Stories to Tell and Gifts to Share

It’s important to hear stories of how God works through people, changing and transforming their lives so that they, in turn, may be a blessing to the people around them. In this letter, Jeff Grieco give thanks for the many people of Holy Trinity through whom God acted.
Greetings as we begin a new church year!
The Tuesday evening study between Holy Trinity Lutheran and Franklin Reformed Church this fall, discussing “RECLAIMING the “C” WORD – Daring to be Church Again” By Kelly A. Fryer brought to mind many memories of the early years following my
September 29, 1968 Confirmation
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church prepared me for “life” in many ways – in relationships and dealing with all types of people with Vacation Bible School and Sunday Church School teachers, parents and children, 8th & 9th grade taking turns leading Opening Worship under the direction of the late Donald Hoch, Sr., decades later became valuable when planning and leading Worship Services at FRC, also from Pastor Berkobin studying the front “seasonal” section of the (1955 publ. Yr.) “Red Hymnal” as well as learning how to use the addressograph in the office (1978-82). On my second job, the office I was in had one and when they found out I was “experienced”, maintaining the sales mailing list was added to my duties!
“Daring to be Hopeful” was the last chapter we concluded with last Tuesday evening. This chapter especially brought to mind people from Holy Trinity’s past: The late Barbara Nordberg, who in August 1968 at VBS gave me a teacher’s guide and had me teach 3 lessons over the two week session; Evelyn Scheppler (one of six people I’ve known to live to 100) my only VBS teach at HTLC in 1965 who shared her faith and welcomed new experiences; I remember her calling me when Pastor Rickel asked her to participate in the “washing of the feet” ceremony at a Maundy Thursday Service and how thrilled she was! “Encouragers” long time Sunday School teachers who gave me support, advice and shared their faith – too many to list but I think of Ruth Ibbotson, Ann Tiedemann, Lorraine & Otto Bitten, Henry Ohlandt, Don Hoch and our Superintendent, Harold Kahley. “Great Women of Faith” who shared their favorite Bible verses and hymns, who attend worship and church functions as long as they could: Evelyn, Rosa Hasenzahl,
Else Zimmerer, Betty Zimmermann, Esther Hardie, Pauline Carpenter, Viola Meyer, Anne Kreher, Elizabeth Ratcliffe, Ruth Blair Lynch, and I’m sure you can think of some others. During the fall of 1970, my mother was preparing to be the next secretary at Holy Trinity, as the late Winnie Ohlandt was retiring, I remember several Sundays after church Winnie took me around to groups of “older” longtime members who I would not have met before, and she introduced me (I was only sixteen at the time) to people who we did get to know in future years. So many remained faithful to my mother until her death in June, 1983.
In closing, another Confirmation Day memory is that when the service was over and we waited to go out onto the lawn, the very first person to greet and welcome all twenty two of us was the late John Meyer. He was still substituting in Sunday School at the time and shook each of our hands.
Jeff Grieco

Go ahead, share your stories of how God has been working in your life. Just send them to the office or e-mail them to office.htlcnutley@verizon.net