Author Archive: Leesa Bell

Reformation Sunday Worship

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DC Metro Synod Reformation Service – Online!!
For the first time, The DC Metro Synod is offering an Online Synod Reformation Service. The Bishop had asked our conference to design and create a service for the whole Synod. All the Pastors in our area worked together and produced a wonderful service. They adopted our method of inviting different people to offer their gifts for the service. It is well worth the watch, especially the Almighty Fortress prelude (WOW!)
It will be available at 4:00pm on October 25, 2020 at:
Or just search the Metro DC Synod on YouTube

Online Bible Study

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Wednesday Nights at 7:00 pm

The Gospel of John: One Chapter at a Time

Martin Luther called the Gospel of John the best Gospel in the Bible. Historically, the emphasis has always been on Matthew or the other synoptic gospels, but never John. John is a unique witness and what he says corroborates Jesus’ ministry and helps us understand better the message and context of Jesus’ life.
Pastor Gerry is hosting an online weekly Zoom group discussion on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm to study the Gospel of John, one chapter at a time. This should prove to be not only informative but enlightening as well. It will also be a way to keep Scripture in your life and interact “socially” as a group. Since we aren’t able to meet in-person for a while, Pastor thought this was the next best thing. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Zoom Meeting ID: 819 2476 1503
Passcode: 1111
If you can’t make the Zoom Meeting, you can also find the videos on his YouTube channel, Gerry Johnson.

Confirmation Class

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Confirmation Class
Wednesday afternooons at 4:00pm

Our Confirmation program for 7th and 8th grade students is officially underway! Pastor Gerry will be hosting a Zoom class and the meeting link will be provided to the students who have already been contacted. Looking forward to an informative and enjoyable year!

If you are interested in registering for a Confirmation class or know of someone who is, please have them contact Pastor Gerry

High School Youth Group

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High School Youth Group

Sunday Nights from 7-8 pm

Starting Sept. 20th

The halls of the schools may be empty, but our high school youth group is ready to meet virtually to learn, plan, and have fun!  We look forward to welcoming all High Schoolers to join us!

Contact the church office for the zoom meeting codes.

Weekly Online Group Discussion

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The Gospel of John: One Chapter at a Time

Martin Luther called the Gospel of John the best Gospel in the Bible. Historically, the emphasis has always been on Matthew or the other synoptic gospels, but never John. John is a unique witness and what he says corroborates Jesus’ ministry and helps us understand better the message and context of Jesus’ life.
Starting on Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00pm, Pastor Gerry will host an online weekly Zoom group discussion to study the Gospel of John, one chapter at a time.This should prove to be not only informative but enlightening as well. It will also be a way to keep Scripture in your life and interact “socially” as a group. Since we aren’t able to meet in-person for a while, Pastor thought this was the next best thing.
We will publish the the information for the Zoom chat room on our website and in the weekly bulletins as it gets closer. We look forward to you joining us!

Celebration of Marcia Merry’s Last Sunday

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Umbrella and Hats Sunday and

Celebration of Marcia Merry’s Last Day

Bring your lawn chairs, a beach umbrella, and wear your favorite hat!
8:00 am Service
We will have an 8:00 am service (forecast temperature is 74 degrees with partly cloudy skies).
9:30 am Service (moved from 10:00 am, now and ongoing)
We will change the worship time to 9:30 am for this Sunday and all future Sundays so that it is a bit cooler than 10:00 am. (Forecast temperature is 78 degrees with partly cloudy skies this Sunday).
(If you want to set up a pop-up canopy tent for Sunday, you can come on Saturday night or before services on Sunday morning and set it up.)
Marcia Merry’s Last Sunday, July 26
Marcia Merry has been with us for 20 years. She was instrumental in providing an opportunity to have a pipe organ in our sanctuary, a true blessing to all of us. She has been an influential presence that invited people to come and share their musical talents and live out their faith in Jesus Christ here at Holy Trinity. Yes, she has definitely been a minister of music.
On Sunday, we will thank her for sharing her faith and talents with us all these years. We thank her for all of the musical presentations and her friendly invitation to make something special happen through music at our worship services.
Marcia will be given the title of Organist Emeritus, which means she will always be a part of us! She will stay with us to help arrange musical presentations with our gifted musicians in the years to come.
Thank you, Marcia. You have been a blessing to us all!

