TRINITY

IN

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We are most definitely blessed! Although everyone tries to be a little more grateful in November, it is something we try to be especially cognizant of in a Christian school. We try to stress to our students that some of the blessings our school enjoys are because of the work of others ... those who came before us. We held our annual Wachsmann Walk-a-thon in October; and we were reminded of the efforts and dedication of Adolph Wachsmann. We were delighted that Mrs. Earline Wachsmann was able to once again join us at the event in his stead. TLS students gave their most recent chapel offerings to assist in the Wounded Warrior Project, specifically Wind River Christian Family Dude Ranch, in Estes Park, CO. They are also currently involved in a number of projects to assist families dealing with childhood cancer and MD Anderson Cancer Research. It is hard to believe we have already finished the first quarter of school. Parent-Teacher conferences were well attended, and we are now ready to move on to the end of this semester. Time flies!

TLS NEWS

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Sunday, Nov. 9, will be our annual Fall Festival. Join us after church in the playground/pavilion area for food, games, silent auction, country store, cake walk, and much more! It is always tremendous fun, but it will be even better if your family is there. Please note that the students will be out of school November 24-28 for Thanksgiving Break. There will be teacher training on campus Nov. 24 and 25. The faculty and students of TLS would like to wish everyone a truly blessed Thanksgiving!

“On the Road Again!” I just returned from a family wedding in California. That was a bigger accomplishment than it might appear. While the rest of my lovely family flew back, I was on the road in a 16-foot rental truck. The truck was loaded with some furniture and keepsakes that one of our family members was parting with and are useful to us here in Texas!

When I first got into the truck I noticed that it was definitely “used.” Sure enough, when I checked the odometer it read 178k miles. I said a little prayer and wondered if I would really make it back in the two days I had planned. God saw me through the over 1,500 miles and I have arrived!

As I got up on day two to complete leg two of my trip I was really not looking forward to another eight plus hours of driving! I had to make the jaunt from Fort Stockton to Spring and was starting the truck up when the radio came on playing Willie Nelson’s hit, “On the Road Again.” It brought a smile to my face and put a little weight in my foot!

As the line goes, “Goin’ places that I’ve never been, Seein’ things that I may never see again … and I can’t wait to get on the road again.”

by Rev. Chris Singer

As the miles rolled by I contemplated again the excitement and adventure that we are on as Trinity Klein Lutheran Church. God is calling us forward towards a destination that is going to be so incredible! There are many friends for us to travel with, many new friends to be made as we share Christ, and more challenges that by God’s grace will all be overcome!

Maybe that is how you woke up this morning? Maybe you need a little encouragement for the next set of miles in front of you? Well, even better than Willie’s song is a verse from Romans.

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Be encouraged today! God has entered “heaven” into your “maps!” He not only has opened that destination through Jesus’ death on the cross, but He also gives to us His Spirit to encourage us for the daily miles as we journey ahead.

MEET GOD Worship@

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TRADITIONAL: Sunday 8:30 a.m.Wednesday 7:15 p.m.

CONTEMPORARY: Sunday 11 a.m.SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sunday 9:50 a.m.

by Dr. William Brusick, D.M., Minister of Music The Ebola virus is a hot topic these days. Hot, yes, but new? No. History is replete with incidences of epidemics that covered whole countries and even continents. The difference today is that news, almost all negative, spreads faster than the disease itself. So it goes in the 21st century.

It is 1636 in Eilenburg, Germany – in the midst of the Thirty Years’ War. The city has become overcrowded with refugees which leads to famine and beginning of the Great Epidemic of 1637. Lutheran pastor, Martin Rinckart, is one of four clergy in the city. When the epidemic begins, one pastor flees with his family, the other two that stay behind, become infected and die, leaving Rinckart as sole pastor.

History records that he officiated at up to 50 funeral services per day with a total of 4,480 burials in one year, including those of the two remaining pastors and his wife. By the end of 1636 there were no more proper burial places, so bodies were buried in trenches without services. Martin Rinckart was also a gifted hymn writer. Putting pen to paper in 1636 he wrote one of the most recognized hymns in Protestant hymnody.

After witnessing so much suffering, death and loss, what would you be inspired to write? Inspired by the world it likely would be a hymn of bitterness and anger. Inspired by God though, Rinckart penned “Now Thank We All Our God” (LSB 895). When we sing this hymn in November take special note of the final line of second stanza;

And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

Rinckart, who miraculously never contracted the disease, died in 1649 at age 63; serving the church in Eilenburg and surrounding areas the rest of his days.

A Hymn Born Out of an Epidemic

Christmas Eve Services2 p.m.4 p.m.6 p.m.

11 p.m. candlelight service

Christmas Day Service10 a.m.

One.

German Christmas ServiceDecember 21

6 p.m.

Advent starts Nov. 30Wednesday Evenings

7:15 p.m.

Family Worship6 p.m.

