1) Cottage Meetings in February and early March. Check out the announcement elsewhere in this Newsletter.

2) Our Lent midweek worship will once again be a joint affair with the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The theme will be, “Reconciliation: The Calling, Task, and Challenge in the Church and in the World.” Each worship service will be preceded by a soup-supper. Trinity will host the Ash Wednesday service as well as the 3rd & 5th Wednesdays in Lent. Those dates: March 1, 15, and 29. But, plan to attend all the services!

3) Each Sunday in Lent we will be learning a new Taize song. Don’t know what Taize is? You will! On Good Friday we will put all 6 songs together in a Taize-style Good Friday worship service.

4) Wednesday evening, April 26, Trinity will provide the opening worship service for the Lutheran Services in America Conference, gathering at the Renaissance Hotel downtown. Look for a chance to be involved in this ministry to the leaders of Lutheran social service agencies from around the nation.

5) July 24-29, Lois and I will help staff a Puget Sound Grace Place Retreat. This is a retreat ministry for LCMS and ELCA clergy and spouses. It is a wonderful ministry, and Trinity members have helped make it possible.

6) July 31-August 4, Trinity, together with Beacon and the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd will host a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Youth Servant Event. 35 youth and adult counselors from around the country will be with us, helping with projects at Chapel on the Ave, Concordia Lutheran School, Seattle Lutheran High School and in the neighborhoods of our city. Look for an opportunity to host some of these Youth Servants in your home. There will be other ways to be involved as well!

7) A top-secret ministry event is also in the planning stages. Hopefully it won’t be so secret that it will occur without your noticing!

8) In case you have already noticed that Christmas Eve falls on Sunday this year, the Deacons are way ahead of you. Anticipating your question, they have decided the answer is, “Yes, we will have Sunday morning regular worship (perhaps an old-fashioned carol-sing) as well as a fantastic Christmas Eve celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. I bet you are humming ‘Joy to the World’ already!

Previewing the year of the Lord’s Blessing with you,
Pastor Don Schatz

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Thank You!
I would like to thank the members of Trinity for their gift of love. It is an honor and a blessing to be able to serve in worship among you.
Nancy Tagge

February Celebrations
Happy Anniversary to Joan and Ken Hamada on Valentines Day!

Memorials
The following memorials were given in memory of Gladys Engelbrecht.

Trinity
Gordon & Lena Meeske
Esther Reese
Mary Hansen
Roy & Berit Lehner
Mr. & Mrs. Halvorson

The Ted Engelbrecht Mission
Bob & Sharon Heckel
Ken and Joan Hamada

The Lois Engelbrecht Mission
Ken and Joan Hamada
John & Mary McFarland

Concordia School
Nancy & Shea Gregory

Spring Cleaning?
Remember that we collect used cell phones, used ink jet cartridges, and used laser printer cartridges to be recycled. The collection boxes are at both the Chapel on the Ave campus (by the coat rack) and the Trinity campus (in the downstairs coat room).

Also, we are collecting items for the May 5-6 Ingathering for Lutheran World Relief. Please bring: New or used clothing for infants, children, and men; Sweaters and sweatshirts for all; Fabric: Individually folded pieces of cotton or cotton blend fabric (no knits), 3 yard pieces if 45" wide, or 4 yard pieces if 36" wide; New soap in original wrappers; Quilts, 60" x 80"; and Blankets. Please note that no gloves, shoes, hats, scarves or women's clothing items are needed at this time.

Finally, the Chapel on the Ave is organizing a Sock Drive for the Homeless. The socks that they are collecting are preferably newer, warm socks, but they will also accept socks that are worn, stained, or have holes in them (they are still useful for layering for warmth). Please bring your socks to the collection boxes at the Chapel or at Trinity through the end of February.

LMS
The Annual meeting of Lutheran Ministry Services will be held on Feb 12, 2006 at 1:30 PM at Pilgrim Lutheran Church; 10420 SE 11th St., Bellevue 98004. This will be the annual Valentine's Potluck with the election of officers.

Winter Cottage Meetings
Cottage Meetings are coming your way! From February 2-March 2 the Trinity family will be gathering in small groups in members’ homes. An additional small group will meet at Trinity itself during daytime hours. Be looking for your invitation in the mail!These meetings will provide an opportunity to celebrate our community of faith together. We will enjoy conversation prompted by 3 questions. Other conversation will be welcome as well! Plan now to clear your calendar and join your sisters and brothers at Trinity for an hour and a half this month!

