with capital improvements and special projects.
Education/Mission & Nurture
The Public Domain Hymn Project now offers JCP churches access to digital recordings and screens lyrics of 200+ hymns from the Glory to God hymnal. These may be used with videos and are compatible with the Proclaim image library that Trinity uses in worship.
JCP currently has seven Living Waters for the World water purification sites in operation. Mike Simpson, Trinity PC(USA) shared a presentation and photos from the Feb. 2025 trip to Dominican Republic.
Crocker Presbyterian Church runs an exemplary food pantry ministry. This well-run operation is a vital resource in their community.
Administrative Ministries
The session of First Presbyterian Church in Carthage, through their administrative commission, requested permission to sell their building to Cornerstone Baptist Church but continue holding FPC services in the facility. The motion was approved by unanimous vote.
Dissolution of Woodland Heights Presbyterian Church was approved by unanimous vote, effective May 31, 2025. Pending approval by the Commerce Bank board, trust distributions previously directed to WHPC will be sent to Hillcrest Presbyterian Church. Laying hands on the WHPC members present, we offered a prayer of gratitude for this congregation’s generous, faithful work and ministries. The administrative commission formed to support WHPC through this transition was dismissed.
Committee on Ministry
By unanimous vote, the following actions were approved:
• Dismissal of Laurie Foos to Seattle Presbytery.
• Confirmation of JCP policy that those filling in pulpits are not to serve the same pulpit for two consecutive weeks without permission from COM.
For questions regarding the work of the Session, you may contact Patty Dunn, Clerk of Session
To commemorate Trinity’s 10th birthday, the Welcome & Fellowship committee is preparing a slide show. We’d love to include your snapshots of “church family moments” through the years! Please email photos to Jeanne Simpson no later than Aug. 17: design.simpson@gmail.com
Contacting the Church Office
To reach Alyssa Spradlin, Director of Communication & Administrative Ministries, to communicate with the church office use this and only this email address:
Lost and Found
Wondering where your pen, mug, charger, book, hat, sunglasses, or other elusive item is? Items turned into the church office will be placed in our new Lost & Found tubs, located on the shelf above the accessibility devices near the West entrance.
