Join us on Sunday, July 5th for a special Communion and Prayer Service via Zoom as we celebrate at the Lord’s Table together.  Because of how we are doing our Sunday Morning worship, we can’t share the Sacraments like we normally would, and so we will be meeting later in the evening to celebrate together.  This will be a brief time (approx. 30 min) of Prayer and Sacrament.  Join us at 6:00pm for this special time of worship! 
 
In preparation for this Communion Service, there are 2 things you’ll need to do in order to participate with us. 
1. You may need to download the Zoom software (www.zoom.us).   We will all be worshiping at the same time.  (If you have not used/tested this software before, please call the church office and we will try and troubleshoot this with you.)
2. You will need to find your own elements for Communion in your home.  This should be some form of bread and preferably a “fruit of the vine” that is reddish in color (i.e. Grape juice, Red fruit punch, Cranberry juice, etc.).
       
Our hope is that we all can be sitting at our own kitchen tables as we extend the Lord’s Table into each of our homes and to each of our families as we share the Lord’s Supper TOGETHER.

See You Tonight,

-Pastor Tim

***********************************

Topic: Summer Sunday Night Worship
Time: Jul 5, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Returning to the Building — Phase 1

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

–Philippians 2:3-4 

Summary: As we return back to the building for worship, we will keep it simple in order to keep people as safe as we can.  To this end, we will start with only one worship service and we will remove a lot of our extras: No nametags, no Oasis Coffee Bar, no north side of the building, no extended greeting time in worship, no nursery or classes.  And we will have the building thoroughly cleaned the night before, and we will clean it again after worship.  Masks are recommended.

As we feel we are ready to move to phase 2, we will add some of our welcoming pieces back in.  And then, we will add everything else back in as it is wise.

We do not know WHEN we will start this yet, but we will let you know.

What Sunday Morning Will Look like:

We’ll park on the west side of the building (maybe even in the new parking lot), and we’ll enter through the main doors.  A greeter will greet us and open the doors for us, and we’ll enter in.  The set up will look a little different to allow for people to keep a bit more spread out. 

We will head into worship, picking up a bulletin on the way.  The worship center will look similar to normal, but more spread out.  Every other row is removed and the chairs are more spread out than normal, but other than that things look like we’re used to.  We will spread out a bit in our families, and worship will begin. 

With the exception of less hand shaking and less passing things back and forth, worship will be similar to how it’s been.  We will sing, we will share in liturgy, we will engage the Word, we will worship together. 

After worship is over, we will head to the doors as we are ready, and we will head back home.

And then, over the next few weeks/months, we will slowly add new things back into our Sunday Mornings.  Our goal is that you will ALWAYS know what to expect.  We can not control how everyone behaves, but we will work to get you all the information you need to be able to make the right decision for you and your family.

And, as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! 

Thank you for your patience!

Our Plan – Draft 1

Join us on Sunday, June 7th for a special Communion and Prayer Service via Zoom as we celebrate at the Lord’s Table together.  Because of how we are doing our Sunday Morning worship, we can’t share the Sacraments like we normally would, and so we will be meeting later in the evening to celebrate together.  This will be a brief time (approx. 30 min) of Prayer and Sacrament.  Join us at 6:30pm for this special time of worship! 
 
In preparation for this Communion Service, there are 2 things you’ll need to do in order to participate with us. 
1. You may need to download the Zoom software (www.zoom.us).   We will all be worshiping at the same time.  (If you have not used/tested this software before, please call the church office and we will try and troubleshoot this with you.)
2. You will need to find your own elements for Communion in your home.  This should be some form of bread and preferably a “fruit of the vine” that is reddish in color (i.e. Grape juice, Red fruit punch, Cranberry juice, etc.).
       
Our hope is that we all can be sitting at our own kitchen tables as we extend the Lord’s Table into each of our homes and to each of our families as we share the Lord’s Supper TOGETHER.

See You Tonight (At 6:30 – despite what I said in worship!)

-Pastor Tim

***********************************

Tim Galligan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
 
Topic: Trinity Prayer and Communion Service
Time: Jun 7, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84443849147?pwd=amw1Q2J0eWErSHZzN1pOMm91VlBWUT09
 
Meeting ID: 844 4384 9147
Password: 336699
 
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Dearest Church,

As our church starts to work on our plan for returning, it strikes me that many of the same questions that we’re asking as a community may ALSO be relevant and important for us as individuals and families.

For better AND for worse, we’ve been given a moment of pause… a time to reset and restart our lives… we’ve been given a choice to change.  But the true value of that opportunity lies in our ability to ask some hard and deep questions BEFORE we return back to whatever becomes the new normal.

