Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Church,
It often strikes me as so ridiculously absurd when people think that they know all the answers about "God." In this day and age of "never offend anyone" you may hear the usual rationalization which says "it doesn't matter what religion you are...we all have the same God." In some discussion groups outside of the church, when the subject of God is brought up, all of a sudden everyone is an expert. I hear some people being very critical of the established church. These "experts" claim that religion (the established church) and spirituality are two separate things. "There is no spirituality in religion," they claim. Many will go on and on about the faults of their own Roman Catholic Church, and the lack of spirituality in it, or in any other "religion" for that matter, but they haven't been to worship for 30 or more years except for funerals and weddings. Instead of searching for the truth, it's much easier to state that "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're a good person. We're all basically good. We all believe in the same God."
These people who are ill informed about the Christian faith are also unable to detect false preaching by the clergy when they hear it. At a Protestant funeral I attended, the preacher never mentioned the name Jesus once during the sermon or any other place in the service. She said "the most important thing that will get you through this sad time is the happy memories that you have of the deceased. Not one thing about faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life through His death and resurrection was even hinted at.
Many of the "experts" in spirituality are also "would be pastors." They are often frustrated "would be" ministers who never pursued their goal of having a career as a pastor or priest. They never attend church but they are nevertheless experts in religion. And in the end of all the debates, their wise conclusion is that we all believe in the same God. As long as you have love, etc. everyone will go to heaven. Now, I am not judging what is in someone's heart, but the Bible does have something to say about who the only true God is.
I believe that there is one door to eternal life and that door is Jesus Christ. Christ is the door, the one gate of salvation for both men and women. As St. Paul teaches in Galatians 3:27-28, "All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither...male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Some "mega churches" or other protestant denominations seem to be bursting at the seams with people not because they preach the true Gospel, but because one can believe just about anything one wants to and still be a member. For example, in the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches, there are teachings, or doctrines, if you will, which we hold as extremely important, because they guide us in the faith. These doctrines are the teachings of Jesus. One important teaching is that Jesus is the Son of God, not just a prophet. We teach the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the Virgin birth of Jesus, and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Communion, just to mention a few. We expect our members to believe in certain facts which identify us as being Lutheran Christians. Of course, only God knows what you truly believe in your heart. But it is good to belong to a Church denomination which stands for something specific and defends what we consider the true faith, while at the same time doing it in a humble way.
Maybe you will meditate on some of these thoughts during the summer, when you are on vacation, and when you have some relaxing, peaceful times to think. Feel free to share your thoughts with me. I am always open to hearing differing opinions. Together we build each other up to the Christian faith.
Jesus Christ is the one Savior, the one door for you and for me. There are not two doors to eternal life, one labeled "Faith" and the other "Human Virtues" or "being a good guy." Only faith in Christ saves us. I honestly do not believe that we can believe anything we want in order to be saved. Only faith in Christ saves. So we enter the "Faith" door, convinced that only trust in the redeeming work of Christ opens the door to heaven.
Pray that more and more people will come to know Jesus Christ as the door to peace and salvation. God bless your summer and may your guardian angel go before you wherever you are traveling!
Pastor Christian Bunzel
TO OUR SENIORS ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS!
August 29th James Jermansen
August 29th Mathilde Pieck is 100 years young!! Congratulations Mathilde!
August 30th Hildegard Kurrasch
PASSED INTO LIFE
Carol Ann (Baylis) Lindemann, the sister of Gale Confortini on Monday, May 17, 2010. The Funeral service was on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hickox Funeral Home in Watertown, Connecticut. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Our deepest sympathy to Gale, Rudy, and the entire family.
Marie Angell, the wife of Ralph Angell on Saturday, June 19, 2010. The Funeral service was on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lakes in New Milford, Connecticut. "Blessed are they who die in the Lord." Our deepest sympathy to Ralph and the entire family.
Kelly Delzell, the brother of Patrick Delzell on Monday, June 28, 2010. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Our deepest sympathy to Patrick and his family.
THANK YOU
To Eric Haglund and his parents for the Confirmation gift for the Class of 2010 which was four new corporals for the two credence tables on either side of the altar. These linens are under the Communion ware set on the tables.
