During Lent the feast days of saints are often forgotten or over-looked. The two saints for this week are Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, c. 202, on March 7; and Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394 on March 9. The saints always have something to offer us living in the world today. They are our examples of Christian living during difficult times.

Vibia Perpetua was a young widow, mother of an infant and owner of several slaves, including Felicitas and Revocatus. With two other young Carthaginians, Secundulus and Saturninus, they were catechumens preparing for baptism. Early in the third century, Emperor Septimius Severus decreed that all persons should sacrifice to the divinity of the emperor. There was no way that a Christian, confessing faith in the one Lord Jesus Christ, could do this. Perpetua and her companions were arrested and held in prison under miserable conditions.

At the public hearing before the Proconsul, she refused even the entreaties of her aged father, saying, "I am a Christian." On March 7, Perpetua and her companions, encouraging one another to bear bravely whatever pain they might suffer, were sent to the arena to be mangled by a leopard, a boar, a bear, and a savage cow. Perpetua and Felicitas, tossed by the cow, were bruised and disheveled, but Perpetua, "lost in spirit and ecstasy," hardly knew that anything had happened. To her companions she cried, "Stand fast in the faith and love one another. And do not let what we suffer be a stumbling block to you." Eventually, all were put to death by a stroke of a sword through the throat. The soldier who struck Perpetua was inept. His first blow merely pierced her throat between the bones. She shrieked with pain, then aided the man to guide the sword properly. The report of her death concludes, "Perhaps so great a woman, feared by the unclean spirit, could not have been killed unless she so willed it."

Gregory of Nyssa was a man enchanted with Christ and dazzled by the meaning of his Passion. He was born in Caesarea about c. 334, the younger brother of Basil the Great, and, in his youth, was but a reluctant Christian.

His brother Basil, in his struggle against the Emperor Valens, compelled Gregory to become Bishop of Nyssa, a town ten miles from Caesarea. Knowing himself to be unfit for the charge, Gregory described his ordination as the most miserable day of his life. He lacked the important episcopal skills of tact and understanding, and had no sense of the value of money.

Although he resented his brother’s dominance, Gregory was shocked by Basil’s death in c. 379. Several months later, he received another shock: his beloved sister Macrina was dying. Gregory hastened to Annesi and conversed with her for two days about death, and the soul, and the meaning of the resurrection. Choking with asthma, Macrina died in her brother’s arms. The two deaths, while stunning Gregory, also freed him to develop as a deeper and richer philosopher and theologian. He reveals his delight in the created order in his treatise, On the Making of Man. He exposes the depth of his contemplative and mystical nature in his Life of Moses and again in his Commentary on the Song of Songs. His Great Catechism is still considered second only to Origen’s treatise, On First Principles.

In 381, Gregory attended the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, where he was honored as the "pillar of the Church." In the fight for the Nicene faith, he was one of the three great Eastern theologians, known with Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus, as the Cappadocian Fathers.

March 9: Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394. Wisdom 7:34-28, Psalm 19:7-11, John 5:19-24.

8:00am Holy Eucharist

9:00am Education

10:00am Holy Eucharist

10:00am Holy Trinity Bookstore Open

11:00am Parish Town Hall Meeting, Parish Hall

5:15pm Holy Eucharist

6:00pm EYC

9:30am Yoga, Musikgarten Room

5:15pm Holy Eucharist and Healing

5:15pm Yoga, Musikgarten Room

7:00am HE and Women’s Breakfast

9:00am CDO, St. Francis

9:30am Yoga, Musikgarten Room

10:00am Holy Trinity Bookstore Open

7:00pm Cub Scouts, St. Francis Hall

7:00am HE and Men’s Breakfast

8:00am Bible Study Fellowship, Nave & Ed. Wing

9:00am Musikgarten Class, (birth 15mos)

9:45am Musikgarten Class, (1-2 years)

10:00am Holy Trinity Bookstore Open

10:30am Musikgarten Class, (2-3 years)

11:15am Musikgarten Class, (3-5 years)

12noon Women's Bible Study, Parish Hall

4:15pm Study Time for Kids, Game Room

5:00pm Junior Choristers, Choir Room

5:30pm Supper, Parish Hall

6:00pm A Study of the Psalms, Room 2

6:00pm Bethel Bible Study, Room 1

6:00pm Kingdom Kids, Room 17

6:00pm Kids Plus, Game Room

6:00pm Girls of Grace, Room 9

6:00pm Boys’ Bible Study, Room 7

6:00pm EYC, Youth House

6:00pm Scrapbooking, TBA

7:30pm Adult Choristers, Choir Room

9:00am CDO, St. Francis

9:30am Yoga, Musikgarten Room

9:45am Rector’s Bible Study, Room 1

10:00am Holy Trinity Bookstore Open

11:00am Holy Eucharist and Healing

8:30am Hospital Auxiliary, Parish Hall

Mike Peek

David Overton

Jody Gilles

Bill Granberry

Caroline Holmes

Team VI will serve March 3-9. Elizabeth Greaves, Captain. Harriet Barnes, Caroline Holmes, Sarah Jane West, Lucia Gray, Ann Curtis, Ruth Endsley.

Ann Curtis will serve breakfast on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, following the 7:00am Holy Eucharist.

