Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Youth Winter Camps 3
Missions 4
Angel Tree 5
UMW Events 6-7
Calendar 8-9
Confirmation Class 10
Advent Activities 12-13
Birthdays/Anniversaries 15
Th
e W
OR
D
Trin
ity U
nited
M
eth
od
ist C
hu
rch
, 6
15
1 W
. C
harleston
Blvd
., Las V
eg
as, N
V 8
91
46
LA
S V
EG
AS
, N
EV
AD
A
Volume 16, Issue 1
January 2016
9 a.m. Traditional Service
9 a.m. Vietnamese Worship
9 a.m. Children’s Classes
10:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class
11 a.m. Contemporary Worship
12:00 Youth Confirmation Class
1 p.m. Korean Worship
Childcare is provided all morning
Sunday Schedule
Trinity United Methodist
Church has demonstrated its
love and support for the Las Ve-
gas community with its local
programs and has pledged to
support the global ministries of
the United Methodist Church
despite facing tough economic
times.
Like in 2015, senior Pastor
Khalif Smith will continue to
make reaching out to the Las
Vegas community in the coming
year a priority due to the dedi-
cated efforts of many individu-
als at Trinity and other commu-
nity supporters.
Trinity wrapped up its ef-
forts this past year with a
Thanksgiving luncheon for
church members and the
neighboring community. About
150 people showed up in the
church’s Fellowship Hall to
break bread, enjoy a Thanksgiv-
ing feast and enjoy some fellow-
ship with friends and newcom-
ers.
The luncheon was a way
Pastor Smith and his wife Nikki
could express their appreciation
to Trinity’s congregation for
their support and growth in the
development of the many ongo-
ing programs at the Methodist
church.
The Trinity minister and his
wife spent much of the morning
in the kitchen of Café Trinity
cooking and carving six turkeys
for the luncheon held the day
before the national holiday. Vol-
unteers transported the rest of
the menu items to the Fellow-
ship Hall so all would be ready
for an afternoon rush of hungry
people.
While 2015 would be con-
sidered a success at Trinity be-
cause of its many programs,
Pastor Smith is optimistic about
the future.
The Society of St. Stephen
ministry, after staging a suc-
Trinity Outreach Growth Continues
Inside This Issue
Continued… page 2
Pastor Khalif Smith
… Optimistic in 2016
By Dan Sahagun
The Word
PAGE 2 THE W ORD
Outreach
cessful fundraising golf tourna-
ment during the past winter,
has announced plans to offer its
food pantry services to the com-
munity from once a week to
twice a week starting Wednes-
day, Jan. 6.
“We’ve been trying to do
this since June (2015),” said
Mary Lovelady, one of the co-
chairs of the ministry and the
longest running volunteer of the
project. “We always had inten-
tions of offering more hours be-
cause of the need to serve more
people.”
When the ministry originally
opened in a temporary con-
struction trailer on campus in
the 1980s with a food pantry
and clothing boutique, it was
open to the public three times a
week.
Over the years due to in
part because of the hard-hit
economy and overstretched vol-
unteers, St. Stephen operated
only twice a week and then fi-
nally once a week starting in
April 2014.
“I worked nine years on
Continued from… page 1
Wednesdays from
2005 to part of
2014,” said Mary
Lovelady, who shares
the St. Stephen minis-
try with chairs Patti
Haber and Paul
Brooks.
In 2016, St. Stephen,
now housed in an up-
graded facility on
campus, will continue
to be open on Mon-
days from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. and will now
be open on Wednes-
days from 4 to 6 p.m.
In addition, there
will be an attempt to
also make the pro-
gram’s discounted and used
clothing boutique available on
Wednesdays.
The ministry will con-
tinue to offer its Thursday Res-
cue Program of food donated
by Las Vegas agency Three
Square food bank from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. and its Bless-
ings Bag ministry of snacks
and literature of city and state
support programs on Wednes-
day from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Society of St. Stephen
is not the only ministry that
continues to serve the Las Ve-
gas community.
To name just a few of its
other programs, the church is
involved with a Mission minis-
try that supports a youth in
Peru, the United Methodist
Women invite speakers from
the community at their func-
tions, a church bus offers
transportation to Sunday wor-
ship services, midweek ser-
vices and Bible studies are of-
fered on Wednesdays, a grow-
ing Youth program will begin
Confirmation classes with Pas-
tor Smith, Trinity’s Living Na-
tivity play has been growing
strong for 35 years, Nativity
Director Gillian Kabat and
church members were part of
a Nativity play at the Las Ve-
gas Speedway, a new cooking
class conducted by the Col-
lege of Southern Nevada to
be held in Café Trinity has
been added, Vacation Bible
School will continue to be of-
fered and the Crafters for
Christ group will still busily
create crafts throughout the
year for church-sponsored
fundraisers.
The Wednesday Bible
classes will resume on
Wednesday, Jan. 6 with at a
five-week class. The first
week Pastor Smith will have a
study from his mission trip to
South Korea followed by a
four-week study of the life
and times of Jesus by Lay
Speaker Bill Jacky comple-
mented from his visit to Jeru-
salem.
