To the Holy Trinity Family,

How are you holding up? We have a lot of people in different situations in our congregation. Some of you are still going to work, like any other week. Some of you are working from home. Some have had vacations cut short. Some have had loss of income or potential job loss. Some are confined to their home and can’t even go to the store. Whatever your situation, you are loved and God is with you, and so is your Holy Trinity Family (even if we aren’t together in the same physical space. Remember to give yourself and everyone else a little extra grace during this time as we are all just figuring this out.

I wanted to give you all an update on how we are handling everything at church and what you can expect from us in the coming weeks.

Worship, both Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, will continue online while all building related activities will remain suspended until further notice. We will consult CDC guidelines to help us determine when it is safe to resume use of the building.
We will have Holy Week services online. Additional resources for ways to remember and celebrate them at home will be provided.
We will still order Easter Lilies to give you the opportunity to honor or remember someone in your life. Look for more information to come.
We want to recruit “Shepherds.” They will have the responsibility to call 4-5 people from the congregation once a week to check-in. Please email Cheryl Bringham at brnghamca.cc@gmail.com if you are willing to be a “Shepherd.”
New content for home devotions and videos are constantly being added to the church website. It is under the tab “Virtual Church.”
Thank you for continuing to give. You can mail in your offering, text, use the Elexio app on your phone or give directly through our website, www.htelc.com/giving-online. (We had a great response last week. THANK YOU!)
The best place to find up-to-date information is our website, www.htelc.com. All Zoom links for worship and any other meetings will be found there.
Lastly, be aware of other non-profit, service-oriented organizations, local businesses and neighbors who need help at this time.

I have had questions about finding a way to do communion during this time. Bishop Hazelwood, for various reasons, has asked all churches in our synod to fast from that sacrament during this time. Don’t worry, even though communion is something we usually do every week, its “power” doesn’t wear off over time, as if we had a “communion gauge” on our bodies that is now reading “low.” God's forgiveness doesn’t “go low.”

Remember, we are not using the word “closed” during this time. The church is not closed. The building might be, but the church never closes. This is because the church is wherever you are. God and us are not dependent on the building. We are dependent on the Holy Spirit breathing new life into us, which happens anywhere and everywhere. May you experience the Holy Spirit in new and unexpected ways d

Thanks for your work, your presence and your love.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Tim