A Quiet Disciple: Cynthia Mousel

By Caroline Lee, Chancel Choir President

Each year, the Chancel Choir gives the Quiet Disciple award to a member of our choir community who exemplifies joy in giving, service without expectation and the bond of community. In past years, we have given this award to Jim Feickert, Jim Utzinger, Susan Turman, Diane Theobald and Dennis Semin. 

This year's Quiet Disciple was given to Cynthia Mousel at the Chancel Choir's end-of-season banquet on June 14. Each summer, when our regular season is done and we hang up our robes for a summer hiatus, Cynthia makes it her sacred mission to take home every single robe (all 100+ of them) and lovingly wash them. She does this without seeking recognition or notice, but simply as a way to service the Chancel Choir. And that’s just one example of the ways that she has served the choir over the years. We are proud to honor Cynthia with the Quiet Disciple Award for the 2016-17 choir season! 

AMANDA WILLIAMS AWARDED BARNES SCHOLARSHIP

By Julia Williams

Amanda Williams was awarded the 2017 James E. and Mary H. Barnes Scholarship of $5,000 given annually to a deserving high school student who is a member of Trinity. Amanda is a 2017 graduate of Golden High School in Golden and has been selected as a full-time student at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, where she plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering. With Amanda’s permission I quote her: “I have chosen civil engineering because of my experiences with a Trinity Youth Mission Trip to Guatemala. It created a passion and a vision within me to serve others with love and understanding. I might not have come to that conclusion about service if it were not for the time I spent in Guatemala.” While attending university she desires to participate in “Engineers Without Borders,” which sends engineering students to developing countries to build water filtration systems and other necessities like bridges. After university she would like to serve with the Peace Corps to continue to help others around the world.

During her high school years she participated in various projects, clubs and organizations which included “Senior Seminar,” a program for seniors to visit different religious institutions to interact with those in attendance; “Link Leader,” a program at her high school which challenged juniors and seniors to mentor freshmen; the “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards,” a full-scholarship camp which taught high school students team building, leadership and confidence skills; and the “Mentor Program,” which enabled her to mentor a blind student who taught her how to read braille. Her time with him made her realize she should never determine her opinion of someone based on a disability.

The Barnes Scholarship was created in 2009 by the Pioneer Fund, a private foundation funded by the late Helen McLoraine, a former member of Trinity, a community philanthropist and a close friend of
Reverend and Mrs. Barnes. The scholarship was established to honor their lives and ministries at Trinity.

The application process for the annual scholarship recipient considers essay questions about the applicant’s chosen field of study, grade point average, test scores, recommendations, honors and awards in high school, church activities and how the scholarship will benefit the recipient.

Congratulations, Amanda, and God’s richest blessings from your Trinity family!

Welcome, Donna!

Bishop Karen Oliveto of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference announced last month the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Donna Dempewolf to serve as Executive Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church. Donna is a spiritual and executive leader who is passionate about following Jesus and building up the reign of God. She has experience in pastoral and organizational leadership, and has served both urban and suburban congregations. Most recently, she was the lead pastor for seven years at Living Spirit United Methodist Church, a multicultural, multiracial congregation in south Minneapolis that became younger and more diverse during her pastorate.

Before entering ministry, Donna worked at 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in Cergy, France. She has extensive experience in finance, business development, and strategic planning, including staff supervision. She has an MBA from the University of Minnesota, an M.Div. from Boston University, an M.A. in religion from United Theological Seminary in Ohio, and a D. Min. from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She is an ordained elder in the Minnesota Conference where she has served on the Board of Ordained Ministry and co-chaired the Commission on Religion and Race.

Donna writes: “I envision a church that shares the love of Jesus with all generations by being welcoming, inclusive and engaged in its local community; a church that dreams about its future, and then collaborates with the Spirit to put stepping stones in place to guide them there.”

“I enjoy working with all generations, and especially developing, equipping and mentoring staff and lay leaders for fruitful ministry. I value spirituality that touches the heart and engages the head, and organizational effectiveness and efficiency. I look forward to serving as Trinity’s new Executive Pastor, which blends organizational leadership and pastoral responsibilities. I am excited to join the Trinity team, and to partner with you to share the love of Jesus in downtown Denver.”

