On the Calendar

Open the Scripture. Join the Conversation.
Every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. and every Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. we gather to open the scripture and join in conversation with God and each other.What is God doing in the the world? What is God doing in our lives? What is God saying to us as individuals, a community of faith, the world? What is the good news of God's kingdom? How is God sending us into the world? These are just some of the questions we ask as God engages us through God's word and the witness of the Holy Scripture.

Motherhood: A Holy Calling
Sunday, May 9, is Mother's Day. God has called us to various walks of life and to live out the Gospel through a variety of roles we play in relationship with others. To be "mother" is not only a biological event, it is a divine calling. What better way to honor Mom and all the other mother-figures that God has brought into our life than in our worship at 10 a.m. We will include a special blessing for all mothers that Sunday. Mom's invite your children to join you in worship before they take you out for lunch. Children, invite Mom to worship with you as part of the special day you have planned for her.


AIDS WALK N.Y. Sunday, May 16, 2010
This year marks the 25th annual AIDS Walk
AIDS Walk New York (AWNY) is the world’s largest AIDS fundraising event. In 2009, more than 45,000 people participated and raised a record breaking sum of over $5.6 million. Funds raised from the walkathon go to numerous programs and educational services to support people living with HIV/AIDS, and to over 60 other tri-state area AIDS organizations. The 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) walkathon begins and ends in Central Park.

Nancy and Tony Maguire are again raising funds and on Sunday, May 16, 2010 they will participate in AIDS Walk New York. If you would like to walk with them, or sponsor them by donating money, please let them know. Checks should be payable to AWNY and can be given to Nancy or Tony anytime. You can also mail your check to their address at 26 Parsons Ct., Mahwah, NJ 07430. If you would like to raise money at your school or place of business they can provide you with sponsor forms. If you would like more information please call them at (201) 934-9366. You can also visit www.aidswalk.net.

Bloomfield Chorale Concert Saturday, May 22, 7:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity. Ruth Hsu will conduct a program of choral selections on the theme “The Waters of Life”. Scott and Debbie Jones sing with the Chorale, which is part of the Bloomfield Federation of Music. $8.00 at the door, 12 and under are free.

Pentecost, Sunday, May 23rd.
Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember how God poured out the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ disciples and empowered the church for God’s mission. On the first Pentecost the Bible tells us that all the disciples were gathered in one place when the Holy Spirit blew through. Mark your calendar and invite your friends to join you for this festive worship. Let’s see what happens this year. Remember to wear red!

Mark Your Calendars and Plan to Join Us As We Journey to Africa for a Baobob Blast!
Our journey begins Sunday, August 15 and ends with a closing program on Friday, August 20. We will meet in the evening again, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. The Registration fee is $15.00 per person (maximum is $30.00 per family). (Registration forms will be available at church – please pick up after worship or call the office)

Join everyone at God’s Great Get-Together for a week of creating, connecting and coming together. There is a place for you at BAOBOB BLAST! Put on some sunscreen and head to the community gathering at the baobob tree….join in a week of awesome music, wacky skits, Bible stories and cool crafts. Baobob Blast is the place to be this summer!

Pastor's Message

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building. I Corinthians 3:5-9

St. Paul had a way of eloquently and concisely refocusing a congregation’s attention on the central thing of life – the Lord Jesus. When Jesus calls us into ministry, he calls us to not gain disciples for ourselves or to gather people into our own circle of influence, but he sends us out to make disciples of Jesus. We all have a calling from our baptism. What’s more, God has lavished us diverse, varied and unique gifts to carry out God’s mission.

I thank God for the many and various gifts, God has poured out on the people of Holy Trinity. It has been a blessing to serve and work among you and to count myself a partner is God’s ministry here. As I reflect on all that God has accomplished among us, I am overwhelmed by the way in which we as community engaged in God’s mission. There was no individual person or personality at the center of our life, except Christ Jesus. Instead, we all joined in the work God gave us to do, each according to his or her gifts.

When we transformed and opened up our building and grounds, we worked together as a community. That unity of purpose and happiness in our work attracted the attention of our neighbors. When we canvassed the neighborhood with door-hanger invitations and gifts, we worked together and each used their God-given gifts to share the Gospel. When we pitched a tent on the front lawn and invited our neighbors to join us in worship and discipleship, we discovered how greatly gifted we truly were. When we offer a Vacation Bible School, each gifted person contributes all they have to create an environment and faith-growing experience that is truly incredible. Musicians, artists, builders, planners, managers, story-tellers, cooks, teachers, administrators, friends, givers, and everything else needed to do God’s work in this place at this time.

But, at the end of the day, we did all of this and so much more so that God might be glorified among us and through us. We work together as a sign and witness to what God is doing in the world through Jesus. God changes lives. God saves people.

Jesus is Lord. That’s our first guiding principle. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives growth in the life of Jesus. That’s why I am so filled with hope and excitement about the future ministry and mission that you will engage. As Holy Trinity prepares to take the next step in following Jesus, we know from our past that no one person is the key to our growth. It takes a variety of people with a variety of gifts working together, but even then, the work is done in faith and confidence in God who gives the growth.

