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January 2014 Newsletter

Annual Meetings:
Trinity Annual Meeting Sun., Jan. 19th 12pm Note Service time Changes: Aurora 9:00 a.m. Worship Service Trinity - 10:4 a.m. Worship Service Aurora Annual Meeting - Sun!ay, January 2"th #o$$o%in& the 10:'0 a.m. Worship Service. ()n or!er to &et the annua$ reports comp$ete! *y Sun., Jan.12th #or counci$ revie%, a$$ the in#ormation nee!s to *e turne! in *y Sun., Jan. th. )n#ormation can *e sent to auroratrinityo##ice+&mai$.com.

Special Worship Services:

Food Shelf Sunday Sunday, January 5th - Aurora Sunday, January 15th - Trinity Please give to this worthy cause, as we Feed Bodies with the Love of Jesus Communion Worship Services: Sunday, January 5th & 19th
January Time Change Worship times will be changing on Sunday, January 5th. Aurora Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Trinity Worship Service: 9:00 a.m.

Council Meetings: Trinity !on", Jan" 1#th at $ #% &"'" (urora )ed", Jan" 15th at $ #% &"'"
Newsletter Information Deadline
Please have all information for the February newsletter and calendar to Lisa no later than January 20th. Send your info to: auroratrinityoffice@gmail.com

Update on Same-Sex Marriage Conversation As many of you now! both councils have been "oing a stu"y on homose#uality an" the church. As of the en" of $013! the two councils have since complete" that stu"y. The purpose of the stu"y was to open the "oor to respectful conversations aroun" a topic that is %uite "ivisive within the &hurch. 't has also helpe" to give a sense of where council members are at regar"ing same(se# marriage! now that it is legal in )innesota. )oving forwar"! we want to have these conversations as a congregation. *astor +on will use the same stu"y to lea" some respectful conversations regar"ing homose#uality! same(se# marriage! an" the church. )ore info will be available in the coming months about when these conversations will ta e place. ,or the sa e of clarity! these will simply be conversations. We "o not inten" to rush into any "ecisions. *lease stay tune".

Youth and Families Corner:

January Confirmation Schedule: We!nes!ay, Jan. 1 th, 22n!, 29th, at ":'0 p.m. High School Youth Group: We!nes!ay, Jan. 1 th , 29th at -:00 p.m. Aurora/Trinity Sunday School: Sun!ay Schoo$ %i$$ resume at *oth Aurora an! Trinity on Sun!ay, January th. Aurora Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Trinity Sunday School: 10:1 a.m.

oster Williams Son of Ryan and Michelle !illia s

Our Mission Statement in hotos:

Baptisms:
Nine BLESSINGS became members of our parish and the family of God through the Sacrament of Baptism in 20 !"
Rutledge Miller Son of Nicholas and Bobbi Miller Brady Larson Son of Ryan and Heather Larson Quinn Knutson Daughter of Jesse Knutson & Jennifer Gehring Aryalinn Gunther Daughter of Ryan and Andrea Gunther Paxton Lehman Son of Josh and Katie Leh an Braylen Wencl Son of Louie !encl & Melissa Bell Eli Thurnau Son of Brad and Stefani "hurnau Noah Gillis Son of Jason and A y Gillis

Feeding the odies! of "#$ children for a year

Feed %y Star&ing Children

Feeding the %inds! of our Youth Aurora Christmas Concert '#"(

Feeding the Spirit! of our community Trinity Ae)les*i&er +inner

!ee"ing Min"s with the #ospel o$ Matthew

*ach Sunday, selections of four scri&ture &assages are read in worshi&" Ty&ically, it is one &assage fro' the +ld Testa'ent and ,ew Testa'ent, one Psal', and one -os&el reading" These are called the lectionary and they are &art of worshi& at 'ost churches on any given Sunday" )hich 'eans 'ost churches across the glo.e are all reading the sa'e &assages every Sunday" The lectionary is .ased on a three/year reading cycle, and every three years, we start the cycle over again" The first year 01ear (2 focuses on the -os&el of !atthew, the second year 01ear B2 focuses on the -os&el of !ar3, and the third year 01ear 42 focuses on the -os&el of Lu3e" The -os&el of John is s&read out across all three years" ( cou&le of wee3s ago, we 5ust .egan 1ear ( 6 the year of !atthew" The -os&el of !atthew is often 3nown as Jesus7 teaching gos&el" 4oincidentally, our 'ission the'e for this ne8t year is Feeding Minds with the Love of Jesus" 9f this is a teaching gos&el and we see3 to feed our 'inds in the co'ing year, then what a &erfect ti'e for us to study the gos&el of !atthew and to have Jesus as our teacher" :ave you ever read a gos&el fro' .eginning to end; )e don7t get that e8&erience at church" +ften, the lectionary 5u'&s around the gos&el, 'a3ing it difficult to &ic3 u& the full story and the'es that we 'ight otherwise hear" So, what is !atthew7s story of Jesus; )hat did he want his readers to 3now; 9nterestingly, the gos&el of !atthew was never intended to .e in the Bi.le" The author didn7t &lan on it .eco'ing &art of scri&ture" 9n fact, it is 'ore of a 'anual for a congregation in crises at that &articular ti'e" <0!atthew7s2 original readers were wrestling with how to .e faithful to Jesus 4hrist in a changing world and in difficult circu'stances, and the -os&el of !atthew was a first/aid 'anual for this church in the 'idst of a struggle"=1 The original readers were struggling with how to .e faithful to Jesus 4hrist in a changing world" 9 thin3 we can relate to that" (s the 4hurch struggles with what the future holds, and with a longing for the &ast and an uncertain future, &erha&s !atthew7s words can .e a 'anual to us in this new year as well" 9 invite you to 5oin 'e in studying the -os&el of !atthew this January and Fe.ruary, on Tuesdays at 1 #%&' at +livia7s >estaurant, or at $ #%&' at Steve and 4heryl Tho'&son7s house 0?@5 Shady (ve, +watonna, !,2" Listed .elow are the dates and cha&ters to read .efore each session"

%he #ospel o$ Matthew &i'le Stu"y Sche"ule January ?1st 6 4ha&ters 1/A January ?@th 6 4ha&ters 5/9 Fe.ruary Ath 6 4ha&ters 1%/1# Fe.ruary 11th 6 4ha&ters 1A/1@ Fe.ruary 1@th 6 4ha&ters 19/?# Fe.ruary ?5th 6 4ha&ters ?A/?@
9 loo3 forward to what this year has in store for us" -od7s &eace .e with you all,

Pastor Jon
1

Trinity .ounci$ /eetin& 0otes

Thomas 1. 2on&, Matthew, p&. 1.