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Called to live by faith, walk in love, and rejoice always in the hope of the Gospel
Trinity Together | November 2017
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A MONTHLY LOOK AT our life with God,
one another, and our neighbors
FROM THE DESK OF WALTER KIM
BEING BUILT TOGETHER
"In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:22)
Praise be to God! On Saturday, the Blue Ridge Presbytery warmly welcomed me into their fellowship as an ordained minister, and this Sunday, November 12, will be my official installation as Pastor for Executive Leadership at Trinity Presbyterian Church. I am humbled by and grateful for the honor of serving this body of Christ and being co-laborers with you in the work of the gospel, sharing in God's renewal of all things.
God is at work in Trinity and Charlottesville. He has blessed this church for over 40 years, and together we will continue to pursue His purposes with the confidence that God's Spirit dwells among us. Much work remains. Those who live around us need Christ and the transformative impact that the gospel alone can bring.
Our family has been in Charlottesville for less than three months, but already you have made us feel at home. Toni, Nathan, Naomi, and I sincerely thank you for opening your hearts and lives to us, and for the many prayers offered on our behalf. The Lord has expressed His kindness to us through you.
If you are able, please come praise God with us at the installation service this Sunday, November 12, at 5pm in the Trinity sanctuary. I look forward to seeing how God builds us together and dwells among us for His glory.
With love in Christ,
generosity is the response
of hearts captured by jesus
BY walter kim, pastor for executive leadership
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Thank you for your faithful giving during the past year. Such generosity is the response of hearts captured by Jesus. We love, because Christ first loved us. We serve, because Christ first served us. We give, because Christ has first given to us.
Over the past couple of months, our family has witnessed Trinity’s passion for Christ. We have praised God with you in worship that causes our hearts to soar and binds hearts that are broken. We have heard testimonies of marriages mended, of people won to Christ, of a community asking hard questions. We have prayed with people yearning for the Spirit to work even more fruitfully. We have marveled at God’s work here.
Typically, when a church undergoes major transitions, both attendance and giving decrease dramatically. Trinity has proven to be an exception. It is a mercy of God's blessing and a reflection of your faithfulness.
As we enter into the final months of the fiscal year, we ask for your continued, and even increasing, generosity. Stu Scott reminded us on Sunday that the next two months are crucial to the financial health of Trinity. Yes, we desire to meet budget goals, but more fundamentally we aspire to empower and equip one another to be fully the church that our Lord calls us to be.
So, let’s join together as partners in the work of the gospel. Please consider giving in the following ways:
- Give during Sunday worship by placing your check or cash in the offering basket.
- Make a secure online donation here. Please consider increasing your online gift by 2–3% to cover the processing fees. A short how-to video can be found here.
- Use bill-pay. Online bank accounts or systems such as Quicken can send checks automatically. Have them mailed to the church office (PO Box 5102, Charlottesville, VA 22905-5102).
- Donate stocks and mutual funds. To donate stock, please call Paula Kincel at Davenport & Co. at 434.245.1534. Inform her that you are making a gift to Trinity Presbyterian Church (acct #84015735 / DTC #0715). They will handle the transfer of your stock gift. If you want help, contact Mary Wilson to set up a meeting.
Thank you again for your stewardship of God's resources and for your faithful giving in the months to come. If you have further questions, email us at trinity@trinitycville.org.
INTRODUCING NEW STAFF MEMBERS
We have several new staff members to introduce to you this fall.
Walter Kim, Pastor for Executive Leadership
Walter will be installed Sunday, November 12, as our Pastor for Executive Leadershiop. He is a minister, scholar, and thought leader with a passion to see the Gospel impact lives, transform communities, and change culture. Before coming to Trinity, he was Lead Minister at Park Street Church in Boston, one of the oldest evangelical churches in the U.S. He led ministry operations, including setting the vision for programs, strategic planning, and managing a team of pastors, ministry directors, and administrative staff. He had also served previously as associate minister, minister of adult education, and minister of small groups at Park Street. Walter received his B.A. from Northwestern University in philosophy and history, his master's of divinity from Regent College in Vancouver, and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern languages and civilizations. He has served on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals and on the Professional and External Relations Advisory Council of Gordon College. He also serves with Civilitas Group, which is dedicated to the influence of the Bible and the role of the church as a means of bringing healing and cohesion to society.
Horace Scruggs, Choir Director
Horace has been teaching and conducting professionally since 1985. He has taught music to all grade levels from K-12, and worked professionally with school, community, and church choirs and ensembles. He holds degrees in music education from Longwood University and Shenandoah Conservatory. Horace is an adjunct faculty member at Piedmont Virginia Community College, teaching class piano and music appreciation, and conducting the PVCC Chorus.