Oftentimes, in life, we feel like we’re on a treadmill… we do what we do because we always have, or because it’s the next step, or because it’s what everyone else is doing.  And yet, pretty soon we find that we’re just trying to keep up… or we are too busy to question what we’re doing or even where we’re going…

More than that, there’s a helplessness that settles in… since we feel a pressure to keep up the pace, and yet, it’s the pace that keeps us from having the space to ask these hard questions.

But, then, a few months ago, everything stopped. 
(or, at least what was normal stopped)
And while this has been difficult and unsettling, it may ALSO be an opportunity. 

As we START to think about returning, but before we turn the lights back on, it’s worth asking some questions:

1. What is WORTH returning to? 
2. Are there new things that we have found in this time that we should keep? 
3. Are there any things that we should not be returning to?

Some examples may be helpful, though your list should be different from mine…

• I look forward to returning to (and being more intentional about) community.  I want to do a better job of letting people know that they matter to me.  I have missed being with my friends and church family.
• In this time, I have engaged in my children’s education in a way that I had not, previously.  And, while I have a newfound appreciation of and admiration for teachers everywhere, it has been good for me to be more involved in what my kids are actually learning.  And, it has been good to show my kids MY love of learning.  (In the interest of full disclosure, they are less thrilled with their parent teachers, and they are VERY excited about getting their REAL teachers back as soon as possible! – but that’s a win too 😊)
• Before all of this, I found that life had a way at eating away at my evenings and weekends.  We’d sign up for one thing and then all of our Saturdays would be gone.  Or, we’d prioritize one activity (or even one person’s activity) over the whole family – to the detriment of the family.  And while there are times for that, maybe not ALL of the time.  I have enjoyed being able to spend more free time together as a family.  Maybe, in the long run, that’s more important to us than doing more things.

Again, your list should look different, but it’s worth having the conversation or taking the time… BEFORE things just start moving back to ‘the way things were’.

How often do we get a wonderful (and terrible) opportunity like this, to take stock, to reset, and hopefully soon, to restart a changed life back up again?  What if we made the most of it?  What if we didn’t just try to go right back to where we were… but became something better…


Keep praying, keep connected, stay safe,

-Pastor Tim

Dear Trinity Southlake,

Greetings! I am so happy to be joining your community as associate pastor and am beyond excited about the opportunities to do ministry together and to discover where God is leading us in this time and place. I am eager to learn what you are passionate about, where you see God in your lives, and what your hopes are for the future. In this new and strange time for the church in the age of coronavirus, I may not be able to meet all of you right away face to face, but know that you are in my prayers and that I will be working diligently to keep the mission of the church on track. I am particularly optimistic about the ways we can creatively engage Christian education and discipleship during this time and will be looking for your input into this as well.

In lieu of a more in-person introduction, a little about myself. I originally grew up in various communities in South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota and attended high school in Hastings, MN. I graduated from Yale University with a degree in religious studies (with a concentration in African studies), and during this time directed a prison tutoring program, participated in the leadership of several campus ministries, and served as a crisis counselor. After college, I joined Teach for America and taught high school math for four years at Crazy Horse School on the Pine Ridge reservation of South Dakota. During this time, I also worked as a park ranger at Badlands National Park and led a tribal youth internship program, which included many of my own students. These were very formative years for me and they eventually led me to a call to ministry. I entered the pastoral candidacy process with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and completed my Master of Divinity studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The ELCA requires all candidates to complete a one year pastoral internship in addition to their studies and I was chosen to do mine in Geneva, Switzerland. I served as a pastoral intern at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva and helped coordinate morning worship at the Lutheran World Federation and with the World Council of Churches.

After internship, I was assigned to the DFW area for my first call in the ELCA and to be nearer to my girlfriend, Sarah, who is also an ELCA pastor. She currently serves Faith Lutheran Church in Flower Mound, TX. Due to a lack of openings in the ELCA, however, I was given special permission by my synod and Grace Presbytery to interview with PC(USA) churches, as we are ecumenical partners. I am so thrilled at this opportunity to join the Trinity community in this unique and exciting way and to engage and explore our ecumenical partnership in all its richness. In my free time you might find me reading, hiking, or watching Minnesota Twins baseball (or currently re-runs of past games – I miss baseball season!).

            You will certainly be hearing more from me about the ways we can continue to engage ministry together in these new and unusual times. But in the meantime, I am so happy to be here and am grateful to Pastor Tim and the call committee for the wonderful welcome they have already shown me. I very much look forward to the day we can meet together in person!

In Christ,

Pastor Josh Menke

Dearest Church,

Our mission is to make and grow disciples who give their lives to make a difference in the world. And to help us with that mission, in August of 2018, we began a journey together, to seek an Associate Pastor of Discipleship.

