Hi, Everybody:
This Sunday, April 6, is the 5th Sunday in Lent. Worship is at 9:30 am, and Sunday School, Confirmation Class, and Bell Choir are cancelled due to preparations for…
The Celebration of Life for Tom Stevenin, which takes place at 1 pm. Following the service, there will be a reception in Holland Hall with food trucks in the parking lot. Bringing hand-held desserts is appreciated. Recommended attire includes a beer logo (or similar) work shirt/bowling shirt. For those who would like to make a donation in Tom’s memory, please consider Holy Trinity Lutheran Church or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan.org).
The rest of this email is torn (well, copy-and-pasted) straight from the pages of this Sunday’s bulletin insert. Tomorrow’s headlines today!
Youth Group Meeting
This Sunday, April 6, after worship at 10:45, we will gather on the patio to talk about what it means to have a Youth Group at HTLC! Youth ministry is one of the very best ways God works through the church to impact the world! And we have an amazing group of young people here at Holy Trinity! So, if you’re interested in taking part, or just curious, we’d love to see you Sunday on the patio!
Spring Cleaning on Saturday
It is time for Spring Cleaning, which HTLC traditionally has set for the Saturday before Palm Sunday, April 12, 9 am to noon. Please mark this date on your calendar as we prepare the church buildings and grounds for Holy Week.
Easter Garden
On Easter Sunday, an Easter Garden of colored flowers will decorate the church. You can sign up at the Media Table to bring your favorite plant or blooming flowers – any color or type. The plants or flowers can be given in memory of or in honor of someone special to you and your family. The names will appear in the bulletin on Easter Sunday. Purchase your own plants and bring them to the Activity Room by Saturday, April 19 at 10am. Please print legibly and circle “In Memory of” or “In Honor of.”
Midweek Lenten Services
Our final half-hour Midweek Lenten Service is on April 9 at 6:30 pm. This Wednesday’s skit, written by Kathleen Keating, is called “The Miracle of Grace.”
Holy Week Services
Palm Sunday: 9:30 am Worship at Holy Trinity with choir musical sermon
Maundy Thursday: 6:30 pm Worship at Christ the King
Good Friday: 7 pm Worship at Holy Trinity, Tenebrae style with candles
Easter Sunday: 9:30 am Worship at Holy Trinity, 10:30 am Easter Breakfast, 11 am Egg Hunt
Spaghetti Feed Meeting
The annual Spaghetti Feed fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, June 7th. A planning meeting is set for Sunday, April 27, at 10:45 in the Activity Room.
Tuesday Bible Study Break
Tuesday Bible Study will not be meeting on April 15 and 22, due to Holy Week and Easter.
Render a Little Less unto Caesar . . .
Yes, it’s tax time. Will you get a refund or have to pay the IRS? Consider asking a tax person or financial adviser if changing how you make gifts to your church and other charities could lower your tax bills.
– QCD: If you are over 70½ and now receive money from retirement accounts, you may be eligible to have some withdrawals issued as checks payable to charities as “Qualified Charitable Deductions”. That will reduce your gross taxable income.
– Charitable Giving Account (aka Donor Advised Fund): If you are any age and own stock or mutual funds that are not in your retirement account and that have grown in value, you may open a “giving account” with a broker’s Charitable Trust and “give” some stock/funds to that account. You will then be able to instruct the Charitable Trust to send checks directly to your blessed charities. By doing this, you do not have to pay taxes on the amount your stock etc grew in value while you owned it.
Both of these giving methods may reduce how much income tax you pay the feds and the state compared to making your gifts directly from money that is already taxable. So, if you are retired or have been blessed with investments that have grown in value, ask your tax person or financial advisor about these alternatives.
– Keith
your friendly Parish Life Coordinator