January 2025

TRINITY CALLING

Trinity United Church of Christ

131 East Perry Street

Tiffin, Ohio 44883-2312

Phone No: 419-447-3191 – Fax No: 419-447-3199

Web Address: www.trinityucctiffin.org

E-Mail Address: officeadmin@trinityucctiffin.com

 

Pastoral Update

 

Grace and Peace to the Body of Christ in Tiffin, Ohio!

Every January there is a week devoted to prayers for Christian Unity. It is a week intended to focus our spiritual energy toward greater belonging, camaraderie, friendship, and solidarity within the Body of Christ. It’s a chance for us to pay attention to and tend the bonds that hold us together. 

This year, this week is January 18-25. Pastor Katie (First Presbyterian), Father Aaron (Old Trinity Episcopal), and I have decided to hold a prayer service to help us honor the intentions behind this week of prayer. The service will be held at Old Trinity on Sunday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m. We hope that this prayer service will be a public witness to our intention to live and work together despite our differences. We hope you will join us!

In the meantime, I wonder, what might your prayer be? What hopeful intention might you want to lift to God regarding the Body of Christ and its current state? 

Where might you see a need for healing, greater understanding, relationship building, constructive dialogue, and/or maybe even peacemaking?

How have you already been blessed by the many different expressions of the Body of Christ? I know many of us at Trinity have arrived in the UCC from another denomination. What similarities do you see? What differences have you noticed? How do each enrich and/or inform the other?

I asked our worship leaders what prayers they may want to offer, and we came up with the following:

Prayers…for kindness, that we can be more civil and respectful of each other’s politics and beliefs, for seeking understanding, and for treating others as Jesus would.

These are good examples of tending what holds us together and holding each other in Love. 

What prayer would you offer the Body of Christ? What has God placed on your heart? 

Let me know when you have a minute. 

 

In hope, 

Pastor Karsten

 

   

 

The Holidays seem to have hit with extra strength this year, perhaps because there were only three days between Thanksgiving and Advent. Musical preparations by the Praise Band, Handbells, Choir, organ, violin, and piano during this season involved planning and rehearsals for each Sunday of Advent as well as our Christmas Eve service. A dozen Trinity carolers visited area assisted living homes, spreading cheer with our voices, guitar, jingle bells, and kazoos as residents sang along. In contrast, the Wednesday evening Advent services have provided a sense of calm, with the repetition of the quiet Taize hymns offering a peaceful change from the hectic pace of our days. And Pastor Karsten has re-introduced the intonation of Psalms to our Sunday services by serving as cantor while the congregation repeats a brief refrain. Music has brought comfort and joy to our holidays. We look ahead to 2025 with hope, always in anticipation of blessings to come.

 

Wishing you peace in the New Year,

Vicki Ohl, Music Coordinator 

 

KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS.

Did you know that you can earn money for the church just by buying groceries?    Use your existing digital Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card (or sign up for a free Kroger Plus shopper’s card) to convert a percentage of your grocery spending into a donation to the church.        

Go to the Kroger.com website; Community; Kroger Community Rewards; 

• Create a digital account and pick your preferred Kroger store; 

• link your Kroger Plus shopping card to a selected organization (in this case click on Trinity United Church of Christ, Tiffin and enter the NPO. 

• Any transaction using the shopper’s card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program at no cost to you. Quarterly contributions from your purchases will be forwarded to Trinity Church.     

 

 

Dinner and a Movie

January 11, 2025: Citizen Kane (1941) 

What does a film need to be hailed as a cinematic masterpiece? Can we agree that one given movie is the “greatest film ever made?” Citizen Kane has often been nominated for this otherworldly honor, but not everyone agrees, of course. We can argue the merits of this classic film as we review the strange tale of Charles Foster Kane, a man who had everything that one could possibly want in life and wasted it all.  Directed by and starring Orson Welles at the tender age of 25, this landmark film also features Joseph Cotten and other prominent members of The Mercury Players, Welles’ own acting. 

 

Kim Nye new administrative assistant to NWOA

 

With the retirement of Joan Davidson, Kim Nye will be the new administrative assistant at the NWOA Church office. Kim will be available for calls, emails and notes. Please contact at kim@nwoa.org or the office email office@nwoa.org

 

 

Council Report

 

A. Budget – Will meet in December once utility estimates are prepared.

B. Church and Ministry – Recommends Christmas bonus of $500 for full-time employees, $300 for

part-time employees. 

C. Communications – Office Administrator will compile the monthly newsletter, and Communications

Specialist will distribute it by email. Recommend keeping Derrick Smith in Communication Specialist. Budget committee will determine funding. 

D. Endowment Trustees – Council recommends raising annual draw from endowment funds for council needs from current 3% to 4%. We estimate this will increase the annual amount from about $16K to $20K. 

E. Finance – committee has reviewed the current 2024 budget and anticipates that Trinity can draw as planned from other funds to cover the operating deficit and end up “balanced” for 2024. Budgeting for 2025 will begin once they have a forecast for utility costs. The TSCCC will exit our building next year – for budget purposes, the committee will assume their presence (and utility contribution) for the first 6 months only.

F. Mission – recent gifts include Neighbors In Need ($1,000), Salvation Army ($500), Transformation Life Center ($500), and Hope’s Landing. Peace Pole has been purchased for installation in 2025. Trinity has joined Berg Bravo and will be listed as a supporter of Heidelberg music and theater programs.