In February, Wonderful
Wednesdays will return with
an annual six-week Lenten
Bible study leading up to the
Holy Week season. The Wel-
coming Ministry team,
chaired by Carol Bumgarner
and Darlene Goldstein, is pro-
viding the curriculum of
study.
In an unrelated matter,
Lois Wynn has volunteered to
fill the last remaining seat on
the Staff-Parish Relations
Committee in 2016. Three
new members have joined the
SPRC committee for this year,
which will be chaired by
Alene Unger.
The United Methodist Women and supporters
helped serve at the Thanksgiving luncheon for
church members and the community. Serving
were (from left) Donna Canfield, Ema Herbert,
Zoe Smith, Kirstey Thomas, Kathy Vornberg,
Solangel Baluarte and Linda Jara.
PAGE 3 VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1
Youth Winter Camps Set
Plans are underway to offer Desert Southwest Conference children and youth winter camps at nearby
Potosi Pines. The Junior/Senior high school level camp will be held Jan. 16-18 and the Elementary camp is
scheduled for Feb. 13-16.
Junior/Senior High Winter Camp “Glow in the Dark!”
Jan. 16-18 for youth in grades 6–12, cost is $150
Have you noticed that sometimes the world feels like such a mess, full of drama and stress? The dark-
ness can be so overwhelming that you just want curl up and hide. But here’s the thing — God empowers
each of us to make things different, to be a light in the dark.
We are each called to come out from under our basket and make things better. Come join the fun as
ways can be explored to discover that we can be that light because God is calling us to “Glow in the Dark!”
Elementary Winter Camp “God’s Discovery Lab!"
Feb. 13-16 for children in grades 2 to 6, cost is $150
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” — Job 11: 7.
Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, how the stars twinkle in the night skies, what causes the
rain to fall? These are some of the great mysteries of our universe. The world we live in is full of mysteries,
but nothing is as mysterious as God.
Join the Methodist camp for a weekend of probing some of the mysteries of the universe through scien-
tific examination while an attempt is made to fathom some of the mysteries of God; His love, His grace, and
His goodness in “God's Discovery Lab!”
For questions about the winter camps, contact Tracey Brown, Camp Director, at 702-875-1980 or by e-
mail at [email protected]. To register on-line, visit http://www.dsccamps.org. If you have questions
about registration, contact Dina Reid, Desert Southwest Conference Camping and Retreat Ministries, at 800-
229-8622 or at [email protected].
(Top left) Pastor Khalif Smith and his wife Nikki carve Thanksgiving luncheon turkeys for members of the congre-
gation and the Las Vegas community who all stopped by the day before the national holiday. (Top right) Ema Her-
bert serves as Greta Medberry fills her plate.
PAGE 4 THE W ORD
Churches Help Homeless
Pastor Susan Holden,
whose candidacy for the minis-
try was sponsored by Trinity
UMC and a former member of
the church, was among the
more than 1,000 volunteers
who gathered at Cashman
Center for Project Homeless
Connect to provide a day of
services to the Southern Ne-
vada homeless community.
According to the North
District of the Desert South-
west Conference newsletter, at
the well-organized Nov. 17
event, individuals and families
received free services includ-
ing medical, dental, vision ser-
vices; haircuts; housing; job
readiness counseling; benefits
assistance; bus passes; legal
and court services; pet ser-
vices; phones to call home for
the holidays; pastoral care,
and food and clothing.
Susan Holden, whose hus-
band Joe is chair of Trinity’s
Trustees, is an associate minis-
ter at University United Meth-
odist Church where she leads
the college campus ministry at
UNLV. Before entering the min-
istry, Susan was active in vari-
ous programs while worship-
ping at Trinity.
For the past five years, lo-
cal United Methodist churches
through their Hats and Hands
ministry knitted, crocheted
and weaved for this event.
Volunteers from the congre-
gations also distributed the
handmade items.
Without the hard work of
the Hats and Hands small
groups from Boulder City
UMC, Green Valley UMC, De-
sert Spring UMC, First Hen-
derson UMC, Journey UMC
and University UMC, which
collectively made 3,625 knit-
ted scarves, hats, gloves and
layette items, and St. Francis
of the Foothills UMC in Tuc-
son, Ariz., many homeless
people would not have re-
ceived the needed items to
protect them from the cold of
winter.
Unwind Knitting, a relax-
ing knit shop in Henderson,
and its owner Brenda Johan-
nesen also provided support
and yarn and their customers
contributed beautiful crafted
items.
Mission Team Wrap-up
On Sunday, Dec. 20, the
Missions team honored two
very dedicated bus drivers, Joe
Holden and Casey Laub, for
their service to Trinity mem-
bers within a five-mile radius
of the campus lacking in trans-
portation to attend worship
services. Getting up early on
Sunday mornings and driving
the church bus to pick up peo-
ple and take them home is a
real labor of love.
The Missions team so ap-
preciates their service to Trin-
ity and the Lord. Gift cards of
appreciation were presented to
Joe and Casey, as well as ac-
knowledging Melissa Laub,
who coordinates the route of
the bus riders’ residence with
the drivers’ Sunday bus sched-
ule. God and Trinity so appre-
ciate your time and service to
help others.
