1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

A free monthly publication of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
April 2015
Vol. 3 Issue No. 4
April 2 0 1 5 – Vol. 3 Issue 4
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Sunday Worship is 9 A.M. & 11 A.M.
Maundy Thursday, April 2—12:30 and 7:00 p.m. Worship
Good Friday Worship, Apr 3—12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday Easter Vigil, Apr 4—7:00 p.m. Worship (bring bells to ring)
Easter Sunday, April 5—9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Worship
From the Pastor
Jeffery L. Gaustad
“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that
they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to
the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’
When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered
the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he
said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he
is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to
Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
Mark 16:1-8
It seems this year Easter is catching me by surprise. Maybe it’s because there are so many things going on in my
life—in our life together. Maybe it’s because Easter is early this year—or is it? Maybe it’s because there are so
many distractions in the world, on the morning and evening news and showing up on our doorstep.
But then I think, that very first Easter caught people by surprise, too. The three women make their way to
the tomb on that Sunday morning; the day after the Passover feast, the third day after Jesus had been crucified.
On the way they’re trying to figure out what to do to get into the tomb, to get to Jesus’ body to give his dead
body the care and respect they wanted to show him. Only, when they get there, the stone door over the tomb had
been rolled away, and as they looked into the tomb, they saw a young man—someone—sitting there all dressed
in white, sitting where they should have found the very dead Jesus. Surprise! The women are alarmed; shocked
might be a better way of putting it. So the young man tells the women not to be alarmed. (Yeah, right!) “Jesus is
not here,” he says. “He’s been raised!” (from out of the dead, for cryin’ out loud!) And then this nice and thoroughly frightening young man tells them to go and tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus is heading off to
Galilee, and he’s meeting them all there, just like he said. Well, what does Mark say the women did? Did they go
running off to tell Peter and the rest of the gang? No! The women ran from that tomb as fast and as far away as
their legs could carry them. “They said nothing to anyone,” Mark says, “because they were afraid.” Easter
caught the women (and no doubt the rest of the community of Jesus’ disciples) by total surprise, leaving them
speechless from fear (and amazement, and wonder, and what-the-heck-is-going-on-here, and “Now what do we
do, and what does this mean?”
Easter is catching me by surprise this year—and maybe that’s exactly what it’s meant to do. The dead are
supposed to stay dead, but that’s not what happened this time. And now, because Jesus didn’t stay dead, you and
I have to rethink our present and our future. If, because He lives, we will also live; well that changes everything.
Surprise! The busyness of life isn’t what matters. It’s the promise of life now and beyond each and every moment of now that really matters. If the final word isn’t “death” but “life,” well, that’s a surprise that leaves me
speechless, just like the women on that first Easter Sunday. Only—those women obviously didn’t stay silent.
They didn’t stay huddled and mute with fear, because you and I have heard the story. We’ve heard the promise
in that story.
Easter should surprise us. And now, what are we going to say and do in response?
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
12115 Park Avenue South
Tacoma WA 98444-3629
Fax 253-537-0413
Sunday, April 5
9:30-11am
We’ll serve omelets at
this annual fundraiser,
hosted by Trinity Youth.
We welcome contributions of casseroles, fruit,
baked goods, etc.
C HURCH O FFICE H OURS
Tuesday—Friday 9am— 4pm
CONTACT US 253-537-0201
Lead Pastor Jeff Gaustad x103
or his cell phone: 253-495-9357
[email protected]
Visitation Pastor Rick Swenson x104
or his cell phone: 253-219-6045
[email protected]
Music Dir. Jonathan Wohlers x114
[email protected]
Church Steward Cheryl Mays Comen x112
[email protected]
Admin. Associate Lisa Boers x110
[email protected]
Youth Min. Dir.
Karli Floyd
Communications Michela Hammond
Parish Nurse Virginia Garrison x106
Maintenance Ed Kane 253-592-5481
Bookkeeper
Beth Rich x115
Financial Secretaries Joan Oldag x115
Pat Durston x115
Caretaker
Kaye Olsen
Custodian
Lori Titus
Custodian
Yelena Zhurko
Hospitality Coord Anita Christian
Sound Engineers David Christian
Lowell Kiesow
Cemetery Manager David Christian
TRINITY CHILDCARE & PRESCHOOL
Exec Dir. Lynn Cooper 535-2699
2015 CHURCH COUNCIL
Russ Floyd
Kurt Scearce
Connie Scafturon
Julie Storaasli
Philip Edlund
Jeanne Ehlers
William Ehlers, Jr
Steve Ufer
Douglas Wright
Juanita Stalwick
Joanne Schwartz
Tom Leitch
Bob Judge
Donna Lederman
Roy Masengale
Jeffery Gaustad, Lead Pastor
potluck
A sign-up sheet is in the
Narthex for all who are
interested.