G. Property – usual work is ongoing. Recent cold Sunday was due to low water in the boiler.

H. Stewardship – Results from the recent stewardship campaign were shared: • 50 units pledged $176,496 for 2025 (vs 62 units and $167,214 in 2024) • Non-pledgers typically add $20,000 over a year. Motion to designate a Council member as a co-chair of Stewardship (if not already in the bylaws—need to confirm). We currently have an offering plate at the rear of the sanctuary, rather than passing the plate using ushers and a musical Offertory, a practice that began during COVID worship. We ask the Worship and Music committee to comment on this practice.

I. Worship and Music – Hanging of the Greens (Nov.24) went well. Christmas Caroling will be Monday, Dec.16 at 1 p.m. Christmas Eve plans in progress.

Pastor’s Report – PK shared recent activities in the church and community, including his work as Heidelberg Chaplain. Upcoming 5th Sunday ecumenical worship dates include:

Dec.29, 2024 @ First Lutheran

Mar.30, 2025 @ Trinity UCC

Jun.29, 2025 @ Old Trinity Episcopal

Aug.31, 2025 @ First Presbyterian

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Old Business –

Sound System update: electrical work is done, waiting for builder to complete the booth, then electronics will follow, likely in early 2025. TSCCC could be in their new location by June 2025. If Lenten Suppers are to be served, 5 sponsoring groups are needed to provide a light meal. Beth McKibben-Nee has asked Trinity UCC to sponsor her as a pastoral seminary student. She will meet with the Council in January for an interview, and if approved, she could proceed to seek Association approval for member-in-discernment status.

New Business – Volunteers were solicited for closing the building after church on Sundays, offering stewards, and communion servers. Also coffee hours in January 2025 are assigned to Council.

Nominating Committee – Nominations for 2025 Church Council include Rob Eberly (1st term), Barb Zinn (1st term), Kurt Huenemann (2nd term), Larry Kisabeth (2nd term). Recommendations for 2025 Endowment Committee include Rick Dorsch (2nd term), Lewis Miller (1st term).

January 26, 2025. Immediately following the Annual Meeting, council will meet to elect officers for 2025.

Next Council meeting is January 8, 2025, at 7:00 pm. 

Submitted by

Kurt Huenemann, Secretary

 

Dear Friends,

First of all I’d like to thank Wilma Farmer for the beautiful flowers that were delivered to me by Carol Roush and Sue Schultz. These flowers are just breathtaking and add a smile to my face every time I look at them.

I would also like to thank all of those that came out on a cold and rainy day to help me celebrate by 99th birthday at The Shawhan.  You’ll never know how much you’re being there meant to me.  What a wonderful surprise you all were to this 99 year old lady!

Best wishes for a Blessed Christmas Season.

Marilyn Homeister

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Dear Trinity,

Thank you for the lovely flowers to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. They were beautiful and lasted for weeks. Thanks to Sue and Bill Schultz for donating them for the church altar. We enjoyed a wonderful visit with Carol and Sue, who delivered them.

Laura and Dan Johnson

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Dear Trinity Friends,

Thank you to Marsha Bilger for delivering the poinsettia flower and the bag of goodies to eat. Thank you again.

Bill and Jackie Borgen

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Dear Trinity,

Thank you for the Christmas gift of "goodies." I am enjoying them.

Bernie Durer

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Dear Trinity,

Thank you very much to Jon and Dian Ewald for the lovely flowers. They were so bright, yellow and red. Also thank you to Shari for the wonderful visit and bringing them all the way out here. Thanks again. 

Rosemary Bishop

 

Dear Trinity,

Thank you to Steve and Sharlene Houk for providing the flowers we received December 8th to celebrate our 51st anniversary! They have brightened our home all week! Also thanks to Becky Grammer for delivering them. We enjoyed visiting with her.

                                                                                                                                                                            Alan and Marsha Bilger

Dear Trinity,

I want to thank Trinity for the beautiful flowers given by Steve & Sharlene Houck which were delivered by Becky Grammer. I appreciated the gift bag given by TWT delivered by Marilyn Kleinhenz. The many visitors who came to see me at the Willows made my stay go faster.  

Thank you,

Lewis Miller

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Habitat for Humanity

Tiffin and Seneca County Habitat for Humanity has been providing housing for needy families in

Tiffin and Seneca County for over thirty years. Many Trinity members are active participants in

the local Habitat for Humanity.  The Seneca Habitat for Humanity and the Seneca County Home

Builders Association often complete an extreme build to get a home under roof in one day. Heidelberg students have also helped prepare for the building of some Habitat homes in Tiffin. As we begin 2024, we are all thankful for having adequate housing in which to live.  Imagine if you had no home or potential to find one. 

Habitat for Humanity in the US was founded in 1965 to address the need for adequate housing throughout the USA and now the world. Once a family’s application is accepted by the Tiffin-Seneca HH Family Selection Committee and the Board of Directors, they then approve building them a home.  The family, in turn, must provide a certain number of hours of work on their new house, “sweat equity”, before the completion of the home and move in day.

Habitat for Humanity is an excellent example of Trinity United Church of Christ mission efforts working locally here in Tiffin. Your donations this January will go toward this effort to continue to provide housing for needy families in our own community. The local organization is very appreciative of your donations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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