In addition, the Missions
team wants to thank the
church’s United Methodist
Women for their gracious gift
of $200 toward the work of
Trinity Missions work, locally
and globally.
The Missions ministry has
been in written contact with
Trinity’s Peruvian foster child,
Axel Gomez Infa, over the past
few months and have sent the
youth Christmas gifts of his
desire, including soccer balls,
soccer socks (for his team) and
a sturdy backpack. Of course,
this is only possible because of
your generous gifts to Trinity’s
Mission team. They thank you,
most kindly for your generos-
ity during the past year and
look forward to further this
ministry in 2016!
Pastor Susan Holden of University UMC
(right) inspects one of the many items
donated at the Project Homeless Con-
nect event held at Cashman Center.
(Photograph courtesy of the North Dis-
trict newsletter)
PAGE 5 VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1
Angel Tree Remembers Children
Thanks to the support of
the congregation, Trinity UMC
was able to assist nine families
from the community, consist-
ing of 28 children, in having a
nicer Christmas this year.
Toys, hats, gloves, stuffed
animals, games, puzzles, and
clothes were given in the name
of love to these deserving chil-
dren. The children’s ages
ranged from newborn to 18
years. The families were also
given a box of nonperishable
food items, including cookie
mixes and icing.
Some of these children
had no toys or books. Some
were not sure where they
would be sleeping in the next
few days. Some asked for
warm clothes. One boy asked
for a backpack and school sup-
plies. A five-month-old girl was
in need of basic items and
clothing. The newborn baby
girl spent the first week and a
half of her life in ICU with lung
problems, going home just be-
fore Christmas. The family did-
n’t even have a single baby
bottle for her.
You, the people of Trinity,
helped these children and you
should feel proud of the help
you gave.
“Verily I say unto you, inas-
much as you have done it unto
one of the least of these my
brethren, you have done it
unto Me.” – Matthew 25:40.
Jo Ann Magner, Director of
Christian Education and organ-
izer of this ministry, said, “In
looking over all that was given,
my heart was full and my eyes
brimmed in tears. In behalf of
all these families, thank you.”
Jo Ann Magner (left) and Nikki Smith prepare to wrap Christmas gifts for
deserving boys and girls from the community for the Angel Tree ministry.
Pastor Khalif Smith played Santa
Claus for a day. The Trinity minister
went shopping to purchase gifts
with all the gift cards that were do-
nated for the Angel Tree ministry.
Due to the huge response of do-
nated gift cards, Pastor Smith hap-
pily spent a long time shopping for
just the right presents. Volunteers
finished up wrapping all the new
toys meant for the boys and girls.
Trinity hopes this ministry will be
even bigger next year.
Some of the
wrapped gifts
ready to be
distributed to
families who
needed a little
extra help during
the holidays.
Families not only
came to Trinity to
receive holiday
presents for their
children, but they
also received a
bag of food.
PAGE 6 THE W ORD
UMW Rings in New Year with Party, Luncheon
Fifteen United Methodist
Women and guests attended
the annual United Methodist
Women Christmas Luncheon
and Party in festively decorated
Fellowship Hall. A delicious
potluck of casseroles, salads
and desserts was enjoyed by
all at the Dec.15 event.
Special guests Jo Ann Mag-
ner, Director of Christian Edu-
cation, and Greta Medberry,
charter church member and
currently a Loyal Office Volun-
teer attended the luncheon.
The UMW participates in the
Angel Tree ministry for disad-
vantaged boys and girls and
members also brought in
canned goods for their Mission
project at the December meet-
ing.
Following the luncheon and
short business meeting, an en-
tertaining White Elephant gift
exchange was enjoyed by at-
tendees.
Officers for 2016 were
voted upon at a November fel-
lowship meeting and an-
nounced at the Christmas
function. Officers include Presi-
dent Donna Canfield, Vice
President Darlene Goldstein,
Secretary of the UMW Executive
Board Alene Unger, Secretary
of UMW Fellowship Denyse
Royer, Treasurer Frances
Bower, and Secretary of Pro-
gram Resources Martha Trol-
lier. Ema Herbert and Kathy
Vornberg remain in charge of
Secret Prayer Partners and
Sandy Hobbs will be serving as
Sunshine Fund Chairman.
The event wrapped up ac-
tivity for the year. UMW also
had a successful Cook Walk,
the organization’s main fund-
raiser of the year that offered
baked goods in the Fellowship
Hall between Sunday worship
services on Nov. 22.
Over 180 DOZEN cookies
baked by members of the con-
gregation were purchased by
Trinity members and guests!
The cookie containers were
decorated by Trinity’s Crafters
for Christ. The major fund-
raiser generated a profit of
$613. Since the focus of UMW
is Missions, the women’s or-
ganization donated $400 to
the Society of St. Stephen min-
istry and $200 to Trinity’s Mis-
sion team fund.
The next UMW Fellowship
meeting will be held Tuesday,
Jan. 19 at 12:30 p.m. in the
Fellowship Hall.
Call Donna Canfield at 702-
255-3883 for inquiries.
Donna Canfield serves at the annual UMW Cookie Walk.