T r in i t y L u t h e r a n C h u r c h W o m e n
Trinity’s Spring Fling for Women
Saturday, April 18 - 11 a.m.
Tuesday, April 14—1:00 p.m. MEETING, Fireside Room
1. prepare the LWR kits (blessed on 4/ 26/15, shipped 5/2/15)
2. Election of Officers
3. Receipt of THANKOFFERINGS
THANKOFFERINGS are our response to God’s daily blessings. Setting aside a
small amount each day is a way of creating a habit of gratitude.
THANKOFFERINGS are a vital part of the budget of Women of the ELCA.
Circles — Women’s Bible Study and Fellowship
Mary/Martha & Rachel Circle is Tuesday, Apr. 21 at 1 p.m., Fireside Room
Esther Circle is Tuesday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Suzie Ross’ home
Miriam Circle is Thursday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m. in Common Room
The DVD: “THE WAY” is now available for you to check out in the library.
Pastor John referred to this movie in his February 10 presentation.
Fall Bazaar Alert
The Trinity Bazaar is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7. Items for Nearly New are
welcome now and can be brought to the Narthex where a space for contributions
is available. Contact person is Juanita Stalwick, 253-531-9283.
If you are a crafter of any kind, and wish to donate to the TLCW Craft Table, the
contact is Carol Fossum 360-620-5388 — she would be happy to hear from you!
The Committee looks forward to your participation. Think: Bazaar.
—Joanne Schwartz 253-383-3321
TO MOB ILIZE W OME N TO ACT BOLDL Y ON T H EIR FAITH
IN J E SU S C HR IST! - WELCA mission statement
April 2 0 1 5 – Vol. 3 Issue 4
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We are your Spring Cleaning team . . .
Here to help!
Trinity youth are doing a fundraiser. If you need any assistance cleaning
windows, dusting, moving furniture, weeding, etc., please contact Trinity
Youth Director Karli Floyd, at (253) 363-1203 or [email protected]
Trinity Lutheran Church
Thank you, EVERYONE, for the
wonderful Lenten response to
Baskets of Promise. The
spring shipment of kits and
quilts will be ready to go the
end of April.
PERSONAL CARE KIT:
 One dark bath towel, light-medium weight (e.g. 52” X 27” or smaller)
 Two bath-size bars (4 to 5 oz.) of soap, any brand, in original wrapping
 One adult-size toothbrush in its original packaging
 One sturdy comb
 One metal nail clippers (with or without attached file)
SCHOOL KIT:
 Four 70-sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper
approximately 8” X 10½”; no loose-leaf
 One 30-centimeter ruler, (or with centimeters and inches)
 One pencil sharpener
 One blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
 Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers
 Five ballpoint pens (no gel ink)
 One box of 16 or 24 crayons
 One 2½” eraser
OUR MOST PRESSING NEEDS ARE:
cloth diapers
soap
ballpoint pens
backpacks
nail clippers
bath towels
DO YOU SEW?
FABRIC KIT
 Two pieces of cotton or cotton-blend fabric (no knits or 100% polyester);
fabric should have no stains or holes and be cut into pieces measuring:
 2¼ yards of 60” wide fabric, or 3 yards of 44” wide fabric, or 4 yards of 36” wide fabric
 Two spools of neutral-colored, general purpose thread, 250-300 yards each
BABY CARE KIT:
 Size 6 to 24 months
 Two lightweight cotton t-shirts
 Two long- or short-sleeved gowns or sleepers-without-feet (2-piece sets are okay)
 Two receiving blankets, medium-weight cotton or flannel, or crocheted or knitted
with lightweight yarn, up to 52” square
 Four cloth diapers, flat fold preferred
 One jacket, sweater or sweatshirt with a hood, or include a baby cap
 Two pairs of socks
 One hand towel, dark color recommended
 Two bath-size bars (4 to 5 oz.) of gentle soap, in original wrapping
 Two diaper pins or large safety pins
Simple sewing is
required for hemming
diapers and sewing
backpacks. Precut
fabrics are available in
the LWR bin in the
church entrance, or
you may wish to use
your own fabric.