To Gary Hults for mowing the church grounds.
To Peter Eglitis for setting up the Trinity website and keeping it up to date all through the year. This is a monetary donation and Peter puts in new sermon titles every week along with updated material as it comes in. A job well done!!
To Stephanie and Michael James for donating one case of wine for Communion and for paying one electric bill. Also for taking care of the main entrance garden during the summer months. Also to all who have a hand in helping with this garden!
To Michael James for being Chairman of the Car Show Committee, being in charge of much of the organization and fund raising.
A Thank You From Mike Bloch: Another Trinity car Show is in the books and it was a great success. We had approximately 150 participating cars and a great number of spectators. All of those attendees I was able to speak to said that they had a great time and I hope you enjoyed it too. I wish that everyone who helped and supported our annual car show could hear the words of appreciation from those who brought their cars and the spectators and visitors. Our Car show has become an occasion that many look forward to and make a special effort to attend. As I get around to other events I am always pleased when people tell me about the great time they had and how nice the people of our Church were to them. Even though this is a once a year activity for us it is one that is talked about and remembered all year long by a number of people. I know that many of you who don't attend similar events or are part of the 'cruise scene' are not aware of the many compliments the people of Trinity Lutheran receive so I want to pass on to you a special thank you from the exhibitors and the spectators. Mike Bloch.
LIFE SCREENING – Trinity Church is pleased to offer a preventive health event. Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will host their affordable, non-invasive, painless health screenings on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries, which is a leading cause of stoke; abdominal aortic aneurysms, which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs, which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat, which is closely tied to stroke risk; and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for the Stroke, Vascular Disease, and Heart Rhythm Package for $130. All four ultrasound screenings take 60 – 90 minutes to complete. Your Health is in Your Hands, so call 1-888-653-6441 for more information or to preregister. The community usually fills in the spots so members of Trinity are given the first opportunity to register. More information will be in the Sunday bulletins.
DO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD CONVENTION? – Everything you want to know about the convention can be found online at www.lcms.org/convention including quick facts, adopted resolutions, schedules, Bible studies, official election results, videos, and photos. You can also call toll free at 800-248-1930 for information. The convention is held this summer in Houston, Texas from July 10th to July 17th. All 6,000 parishes of the Synod are having a special collection which is presented at the convention. Thank you to those who have donated already. If you haven't, please place your donation in the basket in the Narthex. Offering envelopes are in the bulletin every Sunday. Thank you.
ANNIVERSARY OF INSTALLATION – Pastor Bunzel celebrates his 15th anniversary of Installation as Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Milford, CT on September 10, 2010. Boy how time flies! May God continue to bless both Pastor and People as they continue growing in our Lord Jesus Christ!!
SPECIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY SERVICE – will be held on Sunday, July 4th at the 9:30 a.m. Eucharist. There will be a special printed service bulletin with patriotic hymns, sermon, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Join us on July 4th. Don't forget to thank God for the free nation we live in, and the freedom to worship as we choose.
YOUTH GROUP LAKE BEACH OUTINGS – will be on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (as announced). Attend church at 9:30 a.m. first in order to attend the outing. Bring a sandwich and soda, towel, etc. Call the church office if you would like to attend. Age group is grade 5 – 9. We will drive to Lynn Deming Park following the church service.
ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC – is Sunday, September 12th 12:00 noon at Lynn Deming Park Beach. The sign up sheet will be on the bulletin board above the water fountain in August. If you do not have a park sticker, YOU MUST BE SIGNED UP IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED INTO LYNN DEMING PARK.
TRAVEL AND LEARN WITH CONCORDIA COLLEGE – NY – In the Footsteps of St. Paul (Greece and Turkey October 19-29, 2010) For more information call: Rev. Greg Dwyer at 914-337-9300 x 2198.
DATES TO REMEMBER FOR SEPTEMBER
Sunday, September 12th
Sunday School, Confirmation Class, and Adult Bible Study resume – 9:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist – 10:30 a.m.
Annual Church Picnic – 12:00 p.m.
Friday, September 16th
Youth Movie and Pizza Night. 6:45 – 9:30 p.m.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY SUMMER
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