Even then, we knew that discipleship happens through intentional relationships, and so we set out looking for an Associate Pastor who would invest in people, challenge us in our faith, and lead us in caring for one another and our community.

What’s more, we recognized that we, as a church, have made our best decisions as we’ve sought to grow in our faith, and serve families, and care for our community. (This is why we built our Worship Center and classrooms, started our preschool, launched our Upward Ministry, gathered in Growth Groups, and so much more.) And so we knew even then that we needed to find someone who would work with our families, students, children, adults, and seniors to grow us all deeper in faith through intentional relationships, classes, growth groups, service opportunities, and worship.

After an extensive search, led by our outstanding Associate Pastor Nominating Committee, and guided by our awesome God, we have found and approved our Candidate. And so, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Pastor Josh Menke, who began working yesterday!

As Pastor Josh gets started, I’m encouraging him to start by digging into the current (and historical) ministries under his purview, I’m encouraging him to learn and get to know who we are as a church, and I’m encouraging him to begin the process of meeting all of the different people and leaders in these ministries (and in our church).

I truly believe that Pastor Josh will help our church become who God is calling us to become. I believe there is a new season of ministry and vitality that is before us. And, even this strange (and difficult) time that our community and world is going through, may provide us another great opportunity to serve and Make a Difference.

That said, as much as I have tasked Pastor Josh with getting to know all of us, I ALSO have a job for YOU…

I want to make sure that we are welcoming Pastor Josh and helping him feel like he is a part of our church family. But that is harder right now since we are apart. And so, I want to encourage you to reach out, introduce yourself, and take the time to get to know him and let him get to know you.

One easy and important way to help out with this is to update your information (and add a picture) to “myTPC”. (Go to www.trinitysouthlake.org, and in the righthand corner, click on mytpc. Login (or sign up), and then please make sure your contact information is correct, and please make sure there’s a picture of you and/or your family.) It would help him (not to mention us) to be able to place a face with a name. (And, if you need help with any of this, please don’t hesitate to call the church office.)

Welcome Pastor Josh! We are so glad that you are a part of our church family!!

Sincerely,

-Pastor Tim

Dearest Church,

First, I hope you had a wonderful Easter, even if it was a stranger Easter than normal. 

Second, my suspicion is that some of us are starting to feel the increasing impacts and effects of this season that we’re in.  (Covid-19 is continuing to get closer; health care and other essential workers are getting overloaded; others are starting to lose their jobs or have hours cut back; other are realizing that the pace of life is not sustainable; and still others don’t know what to do and are worried…)  Please, let’s stay in touch, and let us stay in community.  Let us know how we can be helping and serving each other!  Let’s share ways we can serve our neighbors and community too!

Third, as these days have turned into weeks, and are now turning into months, I find myself starting to ask a different set of questions. 

Now that there’s a little less panic… and a little less shock… and a little less uncertainty, I’m starting to try and figure out:

• How do we use and make the most of this time?
• What should I (and our family) be doing to take advantage of this strange season we’re in?
• Can we be doing anything now to make this time more productive, more enjoyable, more helpful, or more sacred?

(And then, this isn’t just about me and mine, but how would we answer these questions for our church?  For our neighborhood?  For our community?)

Regardless of how long this time is, or how bad/good things get, it is still time that we’ve been given.  And, therefore, we are called to be faithful in it.  So how do we do that in a way where we will look back on this time and know that we made a difference?

To spur this thinking on further, I’ve been reading a number of articles that have been making the point that this is NOT something that is without precedent.  And, what’s more, there may be an opportunity (and even a blessing?) buried inside of it.  But the choice is ours as to IF we will use it or not.

Shakespeare spent some time in quarantine, as the theaters were closed in England as the bubonic plague ravaged the area.  But, there’s also a high likelihood that he wrote a large portion of King Lear and even parts of Macbeth during this time.

Isaac Newton did some of his best works, while in quarantine in a family farm (60 miles northwest of Cambridge) from the plague.  Among other things, this is where he reasoned out a lot of what became the foundations to his Laws of Motion.

And then, of course, Christians have found ways to serve and do ministry through times of plague and pandemic since the beginning.  Many Christians found ways to care for the sick during the 3^rd Century.  In the 14^th century, Martin Luther and his wife cared for the sick during the Black Death.  In the 1850’s, Charles Spurgeon saw his ministry become more effective as he continued to serve through an outbreak of Cholera in London. 