Choir Rehearsals
We will be having a choir for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. We will rehearse after church on Sundays beginning in mid-February. The pieces are mainly 2 part; so, hopefully, they will be easy to learn. More information will come in Sunday bulletins and announcements.

Soup Supper Signup
Soup suppers for Lent will be at Trinity on March 1 for Ash Wednesday and again on March 15 & 29. Sign up sheets will be in the narthex in February.

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Trinity Two Week Exercise and Architectural Appreciation Gathering
Please join us for two sessions of “getting in better shape” and “appreciating Capital Hill housing.” We will meet immediately after coffee hour on February 5th and 12th. Groups will be formed each Sunday based on ability. The exercise portion of the gathering on the 5th will involve walking around the neighborhood and delivering empty bags for food collection. On the 12th some weight bearing will be added as participants gather the full bags.

Arrangements have been made to ensure that all the neighborhood residences will be available for exterior viewing during both sessions. Plan on joining us, working out, appreciating our neighborhood, and collecting food for Northwest Harvest!

Concert for Wanita Heine
Everyone is invited to attend a concert on February 19, from 2 to 4 at St Luke's Lutheran in Bellevue, as Carl Heine honors his mother, Wanita, on her 90th birthday.  Dessert reception to follow.  Your presence is your gift.  If you have any memories of Wanita you would like included in a memory book, please bring a written/printed copy to the event.

First Friday Fellowship
FFF is a strictly social event usually held on the first Friday of each month beginning around 6:30 PM with an informal pot luck meal which has a loosely defined theme (red food or whatever). After a leisurely meal, we sit around and play games (cards, board games, etc.) or just talk. Some people even bring their knitting, if you can believe that. People stay as long as they like, although we are usually out of there by 9:30 or 10:00; feel free to leave any time.There is no specific age range in this eclectic group, and it is not restricted to members of Trinity. Couples and singles are regular attendees. No one should feel intimated or concerned if they are not able to bring any food; we have never run out of stuff to eat. At the present time, there are no children that show up, but that is only a function of those attending either not having any children or they are grown up and have seen enough of their parents. There are usually 15 to 25 people that show up.

Discovering the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Pacific Science Center Sept 23 to January 7
Let’s get a group from Trinity together to attend this event!

The Science Center considers a group to be 15 people, a combination of adults, juniors, and seniors. The prices are Adult $15.75, Child 3 to 12 $9.00, Seniors 65+ $13.00. This would admit us to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit and all the science exhibits. We would get headset tape guides for the Scrolls. The Science Center is having timed entry for this exhibit. When we make the reservation we could pick the arrival time we wanted as long as we make our reservation soon. Reservations can be made via credit card or check. The reservation number is 206-443-3611. In addition to collecting all this information, Joanne Welty has kindly composed a listing of Seattle Center House “cuisine” she has eaten and can recommend. This information will be available in a future newsletter when a tour date has been selected.
Thank you Joanne!

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CLS Auction April 1
Please consider donating items, or securing items for donation to the Concordia School Auction. Submission forms can be picked up at Concordia or at our Church Office.

What an exciting opportunity to contribute to this revitalized ministry. Oh, and plan to attend the auction as well. You can buy back everything you donate!

The Chili Cook off is February 8th @ 6:00PM. Bring your pot of Chili and enjoy a fun evening. A good will offering will be taken at the door. All money will go to help offset the cost for LEST.Entertainment Books are still available at the school the cost is $30.00 per book. If you are interested, please come by the school office or call 206-525-7407.

Vision Tour
We have a vision tour on Tuesday Feb 7th from 10-11. This event is open to anyone who is interested in looking around the school. Please RSVP with the school office  (525-7407).

Thank You!
Trinity,Thank you for your tremendous gift to Concordia! The students and staff are amazed at the love and support you show this place!

In Him,
Dave
Concordia Principal Dave Meyer

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I have talked to enough students now to realize they are in desperate need of quiet time. I often hear the words, “I’m too busy; I need to slow down.” At first, this sounds like good advice, but after thinking about it some more, I’ve realized it’s quite misleading. Slowing down is not the solution to a busy life.