PACKING THE KITS:
Tuesday, April 14 at 1p.m.
BLESSING THE KITS:
Sunday, April 26 at Trinity
SHIPPING THE KITS:
Saturday, May 2
Your continued support is
greatly appreciated by a
world in need!
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Men of Trinity
Hank Mays continues leading the Men of Trinity with
an array of events and challenges. The MOT team works
hard to carry out a vigorous schedule of events.
CALENDAR EVENTS
MOT breakfast Saturday, April 11 in Thompson Hall from 9:00—11:00 a.m.
Trinity Cemetery Cleanup #1 & 2 Dates To Be Decided
MOT Spaghetti Feed Thursday, May 7 in Thompson Hall from 5:30—7:00 p.m.
The dinner will be followed by an accordion concert for Trinity by the Tacoma Accordion
Social Group in appreciation for Trinity’s generosity of using Thompson Hall for their
monthly meetings. The concert will begin about 7:00 p.m.
Trinity Memorial Day Service, Monday, May 25 at Trinity Cemetery, 10:00 a.m.
MEN OF TRINITY SERVICE CORPS
We continue our search forward for men to step up with their various God-given gifts. The purpose
of the corps is to support Trinity members who need companionship and help with various chores
such as shopping, and light work around the member’s residence. This might include yard work,
painting, window washing, auto detail, light plumbing, or electrical work based on skills.
Two jobs have been done recently. The pool table outside of Trinity Library was taken to the Goodwill. A dining room table and chairs for a Trinity member were delivered to the Hovd house.
A great big THANK YOU to the men who completed these jobs!
If you are interested or have any questions, please reach out to:
Hank Mays 360-250-4538 [email protected]
Doug Wright 206-755-6804 [email protected]
Dick Myking 253-222-6823
Men’s Prayer Breakfast
Tuesdays 7:00—8:30 a.m.
Are you on the e-mail group list? Contact Hank if you’re interested.
Men Of Trinity’s meeting minutes are emailed to the M.O.T.
group list and also posted in two locations within Trinity:
1. Narthex pillar closest to the Narthex kitchen.
2. The church office communication board.
At Anglea’s Restaurant
7511 Portland Ave E.
Scripture Texts for Worship
Palm Sunday, Mar. 29 (9am) Matthew 21:1-13, Triumphal Entry
(11am) Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1—15:47
Easter Sunday, Apr. 5 (9am) Matthew 28:1-10, Christ Died for All
(11am) Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 Cor. 15:1-11 Mark 16:1-8, John 20:1-18
2nd Sunday of Easter, Apr. 12 (9am) Matthew 28:16-20, Great Commission
(11am) Acts 4:32-35, Psalm 133, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31
3rd Sunday of Easter, Apr. 19 (9am) Acts 10:1-17, 34-35, Peter’s Vision
(11am) Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48
4th Sunday of Easter, Apr. 26 (9am) Acts 13:1-3, 14:8-18, Paul’s Mission
(11am) Acts 4:5-12, Psalm 23, 1 John 3:16-24, John 10:11-18
April 2 0 1 5 – Vol. 3 Issue 4
Living out our faith in Jesus Christ through joyous service to others.
Heritage and Hope Appeal Update
Yes, the 3-5 year plan, for which we hired Pastor Chick Lane of the Kairos Consulting Firm back on February 8, has been named officially the “Heritage and Hope” Appeal. Countless faithful people have invested
their time, talents and treasure here. Those investments are why this church is still here, full of people who
love it, looking to the future, full of Hope. Our Heritage, our past connects with our future, here and now. In
five years, when this appeal is culminating, we will celebrate 100 years of ministry here in Parkland. The decisions we make today can take us to the cusp of our second century, strong and vigorously living out our
faith in Jesus Christ through joyous service to others.
One of the big goals of this appeal is to be ever able to do more for the community outside the walls of our
church building. At this very time, there are green paper forms in the Narthex asking for your personal involvement in that. What would you like to see us all financially support here in Parkland? A few suggestions
are in already:
PLU students who go to Nicaragua to build wells that bring fresh water to unserved villages.
Habitat for Humanity; building a new community of homes right up the street from our church.
Men of Trinity has already sponsored a “Wall of Hope” which will become a section of a new home
for one of their recipients.