Donna will arrive in Denver in mid-June, in time to attend and be welcomed at the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference June 15–18. She will be in worship leadership on June 25. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee is planning an event to formally welcome Donna later in the summer.

Senior Pastor Mike Dent says, “We are pleased to welcome Donna to our congregation, staff and pastoral team. She brings significant secular and sacred work experience to our ministry team, and a track record of effective leadership. I look forward to you meeting and welcoming her to Trinity, Denver and Colorado.” She plans to live downtown. Watch for invitations to get acquainted with Donna. Thanks to the SPRC and Chair Susan Turman for their vision, support and engagement to restore this vital position to our staff.

Christmas for All People

By Brian Lee, Trinity Member and Lay Leader

One of my father’s first memories of Christmas was a fire truck. In the mid-1960s, my father’s family immigrated to the United States from China and settled in New York City’s Chinatown. The local police station had a program to give toys to immigrant kids in the neighborhood. My father fondly recalls receiving a fire truck from a police officer for his first ever Christmas. Although times were tough for my father’s family as they struggled to make a new life in the U.S., Christmas was always a time for joy and chance for him to be a kid.

Growing up, I was not raised in the church. However, we did have Christmas. At the nudging of some family friends, my parents bought an artificial Christmas tree and we celebrated Christmas. One of my father’s friends told him that Christmas was for everyone. Like all children, my siblings and I grew up being excited this time of year at the prospect of cookies and presents. As I became older and learned the Christmas story, it puzzled me. At the time, it was strange to think that God would take on human form. It was not until I was a college student that I fully understood the significance of the Incarnation.

I share my father’s story as well as mine because it shows the invitation that Advent and Christmas presents us. As Christians, we are invited to share with the world the joy we have found in Jesus and to invite everyone to celebrate with us whether they believe or not. Jesus’s arrival was not for any particular group of people, but for all people. We believe that God’s grace is always at work and is working in all people. During this holy time, please take this chance to invite the people around you to celebrate the birth of Christ– whether it’s attending an organ concert, sharing a plate of delicious cookies, or smiling.

We Can Make a Difference - Tim Mueller

from Tim Mueller's witness during worship on October 16, 2016

I grew up here at Trinity. Our parents met here and us kids had the opportunity to grow up taking advantage of the children’s and youth programs. 

My wife Julie and I have attended Trinity together since 1985 and were blessed to have had our children Emma and Danny participate in many of the great programs offered by the Children’s and Youth Ministries. Emma continues to work here as the Youth Assistant.

When Pastor Mike asked me to talk during worship, he suggested I consider ‘Why do we give?’ For us, it is really more of a question of ‘How can we not give?’

First, I nurture my faith at Trinity and find this historic Sanctuary a place to connect and cherish the challenging discussions and fellowship in our Sunday School class. Mainly, I am here because of the people at Trinity. I am sincerely inspired by so many of the people here on our staff, lay leadership teams, service and mission groups, amazing Music and Arts Ministry and members who smile and greet each other and visitors with the same warm and welcoming spirit. I’m inspired by some of my closest and dearest friends who we know through our Sunday School class, 2x2s Growing in Faith Together.

I am inspired by the commute most of us make to get to Trinity every week. I’ve heard Trinity referred to as a ‘regional beacon’ and I celebrate this. Over 83% of Trinity members live more than 3 miles from the church. I’m inspired because this takes commitment, and we are all here because we want to be. I believe God is present here and is working through all of us.

I continue to be inspired by some of our members who have been here since I can remember and have had a profound impact on my life. They walk the talk and demonstrate what it means to be a part of the church and support each other through their gifts, presence and active participation. Selfishly, getting my weekly hugs from Anita, Roberta, Joan, Willa, Nancy, Margaret, Liz and others recharges me and gets me ready for the coming week.

