Let’s celebrate God’s great missionary enterprise! This week has been set aside to highlight missions at Trinity. Our goal this week is to motivate us as Christ-followers to consider what our role is in God’s global outreach to His world. There are many ways to be involved so consider these opportunities to be a part of this celebration:

Friday, March 2
Mission International Dinner
6:00-8:00 pm

Join us for our Mission International Dinner with special guest  speaker, Dr. Keith Phillips, President, World Impact. Tickets and more information will be available Monday, January 23.

Liberia, which means Land of Liberty, was founded in 1822 when freed slaves left the United States to settle on the west coast of Africa. In 1989, the country was torn apart by a brutal civil war. Pastor Gary recalls after visiting that year, “I had a heavy heart for Liberia. The country was heading down a dangerous path and you could tell that things were going to get worse.” In fact, it did. In the 14 years that followed, 75% of the population was displaced and approximately 200,000 adults and children were killed, maimed or raped.

The difficulties of the war had a pruning effect on Liberian Christians. Some became more dedicated to the Lord and established vibrant churches in refugee camps, while others who became discouraged, left what faith they seemed to have. The CCM, with which Trinity will be partnering, is an offshoot of a mother church planted in neighboring Ivory Coast refugee camps.

Since the civil war ended in 2003, some people from Trinity have gone on short term mission trips to help the Liberian church rebuild. From this initial interest, a task force for Liberia has been formed to launch this new partnership. Ten people from Trinity will be going to Liberia in November to begin building trusting relationships as we look together at what the needs are and what’s in both our hands to give.

So what’s in our hand to give?
With every sector of the Liberian community impacted by war, there remain dire needs in the church for forgiveness and reconciliation, rehabilitation of ex-combatants, addressing residual trauma in children and adults, and much needed training for pastors and church leaders. We’ve been asked to help equip pastors with job skills so that they can financially support their families while they minister to their congregation. CCM pastors also want to develop lay counselors to help families put their lives back together. Since English is the primary language, we have a natural bridge from which to build our relationship.

What’s in their hand to give?
It’s so easy to think of giving as solely material. When you work alongside these Liberian Christians who depend on God for their next meal and are sold out to carry Christ’s message of hope to their people, you’ll see what’s in their hand. And that can become contagious!

How to Get Involved…
The Liberian Task Force at Trinity Church is busy working on upcoming short term mission trips for the coming year. Watch for these opportunities and ask the Lord how He wants you to be involved.

For more information, contact our Liberia Task Force Leader: Ken DeWitt • (951) 314-0706 • oakken@aol.com

Romania Mission Trip
We will be teaching and interacting with Gypsy children from rural areas by providing day camps in their village as a VBS format. At the same time, we’ll combine the program with English teaching classes. Our Trinity team will be staying in the city of Cluj and travel daily to these rural villages.

Join us July 19-31, 2012
$2,375 per person includes transportation, meals and lodging

Contact Team Leader, Joyce Pagel for more information (909) 793-5578

GATHER everyday essentials
Trinity is partnering with the Blessing Center to collect toiletries like: toilet paper, toothpaste, baby formula, diapers, etc. You can help struggling families and individuals ‘make ends meet’. For a full list of needed items, pick up a list at the Advent Conspiracy booth or click on the link below. Bring these items to Trinity Church on Sunday mornings, and we will have people stationed to help you carry bulky items. If you are unable to bring them on Sunday, donations may also be delivered directly to The Blessing Center, 760 E Stuart Ave, Redlands, (909) 793-5677 [Google Maps].

Download Shopping List Here

GO serve at the Cold Weather Shelter
Trinity Church provides volunteers to host the Cold Weather Shelter at the Salvation Army on Thursday nights when the temperature drops below 40 degrees or when there is a 30% or greater chance of rain. For more information, click here.

Saturday, November 19
8:00 am Trinity Church Upper Parking Lot

You can be a part of God’s work in Mexico by participating!

To sign up, contact our Mission Department at missions@trinityonline.org

GIVE $10,000 toward Church Plant
The small church in Luena has proven itself in outreach and in commitment of resources to prepare the way for growth in a strategic location. They are seeking partnerships to help with the initial capital expenses involved in building a permanent place of worship. They have committed to fund the project at 20% and are asking that churches, organizations and individual help them with the remaining 80%. The building project will cost $150,000 and will take 2-3 years to complete. Trinity Church invested $10,000 in this project last year and we are committing another $10,000 this year.

We are calling Trinity Church to: [Worship Fully] [Spend Less] [Give More] [Love All]. Less spending. More relational giving. More resources to help those who need it most. What if we bought fewer gifts, and gave some of that money away?

