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Holy Trinity United Methodist Church
13207 Orleans Houston, Texas 77015
Phone: 713-453-7203 Fax: 713-453-0354 Email: htumc@sbcglobal.net
Church Website: www.holytrinity umchouston.org Conference Website: www.txcumc.org
The Epistle Rev. Meg Edmondson, Pastor
Volume 13 Issue 4 “We will be and make all people disciples of Jesus Christ.” April 25, 2010
Growing in Faith
I am continually amazed with the swiftness of time throughout the last four months (and have made
similar remarks each month ). We celebrated the Baptism of the Lord in January and renewed our
baptismal covenants, enjoyed Shrove Tuesday pancakes and marked the beginning of the Lenten
season on Ash Wednesday with the ashes from Palm Sunday on our foreheads in February. We
journeyed with Jesus through the wilderness in Lent and used that time to reflect upon our spiritual lives
in March, walked with Jesus through the city to the cross and stood with the women at the tomb as we
celebrated the resurrection in April. As we are entering May we are about to celebrate the Ascension of
the Lord as well as celebrate Pentecost, which we mark as the birth of the Christian Church. As we live
and breathe and move within the liturgical calendar, let us reflect on the last few months as we prepare
to renew ourselves and our ministries through the celebration Pentecost.
Pentecost holds many meanings for people of different faith traditions. Pentecost is historically and
symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten
Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. Among Christians, Pentecost
commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as
described in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2 in the New Testament during the Jewish "fiftieth day"
celebration in Jerusalem. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as "the Church's birthday".
How can we celebrate the birth of the church? How can we as Christians experience the descent of the
Holy Spirit upon the Disciples…and within ourselves? We can look to the past, present, and future of
Holy Trinity and its ministries as a point of departure in order to see where the Holy Spirit is leading our
vibrant congregation. In the brief time that I have served here as your pastor, I have witnessed how the
Holy Spirit moves within us here through our passionate worship, our outreach to the community through
the Easter Egg Hunt and upcoming Food Fair with North Channel, through our dedication to creating a
space for the children now and to come through our re-energized children’s ministries, and through our
rededication to the Holy Trinity Day School in co-sponsoring Poppins and Pancakes. While this list is not
exhaustive, it does serve as a witness to our continued need to reach out to others through risk-taking
mission to our immediate neighborhood as well as our local and global communities even when we do
not want to or believe that we cannot due to age, lack of finances, or time constraints.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Church at Pentecost, let us be encouraged to grow in faith,
not just with those persons whom we know so well, but also with those who come to Holy Trinity seeking
the similar connections that have drawn each of us here through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Meg
WE ARE BLESSED WITH ...
YOUR PRESENCE
March 28 April 11
Sunday School Sunday School
39 27
Worship 10:00 Worship 10:00
104 83
April 4 April 18
Sunday School 30 Sunday School 33
Worship 10:00 160 Worship 10:00 93
YOUR GIFTS
(PLEDGES & NON-PLEDGES)
Budget Weekly Needed $6,057
Received March 28 $6,542 Received Year-to-Date $83,708
Received April 4 $6,920 Needed Year-to-Date $96,912
Received April 11 $2,601
Received April 18 $4,529 Short Year-to-Date $13,204
IN HONOR OF
A gift was given by Joan Coe to Holy CARE NOTES
Trinity UMC in honor of Lewis Ludtke. Please be sure to notice the Care Notes display
on the table in the Narthex. Care Notes help
WITH GRATITUDE people dealing with intensely emotional
A big thank you to the donators, cleaners and situations who are looking for concise, easy-to-
painters and those who had a vision for a new read guidance and support. Each booklet offers
Sunday School classroom for our children’s strength, help and healing for those who are
ministries. Without you all, it wouldn’t have hurting. If you have a need or know someone
happened. Sunday School Staff who could benefit from these Care Notes,
please do not hesitate to pick one up and share
Thanks to all of you for sharing your love by this valuable information.
taking the time to bake cookies for the Kairos
Ministry. All were blessed by your act of Y.A.M. (YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES)
kindness! Calling all young adults! We are beginning a
new Young Adult Ministry here at Holy Trinity
Our Lenten season was musically blest through and are interested in your input! Come on out
the cantata performed by the combined efforts and join us for food, fellowship, and fun at Rev.
of the choirs of Holy Trinity and Galena Park. Meg’s house on Friday, May 14 at 7pm. Be sure
Thanks to both choirs for their dedication! to check your mail and the church website for
more information!
HOLY TRINITY KEENAGERS ARE ON THE ROAD AGAIN
On Wednesday, May 19, we will be taking a scenic trip to and around Woodville, Texas and will have a
guided tour through Heritage Village and an all-you-can eat lunch at the famous Pickett House ($14 for
lunch includes tax and gratuity, another $3 for the bus and $1 for the bus driver’s lunch if we do not
have enough people to receive a free meal). The bus will leave at 9:00 a.m. so try to be 10 to 15
minutes early for loading. We should arrive back at the church around 4-4:30 p.m.