UMW members celebrate another successful UMW annual Cookie Walk. (from
left) Alene Unger, Ema Herbert, Denyse Royer, Mary Ann Novotny, Leatha Hill,
Frances Bower, Mary Sue Karstetter, Lynn Mooren, Ragen Johnson, Donna
Canfield, Darlene Goldstein, Mac Pursel, Sharon Contner and Gillian Kabat.
VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1 PAGE 7
(Top left) Lynn Mooren
serves cookies. (Top
right) UMW’s Mary Sue
Karstetter, Alene Unger,
Donna Canfield, Denyse
Royer, Lynn Mooren, Fran-
cis Bower also served
treats. (Center) Cookie
tins decorated by the
Trinity Crafters for Christ.
(Bottom left) Sarah, Cathy
and Alex Morgan with
Helen Rounds choosing
their favorite cookies for
the holidays. (Bottom
right) Francis Bower and
Denyse Royer were busy
collecting donations from
the congregation and visi-
tors for their tins filled
with cookies.
PAGE 8 THE W ORD
Legend:
ESL = English as a Second
Language
HSE = High School Equivalency
O.A. = Overeaters Anonymous
N.A. = Narcotics Anonymous
TOPS = Take Off Pounds
Sensibly
F.H. = Fellowship Hall
All these groups are accepting
new members
3
9 am Traditional service
11 am Contemporary
service
9 am Vietnamese, Room 11
1 pm LV Korean, Sanctuary
4
10 am - 2 pm Society of St.
Stephen, Potter’s Place
7 pm O.A./Mon., Room 9
7 pm Welcoming Comm.,
Carol B’s home
5
5:15 pm N.A., F.H.A
6
2–3 pm Blessing Bag Lunches
4 - 6 pm Soc. St. Stephen,
Potter’s Place
5:30 pm WOWednesday
6:00 pm O.A./Wed, Room 9
10
9 am Traditional service
11 am Contemporary ser-
vice
9 am Vietnamese, Room 11
12 pm Confirmation Class,
Room 7
1 pm LV Korean, Sanctuary
7 pm Home Based Team
Carol B’s home
11
10 am - 2 pm Society of St.
Stephen, Potter’s Place
7:00 pm O.A./Mon., Room 9
12
5:15 pm N.A., F.H.A
13
10:15 am UMW Board, Rm 3
12 pm Keenagers, Denny’s
2–3 pm Blessing Bag Lunches
4 - 6 pm Soc. St. Stephen,
Potter’s Place
5:30 pm WOWednesday
6:00 pm O.A./Wed, Room 9
17
9 am Traditional service
11 am Contemporary ser-
vice
12 pm Confirmation Class,
Room 7
9 am Vietnamese, Room 11
1 pm LV Korean, Sanctuary
18
Church Office Closed today
Society of St. Stephen,
Closed today
7:00 pm O.A./Mon., Room 9
19
12:30 pm UMW Mtg, F.H.A
5:15 pm N.A., F.H.A
6 pm Trustees, Room 4
6:30 pm Missions, Room 9
20
2–3 pm Blessing Bag Lunches
4 - 6 pm Soc. St. Stephen,
Potter’s Place
5:30 pm WOWednesday
6:00 pm O.A./Wed, Room 9
24
9 am Traditional service
11 am Contemporary service
12 pm Confirmation Class,
Room 7
9 am Vietnamese, Room 11
1 pm LV Korean, Sanctuary
31 10 am 5th Sunday
One Church Service
and Chili Luncheon
25
10 am - 2 pm Society of St.
Stephen, Potter’s Place
5 pm Finance, F.H.A
6 pm SPRC, Room 4
7:00 pm O.A./Mon., Room 9
7 pm Society of St. Stephen,
Meeting, Potter’s Place
26
2:30-4 pm CSN Vegan Class
Trinity Campus, Café
5:15 pm N.A., F.H.A
27
2–3 pm Blessing Bag Lunches
4 - 6 pm Soc. St. Stephen,
Potter’s Place
5:30 pm WOWednesday
6:00 pm O.A./Wed, Room 9
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
January
read the North District Newsletter at
www.desertsouthwestconference.org/north
and Connect with Desert Connection
The newsletter “The Desert Connection” is available at both
http://desertsouthwestconference.org/desertconnection (PDF version) and at
http://desertconnection.org (web site version).
Facebook - "DSCUMC" “Trinity United Methodist Church Las Vegas”
VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1 PAGE 9
1 Church Office Closed
Happy New year!