Thank you for welcoming me into your gifted community. Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for this community as you welcome new people and a new pastor with new gifts needed for new ministry in the name of Jesus Christ who, by his resurrection makes all things new.

To God alone be the glory,

Pastor Jim

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Please call the office at (973) 667-0256 if you would like a copy of the most recent fact sheet from Thrivent Financial. There is a new member-directed charitable grant program where members can participate at different levels based on their involvement with Thrivent Financial.

For questions you can email Thrivent at mail@thrivent.com or go to their website at: www.thrivent.com/thriventchoiceinfo

In Our Community

Altar Flowers
Please note that if anyone would like to honor or remember someone, we currently have many open weeks available for flowers, especially in July, September and November. The cost is $30.00 per week.

Prayer Team“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18) We are reorganizing our Holy Trinity Prayer Team/Prayer Chain. Each member of this group has a file box of index cards on which are written the names of people, groups or concerns to be remembered in prayer. The names/concerns are prayed for each day by at least one member of the team. If we have eight members, each person prays once in an eight-day rotation.

To join our group, please contact or speak to Scott Jones
(973) 338-0267 or music.htlcnutley@verizon.net. Look for news about ways in which to request prayers and also note cards to be sent to those we have remembered in prayer.

Graduating in May or June?
Please let us know the date and from where you are graduating and we will share that good news. Feel free to share your future plans, as well.

Open House
As many of you know, Betty Gambaro retired as Executive Director of the Community School in Nutley on March 31. The Community School is an early childhood education center in three locations in town sponsored and directed by five churches; Holy Trinity is one of the sponsoring churches. Betty Gambaro has been a part of the school for many years, beginning as a teacher and then becoming the director. She has served the school, the children and the families with dedication, compassion, and wisdom. She has seen her work as a ministry, seeking to both portray and instill her faith in Jesus Christ.

In honor of her years of service, the Community School will be having an Open House in her honor on Saturday, May 15 from 2-4 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church located at 200 Highfield Lane in Nutley. There will be some light refreshments and an opportunity to express appreciation to Betty. All are invited.

Magazine Swap
We here at Holy Trinity would like to organize a magazine swap. Please bring in any magazines that you are done reading and swap them for something else; chances are you will have some material that another individual would be interested in. Maybe when visiting the sick or elderly you can bring along some reading material you think they might enjoy.

We will leave a drop-off box in the Narthex – please remember to REMOVE THE NAME AND ADDRESS label first. Please, NO NEWSPAPERS. Think about all the trees and money you might save, and the joy you might bring to someone that might not be able to afford a subscription!

Remember the Hungry
During these difficult times, organizations that provide food often run short of needed supplies. We will continue to collect food as part of our offering during worship. Please bring your non-perishable food items to worship with you.

Getting Our Information Electronically

Using E-mail to Make, Keep and Invite Friends. Communication is vital to any relationship. That includes your relationship with others groups, teams and ministries going on at Holy Trinity. E-mail puts a powerful communication tool at our fingertips. Not only can we stay informed about news, events and happenings in the Holy Trinity community, but we are able to share that news with our friends as well by passing the information along to them or inviting them to be part of the Holy Trinity mailing list.

Want To Receive This Newsletter Electronically?
We are trying to distribute more and more of our information electronically. If you haven't already shared your e-mail address with the church office, please consider doing so by sending an e-mail with ADD ME TO THE MAILING LIST in the subject line to office.htlcnutley@verizon.net.

Holy Trinity is now on Facebook. You can become a fan of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and stay up-to-date with what's going on in the congregation and among our members. As a fan you can also post your news, your questions, thoughts and experiences of God's love in action to share with others. It’s just another way to share the good news, overcome barriers and connect one to many in Christ. You can access our page directly from our website, at www.htlcnutley.com

Check out the new Community section of our Website as well. You can read blogs, news from ELCA, preview this week’s worship service and so much more. Log on today.

May Birthdays, Anniversaries and Disciples

May Birthdays
2: Al Weber
3: Audrey Stevens
4: Erika Murphy
11: Don Walch
12: Jean Esparolini
14: Ethan Munoz
15: Gail Ceravolo
19: Dorothy Greengrove, Debbie Jones,Terry D’Agnolo
21: Jan Strachan
26: Gerald Mayr

May Anniversaries
29: Joseph & Liz Cicci

May Disciples
Please pray for this person on the date listed: (every day except Sunday)

1:Bernd Mayr
3:Carlos Medina
4:Grace Medina
5:Elaine Miller
6:Lois Milner
7:Nicole Mozeliak
8:Lizzy Mozeliak
10:Holly Mozeliak
11:Martin Mueller
12:Sally Mueller
13:Max Mueller
15:Miles Mueller
17:Daniel Munoz
18:Brenda Munoz
19:Justin Munoz
20:Ethan Munoz
21:Bonnie Munoz
22:Damian Murphy
24:Sharon Murphy
25:Angela Murphy
26:Erika Murphy
27:Alex Murphy
28:Olivia Murphy
29:William Murphy
31:Connor Murphy

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