When it comes to knowing your Bible, when’s the last time you read a passage out of Obadiah?  Or heard a message from Habakkuk?  Let’s face it, if you start a daily Bible Reading program on January 1 as a New Year’s Resolution, chances are pretty good you’ve gotten off track long before you made it to those obscure last 12 books of the Old Testament—known as the Minor Prophets.

Many of us, if not most, have never truly studied the Minor Prophets, which is a shame because they tell us a lot about social injustice and what God thinks about the rich and powerful taking advantage of the poor and weak—a topic certainly relevant to our times! Plus, they give us insights into what everyday life was like during Old Testament times and show us how God deals with evil—then, now, and still to come.

Starting on October 6, Jeremy Grossman will be leading a new discussion series on the Minor Prophets, “Prophets by the Dozen,” with the Earth and Stars discussion group. This new study will focus on three objectives:

1. Improving Biblical Study Methods: How to read the Bible for all it’s worth
2. Increasing Bible Literacy: Knowing the Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?, and How? of what’s going on in context
3. Life Application: What’s in it for me?  

This discussion series will take place in two parts, with Part I starting October 6 and running through November 17:

• October 6: Prophets by the Dozen: Introduction
• October 13: Prophets by the Dozen: Hosea
• October 20: Prophets by the Dozen: Joel
• October 27: Prophets by the Dozen: Amos
• November 3: Prophets by the Dozen: Obadiah
• November 10: Prophets by the Dozen: Jonah
• November 17: Prophets by the Dozen: Micah
• November 24: no meeting

Part II of the discussion will begin after the New Year.  The group meets Sunday mornings at 9:15 in the Great Room Conference Room. Adults of all ages are welcome. Refreshments are provided and childcare/youth classes are always available. 

In July, 2019, Morris DuBose began a grant-funded position as Trinity’s Narrative Consultant.  Trinity has built our discipleship and outreach around narrative and story.  Trinity Fusion (our Monday evening gathering) fuses together sacred story and our personal stories and experiences.  Last summer we hosted Unfinished, monthly gatherings for story telling.  Previously, Morris led a small group of church members who came together to share their life stories and experiences with one another.
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What makes our stories so important?  Why have we chosen narrative as the primary format for our discipleship and outreach?  Because, as Irene Nowell writes:  “telling our stories leads us to understand who we are… If our stories are not told, the depth of our souls will not be known.”

As we continue to explore new and exciting ways to engage the community both within and external to Trinity we are fine tuning our approach to our storytelling and narrative. We are pivoting from our original Storytelling Group model, that featured designated storytellers with hour and a half presentations, to the Unfinished Circle.

The Unfinished Circle will meet on Wednesdays beginning on April 3rd, continuing weekly at 5:30pm in Trinity’s Great Room. We will create a space for small scale storytelling that will center around specific themes. People are invited to share, listen, or of course do both. Come to as few or as many evenings as you want. If a specific topic inspires a particularly compelling story, contact Morris DuBose at motres+story@gmail.com or leave a message at the church office.

• Week One: Introductions
• Week Two: Laughter
• Week Three: Food
• Week Four: Siblings
• Week Five: Goodbyes
• Week Six: Pain
• Week Seven: Family
• Week Eight: Love

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Story you can’t wait to share? Contact Morris DuBose at motres+story@gmail.com

Pastor Tracey’s sabbatical will include multiple opportunities with religious communities.  As mentioned in a prior newsletter, there will be time with a Bruderhof community in the UK.  A week will also be spent at
Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky.  Thomas Merton is this monastery’s most famous monk.  Trappist monks are cloistered Benedictines, meaning that they are strictly focused on prayer and work.  Each day they observe the seven prayer times – Vigils, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline.  The abbey is in a remote setting, very quiet and includes many trails through the forest.
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In May, Britt and I will spend a few days in Portland, Oregon seeing the sites.  It will be my first time in the
Pacific Northwest.  Then, Britt will return home and Tracey will drive to Great Vow Zen Buddhist monastery in Clatskanie, Oregon.  This monastery also follows a strict communal schedule with three one-hour meditation times each day.  Like Gethsemani, it is in a beautiful setting surrounded by walking trails.  At both
monasteries, nearly all of the day will be spent in silence.

Please join us for an after-worship “leave-taking” reception on Sunday, April 7, at 11:30.  Although Pastor Tracey’s sabbatical does not officially begin until April 25, the reception is being planned earlier in the month so as not to conflict with Holy Week and Easter.

While Tracey is gone, Trinity will have the opportunity to celebrate life together in community through two Story Suppers.  These will be led by Morris DuBose, our narrative consultant.  Through the story suppers, under Morris’ leadership, Trinity members and constituents will craft the story of Trinity through the decades from the 1950’s until now.  This congregational narrative will be shared and celebrated with Pastor Tracey when she returns from her sabbatical and will also become a resource for Trinity’s 200th anniversary celebration of our faith community in 2027.  The first story supper will be held on Sunday, June 2, immediately following worship and will include a light lunch.  The second will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at 6 p.m. and will include a light meal.  Select the date most convenient for you.  Whether you joined Trinity in the 1970’s or 2010’s, please come to share your perspective and experiences on our church family through the decades.  Please RSVP to the church office (info@trinitylafayette.org). Direct any questions to Morris DuBose (motres+story@gmail.com).

The five UM churches in Lafayette (Christ, Grace, Brown St., Congress St. and Trinity) have received a grant to fund a cooperative youth ministry. This ministry will provide a full youth program experience for all students in 4th-12th grade, focusing on discipleship, missions and relationship building. Pastors Ryan Traeger (from Brown St.) and Kurt Freeman (from Christ) are the two lead pastoral mentors overseeing the cooperative youth ministry and providing assistance to the youth leaders. Aaron Osbourne (worship and youth director at Christ) and Trinity’s Director of Congregational Ministries, Melissa Kramer, have already started working together to co-lead the ministry and oversee volunteers. Each church participating in the cooperative youth ministry is being asked to provide one “lead” volunteer to be on the leadership team, assist in recruiting other adult volunteers from their church, promote the ministry, and be in communication with Melissa and Aaron.

The cooperative ministry, now called “The 167” (for the number of hours in a week spent outside of church), will meet weekly, from 5pm-8pm and will rotate meeting locations. To allow Melissa some more time and flexibility in her schedule, we will be asking volunteers to manage the church office on Wednesday mornings, from 9am until Noon. All that is required of office volunteers is a friendly face, answering calls and taking messages.

For anyone interested in participating or volunteering in The 167, please contact Melissa Kramer at melissa@trinitylafayette.org.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Assisting with a weekly meal
• Being Trinity’s Lead Volunteer
• Discipleship focus volunteers (typical youth group nights with worship and small groups)
• Missions volunteers (needed on mission-focused nights)
• Fellowship night volunteers
• Providing transportation