Category Archives: Uncategorized

Good Friday Worship

Join us on April 2 at 6:30pm in our Worship Center (Or join us via livestream, available on our “Online Worship” page.)

 Join us as we walk with Jesus through his last supper with his disciples, through his time in the Garden of Gethsemane, through his arrest and trial, and ultimately through his time on the cross – as we prepare ourselves for the miracle of Easter.

Safety Protocols for Good Friday:

• There will be one section of the room designated as Masks RECOMMENDED but not required, for the rest of the room masks will be required.
• Chairs & Rows will be spaced to allow some distancing
• Similar to our 9:00 am Worship Service, singing and responsive readings will be moved towards the end of worship to allow for good ventilation

Easter Worship

Join us on April 4th at 9:00, outside, as we celebrate Easter. (Online Worship is available as well)

 Join us as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of our own future resurrection.  Similar to our Christmas worship, we will be renting a tent and worshipping outside.  Just as those first disciples went out to a garden to look for Jesus, only to find him resurrected, so we too will go out to worship him only to be surprised to find him in our very lives! 

There will be an Easter Egg hunt as well as other activities for kids after worship. 

Safety Protocols for Easter:

• In preparing for our Easter service, we have rented a large tent with chairs.  We will also have a lot of open seating (bring your own chairs or blankets) for those who would like to spread out more. That said, we hope that everyone will be able to worship with us on Easter morning, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
• If inclement weather is in the forecast, please look for updates on the website or in the eNews.
• Masks will be required. 

Communion Service

Join us on Sunday, March 7th for a special Communion and Prayer Service via Zoom as we celebrate at the Lord’s Table together.  If you are worshipping online, you are invited to share communion with us at this special evening service.  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 Sunday Night.

Topic: Zoom Communion
Time: Mar 7, 2021 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 850 6385 4654
Passcode: 112358

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85063854654?pwd=TFJLbkN1MnE1VFhSQ2k0dEh2TWhrQT09
One tap mobile: +13462487799,,85063854654# US (Houston)
Dial by your location: +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Dearest Church,
 
Well, it has been a week…
 
When snow is in the forecast in Texas, you know it will be strange… but historic cold temperatures, rolling (and extended) power outages, schools and businesses closed, pipe and car issues, and even learning to boil (or having no) water… well that was a bit more than was expected…
 
Which brings us to today… Wednesday.
 
We would normally be holding an Ash Wednesday worship service tonight, but in light of all that has been happening, that doesn’t seem advisable or even possible.  In-person worship is not an option for many, and in light of the continuing power issues, even being able to celebrate online may not be possible.
 
That being said, many of the lessons of Ash Wednesday, that are often foreign and hard to hear in a normal year, have been brought home to us over the past few days.  Therefore, maybe it’s enough for us to reflect on what we’ve been reminded of together.
 
The 3 points of Ash Wednesday are:

• To meditate on our mortality, sinfulness, and need of a savior
• To renew our commitment to daily repentance in the Lenten season and in all of life
• To remember with confidence and gratitude that Christ has conquered death and sin.

But of course we have been living many of these points out.  And here’s what I mean:
 
One of the main points of an Ash Wednesday service is to reflect on our mortality, our shortcomings, and our need.  And in most years that is difficult because we feel invincible, we hide our shortcomings, and we handle our own needs.  And in worship we do our best to ‘remember that we are dust, and to dust we will return’, but it doesn’t make a huge impact.
 
And yet, this year, these points feel all too clear.  This past year we’ve lost loved ones to a pandemic, this past week we’ve lost our comfort, control, and security, and throughout this whole season we’ve lost so much that we normally take for granted.  – And so, we HAVE become much more aware of our mortality and our need.
 
Which brings us to our second point, we are to use this time to recommit to repentance and disciplines.  And again, we hear this each year without much real intent to change or to become different.  We may give up something or try something, but without much intent to be changed or point our lives more towards God.
 
And yet, this year, I know that I personally feel the need to work to recover and create more margin and stability in my life, not to mention make several Christian disciplines more permanent in my life as a way to follow God’s leading better in my life.  Additionally, this year I have found several areas in which I have fallen short, and in which I could improve.  And so, I want to implement a renewed sense of discipline back into my often-too-comfortable life.  – And I wonder if you have found this too…
 
Which brings us to our third point, to remember with confidence and gratitude our Savior who conquered sin and death… and while we always worship and give thanks for our awesome Savior, this year that is more urgent and important.  Maybe especially because we are coming up to the one-year mark of our last ‘normal’ worship service at our church (March 15^, 2020).
 
But therefore, as we begin THIS season of Lent, we look forward toward a renewed hope in the power of the Resurrection.  We again need to be reminded that Jesus has conquered death, that the Holy Spirit continues to be at work transforming us, and that God still loves us and is with us.  And, maybe THIS year we need to again be reminded that God is still working to bring Resurrection into our lives, and our church, and our community, as he continues to do the work of restoration and healing.
 
And so, with all of that said,
I invite you, in the name of Christ,
To observe a holy Lent,
With self-examination and penitence,
With prayer, and works of love,
And by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
 
Sincerely,
 
Pastor Tim
 
PS In case it’s not clear, we will not be holding an Ash Wednesday service today, but we will move some of these elements into our Sunday Worship together.

In an effort to keep all our members, visitors and staff safe, and based on the information that we have available to us at the moment, we are cancelling all In-person Worship Services this weekend due to weather and road conditions. 

Please stay safe!

Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you and how we can pray for you!

And please join us for Online Worship this Weekend!

-Pastor Tim

Join us for Worship on Sunday February 7^th at 9:00am (or Online), and then join us at 10:00am for our Annual Congregational Meeting.  Our Annual Meeting will be BOTH in person and ONLINE (via the Zoom App).  We will put those joining us via zoom on the big screen, and we should have a camera for them to also see all of us.  We will NOT be having Worship Gatherings (at 8:00 or 10:45) on that day. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE MEETING AGENDA & HANDOUT!

Zoom information is available below:

Topic: TPC Annual Congregational Meeting
Time: Feb 7, 2021 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 859 4043 4427
Passcode: 31415926

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85940434427?pwd=SXQ0dnJvZkYwMjJsRGFneHhwQXY2UT09
One tap mobile: +13462487799,,85940434427# US (Houston)
Dial by your location: +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

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
 
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,84443849147# US (Houston)
 
Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 844 4384 9147

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