Your Weekly News & Updates
Notes from Pastor Zehnder

Foundations
Last Saturday marked the final meeting of the current "Foundations" session. It has been exhilarating for me and I am grateful for the enthusiastic participation of over 50 people on a regular basis. Thinking back on it we covered a lot of incredibly interesting and important facets of the Faith from first a Christian viewpoint with the added insights that come to the Faith from a Lutheran understanding of that Faith! We studied the Scripture together and took more than a side glance at Luther's Small Catechism, which for centuries has been seen as a basic source of teaching in our church body. The Origin of the Lutheran Church, the Word of God, the Holy Trinity, the Creeds, the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Prayer and the Ten Commandments came alive to us. I am grateful for the faithful participation of those who are moving toward formal membership in Trinity. In addition we were blessed by the participation of some 15 CDC employees. There were in addition some 35 members of Trinity who brought great enthusiasm to our discussion and questions. In addition we suffered through "dumb jokes" brought each week faithfully by me!

The materials we used are all printed and available to anyone who wants a copy. Be in touch and we can make that possible (TLC@TrinityDowntown.com)

At each session wonderful servants from our Membership Ministry Team brought refreshments for all. They were appreciated and consumed! At this last meeting, we were graced with a Foundations Feast. Chicken wings, chicken salad, fruits, drinks, etc., etc., and CAKE! Many thanks to the generous hearts. Until next time.

Reception for New Members!
At the 11 AM Service on Sunday, March 5, we will have the honor and joy of receiving some wonderful people into the formal membership of Trinity. This group includes those who have just completed the Foundations session and wish to formally connect to Trinity. In addition there are some who have transferred their membership into Trinity in the recent past. After the service we will have a beautiful (but brief) welcoming reception in the Fellowship Hall with coffee and cake. It would be a great thing to have a large group gather for this occasion. I am thinking also of members who went through the 6 week Foundations process with these new friends. Please consider coming to the service and the reception following. Let's make our new brothers and sisters feel really welcomed!  

Trinity Resurrection
Trinity Resurrection had its start as the Leadership Council struggled to find answers and ways to the financial stressed we are experiencing. Members of that group stepped up to give a first boost. Initially the LC gave over $20K toward this effort, and much more has been given by LC since then. In addition members of Trinity are stepping up in wonderful ways! Let's all give a cheer and give thanks to God for the blessings. To date the aggregate total given to TR is $48,015.00. Please do what you can, dear members and friends of Trinity. The solutions to such challenges do not come from the outside. It comes from us - the owners and lovers of this incredible Trinity Downtown!

The Prayer Vigil Continues
It was a beautiful experience as we gathered last Saturday February 11 for the first time in this current Prayer Vigil.  There were about 35 of us gather that Saturday morning. In smaller groups we gathered and the prayers went out and up to the throne of our Heavenly Father! One comment: "We came to ask God for certain things but instead we thanked Him for all things!" Afterwards we spent a few moments reflecting on our prayer experience. It was as powerful as it was beautiful.

The Prayer Vigil continued this past Tuesday evening. A wonderful group of faithful Pray-ers came together in the Sanctuary and lifted petitions to God our Father. We prayed many things: families in need, those who are in physical distress of some kind, for Trinity Downtown and all her ministries, and for God's blessing on the Call Process. The list was and is endless. The next scheduled Prayer Vigil is Monday, February 27, 5:30PM to 7PM. You are welcome to come in at any time and leave as your schedule demands. If you cannot come to the Sanctuary, please pray wherever you are at that time. Elders have also asked that we make a personal commitment to continue in prayer once a day through Easter. More information will be shared this Saturday and Sunday at worship.

Worship this weekend: Transfiguration!
This marks a beautiful event in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ! He meets and speaks with Moses and Elijah. They comfort and strengthen Him for His mission and journey to the Cross which He begins in earnest as He leaves this holy mountain and moves into the valley of the shadow of death. Don't miss worship this weekend. It will "transfigure" you and me.