WINTERFEST which annually provides an authentic Christmas experience and gifts to local low
income families (in conjunction with Franklin Pierce schools, PLU and our business community)
LOVE INC (In the Name of Christ) to encourage churches to become more engaged with the
poor and to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action.They help people with furniture, housing, clothing (including a Prom Dress ministry!)
Seminarian support-this could be a scholarship, internship here, or direct support to a Seminary.
Various Disaster Relief efforts around the world.
Add your ideas to this decision making process. Tell your council (on the green form) who or what you want
our “New Benevolence” $10,000 to go to. Do it as soon as you can. The decisions will be finalized at the
May 21st council meeting.
Getting back to the “update” part of this piece:
Chick Lane was here at Trinity March 16-19. During that time, he was able to meet with members of 51
Trinity households. While everyone was being asked to take part in the CAT survey, calls were also being
made to many, many households scheduling these meetings with Pastor Lane. The purpose was for him to
listen to as many of us as possible talk about this church and this Appeal. The things he reported to the council at the conclusion of his visit were:

High confidence from the congregation that we can accomplish the goals of this Appeal. Willingness
to make a strong commitment to the Appeal. People like the tie-in with the 100th anniversary.
They appreciate knowing their commitments can be tailored to suit their life circumstances over t he
course of the five years.

Very strong support of Pastor Gaustad and his ministry here.

Great appreciation for Trinity’s Feeding Ministry.

Enthusiasm about the growing diversity of our congregation and for growing openness to people
from the community using our facility.

Special appreciation for the music ministry.
Chick has returned to Minnesota, but will be back to work with more of us April 6-8. Meanwhile, Co-Chairs
of the Appeal, Steve Ufer and Pat Ness are looking for help with building teams of people who will take
charge of the various tasks involved in making this appeal successful. This time between now and the middle
of April is called the Preparing Phase. Prayers are needed to support the efforts and consideration of all who
are asking or being asked to step up and help. If you feel moved to make a commitment, by all means, don’t
wait to be asked. Sign on and help lead the way.
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Trinity’s Garden of Edible Grace
Winter has been a time of rest in Trinity’s Garden of
Edible Grace. Yet through that rest there has been activity.
Through the money the Feeding Ministry received from
the ELCA Hunger Grant, we have built more raised beds
for our neighbors who are unable to build beds on their
own. These beds will be located in their yards and filled
with soil so that they may participate in joy of growing
their own food. We have also built an information/reader
board which will be located at the front of the garden. Not
only will this wooden kiosk help to identify the garden as
part of Trinity’s hunger ministry, but will help identify
work party opportunities and also garden needs that can be
done on one’s own when no one else is around if anyone
has a few minutes and would like to spend them in the
peace of the garden.
We now find ourselves in the early reaches of
spring with the soil warming and garden tasks calling. Not
being found idle, the Feeding Ministry has jumped in to
this early call of spring. We have placed the final raised
beds and filled them with soil, beds have been weeded and
readied for planting, straw placed between the beds to
inhibit weeds, raspberries trimmed back, continued with
planting native foods with five new huckleberry plants
now in the soil, and lettuce and peas planted. The cycle of
life begins again as we already see those peas poking
through the soil, our rhubarb leafing out, and huckleberries
taking firm root. All this early work could not have
happened without a cadre of volunteers from PLU.
We have established the second Saturday of each
month from 10:00 to 12:00 as garden work party time and
the last two months have been productive. Our next work
party is April 11. As this is the ministry of Trinity we
would love to see more Trinity members experience the
joys gardening can bring. April’s work party will be a time
of sowing, both literally and metaphorically as seeds of
hope. Please consider joining us for both.
LUNCH
FOR EVERYONE
AT TRINITY
Every Wednesday 12:00 p.m.
$3 suggested donation
Come for a good meal prepared by Chefs Joan & Nilda and the
crew and fellowship with one another!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE
INVOLVED WITH
FEEDING HUNGRY PEOPLE
THROUGH TRINITY
FILLING THE GROCERY CART for TLC FOOD PANTRY
p ean u t b u tter & tu n a
a ny non-pe ris ha ble food
and reu sabl e shopping bags
Food Pantry Hours: Sundays 1 pm—3 pm
Tuesdays & Fridays 11 am—3 pm
Trinity Food Pantry Hours:
Tuesdays
Fridays
Sundays
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Our Food Pantry serves households in all zip codes.