We have a trip to the Houston IMAX to see Hubble in 3D on Wednesday, June 2. We will eat lunch at
Cleburne’s Cafeteria. Cost will be $5 for the IMAX and $3 or $4 for the bus driver with lunch being on
you own at the cafeteria. The bus will leave at 10:00 a.m. and we will load about 10 minutes earlier.
We should arrive back at HTUMC around 3-3:30 p.m. Please contact Martha Brooke or Pat Kouts for
additional information or to sign up for either or both trips.
FIFTH SUNDAY ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY
SUNDAY, MAY 23 11:00 A.M.
CHURCH-WIDE PICNIC
For just $6.00 you will feast on a juicy, grilled hamburger (cooked to perfection) with
all the trimmings, chips, dessert and beverage! Yum! Yum! See Buck Holliday for tickets.
QUALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN STEWARD
A Christian Steward Is Compassionate
This is the second in a series of Epistle lessons that focus on the qualities of the Christian
steward. Living as disciples in everyday life requires us to think about what it means to be a
steward of God’s great gifts to us and to the entire world.
As Christian stewards we are called to be caretakers and caregivers. We strive to be ever-
sensitive to the needs of all of God’s children. And we concern ourselves with the distribution of
our gifts and resources so that all might benefit.
As the body of Christ we are called to be compassionate. But we must not confuse compassion
with empathy. The quality of compassion is more vigorous than empathy. Empathy does not
require us to do anything. But compassion gives rise to the desire to act – to do something. It is
often prompted by the pain of others and manifests itself in some sort of action on our part.
(Luke 10:25-37).
Compassion is ranked as one of the greatest of all virtues by all major religions. For us
Christians, the life of Jesus embodies the very essence of compassion. Christ’s example
challenges us to forsake our own desires and to act with compassion towards others,
particularly those in need or distress. Jesus assures his listeners in the Sermon on the Mount
that, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
One of the most cherished expressions of compassion is the so-called Golden Rule: Do to
others as you would have them do to you. Our associations with the children of Cimarron
Elementary, the Christmas gift boxes for the Samaritan’s Purse ministry, our prison ministry
support, our support of the North Channel Assistance Ministries, and the contributions to our
conference apportionments are but a few examples of the compassionate acts by the
congregation of Holy Trinity United Methodist Church. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Now
you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1Corinthians 12:27).
Please spend some time reflecting on the following scriptures: Genesis 2:4-9; Matthew 14:13-
21; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-37; 1 Corinthians 12:12-28; 2 Corinthians 8:8-15; James
2:14-17.
And may God bless you always,
Jack Flynn
CIRCLES OF HEALING
Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you
love is taken away. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one – and this type of loss does
often cause the most intense grief. But any loss can cause grief, including:
* A relationship breakup * Loss of health
* Losing a job * Loss of financial stability
* A miscarriage * Death of a pet
* Loss of a cherished dream * A loved one’s serious illness
* Loss of a friendship * Loss of safety after a trauma
The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief. However, even subtle losses can lead to grief.
Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors,
including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss.
The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried – and there is
no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the
grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with
yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.
On Monday, May 3 at 11am, a grief support group, Circles of Healing, will begin meeting on the 1st
and 3rd Mondays of the month as a way to share, listen, heal, and work through the grieving process.
ALL are welcome to participate in this group, but please be aware that a licensed counselor will not
facilitate this group, rather it will be an informal group sharing.
Holy Trinity United Methodist Church
13207 Orleans St.
Houston, Texas 77015
MAY BIRTHDAYS
2 Doris Chinnis 17 Joyce Allen 26 Linda Norris
3 Maribeth Vogler Ryan Dagley 27 Patricia Golden
6 Marilyn Halbert 20 Kathrene Horton 28 Kailey Gillings
10 Sandra cartmill Connie Hendrickson 29 Patsy Morris
11 Bonnie Salinas 25 Jeaneane Embry 31 Victor Anders
17 Mary Evelyn Smith Kay Fry Spencer Cheshire
Holy Trinity Day School and Holy Trinity UMC present:
on Saturday, May 1, 2009 at 10am
Calling children of all ages…
Holy Trinity Day School and Holy Trinity UMC will be co-hosting
to raise funds to purchase a
projector for the Day School. We invite all students, families, church members, friends,
and community members to come on out to this morning of food, fun, and fellowship!
We will begin serving breakfast at 9:30am and
Tickets will be available for purchase in the Day School Office Monday-Friday as well as in the Church Office Monday-Thursday.
will begin at 10am.
Children: $5.00 Ages 2-12 (One and under FREE)
***Additional Movies snacks will be available for a small fee at the movie
Adults: $8.00
Families: $25.00 (2 adults and 3 for a small fee at the
***Additional Movies snacks will be availableor more children)movie
