BOARD OF EVANGELISM December 2018 Newsletter

As we move into the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons this year, the Evangelism Committee would like to thank everyone who has donated to our various drives during this fall. We are so very blessed to have a caring and giving congregation such as all of you at Trinity. Again, “Thank you!” to everyone who has helped with donations, time, and talents.

To quickly recap, we have collected blankets, 25+ backpacks for the homeless, have had donations of Bibles given out to the homeless and at Trunk or Treat. There were some amazing stories from the trunk or treaters that evening. The most amazing story was from the little girl who won the bicycle. She was so excited as were her parents because she did not own a bicycle. God is a blessing.

As this newsletter comes out at the start of December, we would like to thank Lisa and Kevin Riedl and Shirley Lewis for once again heading up the Annual Thanksgiving meal held at Trinity. Once again, these blessings from our members are wonderful news.

Our next meeting is December 2, 2018 after 11:00 church. We will be having Jim from Lutheran Church Extension Fund coming to Sunday School and to our meeting. We will be discussing conducting a demographic study in order for us to find new and unique ways of reaching out to our local community in order to spread the Gospel. Everyone is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in the Social Hall at church. We will start at 12:30 PM. Please come and join us!

Homeless Ministry

The principle drive behind our Homeless Ministry is Ron Wolfe with lots of help from his wife, Jennifer, and stepson, Ryan Smith.  The purpose is simple, to meet the needs of the homeless living in the Southside of Savannah.  Under the umbrella of the Evangelism Committee, the focus has been to meet the everyday needs with clothes, blankets, personal care items and even shoes. 

The congregation of Trinity has been very generous in their giving to meet the needs established by Ron.  Our very first blanket drive was a huge success with people in the community dropping off trunk-loads of blankets.  Our sock drive was also very successful and greatly appreciated when delivered to the homeless who gather at Forsyth Park.  The socks were placed in plastic bags with snacks and a few personal items.

The Homeless Ministry now has storage space located in the Education Building for your donations.  Feel free to donate gently used items such as blankets, coats and jackets, other clothing, shoes, socks and small personal items.  Keep in mind that items that are oversize and not easily transported are not needed.  Your donated items are then delivered by Ron and Jennifer directly into the hands of the homeless who gather on Sunday’s at Forsyth Park.  Top of Form

Future plans for this growing ministry include teaming up with People Helping People to serve breakfast at the Park.  Church and Social groups throughout the city sign up for a breakfast and handle everything from purchasing the food, cooking and serving to the homeless.  If you would like to be involved in this outreach please contact Ron Wolfe at (912) 677-0676.

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ABOUT THE BOARD OF EVANGELISM

We, as Christians, are called by Scriptures and God to pass on the good news of God’s love and Christ’s salvation. The Board of Evangelism has one purpose: “To oversee and give direction to the congregation’s evangelism and outreach activities.” There are two elements to this ministry according to The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod: Witness and Outreach.

Witness is the work we have been given to do as the church scattered. We have opportunities to speak of Jesus with the people in our everyday lives who are our friends, co-workers, neighbors, family members, etc. 

Outreach is the work we do as the church gathered. It is our collective effort through ministries, services, events and other activities as the church through which we invite and include others into Word and Sacrament ministry.

Witness & Outreach are distinct, but they work together so people will know of Jesus and be gathered into His Church through us.

Here at Trinity Lutheran Church our Board of Evangelism provides the following programs to witness and outreach:

Visitors are always welcome at TLC. The Board of Evangelism provides visitors with a small gift and a folder with a welcome letter from Pastor Webb and other pertinent information. Our new welcome table is in the Narthex and a designated area for visitor information.

New member classes and educational classes are another opportunity from the Board of Evangelism. If you are interested in signing up for a new member class please contact the Church Office at (912) 925-4839.

Our “Dinner for Eight” ministry provides a fun way to meet members of the congregation that you may now know very well. One person hosts the dinner and guests are invited to join a small group for dinner. The groups are purposely kept small to provide an opportunity for each guest to get to know their fellow attendees. If you are interested in hosting or attending one of these dinners please contact Chris Garretson.

Our Small Business Directory is available on the table in the Narthex and includes contact information for congregation members who have a small business. If you are interested in being added to the list please fill out the form available and give to Karen Hanovich.

Through the efforts of the Board of Evangelism, TLC is now a member of not only the Kroger Community Rewards Program but the AmazonSmiles program as well. Please consider participating as this is a great way to earn funds to help with our serving the community. The following link should explain any questions you may have about the program: http://www.Kroger.com\communityrewards. Our organization number for Kroger is 18527. If you are unable to sign up for this online, if you call Kroger’s customer service at 800 5764377, they should be able to designate Trinity Lutheran as your community rewards choice. You will need your Kroger rewards card and our organization number above when you call.

Just like Kroger, Amazon has a similar program called Amazon Smile that gives money back to the charitable organization of your choice. The link is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/58-1269942. The AmazonSmile program will donate .5% to Trinity. For more information contact Chris Garretson.

The principal drive behind our Homeless Ministry is Ron Wolfe with lots of help from his wife, Jennifer, and stepson, Ryan Smith. The purpose is simple: to meet the needs of the homeless living in the Southside of Savannah. Under the umbrella of the Evangelism Committee, the focus has been to meet the everyday needs with clothes, blankets, personal care items and even shoes.

The congregation of Trinity has been very generous in their giving to meet the needs established by Ron. Our very first blanket drive was a huge success with people in the community dropping off trunk-loads of blankets. Our sock drive was also very successful and greatly appreciated when delivered to the homeless who gather at Forsyth Park. The socks were placed in plastic bags with snacks and a few personal items.

The Homeless Ministry now has storage space located in the Education Building for your donations. Feel free to donate gently used items such as blankets, coats and jackets, other clothing, shoes, socks and small personal items. Keep in mind that items that are oversize and not easily transported are not needed. Your donated items are then delivered by Ron and Jennifer directly into the hands of the homeless who gather on Sunday’s at Forsyth Park.

Future plans for this growing ministry include teaming up with People Helping People to serve breakfast at the Park. Church and Social groups throughout the city sign up for a breakfast, and handle everything from purchasing the food, cooking, and serving to the homeless. If you would like to be involved in this outreach please contact Ron Wolfe at (912) 677-0676.

Currently the Board of Evangelism members are:
Chris Garretson (President) (912) 977-3443
Shirley Lewis (912) 925-1523
Greg Lucas (912) 659-7150
Ron Wolfe (912) 677-0676