And Then - Lent!
Ash Wednesday, March 1, marks the beginning of our Lenten sojourn. We will observe these 40 holy days in public worship. This Ash Wednesday, a solemn service of Lenten thought and Holy Communion. Each Wednesday thereafter through April 5 we will have devotional services at 12:10 and 7PM. These services will be more informal with an emphasis on reading the Scriptures together and sharing hearts and thoughts. The theme for these services: Invocabit, Reminiscere, Laetare, Oculi, Judica come from the Middle Ages. You will find them totally timely for this century as well. Be curious - and amazed at the Grace of God which comes from these ancient Latin Lenten usages! See you there.

Pastor Z
From Leadership Council

Trinity Resurrection
Trinity Family, Several weeks ago I reached out to you with a request to join fellow members and staff in a time of prayer to seek guidance and faithfulness as we move forward with Ministry at Trinity Downtown.  When Leadership Council gathered to assess our financial shortcomings we determined that the Trinity Resurrection campaign was imperative; it has grown to so much more. When we gathered in corporate prayer, members and staff reached out to pray for one another, to seek guidance for Trinity in the Senior Pastor call process, to seek financial guidance, and to give thanks for all of the good things that happen on a daily basis at Trinity Downtown.  We are and will continue to face challenges; however, we are facing them directly and with gratitude for all that has been given to each of us and our Trinity family.  Through this past Sunday, giving for Trinity Resurrection has exceeded $48,000.  We on the Leadership Council are grateful for your faithful giving for Trinity.  I would also like to inform you that the Senior Pastor Call process is moving forward with the opportunity for members to submit nominations to the call committee.  Moreover, the call committee is prepared and ready to move on with a slight change in structure.  All members will continue to serve, including Mike Hoffmann, Rocky Smothers, Bruce Hahn, Jenn Blackwood, Bonnie Roby, Mike Kunze, Ted Lange, and Stephanie Landis.  An additional member has been added to the committee, Tim Norris, who will serve as the chair.

Senior Pastor Call Process Update
We continue with open nominations for a Senior Pastor through April 20 while FL-GA District President, Rev. Greg Walton, works on putting together a new call list for Trinity. You will find nomination forms in the Narthex.  Please continue to keep this process in your prayers.

Regular voters Meeting  
Please plan to join us Sunday, March 12 after the 11am worship service.
From Your Elders

A Call To Prayer
Your Elders Ministry Team will host a prayer service in the Sanctuary this Monday, February 27th from 6:00pm (changed from 5:30pm) to 7:30 pm. The elders will share a devotion at 6:30.  Note the start time is a change from this past Tuesday's vigil. Come whenever you can and stay as long as you wish. Daily reminders are going out on Facebook each morning at 6am and you are welcome to share your own prayer requests in comments and show you're praying for others who have posted by "liking" their prayer request comment.  Please commit to praying once a day for Trinity Downtown, as your schedule permits, through Easter. Trinity is facing two important issues we'd like to ask you to include in your prayers: the call of a Senior Pastor and a serious financial situation; and as always, we join together in prayer to cover the petitions of our entire Trinity family and those we're connected to in addition to those prayers for Trinity.  Join us in prayer - in person and online - as we seek God's wisdom and guidance in these matters and any other prayer requests you may have.  


The Elders Ministry Team Cares For You
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Elders strive to have a personal relationship with the members of Trinity Lutheran Church. In order to achieve such a relationship with members, each elder is assigned a list of congregational members to shepherd.  Shepherding may include periodic contact with members, prayer with/for members needing special prayers, and serving as a contact person for members. To insure elder lists of approximately the same numbers, member lists have been established as follows:

Members Names          Elder                                Phone
Aber    - Behrmann                 Don Behrmann               407-415-3333
Bell  -  Brown, Scott               Ulysses Floyd                  407-295-3254
Brown, Ted  -  Connery       Jim Curtis                         407-952-6533      
Copenhaver  - Eggert             Clay Bourgeois               407-729-3150
Ellis  -  Gillenwater                 Rusty Stephens              407-894-1913
Giordina  -  Henkel                Rocky Smothers            407-496-8506
Hicks  -  Karnes                        Steve Kerestes               (1)352-284-3968
Kasch  -  Lange                          Mike Kunze                    407-273-1968
Lanier  -  Meadows                  Lo Phillips                      407-644-9843
Mehr  -  Opshal                          Brendan O'[Brien           321-663-3326
Osbourne   -  Rawlings            Tony Ramiz                   407-325-5094
Perschard  -  Schroeder         Ken Boggs                      407-888-8379
Schumacher  -  Starr               Gary Schumacher         407-803-3100
Stentz  -  Torres                         Tom Finger                    407-765-9483
Trapp  -  Wessler                        Bob Trapp                      (call Mike Kunze)
Wheeler  -  Zweig                       Chris Gerou                   407-452-9877

The elder assigned to your spiritual care will contact you soon to introduce himself.  You may visit the Elders Ministry Team webpage if you'd like to learn more about Elders ministry and see photos of our elders.  Initial contact should be made within the next couple of months. If you have not heard from your elder and have a need, please feel free to contact them or your Senior Elder, Mike Kunze. Finally, I would encourage everyone to complete a blue Attendance Card for each service you attend.  It is important we have accurate attendance information to better serve you.

Thank you, and God Bless.
All The News

Be Our Guest: Spaghetti Lunch
TYM (Trinity's Youth Ministry) invites you to Be Our Guest on Sunday, March 19th to thank you, our church family, for your support!  Spaghetti lunch served in Fellowship Hall at 1pm. Please RSVP to Jenn.blackwood@trinitydowntown.com for your ticket!

Trinity's Comfort Dog Ministry
Don't forget about our Comfort Dog - whomever he or she may be!  We have added a page to our website at TrinityDowntown.com/ComfortDog for you to get information and to make a donation if you so choose. Please pray about being a part of this ministry.  There are several areas to choose from; donor, prayer partner, handlers, visit team, schedulers, fundraising, advertising, photography to name a few. Please email Top Dog Wendy Havens if you are interested: Comfortdog@trinitydowntown.com

Trinity's 100th Anniversary
The Pre-planning for Trinity's 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2019 is underway now.  Preparing for 2018 to be a full year of celebrating Trinity's history, strengthening and equipping our church family for witness and service in our second century, adding opportunities for community outreach, service and relationship building, not to mention the actual anniversary event takes a lot of budget and timeline planning! That's what we're doing now! We are looking for a few more energized, detail-oriented people who love to do research and brainstorm ideas to join the pre-planning team. We have lots of ideas in the works already and would also like to hear from you. Our next meeting is Thursday, 3/2 at 7pm in the Magnolia building first floor conference room. Please call or email Terry Boggs if you have any questions at 407-797-7345 or mammierocks@yahoo.com.

TLS Sports
As Trinity's successful basketball season draws to a close, we're hosting the CFLAA All-Star Game this Saturday, February 25th, beginning at 11am. Students from CFLAA teams will come together for a fun-filled all-star game, free-throw contest and three-point shoot-out. Come out and cheer!

Trinity Lutheran School - Church Member Tuition Discounts
If you are registering a child/children for school next year in grades K-8, please consider Trinity Lutheran School! The Trinity Lutheran Church member tuition discount for the 2017-2018 school year has been increased to $1,000 per year, per member child. What a wonderful opportunity to give your child/children a Christian education as well as a sound academic education. If you are interested, you can visit the TLS website at school.trinitydowntown.com , or school or church office for more information. The deadline for submitting an application for member discounts is March 31 , 2017.  I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity and watch your child grow academically and spiritually.  -Trinity Downtown Scholarship Committee.