This year Trinity has six projects that we would like you to consider supporting…

GATHER everyday essentials and GO serve at the Cold Weather Shelter.
Due to the downturn of our economy, we have noticed an increase in the number of people who are living on the streets or in inadequate housing right here in our hometown of Redlands. The Blessing Center was created in response to this growing need. People who are on the streets depend on the community of Christ to provide for their basic essentials to sustain life. More>>

GIVE $10,000 toward Literacy and College Preparation programs.
Providing a safe place for at-risk children in low-income families is a costly endeavor, and Trinity Church has invested heavily to maintain daily programming at Micah House. Services are offered at no cost to families in North Redlands, to not only improve our community but to introduce the next generation to Christ. There are two special ministries that are not included in the general budget at Micah House: Specialized Literacy Training and College Preparation. More>>

GIVE $2,500 to help with Ministry Needs
Due to the economy, most organizations (including government programs) are being severely cut. Those on fixed incomes like individuals with disabilities are even having services that would normally provide showering assistance, grocery shopping and transportation to appointments eliminated or pared way back. The funds from Advent Conspiracy will focus on continuing these needed services for specific individuals and also will go towards monies needed for groceries, transportation and special events. To learn more about Light & Power, click More>>

GATHER Bibles and Reference Library, GIVE $9,000 toward Mexico Loft Houses and GO serve in Mexico, December 9-11
Trinity Church has a strong and strategic investment in a small area just south of Ensenada, Mexico. For many years, we have provided food and shelter to people who are in need that live just 5 hours away from Redlands. These are people who live out of cardboard and tarp-covered shelters, suffer from malnutrition, and long to make a better life for their children. By building loft houses for families, we have empowered the local churches and pastors to be able to give people in their congregations a decent place to live. This year, with our emphasis on reading through the Bible and Route 66, we want to give them a gift that will bless their family and provide hope for their future. More>>

GIVE $15,000 toward Ministry Goals
This year we are launching a new strategic partnership with church planters in Liberia. You may recall that during the mission conference this year, we invited David Kiamu to come as our guest speaker. He is the leader of the Evangelical Free Church Mission in West Africa and is coordinating church planting movements in that area of the continent. We have entered into a relationship with one of these movements in Liberia to invest in their work and to make a deep impact for the gospel. More>>

GIVE $10,000 toward Church Plant
David & Myriam Trott have been serving in this Southwestern Africa nation for more than six years through the mission agency Serving In Mission. David is a church planter, and Myriam is a physician working in a medical facility in the town of Luena. The new church plant and the medical center work together on an AIDS program that reaches out to the city and more remote rural areas. More>>

Advent Conspiracy 2011

Professional Development Conference

Since 1990, our missionaries, Bernie and Lynn Jacobson have had significant and effective ministry in Russia. Many of the ministries in Russia have focused on the poor, needy, orphans, drug addicts and alcoholics. Though these are necessary, we believe that a more strategic ministry is found in the “main stream society” which is better defined as the working class, the professionals, managers and executives who have not yet responded to the gospel the way the poor and needy have. To reach this busy segment of society, we need a way to ‘engage’ with them on their level and in their areas of interest. We have found that English in a business context is something that they respond to and actively pursue. Because of this, we participate in a Professional Development Conference that allows us to establish meaningful relationships with business professionals which has helped our missionaries to develop a level of credibility within this community for ongoing contact.

The ministry occurs over a weekend at a conference facility near Moscow. There is both structured and un-structured activities which are designed to get to know each other on a personal as well as professional level. The plan for Friday, Saturday and Sunday consists of meals together, plenary sessions, break-out groups and many opportunities for follow-up conversations during breaks. After the conference, we encourage the exchange of contact information with those whom you have made a personal connection. There is also a time of ‘Intercultural Entertainment’ (talent show, karaoke, board games, etc.) designed to loosen up and build a cultural bridge of understanding. All of this is designed to form relationships for the purpose of sharing the gospel. Follow-up is conducted by our missionaries after the conference since they have a complete list of participants with pictures and contact details. Some meetings are in the home of our missionaries to continue the relationships and to take them deeper. Trinity has been a part of these conferences for the past 4 years, and we have made significant inroads into the lives of numerous business professionals in Moscow, largely due to an emphasis first on relationships. Our goal is to build trust-based relationships that will allow our message to be heard and received.

Trip Dates: April 17-24, 2012
Trip Cost: $2,500 (includes transportation, meals, lodging, visas)

Deadline to Sign-Up: March 4, 2012
Mandatory Training Dates: March 11-12, 2012

Contact Team Leader: Tim Breon (909) 578-5937 or at timbreon@yahoo.com

Learn more about serving in our short-term mission field by downloading our Short-Term Mission Guide, click here.

The intent of this trip is to build a foundation for future trips that will make use of volunteers from Trinity Church for the next 12-18 months. As we meet pastors and churches, we will be establishing a relationship that will build between Trinity Church and the church planting movement leaders in and around the capitol city of Monrovia.

Trip Dates: November 8-16, 2011

Contact: Liberia Task Leader Ken DeWitt
(951) 314-0706
dewittken1@gmail.com

Learn more about serving in our short-term mission field by downloading our Short-Term Mission Guide, click here.

Join us Monday, September 19 from 10:00 am-2:00 pm and be a part of this great day!

Carpool departs Trinity Church at 8:00 am and will return at 3:00pm. To sign up and join the carpool, email missions@trinityonline.org or call (909) 335-7333, x140.