And so, I’ve been asking:

• How can I/we best use this time?
• What can I be doing now, such that I can look back at this time and know that it was time well spent?
• What are ways that I can reach out to, care for, or serve others (not EVERYONE… but at least SOMEONE)?
  • Especially those who live right next door…
  • Especially those who are finding themselves out of work…
  • Especially those who who shouldn’t be leaving the house…
    
  • Especially those who are lonely…
  • Especially those who operate small businesses…
    
  • Especially those who are having to make really hard choices right now…
    
  • Especially those who _____(You fill in the blank)_____________… 

Keep praying, keep connected, stay safe,

-Pastor Tim

You are invited to join us tonight as we celebrate and participate in Maundy Thursday Worship.  Our service will be centered around the Lord’s Table as we reflect on the different examples, practices and teachings Jesus left for his disciples before going to the cross. 

More to the point, this will lead us towards the cross… but much more importantly, to the Easter Sunday that lies beyond. 

Of course, due to circumstances, we can’t meet together at the church, but we can meet virtually.  And so, we will use the Zoom app to meet together.  I would encourage you to try and join us from your kitchen table, as we all connect our tables and families together at the Lord’s Table.

Also, we will be celebrating communion, and so you will need bread and a ‘fruit of the vine’ that is reddish in color (i.e. Grape juice, Red fruit punch, Cranberry juice, etc.).  (and you may need cups or glasses so that we can all partake together)

If you want to test out Zoom prior to worship, contact the church. 

The details you’ll need for the zoom meeting are below.  We hope to see you tonight!

-Pastor Tim

Topic: TPC Maundy Thursday Worship

Time: Apr 9, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Password: 112233

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Dearest Church,

As we begin a new month and make it through our current week, we quickly move towards Holy Week…

Of course, things are different this year.  Church is different, Holy week will be different, the world has been changed… and yet Easter will be the same. 

Now, of course, that’s not to say that we will be doing church like we did last year, or that everyone will be wearing their Sunday best, or that there will be as many Easter egg hunts and family gatherings…

But, the reality is that none of those things are actually Easter.  Easter isn’t the extra good worship at church, or the family gatherings or any of the other festivities or pageantry…  Instead, Easter is about the life changing good news:

• That Jesus died and rose again… 
• That Jesus conquered death…
• That Jesus was resurrected…
• That Jesus invites us into a new WAY of life… even today!

And thus, Easter has not changed.

But our experience of Easter will be different… though maybe for the better.  With all of our distractions gone, maybe we will actually be able to experience a holier Holy Week and Easter than we ever have before. 

Which begs the question: How will you practice THIS Holy Week, as we move towards Easter?

• Will you pray more regularly and deeply?
• Will you read Scriptures?
• Will you reach out and connect to your neighbors and others (from a safe distance)?
• Will you serve those who are struggling?

Additionally, here are some of the things we’re planning for worship:

1. Worship will be done and found much like it has been for the past couple of weeks.  With that, we’ve updated and added some links on our church website (trinitysoutlake.org) to point everyone to our “Online Worship Page”.  Once there (on Sunday), you will find Sunday worship videos, children’s worship resources, and a new Connection Card “Check in”.
2. In preparation for Palm Sunday this week, the church got Palm Leaves, and we placed them outside the church (at the front doors).  If you want, you can stop by and pick some up prior to worship.
3. In preparation for Maundy Thursday worship, there are 2 parts to our preparation.  First, you may need to download the Zoom software (www.zoom.us).   We will all be worshiping at the same time on Thursday night.  (If you have not used/tested this software before, there may be a chance to try it out prior to the worship service – look to the E-news on Wednesday for more information)  Second, you will need to find your own elements for Communion in your home.  This should be some form of bread.  And preferably a fruit of the vine that is reddish in color (or the closest you can get under the circumstances (I.e. Grape juice, Red fruit punch, Cranberry juice, etc.)).    —  My hope is that we all can be sitting at our own kitchen tables… as we extend the Lord’s Table into each of our homes and to each of our families… and share the Lord’s Supper… TOGETHER.
4. And then, of course, we’ll have Easter Worship on April 12… stay tuned for more on that.

Finally, the president of Princeton wrote something up that I read recently, that I wanted to share with you (ESPECIALLY as we move towards Holy Week): https://www.ptsem.edu/alerts/perspective-humility-to-humility-the-sprituality-of-quarantine

Keep praying, keep connected, stay safe,

-Pastor Tim

Our worship service today will be online. You can participate in worship using the video whenever works well for you. Our suggestion would be to gather with whoever will be worshiping with you, and then click on one of the links below.

Also:

• It’s ok to sing along with the songs, and say the liturgy out loud, and follow along with the prayers and passages.
• Alternatively, if that feels too strange, it also works to use all of these pieces as prayers to God and silently use this time to pray.

For Worship, Click either of the following:

• Join us from TPC Website
• Join us From YouTube

For Children’s Resources, click on the following:

• Resource #1
• Resource #2
• Resource #3
• Resource #4