- Get your registration forms into Leslie Carson by February 23,2025. Info at the kiosk/links attached in the Tidings.
- Check in with Linda Edwards in regards to what you can bring to share for Friday night
- We are working on a plan for carpooling assistance- may include meeting at a particular spot.
- If you are planning on coming up for just Saturday, please let Leslie Carson know. carsonsl@maine.rr.com
- If you decide last minute you can come...no worries, we'll find room!
Caring for the Sick and Homebound at Holy Trinity
One of the things we have learned this past year is that Pastor Luther's physical distance from Holy Trinity, coupled with his pastoral responsibilities to a second congregation, occasionally make it difficult for him to meet all of the pastoral care needs of our community in a timely way. We also recognize that, as our congregation ages, we have a growing demand for pastoral care. To meet these changing realities, Holy Trinity is creating a new caregiving team to supplement Pastor Luther's ministry.
This caregiving team will be co-chaired by Yvonne Topping and VJ Strehl, under the supervision of Pastor Luther. Pastor Pamela Brouker (a member of our congregation and a trained hospital chaplain) will also offer occasional consulting and support. Over time, we expect to enlist others in this ministry as it gets off the ground.
The focus of this team's ministry will be to:
offer regular visits and otherwise check in with the needs of those who are homebound; visit and check in with the needs of those who are sick, hospitalized, or healing at home; and provide home communion to those unable to make it to church. Mark Donahue in the office will continue to serve as the "point of contact" for disseminating information to Pastor Luther and the team as pastoral needs arise. Please contact Mark if you or someone you know is homebound, sick, or hospitalized.
Please know that Pastor Luther will always be available for urgent pastoral needs (such as life-threatening illness, end-of-life care, and mental health crises) during the September to May timeframe. During the summer months, when Pastor Luther is full-time at Emmanuel Church, we will have a designated guest pastor on call to respond to emergencies during these months.
Historically, of course, much of what is described above has been provided by our Caring Connections ministry under the very able leadership of Cheryl Brigham. After many years of devoted service, Cheryl has decided to step away from this role to spend more time with family and other interests. This new team will step into the wonderful legacy of this past ministry. Thank you, Cheryl!
Feel free to contact Pastor Luther or any of the team members with questions. Our hope is to provide the best possible care we can to our Holy Trinity family.
Helping those affected by Hurricane Milton
Dear Holy Trinity Family,
My 25 year history living in Georgia-mostly Atlanta area and 2 in Augusta gave me a unique perspective of the very recent disaster called Helene. Primarily coastal area, I was particularly aware of Savannah's issues as my best friend has lived there for decades. My history includes raising two daughters mostly as a single parent. I had a job history that just barely kept a roof over our heads. Long term substitute teacher, library assistant, YMCA school program leader, 2 brief stints as a church office secretary, 3 years -Georgia State Revenue dept, and a graduate student assistant for Georgia State U-among other things. Besides all of that, I volunteered as a guide for the 1990 Olympics. Just finishing up my Masters degree, I received a call with a job offer in Augusta, Ga. And I grabbed it. I can honestly say that nightmares and unprovoked attacks began within 2 months. I lasted 2 years but the whole experience stayed cm through very scary dreams.
After my teaching career ended and I couldn't support myself, a friend from church and owner of lakeside property, invited me up to Maine for a week. I fell in love with Maine and pulled off the biggest geographical cure I could ever imagine. Within a month I was housed, churched, and befriended. AND back in school for a second Masters degree that would at least keep me afloat teaching adult ed and courses at the local community college. I moved to NH for more work and it was at St. Thomas Episc. Church that I learned that Hurricane Sandy had devastated New York and coastal NJ. I was sent down to Long Island with my car stuffed with supplies and I helped sort donations and toured the devastation for two days. It gave me the 'boots on the ground' experience. When Hurricane Helene hit coastal Georgia, not a town was left undamaged. I was stunned and I wanted to help somehow. I first contacted my Savannah friend who connected with her associate priest (actually a Lutheran pastor) to ask what coastal town needed the most help and was told "Augusta". I contacted the Georgia Synod office and the response was "Augusta" and Valdosta. Since I have no experience with anyone in Valdosta, at bedtime prayers that night, it felt as if God was whispering in my ear: "help Augusta and you will get the help you need to banish hurtful memories." And I sat up and yelled, Augusta! ??? Really?? God, are you kidding me? No, he wasn't kidding.
So I did some research on Lutheran churches in Augusta and found Pastor David Hunter of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection and we spent considerable time chatting and discussing what prompted me to focus on Augusta. The upshot to this is that he plans to discuss community needs with his staff on October 15 and give me a more accurate needs-based picture. As far as I know, safe drinking water is still a major factor and items for repairing needs. With Council's advice and my happy agreement, we have decided to ask for monetary donations. Their stores are open so they can get what they need with the donations provided.
Here is what a check should say:
To: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church or ELCA.
On the Memo, write: For Lutheran Church of the Resurrection-Augusta (Georgia).
All checks will be added together for one (or 2?) donation to Pastor David's church for community assistance.
And my Augusta memories? Well it occurs to me that I have enjoyed healing laughter over the whole plan setting; the wonderful way our church reaches out to people in distress, and because God whispered in my ear and I shouldn't have been surprised at the outcome.
(And I should listen more often to that voice in my ear).
Shirley Jackson