Households can receive groceries every 30 days. Trinity
also offers a choice table that can be visited anytime
that the Food Pantry is open.
See Wanda Wentworth, Virginia Garrison or Pat Witt for
more information. You may also contact the church
office 253-537-0201.
Senior Meals at Trinity
Monday, Wednesday, Friday at noon
RSVP 253-537-9171
Trinity’s free COMMUNITY MEAL
Friday, April 16 5:30-7:00 pm
We serve every third Friday of the month and prep
the meal the day before. You could serve one or more
shifts. Even one hour on Thursday is a big help!
Please consider volunteering your time:
Thursday 3:30—6:30 prep food
Friday 3:30-5:30 set up tables/chairs/décor;
Friday 5—6:30 serve the meal
Friday 6-7:30 clear tables, do dishes, tidy the hall
To help with the meals:
Please see Kurt Scearce or Wanda Wentworth.
We would love to have you join us!
April 2 0 1 5 – Vol. 3 Issue 4
Thank you to those who have supported Trinity
teens in their many other fundraising efforts!
Next Fundraisers: 1) Easter potluck breakfast and
2) helping people with spring cleaning
THANKS
TO ALL WHO GIVE!
Through the Sunday morning
COFFEE HOUR CHALLENGE we
Thanks for supporting are making a dent in the cost of
Trinity teens!
sending Trinity Youth to the
National Youth Gathering in Detroit!
Each week you’ll see the
DOLLARS for DETROIT jar at our
coffee hour after worship.
COFFEE HOUR CHALLENGE
TOTAL =
$5,195
FOR YOUR HEALTH at Trinity
DIABETES TESTING Friday, April 10
in Thompson Hall
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nurse Virginia is In:
every Tuesday, in Room 118
Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Prayers for Healing:
Exercise for Life
10:45 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
in Trinity’s Thompson Hall
A gentle, group-exercise routine
done while sitting in a chair.
NUTRITION DISCUSSION
& I N F O R M A TI O N
Fridays at 1:30 p.m.
in Trinity’ Common Room
T R I N I T Y N E W S D EA D L I N E S :
Visiting to Germany 2017
Newsletter: April 15
Pastor Greg Kaurin (Redeemer Lutheran Church—
Fircrest) and Faith Journeys are joining together to create this 12-day adventure to Germany May 1—12, 2017.
There will be an informational meeting at Redeemer,
1001 Princeton Street, Fircrest WA on Sunday, May 3 at
2:00 p.m. Redeemer has fundraisers planned already to
help defray the cost.
Sunday news: Wednesday noon
TRINITY BIRTHDAYS
Celebrating Trinity People!
Additions, changes to this list? Contact Lisa Boers
253-537-0201 x110, [email protected].
4/1 Tim Sherry
Sue Ferber-Goodspeed
Jake Cassidy
4/2 Sandra Boisture
4/6 Rosella Berreman
4/7 Spencer Cowan
Zachary Lofton
4/9 Kaitlyn Hopkins
4/10 Ian Leitch
4/11 Pat Durston
4/12 Carmen Knudtson
Angela Mietzke
4/13 Sara Lake
Bob Holland
4/14 Jeanne Patterson
Siri Waldow
4/18 Sharon Bacon
4/18 Melissa Cooper
4/19 John Lake
Christofer Gerlach
4/20 Linda Bowman
4/23 Betty Andahl
4/24 Ben Honeycutt
4/26 Helen Roalkvam
4/26 Marcia Sherry
4/27 Darin Safford
Nathan Herde
4/28 Anne Lucky
Karen Perrine
4/29 Marlene Myking
4/30 Art Sortland
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PLEASE
JOIN US
FOR THIS FREE
Community
Meal
Palm Sunday Worship, March 29
9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Maundy Thursday, April 2
12:30 and 7:00 p.m. Worship
Good Friday Worship, Apr 3
12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday Easter Vigil, Apr 4
7:00 p.m. Worship (bring bells to ring)
Easter Sunday, April 5
Friday, April 17
5:30-7:00 pm
At Trinity
on 121st Street
Between
Park Ave
&
C Street
We would love to
have you join us!
9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Worship
9:00-11:00 breakfast potluck
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
A free monthly publication of Trinity’s Messenger
APRIL 2015
www.trinitylutheranparkland.org
Vol. 3 Issue No. 4
Editor Lisa Boers 253-537-0201 x110
12115 Park Avenue South
Tacoma WA 98444-3629