I am inspired by our Youth, who in my opinion have more wisdom and input to give than we generally give them credit for. Next Sunday, Oct 23^rd is Youth Sunday, and I encourage everyone to attend as it is one of my favorites of the year. I am inspired by our Young Families and their children with bright smiles, enthusiasm and untethered questions. They are the future of our church. I am inspired by our Young Adults and was fortunate to have made some new friends last spring during the Trinity Runs Colfax event coordinated by Brian Lee. Although older, and certainly slower than most, if not all of them, they welcomed me to participate in the weekly devotions on Thursday evenings. It was a great experience.

The theme of our current campaign is We Can Make a Difference. I believe We Have Made a Difference, We Are Making a Difference and We Can Make a Difference. Our unique location and amazing congregation empowers us to continue to do so. Our financial support translates into staff and the many programs offered, along with the operations and maintenance of our historic and thriving church buildings. Julie and I will participate in Generosity Sunday on Nov. 13 and submit our estimate of giving commitment. We encourage you all to do the same.

God Bless and Thank You,

Tim

Trinity Marched in the Denver Pride Parade

Several Trinity members took part in the Pride Parade festivities last weekend alongside a large group from area United Methodist churches. Here are some reflections from those who were there:

"There was wonderful positive energy among the United Methodist Churches and the members who came to show support for the LGBT community. As we walked, we shouted responsively: 'We are United...' 'Methodist.' It felt good to hear positive responses from the people watching. What stood out most to me from inside the parade and from observing the people lining the route where flowing color and an atmosphere of celebration and pride." — Linda Sperber

"I witnessed a variety of ages, including many, many young parents with preschool children sitting on the curb. The crowds were heavy (3 to 5 persons deep) the entire route. As our church groups passed, many cheered and applauded. It was a priceless privilege to participate as a visible witness of inclusivity. Our churches communicated a genuine ministry of presence and acceptance to all persons, regardless of ethnicity or sexual preferences. We had approximately ten United Methodist churches represented with a total of about 125 participants." — Don Peterson

View additional photos at https://www.facebook.com/trinitydenver/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1076752042395030.

Mission Moment - Trinity Runs Colfax

In the Old Testament, the prophet Habakkuk laments to the Lord and asks God to listen and to save his people. God answers Habakkuk by telling him that outsiders will be sent as an act of judgment. Upon hearing this, Habakkuk laments again. God responds to Habakkuk a second time and says:

“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith”

I’m telling you about Habakkuk because I think we may have, at some point, lamented to the Lord about the Sunday road races. In response, it seems that the races keep happening. This year seemed to be the appointed time for us to do something different. This year, the 11th annual Colfax Marathon was held on May 15th, on Pentecost Sunday, the 50th day of Easter. Rather than lament, we lived by our faith as Easter people and found a way to embrace this race, hence Trinity Runs Colfax

●     12 runners of Team Trinity ran a total of 196.5 miles in 37.7 hours (average pace of 11’ 30” per mile). We had 4 runners in the full marathon, 6 runners in the half marathon, 1 runner in the 10-miler, and 1 runner in the 5k.

●     As we ran our race, some of us said prayers for our homebound brothers and sisters. Many of you prayed for us and the thousands of runners running that day.

●     To support the job training programs at Metro Caring and DenUM, I asked if you would be willing to pledge a penny for every mile we ran to give a small gift. Many of you responded. As a result, we have raised nearly $2500 for Metro Caring and DenUM.

●     A small group gathered every Thursday evening at the home of BillieAnne and Jason Kennedy during the weeks of Easter to read the Trial of Miles, Miles of Trials devotion, have a discussion on what it means to be Easter people, and listen to Bruce Springsteen.

●     Emma Mueller and Cami Twilling designed a Trinity Runs Colfax t-shirt. These shirts were worn by our Chancel Choir, Youth, children, and many of you on race day

When I was running in the marathon two weeks ago, I saw a vision on 17th and Broadway. From a block or two away, I saw a bright yellow beacon. As I approached this beacon, I saw a group of children, youth, and adults cheering marathoners with signs and encouraging words. I heard a choir singing and making a joyful noise. I saw a church blessing and being blessed by the community. I saw us.

