Trinity News & Updates
From worship services to information on how to connect with your Trinity family, all the latest updates are right here! You can also follow Trinity on our various social media channels to get updates in real time. To filter our updates to what you are looking for, select the category you are interested in. Otherwise, scroll down for all our updates.
Worship * Remaining Connected * Notes from the pastor (scroll down)
Pastor’s Notes
Sunday, May 10 I invited worshippers to suggest titles for the sermon I preached. I have always found this kind of feedback helpful and informative.
The first time this happened it took me by surprise.
I was serving a small Presbyterian church in Chicago after finishing seminary, before ordination. Every time I started to preach there, Bud would get up from his seat and leave by a side door. The first time this happened I figured Bud felt a coughing fit coming on or he needed to go to the bathroom. But it kept happening. I would step to the pulpit and Bud would step out the side door.
I had three hypotheses:
Bud didn’t like sermons;
Bud didn’t like MY sermons; or
Bud’s bladder was somehow synced to the worship service at Ravenswood Presbyterian Church.
Then one Sunday, Bud showed me a cassette tape. He’d written the date, my name and the title he thought went with the sermon he’d just heard. Without any fanfare Bud recorded the sermon every week, made about a half dozen copies of it and delivered them to people who would not be in church that week. Bud gave me immediate feedback; I knew what he thought the sermon was about. It was a huge gift.
When I served a church in Baltimore, they ran an ad in the Saturday paper every week with the sermon title and the preacher’s name. The Sun needed that information ten days in advance. I would rack my brain and come up with a few words that the text suggested to me. No one ever commented about the sermon title. I never got a “Pastor, that title really captured what you said!” nor a “What was you thinkin’?” In fact, in nearly 40 years of preaching no one has ever commented on a sermon title without my prodding.
I served a church once where it was very important to one vocal member that there be a sermon title in the bulletin. I explained my reasons for not wanting to name a sermon prior to preaching it. She was adamant. I resisted the temptation to title a sermon “Untitled #347,” and provided a few words that I was likely to say during the coming worship service.
No one noticed.
Following my sermon on May 10, 2026, some worshippers suggested these titles:
A lifetime of commitments
The novelty of God
Seeds grow best with a little fertilizer
How the word spread
We need each other
Who we are is what we Do (not how well we argue the point)
Paul—the Influencer
The Proof Is in the Pudding
Lend me your ear
Message received
The Man in the Mirror
The Message that Fell on Deaf Ears
The Philosopher’s Stone
Different Moments, Different Decisions
One God, giving countless opportunities
The God Who Keeps Turning on the Light
Paul & how to work the crowd
— Pastor Tom
To weigh in on possible sermon titles for Pastor Tom’s sermon on May 10, 2026: watch the sermon here
Worship for July 9, 2023
Today, on July 2, guest preacher Rev. Dennis Winzenreid will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will not meet this morning. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for July 2, 2023
Today, on July 2, guest preacher Rev. Dennis Winzenreid will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will not meet this morning. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for June 25, 2023
Today, on June 25, guest preacher Rev. Bill Havens will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will meet this morning, at 10:15am, in the Fellowship Hall and online. Nate Shlueter from Eden Village will be speaking to the class this morning! We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for June 18, 2023
Today, on June 18, guest preacher Rev. Barry Williams will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will meet this morning, at 10:15am, in the Fellowship Hall. Jaimie Trussell from the Crosslines Ministry will be speaking to the class this morning! We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. If you are worshipping with us online, please prepare your communion elements to have during service. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for June 11, 2023
Today, June 11, Nissa Krier will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will begin meeting for the summer this morning, at 10:15am, in the Fellowship Hall. Rebekah Thomas will be speaking to the class this morning! We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. If you are worshipping with us online, please prepare your communion elements to have during service. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for June 4, 2023, Trinity Sunday
Today, on Trinity Sunday, Rev. Dennis Winzenried will be preaching. Our combined Sunday School class will begin meeting for the summer this morning, at 10:15am, in the Fellowship Hall. Melinda Spencer will be speaking to the class this morning! We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. If you are worshipping with us online, please prepare your communion elements to have during service. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for May 28, 2023, Pentecost
Today, on Pentecost, Rev. Barry Williams will be preaching. Due to the holiday weekend, we will not have Worship & Wonder during worship for children. There will be goodie bags available for children who attend worship. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Today, on the seventh Sunday of Easter, Rev. Dennis Winzenried will be preaching. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Today, on the sixth Sunday of Easter, Rev. Bill Havens will be preaching. We will also have a special musical performance from our children during worship! We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for May 7, 2023 - Fifth Sunday of Easter
Today, on the fifth Sunday of Easter, Rev. Bill Havens will be preaching. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for April 30, 2023 - Fourth Sunday of Easter
Today, on the fourth Sunday of Easter, Pastor Chris will be preaching on the good shepherd. We gather in the Sanctuary and online today at 11:30am for worship. As always, our online service is recorded and available later in the week to watch and share with others.
Worship for April 23, 2023 - Third Sunday of Easter
Today, on the third Sunday of Easter, Pastor Chris will be preaching on how we should respond to the news of the resurrection: hope or doubt? We also invite you to our potluck this evening, from 6-8pm, to celebrate the recent season of Ramadan.
Worship for April 16, 2023 - Second Sunday of Easter
Today, on the second Sunday of Easter, Rev. Barry Williams will be guest preaching! We are excited to announce our Sunday School classes will be resuming at 10:15am this morning!
Worship for April 9, 2023 - Easter Sunday
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Today is the joyful day of our salvation; the day when we proclaim, in the words of the old hymn, "where, O death, is now thy sting?" Wherever you are today, I sincerely hope you will spend some of your Easter celebrating the resurrection of Christ with your Trinity family, either in-person or via our livestream service.
Worship for April 2, 2023 - Palm / Passion Sunday
We enter worship today proclaiming "Hosanna!" while the celebratory palm branches wave, yet we know so well the journey this week will take us to places we would rather not go.
This year I encourage, even challenge, you to allow yourself to take the full journey of Holy Week. Allow yourself to feel to joyful entry into Jerusalem, for joy is right. Allow yourself to feel the pain and betrayal of the arrest and trial, for pain is also right. Allow yourself to mourn on Good Friday, for mourning is also right. Allow yourself to feel the resurrection hope, for hope is also right.
Worship for March 26, 2023 - Annual Congregational Meeting
I want to thank Rev. Howard Cavner for stepping in on short notice to preach this Sunday and Rev. Greg Esselman for agreeing to moderate our Annual Congregational meeting.
Worship for March 19, 2023 - Making Room at the Table
When was the last time you were invited to a banquet? Maybe a wedding or an important business event? Did you get to choose your table, or did you get seated? How, and where, people are seated at a banquet says a lot about the event and who is welcome and wanted. In today's scripture, Jesus challenges us to look again at who we have room for at the table.
Worship for March 12, 2023 - Surprised by Grace
This morning in worship we will be reflecting on how often God surprises us, even interrupts us, with grace.
Worship for March 5, 2023 - The Welcome Table
Have you ever gone to someone's home for dinner and felt completely welcome? Today we read a story of Jesus creating a place of welcome for those on the margins of his society; and we will together consider how we might do the same today.
Worship for February 26, 2023 - Food for the Journey
I am delighted to be back with you as we worship together today on this first Sunday of Lent. We will be reflecting together on how God provided us nourishment for our journey of faith.