Thanksgiving ServicesNovember 26, 7:15 p.m.November 27, 10 a.m.

“On the Road Again!”

DIDy o u k n o w ?

We are over halfway to our goal this year for children’s baptisms. If you are interested in scheduling a baptism

or speaking to a pastor about being baptized,

call 281-376-5773.

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Grow to Know GodWhy GROW Groups?Simply walk into the FLC and the Pier on Wednesday night, and you won’t have a doubt about the energy and excitement that we call GROW Groups. K-8th grade GROW Groups have already launched and meet each Wednesday evening for worship, large group sessions, skits, and small group discussion and prayer, and the kids love it! Many of them talk about it during the week and can’t wait to come back each Wednesday.

Not only are GROW Groups fun, but they are interactive and meaningful. Group leaders and parents have noticed a shift in their kids’ prayer lives. When GROW groups started, many kids felt uncomfortable leading prayer, and many are now volunteering to pray out loud and for each other. They are also taking their own timeto pray more in-depth.

Even the little ones are growing in their understanding, recognizing that Jesus isn’t just a character, but someone who protects and guides them.

The kids seem to be more concerned about others’ spiritual lives- not just for the kids in their groups, but they have a heightened awareness of others in the community who may not know who Jesus is.

One group leader noted how her kids seem to truly understand and believe that God is in control, no matter how big or small the situation is. They know how to have fun, and when to be serious.

This place is buzzing, and God is doing awesome things with these kiddos on Wednesday nights! GROW Groups will run through November 19 and will pick back up January 14. If you have any questions about GROW Groups, feel free to talk to Pastor John.

by Melissa Kasper

New Sunday9:50 a.m.

Bible Class Launching This

Month:Bringing Up

Boys and GirlsLed by Roman

Anguiano in

CREW SERVE is Nov. 16NO CREW on Nov. 23Happy Thanksgiving!

Junior Highers plan ahead! Friday Night Fusion is Dec. 5 at

Altitude! Cost is $20, but if you bring a

friend you both get in for half price!

Public School Confirmation

continues through Dec. 14.

We will not be meeting Nov. 30

because of Thanksgiving!

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Serve and Love GodOur November meeting has been moved from Wednesday to Tuesday. We will begin at 1 p.m. on TUES., Nov. 25 in the Sanctuary. We will decorate the altars in the Sanctuary and Chapel for Thanksgiving, and then have a short meeting, devotions, and refreshments in FLC Room 116. New

members are always welcome!

Clear your calendars for our Christmas luncheon, Wed., Dec. 17 at the White Flamingo from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please

RSVP to Velma Price at 281-376-3280.

Lydia Guild

Help for the divorced and separated during the

holidays.

Surviving the HolidaysIf you’re separated or divorced, the holidays can be a lonely, stressful, depressing time. But there’s hope. Join us for an encouraging seminar that will help you survive the holidays and discover new ways to enjoy them again.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Trinity Lutheran Church Family Life Center, Room 116

Register at trinityklein.org or call 281.376.5773

SURVIVINGTHE HOLIDAYS

Help for those dealing with grief during the holidays

No matter how long it’s been since your loved one died, grief can make the holidays a painful time. But there’s hope. Join us for an encouraging seminar that will help you survive the holidays and discover new reasons to enjoy them again.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM Trinity Lutheran Church Family Life Center, Room 116

Register at trinityklein.org or call 281.376.5773

FELLOWSHIP C L U B

Wednesday, Nov. 12,

at 10:30 a.m. Table games

will be played and a pot luck

lunch will beshared.

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Go & Share GodWater To Thrive Several years ago, our Wednesday morning Ladies Bible class spent several weeks studying “Advent Conspiracy,” a book that spoke of the choices we make during our Advent and Christmas seasons. One of the points of the book was how we could spend less and give more – to share meaningful gifts, not just something to put under the tree. We learned at the same time that one billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water. Women in rural Africa walk an average of four miles to collect contaminated water for their families. A child dies every twenty minutes from a water-related disease. We learned it does not have to be this way. For $5,000, through the Water to Thrive organization, we could provide a well to a village in Ethiopia that will last a generation. We decided to help. Some of our grandchildren received a bit less for Christmas, some of our children gave us a Christmas gift in the form of a contribution to Water to Thrive, some birthday money, some memorial money, some thanksgiving money all were given to Water to Thrive. And now we have received word that we have reached our $5,000 goal - there will be a water well in an Ethiopian village in partnership with the Ethiopian Lutheran Church. The well will have our name on it “Trinity Ladies”, but we all know that the joy of clean and available water to the people in the village and the joy of sharing our gifts all comes from our God, who simply moved us to say “Yes, we can help!”

