Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

Adult

Volunteer Opportunities

Lector -

Lectors take part in the services by reading the Old Testament and Epistle Readings and leading the congregation in reciting of the Gradual.  This position can be held by both men and women.  One Lector is needed at each service.

Ushers -

Ushers participate in the services by assisting visitors who may have questions about the service, gathering the offering and leading the congregation to the Lord's Table for Holy Communion.  Two to three ushers are needed at each service.

Communion Assistants-

Communion Assistants are trained to help Pastor distribute Holy Communion.  This position is held by men.  One Communion Assistant is needed at each service celebrating Holy Communion.

Adult Choir -

Our adult choir meets on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. Under the direction of Carroll Smith they perform at our Sunday morning worship service.  They contribute their voices to our special services as well, including Christmas, Lent, and Easter.  If you would like to participate, new voices are always welcomed!  Please speak with our Music Director Carroll Smith on any Sunday morning.

Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML)

All ladies of the congregation are members of the LWML. The LWML meets in September, November and March on the second Saturday at 10:00 a.m.  Our meetings usually consist of a brunch, small devotion, minutes of last meeting and conducting the business at hand and new business. 

Here is a list of some of the responsibilities of the ladies of the LWML:

Altar Guild – The ladies (and sometimes their husbands) keep the sanctuary clean for worship/communion.  This falls under the Altar Guild, which is an off shoot of the LWML.  The Altar Guild is responsible for dusting of the pews and straightening of materials in each pew, filling the oil candles and setting up communion (first and third Sundays of the month). This task is usually done on Friday or Saturday mornings. 

Welcome Center – Have you been enjoying the coffee, snacks and fellowship in the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings?  This is all done under the hat of LWML.  You can volunteer to bring a snack by signing up on the Hostess Sheet in the Welcome Center.  You can volunteer for after the early or late service.  After the late service, the hostess rinses out the coffee pots with warm water and cleans up the food table.  Plates and napkins are furnished by LWML.

Receptions – The ladies are also responsible for providing receptions that are held in Belvedere Hall.  Usually this occurs following a funeral as requested by the family.   This requires phone calls to ask people to bring food for the bereaved families and their friends.  The ladies then gather to set up, serve and clean up for the reception.  We also provide for the reception following the Bach Festival each year in October.  It takes many hands to make each reception a success. 

Prayer Shawl Ministry - We are always looking for those who know how to knit, crochet or work a loom. As the shawl is made, we ask that the preparer offers prayers to the Lord for the protection, comfort, and blessings for the shawl’s recipient.  The completed shawls are placed on the altar railing, the ladies then gather as a league and kneel at the altar and we pray that God would bless the shawl and its recipient.  We pray that as the recipient wears the shawl, that they receive warmth and comfort from it, and that they feel the “hugs” from Trinity’s LWML.

Fund Raisers – In order to support some of the items listed above and our outreach missions we have several fund raisers each year.  Holiday Happenings is held the weekend before Thanksgiving.  You will find baked goods and crafts in the Welcome Center.  Wonderful items/treats are available for your own use or for gifts.

Love Boxes – Each year around Valentine’s Day we pack boxes of goodies and supplies to be delivered to our college students away from home and our deployed military members.  A list of suggested items is posted on the bulletin board so that all members of the congregation can participate. 

Pantry Fund - The LWML is the custodian of this account.  The money for this fund comes through offering envelopes and through direct contributions.  The Pantry Fund was established after the food pantry was closed at Trinity.  Money has been given to the Union Mission, the pantry at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and to help Special Ministries with their outreach programs to the homeless.  This fund may also be used by the Pastor if he knows of someone who is in need of food.

Sanctuary Fund -  This fund was turned over to the LWML to be its custodian because of the LWML Altar Guild which handles the upkeep of the altar needs (fair linen, purificators, communion wafers, wine and candle oil).  Other expenditures include palms for Palm Sunday, the dry cleaning of stoles and paraments, and the purchase of baptismal napkins.

Laura Johnson Memorial Fund - The LWML is the custodian of this account.  This fund provides for funeral receptions (at church or in the home), flowers or other appropriate acknowledgements of care and concern. Members help to fund this account through memorials, "Blessings received", and direct contributions.

As you can see all that we do cannot be accomplished by only one or two ladies. This takes all of us.  From providing a snack, to making a call, to dusting the altar, to working at a reception, all of these things are done to the Glory of God.

We all enjoy the special fellowship we have with our sisters in Christ.

Operation Barnabas -

Operation Barnabas is the name of Trinity’s military ministry. We are part of the nationwide network of Operation Barnabas that seeks to be a network of care for thoese in the military. At Trinity, Operation Barnabas (or OB for short) is made up of active duty and retired military as well as their families and others who want to show support to the military in a tangible way. OB offers opportunities for fellowship and service to people in and beyond our congregation. We have had food drives for needy military families and have hosted a Christmas dinner to show our appreciation to the military in our community. The main emphasis of OB at Trinity is on providing care and support to the families of deployed sailors and soldiers through special activities and programs designed with their needs in mind.  If you would like more information about Operation Barnabas, please contact Errol Jennings at errolkj47@hotmail.com.

Special Ministries -

The Special Ministries Team needs volunteers to help in many ways.  We prepare and serve the homeless where they live twice a year.  We volunteer at the Southeastern Foodbank of Virginia several times a year. 

An ongoing project is “Go Green”, where we recycle batteries (excluding car batteries), prescription eye glasses, hotel samples of toiletries and used toner cartilages.  Help us, as we try to reduce our carbon footprint and help those less fortunate.

Twice a year we hold a food drive to benefit different Foodbanks in the area, one in the fall and one in the spring.

We adopt a family, over Christmas, through EdMarc Hospice, which was the first children’s hospice in the United States. This enables the parents and siblings to spend time with their family and not worry about shopping during this difficult time in their lives.  We have heard only good things about this program and hope to do more with them in the future.  

We work to try and make the lives better of those less fortunate in our community.