Drive-In Communion Sunday

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Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Holy Communion Sunday
June 28, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Many people have stated an interest in receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion during these times. We have a way to adhere to social distancing while providing the Holy Sacrament.
On Sunday, June 28, 2020, we will have an in-home Worship video celebrating the Second Sunday after Pentecost that will start at the usual 9:30 time. Then after the video, you may gather some communion elements (see below) and drive to church. You will be directed on where to park (every other space). Pastor will be on the side porch. You can get out of your car with your elements, and Pastor will say the words of institution, just like at worship. We will pray the Lord’s Prayer and receive Holy Communion. Then we will dismiss.
We will make every effort to maintain social distancing. If you want to stay in your car, that is fine, just hold up the elements at the time of institution. If there are more cars than places, we will have another service.
Everyone is welcome to participate.
Elements: The elements are bread and wine, but there is a great deal of flexibility in what is acceptable. My over-reaching rule of thumb is that the bread should be simple and not delicious or stale to be distracting from the reverence of Holy Communion. It can be any kind of bread or cracker or wafer. The wine should be wine or grape juice, although the requirements are very flexible. Also, Holy Communion does not need to be shared with two elements. So, if you only want to have bread that is fine. Under the circumstance, limiting to one element might be a good suggestion.
After communion, the leftovers are to be disposed of reverently. I would suggest keeping the portions small to minimize the leftovers. If there is some bread and drink leftover, try to consume it all. If there is leftover bread, it can be used in a meal. It should not be disposed of in a trash can. Leftover wine can be poured to the ground if it is not going to be consumed. If consuming the wine, please drink responsibly!

Coronavirus Update – June 6, 2020

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Dear Holy Trinity Family,

I hope you are continuing to stay safe and healthy as our area slowly begins to open up and return to a new version of normal. The Church Council met twice in the month of May to discuss our opening plans as we continue to monitor the climate and do our due diligence. As I’ve said in prior letters, our number one priority is the health and safety of our congregation and the other people using our building.

Northern Virginia officially entered Phase 1 on May 29, 2020. In the plans laid out by Governor Northam, this phase will last anywhere from 2-4 weeks. In early May, the Church Council voted to align our church re-opening with when our area enters Phase 2. At our meeting last week, we also had a
lengthy discussion on how worship will look when we re-open. The Council
decided to purchase a large tent, similar to what would be used for an outdoor
wedding, so that we can hold a full worship service outside on our lawn
(weather permitting). We will also hold multiple services so as to keep our
gathering small, and we will send out additional details (worship times, safety
procedures, etc.) in the near future. In order for proper planning time and
delivery of the new tent, the Council voted to set a tentative start for these
new outdoor worship services for Sunday, July 5, 2020.

This opening date also impacts our scheduled Spring/Summer Congregation Meeting that was originally to be held in June. The new date for this Meeting will be Sunday, July 12, 2020, with an inclement weather date of July 19, 2020. This Meeting is important to our congregation for many reasons, but most notably because this is the time we elect new Council members to replace those whose terms expire on June 30. As this pandemic and church closure is such an unprecedented event, the Council has made the decision to extend the current Council terms by one month. This will prevent a lapse in leadership should something happen that needs leadership review or approval. With the new Congregation Meeting date(s), we will be able to have the newly-elected members at our July Council Meeting (July 21, 2020) and then install the new Council during worship service.

I realize that this is a lot of information, and some of it may not be how you envisioned, but I assure you that the entire Church Council is making each decision with the well-being of our congregation and community at heart. We are blessed that we have been able to continue worshiping with today’s amazing technology. Our drive-in communion services have been a wonderful opportunity to gather in a socially distanced way and feel the love and presence of Jesus in our community.

I am thankful for the flexibility of our Pastor, Staff, Church Council, and the entire congregation as we navigate this new terrain. Our shared devotion and faith in Jesus Christ never cease to amaze me.

In Christ’s name,

Stephanie Bollinger

President of the Church Council

Important – Group Leaders and Mission Partners!

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March 19, 2020

Once again, we are faced with the difficult decision to comply with request of our state and local governments to minimize meetings and activities. We understand how important your meeting times are to keep your group together, but we also understand the urgency of the preventive social distancing measures brought by the COVID-19 virus.

Therefore, Church Council has made the decision that our Sunday Worship service on March 22, 2020 will be cancelled and that our building will continue to be closed for all activities through March 28, 2020. We are taking a week-by-week approach in announcing any cancellations so that we ensure we are going by the most current information and are deliberate in making these difficult decisions.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause to your group. We invite your comments and suggestions as we both go down this uncertain path together. We pray for you and your groups and hope that the situation shows some positive signs soon.

Group Coronavirus Letter