Joe Cobb, Andrew Swartz, Tevis Herd will serve breakfast on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, following the 7:00am Holy Eucharist.

For Those in the Military: Bo, Eli, Nick, James, Kimberly, Chris, Mike, Rosemary, Justin, Lisa, Craig, Jody, Andrew, David, Steven, Jordan, Sean, Michael, Patrick, Etienne, Annie, Casey, Nick and his platoon, and Victor.

If you know of anyone in the Armed Forces, please feel free to call the Parish Office and place his or her name on the Prayer List.

Please call the Parish Office at 683-4207, and let us know when someone from Holy Trinity is in the hospital or rehab center. We don't want to miss anyone. Thanks!

Great Dates is an opportunity for couples to have time-out to build their marriage and to enrich their relationship. It’s a unique program that combines fun dates and marriage education skills. The concept is simple. First, couples meet together as a group. Each session begins with a short video date launch, where the theme for that particular date is introduced. Then couples experience their own "great date" by actually going out on a date with their partner! During these purposeful dates, couples learn to communicate better, process anger and resolve conflicts, appreciate differences, encourage each other, develop spiritual intimacy, and balance busy lifestyles. Great Dates is appropriate for ALL ages and stages of marriage. Come and join in the fun!

The First Sunday of the Month Potluck Lunch will be moved to Sunday, March 11 immediately following the 10:00 AM Eucharist. Please mark your calendars, bring a dish to share on Sunday, March 11, and join us as we continue our sacred fellowship. Thank you for passing the word to anyone you know! If you have any questions, just call Doris Cannaday at 685-7002!

Adult Bible Study: led by Jim May in St. Francis Hall.

Crossways Bible Study: led by Fr. Allen Whitman in the Parish Hall.

 

Wednesday Night Adult Education

Bethel Bible Study facilitated by Fred Newman and Karen Mason in Room 1.

Through Life's Windows—Topics on Faith led by Fr. Mark and Fr. Andy in Room 2. During Lent—February 28-March 28. Special five weeks - Psalms of David

Scrapbooking - Parish Hall

 

 

Wednesday, March 7: Game—Blind Polygon. Youth House, 6:00pm.

Don't forget to sign up to help with VBS this Summer! Plans are already underway and with over 220 children last year we need your help to get ready for this year.

Snacks

All children’s programs will take a break from the regular programs to learn about missionaries and their work in other countries. This four week class will take us to Kenya, India, Dominican Republic and Thailand. We will learn what the people of these countries eat, do for fun, their religion and how missionaries work in their countries. This will be fun and we want all children to join us in Lent for our adventure!

No Sunday School

March 11 0r 18

due to Spring Break

March 4- Children’s Sermon

March 11-Dedee Boring

March 18-Dedee Boring

March 25- Libby Lea

April 1-Palm Sunday/Children’s Sermon

April 8-Easter Sunday/Dedee Boring

April 15- Wheatly Gates

April 22- Libby Lea

April 29- Kendall Clark

Tuesday: 10am – 4pm

Wednesday: 10am – 4pm

5pm – 6pm

Thursday: 10am – 4pm

Sunday: after the 10am service

Bibles, Study Bibles, Prayer Books, Children’s Books, Devotional Books, Self Help Books, Baby Gifts & More

The Holy Trinity Trust Fund is now accepting applications for grants. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2007.  Applications may be picked up in the church office.  Contact Bob Klemme at 687-5646 if you have questions. 

Please contact Cindy Olive (Director) for more information or to submit a request for use of the facility (home phone: 686-9545 or e-mail: bucko1@cox.net). Keep in mind the mission statement of Nancy's Place: "To provide a Christian environment in which creativity can be identified, explored and nurtured." The clay studio should be open sometime in March and will offer instructive classes as well as open studio hours. If there is some type of art that you would like to be offered at Nancy's Place, please call me. If you have a talent or creative outlet that you would like to share with others, please call me. It is up to each of us to make Nancy's Place come alive and offer our creative experiences back to God, who is our own Creator.

Looking for a good place to "store" your unused or extra art supplies? Well, Nancy's Place can help you out! We are now accepting used or new equipment to help stock the creativity center next door. Here is a list of the types of things we are looking for: paint brushes, sponges, watercolors, acrylic paints, markers, paper (drawing or painting), tissue paper, poster board, old books, fabric scraps (small), yarn, embroidery thread, beads, wire, buttons, keys, charms, old costume jewelry, safety pins, bottle caps, rubber stamps, broken or chipped china or tile (for mosaics).... If you are usure if we can use the items but you don't want them anymore, please call me (686-9545). Bring your "stuff" to the church office (collection box is in the copy room). Pick up is also available by arrangement. Thanks! Love, Cindy Olive

Every Thursday for the last several years two wonderful ladies shared the duty of cleaning our Nursery linens. Due to personal reasons, we have lost both of these amazing ladies to other obligations. If you would like to minister for this wonderful program and you love doing laundry  – this is for you! Please call Karen at 413-0331.

Midland Memorial Hospital Auxiliary needs to recruit 30 new adult men and women volunteers. A new North Information Desk will be opening around March 1 and additional volunteers are needed. The requirements are: work 4 hour shifts, be computer literate and must be able to walk (you will be taking people to different places).  If you are interested, call Kim Modisett, Director of Volunteers, at 685-1542 or 230-3459.