2
6 am Korean Prayer Time
Sanctuary
7
11 am Food Rescue
Program
6:15 pm TOPS, Room 9
7 pm Adult Choir, MR
8 Church Office Closed
1 pm Crafters for Christ,
Room 10
9
6 am Korean Prayer Time
Sanctuary
9 am Computer, Room 5
9 am ESL, Room 5
14
11 am Food Rescue
Program
6:15 pm TOPS, Room 9
7 pm Adult Choir, MR
15 Church Office Closed
1 pm Crafters for Christ,
Room 10
16
6 am Korean Prayer Time
Sanctuary
9 am Computer, Room 5
9 am ESL, Room 5
21
11 am Food Rescue
Program
6:15 pm TOPS, Room 9
7 pm Adult Choir, MR
22 Church Office Closed
1 pm Crafters for Christ,
Room 10
23
6 am Korean Prayer Time
Sanctuary
9 am Computer, Room 5
9 am ESL, Room 5
9 am UMW Training Meeting,
University UMC
28
11 am Food Rescue
Program
6:15 pm TOPS, Room 9
7 pm Adult Choir, MR
29 Church Office Closed
1 pm Crafters for Christ,
Room 10
30
6 am Korean Prayer Time
Sanctuary
9 am Computer, Room 5
9 am ESL, Room 5
2016
Sunday Worship
9 am
Traditional Worship
Children in grades
K through 5th
attend opening in church
then go to Room 9 after
the “Children’s Time.”
The Youth, for grades 6 to
12th, meet in Room 7 for
lunch and Confirmation
class with Pastor Smith
and Miss Maria
10:30 am
Adult Bible Class, Rm 10
11 am
Contemporary Worship
Childcare for toddlers up
to 4 years in Room 8
during both services
Las Vegas Korean
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor Eun Jin La
12:00 pm
Choir Rehearsal, Room 11
1:00 pm
Sunday Church School
1:00 pm
Worship, Sanctuary
2:00 pm
Followed by Lunch, Café
6:00 pm
Worship, Sanctuary
7:00 pm
Dinner, Café
Saturday Prayer
6:00 am, Sanctuary
VIETNAMESE
Pastor Linh Phan
9 am The Chapel, Room 11
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Read the latest church news at: http://www.tumclv.org/
PAGE 10 THE W ORD
Exciting Wonderful Wednesday to Return
Trinity’s Welcoming Minis-
try has been working diligently
to plan the next course of
study when Wonderful
Wednesday returns in February
with dinner, worship and Bibli-
cal studies.
The team of nine people
and other supporters, organ-
ized by Carol Bumgarner and
Darlene Goldstein, has been
working with Jo Ann Magner,
Director of Christian Educa-
tion, to involve the entire
church as six different classes
will be available for everyone
to become more knowledge-
able and be able to better en-
joy the Lenten Wonderful
Wednesday season.
The Adam Hamilton DVD-
based book study of “John,
The Gospel of Light and Life”
will be used as the all-church
study beginning Ash Wednes-
day and continuing for six
weeks.
Further information on
signing up, classroom assign-
ment and facilitators will be
available around mid-January
for the first class scheduled on
Wednesday, Feb. 10. Please be
sure to check upcoming Sun-
day worship bulletins and the
church’s website for the latest
information.
Planning the next Wonder-
ful Wednesday study is not the
only program the Welcoming
Ministry is developing, espe-
cially since it consolidated with
the Caring Ministries program
last year.
“We had an exciting
(recent) meeting, focusing en-
ergy on individuals and group
teams stepping up to take on
leadership in some much
needed areas of welcoming
and sustaining,” explained
Carol Bumgarner in an e-mail.
“We are beginning to work
on quite a few areas to
strength our church, especially
in the area of new members,
i.e., followup with visitors,
contacting them not only with
a letter the LOVs (Loyal Office
Volunteers) send out but a per-
sonal phone call from one of
our members, inviting them
and actual new confirmed
members, too, to participate in
Big Events at the church as
well as committee (team)
work,” she continued.
One area members of the
Welcoming Ministry may be
able to assist church staff is in
outreaching to the congrega-
tion and the community. Train-
ing with the church’s software
program would allow the team
to become more involved in
outreaching with church mem-
bers and visitors who may
have been absent and free up
this responsibility from others.
When Caring Ministries
joined Welcoming Ministries, it
meant the mission of meeting
the needs of shut-ins and visi-
tation needed to be addressed.
The Welcoming Ministry will
continue to develop this area
of ministry.
In addition, the Welcoming
Ministry will be planning an
event in April to seek more
volunteers of ushers, greeters,
LOVs, and coffee support in
Cafe Trinity to help church
members recognize their ser-
vice to the church.
Confirmation Class Offered
Confirmation class for
grades six through high school
is being offered at Trinity with
Pastor Khalif Smith from Jan.
10 through Feb. 21. Classes
will be held from noon to 2
p.m. each Sunday and will
meet the first week in Room 7
where a pizza luncheon will be
served.
Confirmation Sunday will
be March 6 during the 9 a.m.
worship service in the Sanctu-
ary. In May, there will be a
Bishop’s Retreat at Camp Po-
tosi for the confirmands from
throughout the Desert South-
west Conference.
Besides learning about and
living the Methodist faith, the
class will also work on a pro-
ject, sit in on a church Council
meeting, visit a Las Vegas Ko-
rean worship service, visit an
Orthodox church, have a lock
down night at Trinity, and
many more things are planned.
While the class will be led by
Pastor Khalif, it will be assisted
by Youth leader Maria Astete.
This class is open to youth
from other churches. Contact
the church office for an appli-
cation and information pam-
phlet.
Please note confirmation
classes will replace the 9:00
Youth Sunday School classes.