During the month of November we accept food donations for our Thanksgiving Baskets. We prepare food baskets for families in need in our community. All donations can be dropped off in the Family Life Center food pantry bins. (see attached Thanksgiving food basket list). During the Christmas season we prepare food baskets for families in our community who are in need. We accept donations such as: disposable baking pans, rolls of foil, stuffing mix, chicken broth, canned green beans, canned corn, canned sweet potatoes, macaroni & cheese, instant mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, instant drink mix, jello, canned fruit cocktail, pie crust mix, fruit pie filling, pumpkin pie filling, canned milk and a bag of sugar. All donations can be dropped off in the Family Life Center food pantry bins. We also collect gift cards to local grocery stores. We are blessed to have several opportunities for our Trinity families to bless others during the Christmas season. We have an Adopt a Family ministry. We have needy families in the community whom you can adopt and help provide presents for the families. We also accept toys for local children in need through the NAM (Northwest Assistance Ministries) toy bags. If you would like to be a part of either of these ministries or if you have any questions please contact Jennifer Kiel at kielj@trinityklein.org.

A sign for the eye clinic our Kenya missionaries work at is posted in the

town of Emali in Kenya.

Holiday Food Pantry

MEET THE

New Faces OfT R I N I T Y

Roxanne Sterne was born in Lincoln, NE, but has been in Texas since 1980. She received her B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. She worked as an auditor for a public accounting firm while achieving her CPA certification. After moving to Houston in 1997, she went into the private sector where she worked in several roles in accounting, financial reporting and financial database design and management. Roxanne has been a member at Trinity since 2005, but actually became a member back in the 90’s when her family moved to Spring while she was attending college. Her parents (Bill and Doris Seay) and sister (Susan Stuhr) and family are also members here at Trinity. She is often mistaken for her sister, so be careful! She has 4 daughters, Maddie (7th grade), Emma (6th grade), Sydney (2nd grade) and Julia (kindergarten), all of whom attend school here at Trinity. Roxanne has been active in several areas of the church and school since joining Trinity. She has served with VBS, Children’s Sunday School, STARS, MOPs, church council, TLS PTL, and coached JV Volleyball. This past summer, she joined the staff of Trinity Klein Lutheran Church as the Office Manager.

Our Dearest Trinity Family, What a special day it was to celebrate Jake’s memorial with so many of you! As difficult as it was for our family, there was great comfort in seeing how many loved him. All of the hugs, the stories, and the most sincere sympathies were a true testimony to the church family we belong to and hold so dear. So many of you came together to work with the greatest care in making the day absolutely perfect. We thank every single one of you, as we may never know all that were involved. Over the past two years, we have been so touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support. From the moment of Jake’s diagnosis, we were wrapped in such care and prayer that on days of great trials, when we felt we couldn’t take another step, you were there to hold our hands, giving us the strength needed to press on. Never, did we feel alone! As Jake made his journey, you were right there – cheering, crying, and encouraging us in the name of

Jesus. You shared our son with your family and friends and helped spread not only his story but those of so many sweet children. Our lives and hearts are forever touched by your friendships, thoughtfulness, and compassion. Jake is now free! As Kate said, “Jake has won against the mighty creeper, with his diamond sword, riding atop of the T-Rex he always wanted to ride”. Although we miss him with each breath, we feel the love of Christ through all of you. With our deepest love and thankfulness, for you have truly blessed our family,

Henry and Mardon HickfordCameron, Kate, Emma, Ryan, Meghan, Adrian, Nikolas and Ebby

by Jean WebberTrinity’s Large Print New Testament ministry is alive and well! Lutheran Braille Workers provides both Braille and Large Print Bibles at no cost to the visually impaired around the world. Trinity’s work center, (#93) is blessed to have almost 100 volunteers who assemble 55 Large Print New Testaments each month. On a recent visit to St. Paul-Fort Worth’s Braille work center the leader shared that students from St. Paul’s school help in their ministry by loading their books and praying over them before they are taken to the Post Office. This idea was shared with Joel Eisenbraun who suggested it as a mission project for the 7th and 8th grade Wednesday night Grow groups. These young Christians have been eager to carry, pack, and pray for those receiving the New Testaments from Trinity and have loaded more than 100 New Testaments going all over the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the visually impaired. If you are interested in joining us in this awesome mission please call Jean Webber, 281-350-5220. Daytime and evening groups are available.

Submission deadline for the December issue of Trinity In Action will be November 15. Please send your content to Melissa Kasper at kasperm@trinityklein.org.

50 + Tripstravels to Crockett, TX on

November 13. The county bus leaves from our Family Life Center parking lot at 8 a.m.

and will pick up a tour guide at the Crocket Chamber of

Commerce. Hear and see the history of Davy Crocket and Sam Houston. Lunch will be enjoyed at the Moosehead

Café. Watch for details.

“ As long as God gives life, life has

value and it is ‘more necessary’ to keep on

living.” -Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb,

executive director of Lutherans For Life

Members who wish to commemorate a special occasion (anniversary,

birthday, etc.) may donate a flower arrangement for a Sunday church service.

Please sign the book located on the table on the west side

in the church narthex.

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