Urgent Midweek Prayer Requests
If you have an urgent prayer request that can't wait until you fill out a yellow prayer card during worship, please submit it via email to Pray@TrinityDowntown.com .  While submitting a yellow card during worship is still the preferred way to share prayer requests, sometimes a prayer need can't wait until Sunday.  Your prayer request (first name and basic details of the prayer requested) will be shared with a team of committed weekday prayer warriors and will also be added to Trinity's regular printed prayer list for the congregation.  All prayers are kept on the printed list for a period of three weeks, so please resubmit long term prayer needs regularly so that they stay on the printed list. Thank you.

Invest with LCEF and Save Trinity money!  
If you haven't already, please consider opening an LCEF savings account.  The more investors mean the higher the rebate check will be next year.  Savings account investments start as low as $25 for children under 18 and $100 for adults.   If your child is new to Trinity Lutheran School in either the CDC or K-8 programs Trinity will donate $25 to start the account.  Adult investment accounts with LCEF benefit Trinity in the same way the Youth Investor accounts do, so parents and church members, you can participate as well!  You can apply online at LCEF.org .  For more information, please contact Bruce Hahn at 407-701-3234 or email bruce@mm-c.com .

Please let us know!
 Please let your Trinity family know of any scheduled surgery or hospital stay.   In addition to scheduled procedures, please give the church office a call to let us know about extended illness, unplanned hospital stays, or even the birth of a child.  You can call the office at any time and leave a message-no need to wait until business hours (407-488-1919 x100).  During business hours, that information can then be forwarded to the appropriate caregivers.  For an emergency that requires the care of a Pastor after hours or over the weekend, there is an option on our auto-attendant to dial 9 for immediate assistance (listen to the entire message).  We want to be sure to know when you need us-whether to pray with you before a scheduled procedure, sit with you during a loved one's procedure, pray for you while you recover, visit you in the hospital/at home or to share praise and thanksgiving prayers for good news/results.    Just let us know.  Thank you.
Trinity's Comfort Dog Ministry
Next Steps: Fundraising & Sending our Top Dog for Training
Donations may be made via Comfort Dog webpage

Important Dates

February 26   Play, Pray and Pancakes (Youth Event)
February 27 Prayer Service 6:00-7:30pm  (time change: 6pm start)
March 1   Ash Wednesday (noon and 7pm worship)
       Lenten Worship: Wednesdays noon and 7pm through April 5th
March 5 11am New Member Welcome during worship, reception following
March 12  Regular Voters Meeting, 12:15 Sanctuary
March 19   Congregation Spaghetti Lunch sponsored by TYM 1pm Fellowship Hall
April 1 Neighborhood Prayer Walk 10am
April 8   The Great Easter Surprise event (details coming soon)
Holy Week
April 9   Palm Sunday
April 13 Maundy Thursday - First Communion
April 14 Good Friday worship noon and 7pm (offices and school programs closed)
April 15 Saturday evening Easter Vigil 6pm
April 16 Easter Sunday (sunrise plus regular services)
April 17 Easter Monday - Offices & school programs Closed

July 17-21  Save the Date: Summer VBS "Maker Fun Factory - Created by God, Built for a Purpose"
Attendance and Giving
February 11-12, 2017

Attendance
February 18-19, 2017

Children's Sunday School   16
Youth NR
Confirmation NR
Adult Bible Study   24

6pm   46
8am   40
9:30am   93
11am   91
Total in Worship   270

Giving
C & M  Received: 15,106  Budgeted: 10,097    Over/(Short): 5,009
Bridge To The Future   Received: 816   YTD: 40,635
Faith Factor   Received: 150   YTD: 15,670
Holiday/Loose Plate   Received: 283   YTD: 21,675
Trinity Resurrection   Received: 13,710  YTD: 48,015.00
Faithfully ForwardReceived: Received: 450   YTD: 26,587

A Call to Prayer
A Call to Prayer
Trinity Downtown | The Ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church & School 
407-488-1919 | TLC@TrinityDowntown.com