The Youth classes will resume
Sunday, March 13 at 9 a.m.
PAGE 11 VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1
The Society of Stephen
ministry continues to be an
inspiration to the Las Vegas
community with three sup-
porting services offering food
and new and most gently
used clothing three days a
week.
Chair Mary Lovelady is
happy to announce the food
pantry, currently open each
week on Monday, will now be
open to the public on
Wednesday, starting Jan. 6
from 4 to 6 p.m.
It’s only a small step but
certainly a step in the right
direction as the food pantry
program has been a life saver
for so many people who rely
on this program.
“It has taken several
months to find volunteers
who meet our agreed-upon St.
Stephen Food Pantry volun-
teerism requirements, but I
am very excited,” explained
Mary Lovelady by e-mail who
chairs Trinity’s outreach with
Paul Brooks and Patti Haber.
In 2016, the Food Rescue
Program will continue to of-
fer to the needy perishable
food donated by another Las
Vegas organization, Three
Square food bank, each
Thursday. And the ministry’s
Blessings Bag outreach will
continue to be distributed to
people in need on Wednes-
days.
The fact that Trinity will
be able to offer a second day
of its food bank on Wednes-
days, even for only a few
hours, is the realization that
there is such a great need to
help others in the Las Vegas
community.
It has not been an
easy to get to this
point in serving others.
“One nice thought is
that as I look around
Trinity on any Sunday,
MANY members al-
ready volunteer for So-
ciety of St. Stephen in
some capacity. That is
so awesome!,” she
said. “They do Food
Rescue, Clothing Bou-
tique, Food Pantry - or
a few do some volun-
teer tasks at home.
With so many members
already involved, find-
ing qualified volun-
teers for Wednesday
was a challenge. Natu-
rally, some who would be
wonderful pantry volunteers
work on Wednesdays until 5
p.m. or later.”
The other difficulty is
that potential volunteers may
be gone part of the year or
others may travel.
Nevertheless, the Society
of St. Stephen ministry will
continue to strive to meet the
needs of those who are most
vulnerable.
In addition to the food
pantry, the ministry may be
able to open its clothing bou-
tique for additional hours.
Yvonne Gains, one of the
main clothing boutique vol-
unteers, has been trying to
find enough volunteers so
that clothing services may be
offered on selected Wednes-
days during the month.
As it is, St. Stephen plans
to be open every Wednesday
throughout the year except
the week of Thanksgiving.
St. Stephen Ministry Expands Services
Instructor Gail Johnson (left) and her Centennial High School Naval
Junior ROTC cadets donate canned goods to the St. Stephen minis-
try. The Cadets support the program as well as other programs at
Trinity throughout the year.
PAGE 12 THE W ORD
Advent Filled with the Spirit
T he month of December is an exciting time of the year
and it is also a time when members of the Trinity UMC
congregation can come together and feel the anticipa-
tion of the coming of the Lord with fellowship, wor-
ship and wonderful music during Advent.
The holiday season began when volunteers dropped by on
a Saturday to beautifully decorate the inside of the Sanctuary at
the annual “Hanging of the Greens.” Not only was the entire
room decorated with the holiday spirit, two Chrismon trees
were set up in the Sanctuary and adorned with all the trim-
mings.
The Angel Tree, also displayed in the Sanctuary, was well
supported by the congregation as deserving boys and girls
from the community were remembered with toys or gift cards
at Christmas.
So many members of the congregation and other support-
ers participated in the Living Nativity, another Trinity favorite.
Gillian Kabat directed the Living Nativity inside the Sanctuary
for the 35th year in a row and has showed no signs of letting
up.
The Nativity, the retelling of the birth of our Savior, has
been a generational activity as many cast
members were in the performances as chil-
dren and are now adults. These adults have
included their own children in the recent
plays. It can also boast about the fact that
many families and their relatives have also
participated as cast members.
In addition, Gillian directed a one-night-
only Living Nativity at the Las Vegas Speedway
as part of the annual Glittering Lights display.
Many Trinity members participated as cast
members along with Gail Johnson’s Centennial
High School Naval Junior ROTC cadets.
Joe Holden drove the church bus loaded
up with, among others, Pastor Khalif Smith
and the Centennial High students to the world
famous Speedway, which is more known for
staging NASCAR championship events.
While the spiritual season is highlighted by
the four Sundays of Advent, the two perform-
ances of the 13th annual Christmas Cantata
was again an experience not to be forgotten.
Through the tireless effort of Director
Carol Bumgarner, the Chancel Adult Choir and
the HeartStrings Multigenerational Choir were
featured in the production and accompanied by
professional musicians.
Carol, a retired educator and former Ne-
vada Principal of the Year, brought all partici-
In photo above, the Living Nativity was staged at Trinity for
the 35th year. At bottom, Scott Watson leads the HeartStrings
Multigenerational Choir at the 13th Annual Christmas Can-
tata entitled “What Child is This?”
VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1 PAGE 13
Phelps, Sara Morgan, Stephen Sauer, Scott
Watson, Alex Morgan and James Lemmons.
Sharon Watson, who can be found at
the keyboard nearly every Sunday worship
service throughout the year, accompanied
the production at the piano.
