Author Archive: Leesa Bell

Handbell Huddles

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Handbell Huddles!

To allow more people to participate in the JOY of Handbell Ringing, we are once again offering “Handbell Huddles”! With this model, a commitment is made for a specific time period, rather than an entire year.  Throughout the 2025-26 program year, we will have five “Huddles,” allowing you to pick the rehearsal and performance time period that works for you. Beginners are welcome; however, we must limit participation to ringers in  middle school and above!  Thank you in advance, since our handbells really enhance our worship!

Fall-Winter 2026

Throughout the 2026-27 program year, we will have four “Huddles.” Below you will see the dates and times along with sign-up links for the first two huddles.  Beginners are welcome; however, we must limit participation to ringers middle school and above!  

Fall Huddle

Wednesday Rehearsals 6:00-7:00 pm

September 30, October 7 & 14

Play in Worship 10:00 am

Sunday, October 18

Advent/Christmas Huddle

Sunday Rehearsals 11:15am-12:15pm

November 8 & 15, December 6

Play in Worship 10:00 am

November 22 & December 13  

Play for Community Carol Sing 4:00 pm

December 13   

Sign up for one of our first two huddles by following the link:

https://forms.gle/8kZeQXKGE58bxHKC8

If you have any questions, please let Nancy Fox know!

Be a Reading Buddy

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We have TWO Reading Buddy Outreach Volunteer opportunities:
Who– High School Age People and “Older” than High School Age People
Opportunity 1:To read to those residents at Meadow Glen Assisted Living in Leesburg who need a little brightening of their day. Bring along something to read that is light, uplifting and short for example- Chicken Soup for the Soul stories
Residents are of many abilities and would welcome an opportunity to meet someone with a smiling face, a little something to read and a willingness to have a little visit!  It will be good for the Reading Buddy and the person who is listening!  Come spread some cheer and brighten your day as well!
Meadow Glen Assisted Living (315 Dry Mill Rd, SW. Leesburg)
Talents: Willingness to smile, read and share some of your time with others, be a day brightener!
Opportunity 2: Help pre-K littles practice / learn to readWe’ll be helping teachers and children at Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Leesburg practice reading skills.  1 time per week if you can, but they are willing to take all the help they can get. Starting in October. Note: Volunteers going into schools must complete a short application form before volunteering. 

Sign up on Sign Up sheet in Narthex or contact Stasia Whitacre at

Donate to HTLC

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Our congregation is so generous in supporting Holy Trinity!  

Today, there are more and more ways to simplify your giving, making it less time consuming and sometimes even easing your tax burden.  Here are some of the many ways to support Holy Trinity:

  • In Person – Drop your check or cash into the offering plate at worship.  If you know your envelope number, please write it on the check or place your offering in your numbered envelope.  If you would like offering envelopes, please contact the office at Holy Trinity.
  • VANCO – Holy Trinity has established an online portal with VANCO to make it easy to donate electronically.  The URL is https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZP7Y/home .  It is also linked from the Donate button on Holy Trinity’s webpage.  You can donate one time or set up recurring donations.  This is a great way to support Holy Trinity when you are away on vacation. You can donate from your credit card or bank account.  Any financial  information you enter in VANCO is secure.
  • Text To Give – You can use your cell phone to text your contribution to Holy Trinity.  Text the amount you wish to give to 844-435-9809 and follow the instructions.
  • QR Code – In the pews at Holy Trinity are cards with a QR code.  Use your cellphone to scan the QR code and follow the instructions.
  • Online Banking – Use your online banking to send a check or electronic payment to Holy Trinity, just like paying other bills.
  • Donating Appreciated Securities – You can donate stocks, mutual funds, or other securities to Holy Trinity without having to sell them.  Holy Trinity has set up an investment account at our bank, Truist, to which you can transfer the securities directly.  This prevents your having to sell the securities and pay capital gains taxes on the amount the securities have appreciated since you purchased them.   Holy Trinity will hold the investment(s) and let them appreciate further until we need the money to pay expenses.  If you are interested in this, please contact me for the account information and specific instructions.
  • Name Holy Trinity as a Beneficiary or Leave a Bequest in your Will or Trust – Thinking about what may happen after you’re gone isn’t anyone’s favorite topic. However, naming Holy Trinity as a beneficiary or leaving a bequest in your will or trust allows you to give without overextending yourself if you need to spend more on long-term care or other expenses. Additionally, charitable bequests can reduce estate taxes.DISCLAIMER:  I am not a tax expert.  Please consult your own tax or financial adviser before deciding to implement any of the strategies I have described.Holy Trinity is profoundly grateful for the generous contributions, large and small, of all of our congregation members!  Please let me know if you have any questions about taking advantage of any of these giving suggestions or other ways of supporting Holy Trinity.Karla McGovernkarlakmcgovern@gmail.com

Women’s Mary/Martha WELCA circle

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The Mary/Martha Circle of The Women of the ELCA (WELCA) welcomes any woman at Holy Trinity to join us on the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. Our mornings include preparing and delivering lunches for the Loudoun homeless shelter, a meeting to discuss outreach service projects, an offering, as well as a time for personal fellowship. Our time together ends with a book study. This year we will be reading Joanna Weaver’s “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” as well as an accompanying Bible study.

The Mary/Martha circle started a new year of fellowship and service with a meeting on Tuesday, August 4th.