An example:

I was watching a commercial last night, and I laughed at the irony. A man in his mid-thirties complains of a sore knee, but he complains just as much about being immobilized by his antiquated heating pad that needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet. His solution: buy an amazing new heating pad that doesn’t require an outlet. The next scene in the commercial: Our mid-thirties male leaping around and doing deep knee bends without the slightest look of discomfort. I imagine, if the commercial continued to the next day, we would see our mid-thirties male bravado now downcast and bed-ridden, “immobilized by his antiquated heating pad” because he couldn’t resist those deep knee bends. He just doesn’t get it. Pain is the body’s way of saying, “Good Lord, please stop doing this to me!.” 

I think we disillusion ourselves in a similar way when it comes to stress. We lull ourselves into believing we can stay our anxiety by doing something that causes less stress and energy, when in fact we shouldn’t be doing anything at all. Sometimes we distract ourselves by listening to soothing music or curling up in a comfortable chair and reading a good book, all of which are peaceful, but we deprive our minds and bodies of something we desperately need: Solitude, not just from people, but from all manner of things. Depriving oneself of solitude "is the cause of many manifestations of psychological and physiological distress," states psychiatrist T. Byram Karasu, M.D. We need to listen to the Psalmist::

“Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
(Psalm 46:8-10).

When we stop and consider what the Lord is doing in our life and in the world around us, it is then that we realize he makes the warring in our hearts and minds cease, he shatters all our arguments that we use to justify our actions, and he burns the walls we build up between him and those around us. God wants to lure us into desert places so that we can hear him speak tenderly to us.

Though we ought not to don sackcloth and ashes and wander into deserts, divorcing ourselves from society, we should be attentive to God’s still, small voice that calls us to quiet times and quiet places. If we are faithful in this, God will be faithful to us.

Andrew Potsko,
Director of Student Ministries

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Transitions at LCS
On April 1, Boots Winterstein will retire as the Director of the North Puget Sound office.  As we celebrate Boots' distinguished ministry, we are also beginning the search for a new Director.  Minimum requirements include an MSW, MBA, or related degree; five years of social service administration; vision for faith-based community ministry; and experience in a multi-cultural work environment.

The North Puget Sound office has an annual budget of $4 million with 93 employees and primary locations in King, Snohomish, and Clallam counties.  Interested and qualified applicants should send a letter and resume to DirectorSearch@lcsnw.org.  Lutheran Community Services Northwest is a nonprofit organization, affiliated with the ELCA and LCMS, and an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Interested in becoming a foster parent?
Lutheran Community Services Foster Care programs provide foster care for young children 0-9 years old as well as refugee and immigrant children of all ages. Are you interested in learning more about becoming a foster care parent? For additional information, call 206/694-5713.

Trading Graces
What’s "Trading Graces?" It's not a new home decorating show on TV! It's a special eBay Internet auction that LCS will be a part of from Feb. 26 - March 8, 2006. Think of it as a "virtual garage sale" where people from all over the U.S. will be bidding on items that have been donated to Lutheran Community Services. Money raised from the event will go to support our programs. What kind of items will be sold? Things like: antiques, artwork & jewelry; "experiences," such as scuba diving, fishing trips, etc.; restaurant & retailer gift certificates; sports memorabilia; concert/event tickets; travel/airline hotel packages; use of vacation homes or resort/time share properties; etc. You can help by donating an item to the cause. Perhaps you would like to donate a gift card you received at Christmas? Maybe a "treasure" stored away in your garage or attic would like a new home?

To learn more about the auction, or to donate an item, contact: Mary Mills (206-694-5702) or Shawn Corkery (206-694-5705).

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Singers and Handbell players are invited to join a combined choir for a very special celebration of the 75th anniversary of The Lutheran Hour. This event is on April 30, 2006 at 2:30 pm and is being hosted by Messiah Lutheran Church and directed by Dottie Buck from Epiphany Lutheran Church. Reverend Klause of the Lutheran Hour will be our featured speaker. If you would like to participate, please contact your choir director for more information, or contact Messiah's choir director, Janet Solum, at (425)821-4837 to find out how you can come and learn the music with us, if your own choir is not going to be practicing these songs during their rehearsals. I would love to hear from you. My Email address is bsolfam@verizon.net.

~ Janet Solum

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