Narrators were Christi Ferrari, Carol
Bumgarner’s daughter who grew up in the
church, and Darlene Goldstein.
Musicians included Bonnie Tanouye
(flute), Dani McCracken (oboe), James
Koperski (clarinet), Doug Beasley (French
horn), Alan Lewis (bassoon), Carl Baker
(trumpet), Bobby Scann (trombone), Ryan
Dudder (bass), Nick Stamanis (drums), Cara
Froelich (percussion) and Laura Friedlander
(string reduction).
After both performances, Pastor Smith
thanked the entire cast, narrators and
sound technicians Joe Holden and Steve
Goldstein for their efforts.
Trinity was again filled with the spirit as
Pastor Smith led three Christmas Eve ser-
vices with traditional scripture reading, mu-
sic, Holy Communion, carols and the light-
ing of candles by the entire congregations
to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The
second service at 7 p.m. included the distri-
bution of a special gift to attending boys
and girls.
pants together as one with perfect timing that
warmed the souls of attendees through music and
narration of the story, “What Child Is This? by com-
poser Joel Raney.
The cast of the Chancel Choir included Bob
Beasley, Bill Jacky, Sumi Joachim, Richard and Sally
Jost, Gillian Kabat, Carlos and Kay LeBrilla, Teuila Le-
talu, James Lemmons, Cathy Morgan and Lois Wynn.
Members of the HeartStrings included Lorene
Lorenzen, Cathy, Alex and Sarah Morgan, Beth and
Chris Britt, Karen McIntrye, Autumn Phelps, Helen
Rounds, Erica and Stephen Sauer, Zoe Smith and
Scott and Sarah Watson. Both James Lemmons and
Cathy Morgan sang in both choirs.
Soloists in the various numbers included Autumn
Above, Director Gillian Kabat receives gifts from Pastor
Khalif Smith at the Living Nativity. Below, main cast of
the production.
Stephen and Erica Sauer reprieved their roles as
Mary and Joseph in this year’s play. They were
joined by Abigail Muus-Cooper as the baby Jesus.
PAGE 14 THE W ORD
Youth Leader Awarded Scholarship
Trinity Youth leader Maria
Astete was congratulated by
Pastor Khalif Smith and Jo Ann
Magner, Director of Christian
Education, in a worship service
held in late November for re-
ceiving a second college schol-
arship from the General Board
of Higher Education and Minis-
try (GBHEM) from The United
Methodist Church.
Maria received a framed
certificate during the service
noting the $1,000 Ethnic and
Minority scholarship. As the
leadership development
agency of The United Method-
ist Church, the mission of the
GBHEM is preparing global
leaders for a global church and
the world. The Methodist or-
ganization administers over 70
scholarship programs. The
type of scholarship was from
the General Scholarship fund
which nationally awards yearly
scholarships up to $1,000 per
year.
Maria, a single mother of a
young son, applied for the
Methodist church scholarship
by submitting a 500-word es-
say and met the minimum re-
quirement of a 2.5 grade point
average. A senior at UNLV, she
plans on graduating in May
with a Bachelor of Arts degree
in International Business.
It’s been a long experience
for the 2010 Cimarron-
Memorial High School gradu-
ate. Maria, who has been wor-
shipping at Trinity since she
was 12-years-old, credits her
close-knit family as being sup-
portive and the key to her suc-
cess in life.
“It has been challenging
working, going to school full-
time. I have a family who has
helped me so much. I owe eve-
rything to them along with
God,” said Maria about her par-
ents Manuel Astete and
Patricia Letelier, longtime wor-
shippers.
Maria, who has been lead-
ing the church’s Youth pro-
gram for the last three years,
is excited about her future.
She is hopeful in launching a
career in the hotel, airline or
mining industries after gradua-
tion.
“Whatever doors God
opens for me,” she said while
standing in the church’s court-
yard after a December Sunday
worship service.
With the new semester at
UNLV starting in late January,
it promises to be a busy last
semester for Maria. In addi-
tion, to working with church
youth and her college courses,
she also is employed by Bank
of America where she works
up to 30 hours per week.
Maria Astete (center) was presented a certificate for receiving a scholar-
ship from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM)
of The United Methodist Church. The UNLV senior celebrated the occa-
sion with Pastor Khalif Smith (right) and Jo Ann Magner.
PAGE 15 VOLUME 16, I SSUE 1
January Birthdays
Wiley Thomas 1/01
Max Michael Hamm 1/02
Arnett Cooper 1/03
Tony Koffi Zotchi 1/04
Deborah Zotchi 1/04
Alan Lewis 1/10
Tom Deley 1/11
Kirstey Thomas 1/11
David Dunn 1/11
Larry Canfield 1/12
Nikki Smith 1/12
Jerry Magner 1/13
Jennifer Bartlett 1/16/2010
Jerry & Linda Mazo 1/19/1989
Tim & Barbara Cegavske 1/26/1980
Jean Schultz 1/14
Fran Ledoux 1/17
Samantha Rounds 1/18
Frances Bower 1/19
Samuel Beach 1/22
Dan Sahagun 1/22
Amber Thacker 1/23
Frank Spencer 1/25
Carol Bumgarner Lewis 1/26
Elaine Bickford 1/29
Stanley Blessley 1/30
Adam Cegavske 1/31
January Anniversaries
The North District of the
Desert Southwest Conference
is sponsoring a Leadership
Training Conference at Green
Valley United Methodist
Church, 2200 Robindale Road,
Henderson, on Saturday,
Jan. 30.
