An eNote from Rodney

Friday February 12, 2016

Dear Trinity Congregation,

This Sunday will be the first Sunday in Lent.  One of our Lenten practices during this season of the church year is to set aside a small portion of money each day (25 cents) in a Lenten coin folder.  Those folders are available in and around the sanctuary. We collect those folders on Easter Sunday morning.  Lent is a reminder of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan and fasting as he prepared for his ministry.  We also use Lent to reflect upon Jesus approach to and last week in Jerusalem.  We are people who have been claimed by a story and Easter is the climax of that story.  

The money we raise with our folders will be split between two agencies this year.  The first is Trinity Place Shelter for Homeless Youth.  This shelter helps house, feed and get to school 6 to 10 Jr. and Sr. High homeless youth while they are in Asheville.  It is the only shelter of it’s kind in Western North Carolina.   The second agency we want to help is a new one for us.  Hands Up is a program with Asheville City High School.  It helps high school graduates who are going to college and are in need.  This student is often the first person in their family to go to college.  The money raised will help to get a student’s dorm room ready for their first year in college.  This would be items like a pillow and sheets and a notebook.  Thank you for your support for this offering.

The sermon on Sunday will be about the importance of worship.  The lectionary Gospel lesson on Sunday is the temptation of Jesus after his baptism.  With all the temptations in our culture worship reminds us of God’s desire to woo us to him.  Every Sunday worship retells the story of God’s redemptive love in the world, and that story is our story.

So, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Sincerely,

Rodney

www.trinitymethodistasheville.com