Grady Smith, Mission CoordinatorAfter graduating from the University of Virginia in 2011, Grady moved to New York City, where he worked as a writer for Entertainment Weekly. In 2014, he returned to Charlottesville and has since worked as a columnist for The Guardian and a manager at Brazos Tacos. He calls the East Parish his home.
Fellows on Staff
We also have three Trinity Fellows on staff this year. Elise Hearne is serving two years here as an RYM Church Intern working with our Student Ministry. She is a graduate of Furman University and is from St. Louis, MO. Owen Stroud, from Austin, TX, is the Worship Arts Fellow. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Kelsey Veldhuizen, our Community + Care Fellow working with Tim Jones, is from North Canton, OH, and is a graduate of Malone University.
session summary: october
BY elder bill cassidy, clerk of session
October was a quieter month as far as Session activity was concerned. Our meeting on the 12th was, as usual, opened with a devotional time and a season of prayer for congregational needs.
After we reviewed and approved minutes from our September meeting, we elected four commissioners to the November Presbytery. Of special interest to all of us is that Walter Kim will be examined for transfer to the Blue Ridge Presbytery from his former church, Park Street Church in Boston. Walter has already received unanimous approval from the Leadership Development Committee of the Presbytery and now must be approved by the Presbytery as a whole. This is an exciting time for the church!
The Pastor Search Committee, which had decided to go into recess for a time, asked for guidance about when to renew their search for a Pastor for Preaching and Community Care (PPCC). We decided that no later than February 2018 we will form a committee to evaluate our pastoral needs. The committee will determine whether we should make changes to the PPCC job description, which the committee will use to continue its search.
We heard a thorough update from Director for Missions Kevin Sawyer on our work in global, local, and national missions. He also announced the recent hiring of Grady Smith as Missions Assistant. Please welcome Grady to the church staff if you haven’t already done so. Also, we were able to pray for Kevin’s approaching trip to Nicaragua. He has since returned and proclaimed it successful!
Elder Sam Heath reminded us of the Faith Seeking Understanding Forum on the Reformation. Many of you were able to attend this and enjoy not only the occasion, but also the wonderful teaching of former pastor John Cunningham. John’s wife, Susan, a friend and counselor of many of us, was able to make the trip from California with him. We are grateful to all who participated in the event.
Several in our congregation wrote letters to the Session concerning the church’s response to the racial unrest and violence experienced in Charlottesville over the summer. We formally received them and have or will personally respond to each of them. The letters have been helpful as we continue planning how we address the issues of race.Have a question about our Session? Email session@trinitycville.org.
meet elder bob amacker
Bob Amacker was born and grew up in Charlottesville and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UVa. With a master’s in information technology management he has worked in a variety of related positions, the first of which was with the U.S. Navy. While stationed in Massachusetts he met college student Kristy, and they were married in 1993. Both Bob and Kristy now have jobs that require a lot of travel, although Bob says hers is more interesting and fun, as he goes to other states while she goes to other countries. After working as a consultant for several federal agencies, Kristy now works in microfinance through the World Bank.
Bob was raised in the Roman Catholic Church but as an adult wanted to try a different church tradition. When he and Kristy lived in northern New York, where their two sons were born, they were part of a Christian and Missionary Alliance church. When the family moved to Charlottesville in 2001 for Kristy to enter grad school, they met neighbors Ray and Betty Hogan, who were Trinity members. The Hogans invited them to Trinity. Bob and Kristy’s earliest involvement was in teaching children’s Sunday School over several years as Will and Charley advanced through our Children’s and Student Ministries. Will is now a junior at the College of William & Mary studying international relations, and Charley is in his senior year at Charlottesville High School and interested in studying urban planning.
About ten years ago the Amackers began participating in a small group and Bob started working to grow the small group ministry. He saw groups get larger and split as he helped educate and mentor new group leaders. In 2010 Bob was nominated to become an elder. After preparing, he was elected, ordained, and installed in 2011. Bob has served on the Session’s Personnel Committee and is now its representative on the Officer Development Ministry Team. One of the elder duties he most enjoys and finds fulfilling is that of caring for and shepherding individual members. Seeing our members forge greater connections and friendships with each other and extend true welcome to others who enter our community is Bob’s desire for Trinity. He points to our five-year mission and urges all to understand it and find the parts most important for themselves on which to focus.
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Sunday, Nov 12, 5pm |
Installation Service for Walter Kim |
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Sunday, Nov 19, 5:30pm |
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Wednesday, Nov 22, 7pm |
Thanksgiving Eve Service |
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Thursday–Friday, Nov 23–24 |
Church offices closed |
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Sunday, Nov 26, 10am |
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