Registration is $14
(includes lunch) when enrolled
by Jan. 20 deadline and $16
after deadline and at the door.
Guest housing is available for
out-of-town registrants, and
childcare will also be provided
(bring a brown-bag lunch with
your child).
Check-in and registration
will be at 8 a.m. followed by
worship and conference until
North District Training Offered
CSN Classes Continue
The College of Southern
Nevada classes on the Trinity
campus finished up on Dec. 17
and will begin with a new se-
ries of classes, including a
brand new cooking class. On
Tuesday, Jan. 26, the CSN
Community Enrichment
Classes will begin a new class
entitled, “Intro to Veganism &
Easy Cooking.” This class will
run for six weeks every Tues-
day in Café Trinity from 2:30
to 4 p.m. This class will end on
Tuesday, March 1.
CSN will again use campus
facilities to host two ESL Eng-
lish as a Second Language
classes. Orientation and test-
ing will be on Trinity campus
from Feb. 2-3 from 9 a.m. to
noon in the Fellowship Hall.
Classes will begin the fol-
lowing week and will run Mon-
day through Wednesday each
week, terminating on Wednes-
day, April 6. The ESL classes
will meet in the Fellowship
Hall, Rooms A & C from 9 a.m.
to noon.
10:05. Two workshops will be
held throughout the afternoon
and wind up about 2:15 p.m.
Speakers from the North
District include Pastor Mark
Maddox of Green Valley UMC
whose topic is “3 Keys to
Church Growth”; Rev. Michael
Bryant of St. Michael’s UMC,
Lake Havasu, Ariz., whose
topic is “Yes, We’re All Called
to Ministry”; Rev. Ann Thomas
of Journey UMC whose topic is
“Virtual Friends and Real Peo-
ple: meetup.com”; and Rev.
Billy Martin of Community
UMC, Williams, Ariz., whose
topic is “Can I Get a Witness.”
Rev. Martin is well-
remembered for his colorful
presentations given at previ-
ous Trinity UMC services.
Other topics will range
from finance, marketing, con-
necting to people from vari-
ous backgrounds to new tech-
nologies.
The on-line registration
form for this training is avail-
able from the North District
office and a flyer with com-
plete registration information,
including session descriptions
and guest speakers, is avail-
able at the North District web-
site at
http://desertsouthwestconfer
ence.org/north-district-events.
Continued… page 16
The WORD Staff
The publication The Word is published monthly by Trinity United Methodist Church for its congregation,
families and neighbors. Submissions are welcome and can be submitted to the church office or electroni-
cally at [email protected] by the 10th
of the month, unless otherwise noted.
Bulletin information should be emailed to [email protected]
Staff members and volunteers:
Rev. Khalif Smith – [email protected]
Dan Sahagun, Editor – [email protected]
Richard French, Staff – [email protected]
Jo Ann Magner, Staff – [email protected]
Ann Copeland, Photographer – [email protected]
Newsletter Deadline Policy
This newsletter is by you and about you, the family of Trinity. If you have an event planned, or if your event
has been held, please share it through The WORD. The publishers and editor produce the newsletter
… but it is your articles we want to produce. We also reserve the right to use all or part of your submissions.
The Conference Board of Laity
and District Superintendents are
requesting that the Trinity congre-
gation commit to praying for other
churches and agencies in the North
District. Several churches will be
listed each month for your prayers.
This list will be published each
month in the church newsletter. It
is important to know churches are
praying with and for each other.
Please pray for the following
pastors, the congregations and
communities.
Needles, CA
Reorganized under
Pastor Eugene Stouffer
Boulder City UMF, Boulder City, NV
Pastor Sandy Lynn Johnson
Hope UMC, Bullhead City, AZ
Rev. Lujet McCullough
Prayers for Our Churches
Read the newsletter on-line at http://www.tumclv.org/
Classes Continue
The next High School
Equivalency class will not be-
gin until April 11. This class
will meet in Room 6 from 9
a.m. to noon, Monday through
Thursday. The HSE class will
terminate on Thursday, June
16.
Trinity is pleased to be
able to offer these classes
through CSN. The ESL and HSE
classes are no charge. If you,
or someone you know are in-
terested in these classes,
please contact CSN at 702-
651-4747 for enrollment infor-
mation.
Trinity Classes
Trinity member Manuel
Astete continues to offer
classes to the congregation
and to the public in ESL and
Beginning Computer on Satur-
days from 9 a.m. to noon.
There is no charge for these
classes and attendees work at
their own pace.
These classes try to meet
throughout the year and will
be held in Room 5 beginning
Saturday, Jan. 9.
Prospective students can
contact the church office at
702-870-4747 for more infor-
mation, or show up on a Satur-
day.
Continued from… page 15