We were blessed to have had Linda Kimble, Director of Shelter House in Leesburg, at our August meeting. She shared with us the history, scope, and activities of the facility. We will be joining her later in the Fall at the shelter for a first hand look at what is provided for the homeless population in our area. We do know that they are always in the need for inexpensive new pillows, twin sheet sets, small (travel-size) toiletries, boxes of cereal or snacks, and laundry detergent. Please let any member of our circle know if you have any of these items to donate.

This month WELCA-Mary/Martha will be donating boxes of school needs to Frederick Douglass Elementary which will include headphones, lunchboxes, and dry erase boards, markers, and erasers. Future plans will include an October visit to Shelter House, and a November outreach, with the HTLC congregation, to Frederick Douglass of Thanksgiving food boxes and Giant gift cards.

Please include our group in your prayers for a successful year of activities and fellowship!

Blessings,

Pat Bailey, President

Blessing of the Backpacks

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Sunday, August 16 10:00 am Worship Service
Blessing of the Backpacks

Start the School Year off with a blessing! Plan to bring your Backpacks, Laptops, Devices, or anything else that you will be using to learn or teach this fall to worship!

Sunday School will start on Sept 13 at 8:45 am!

Vacation Bible School

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VBS at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church!

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Leesburg, Virginia, invites you to participate in our 2026 Vacation Bible School

At the Table! 

Our week of VBS will be July 6-10, 2026 and will run from 9:00 AM - Noon.
The week will culminate with a Sunday Worship Celebration on July 12 at 10:00 AM!
  • Our WeeBS track is designed for preschool children who will turn 3 by September 1, 2026. 
  • Students who will be turning 4 by September 30, 2026 through rising fifth graders are welcome to join as Campers.
  • Students who are rising Sixth Graders are invited to join as Junior Crew.  Junior Crew is a wonderful place to have fun and learn some leadership skills to prepare for volunteer opportunities in the future.
  • Rising Seventh Graders through adults are invited to be part of our volunteer team!

Space is limited!  Registration is open until we reach capacity.  

Participant Form  (Use this link for WeeBS, Grades Preschool-5 and Junior Crew/Rising 6th graders)
Payment Portal:  A registration fee of $35 per child ($45 after June 1) will be collected to cover the purchasing of materials and can be sent via mail or electronically through this online giving portal: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZP7Y/home
Volunteer Registration  (Use this link for Rising 7th graders - Adults)

 

WeeBS

Children who are turning 3 by September 1, 2026

Campers:  Rising Pre-K thru 5th graders

We will explore our Bible stories through art, movement, drama and music.  And of course there will be time for snack and recreation!( Pre-K students must be 4 by September 30, 2026.) 

Junior Crew   

A special program for rising 6th graders:

  • Includes opportunities to learn leadership skills.
  • Provides hands on experience volunteering in different aspects of Vacation Bible School.
  • Incorporates Bible learning and age appropriate crafts.

Youth and Adult Volunteers

Choose from a variety of volunteer positions including Craft Leader / Assistant, Story Teller / Assistant, Snack Leader / Assistant, Recreation Assistant, Crew Leader / Assistant, Nursery, or Office Assistant. 

 

Support Joseph

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Greetings All,

My name is Joseph Dubsky, I am the son of Pastor Kristin, and I have been called through my faith to be a missionary in the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program for 2026-2027. This is a program through the ELCA that sends young adults to various countries with a focus on accompaniment and intentional service with global companions. I will be serving for a year in Cambodia. I will find out my specific location later this year. 

There are two primary global companions in Cambodia, the Lutheran Church of Cambodia and the Lutheran Hope Cambodia Organization. I do not yet know what exactly I will be doing, but in previous years young adults in the program have served with: feeding programs, rural development, youth Bible classes, pastoral care, nongovernmental organization support, human rights trainings, and teaching. 

I am very excited for this opportunity, but it will not be possible without the prayer and financial support of people who want to be part of my journey. I need to raise $10,000 to help support my mission and the service that I will be doing. I will provide updates in the form of newsletters every other month so that people know what I am doing.

I will be at Holy Trinity on Sunday, May 17th to share more about my upcoming year of service.

If you’d like to donate, follow this link to give.elca.org Please make sure to choose “Joseph Dubsky” in the drop down menu.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support. 

Lawn Mowing

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For the first time in several years we have 5 mowing teams consisting of 3 Father/Sons, 2 Families as well as our regular volunteers. Mowing starts March 30 and ends mid Oct.

I am setting up a standby roster to fill in if needed. If interested please contact me.

Each mowing team will be contacted before their scheduled cycle to insure all information is current.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered for our 16th year of mowing .
Jim Truxel
jimtruxel@comcast.net

Holy Week & Easter Services

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You are invited to join us for Holy Week & Easter services at our church.  Experience the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus through song, prayer and reflection.
Palm Sunday: March 29, 2026
  • 10:00 am Worship
  • Holy Communion & Palm Processional

Maundy Thursday: April 2, 2026

  • 7:00 pm Worship
  • Holy Communion & Stripping of the Altar

Good Friday: April 3, 2026

  • 12:00 pm Worship
  • 7:00 pm Worship

Easter Sunday: April 5, 2026

  • All Services with Holy Communion
  • 6:45 am Outdoor Sunrise Service (Dress for the weather)
  • 8:45 am The Resurrection of Our Lord Worship
  • 10:30 am Egg Hunt
  • 11:00 am The Resurrection of Our Lord Worship
  • Easter Breakfast – Served between 7:15 am – 10:30 am