As your Lay Leader, I hope we celebrate what we’ve done and to rest up. The 12th annual Colfax Marathon will be May 21st, 2017. I’m no Biblical scholar, but I heard that the number 12 is mentioned nearly 190 times in the Bible.

We're Here for Good

By Rev. Jasper Peters, Associate Pastor

In taking steps toward a healthier and more vibrant life, small, meaningful, intentional steps are necessary. At the end of January, our church completed a year-long process of discerning our future. This all-church event was equal parts beginning and end, finalizing the initial discernment, and hopefully launching us into a rich future.

We wanted to share the nuts and bolts of the Vision 2020 process. Here you can view our initial findings, including data, reading material and some early survey results. In this post, my hope is to sketch out the less tangible parts of how the work will proceed. This is, admittedly, more difficult to define. It can be even more difficult to measure. In some ways it is like a vaccine: it might be hard for the casual observer to see effects, but the long term effects on health can be seen and measured.

In January, Trinity Council and your Trinity Staff gathered to begin to put our visioning into practice. We produced a large number of recommended actions. Some of these were small, granular, and are simple to accomplish. Others are large in scale and will require months or years of work to bring to fruition. Large and small, simple and difficult, they were all listed and compiled to form a living document. This document is held and managed by Trinity Council. Through partnership with every area of ministry through our church, the document is and will continue to be a call to action for us, individually and collectively. At the first Council meeting after our Vision was laid out, the church began to work at ways of bringing these dreams to life.

As we go forward, you will probably not see every new initiative or project labeled as “Vision 2020.” As such, I realize that it is reasonable to wonder what was the result or effect of this project. In reality, much like that vaccine, or a regular dose of vitamins, the effect is not always visible, but is important nonetheless. My hope and sustained belief is that the result of Vision 2020 will be seen through the kind of ministry and programming decisions we make as we move forward. Our first, best example of this is the #TrinityRunsColfax2016 project, culminating on Sunday, May 15. Additionally, more new projects, ministry, and service opportunities are being developed and deployed nearly every week! This is an exciting time for our congregation, our city, and the Church as a whole.

Grace and Peace,

Jasper 

Living with an Open Heart

By Rev. Lee Anderson, Minister of Care

With all the hard stuff going on in today’s world, it is easy to become hardened ourselves. To be in touch with our own pain, let alone someone else’s, seems a monumental task. It feels better to just block things out, distract ourselves, or avoid uncomfortable situations. But that only feels better for a while. You can’t escape suffering in life, you can only ignore it until it evolves into something bigger, such as physical illness, addiction, depression, and so on.

The truth is, this is an ages-old issue. There never has been a period of time where the world did not get people down. For those of us living in the present, it can seem this is the worst things have ever been. However, those living in decades, centuries, and millennia past experienced the same feelings and beliefs about their own time. The message of Jesus is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime. We need God; the world is too much for most of us without God.

To avoid becoming hardened and live fully in a world that troubles us is a Christian calling. It requires allowing our hearts to remain softened toward ourselves and other people. This belief is also shared by Buddhist (and other religious) thought. Here, Pema Chodron, Buddhist monk and teacher, writes about this process:

“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space. Your world seems less solid, more roomy and spacious. The burden lightens. In the beginning it might feel like sadness or a shaky feeling, accompanied by a lot of fear, but your willingness to feel the fear, to make fear your companion, is growing. You’re willing to get to know yourself at this deep level. After a while this same feeling begins to turn into a longing to be fully human and to live in your world without having to shut down and close off when certain things come along. It begins to turn into a longing to be there for your friends when they’re in trouble, to be of real help to this poor, aching planet. Curiously enough, along with this longing and this sadness and this tenderness, there’s an immense sense of well-being, unconditional well-being, which doesn’t have anything to do with pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad, hope or fear, disgrace or fame. It’s something that simply comes to you when you feel that you can keep your heart open.” 

Invite the living Christ into your heart as you work to keep it open. As Jesus touches our own wounds, we can be his presence in the world as we touch the wounds of others.

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: "I Saw God Today"

Sunday, March 27

“I Saw God Today”

Sung by George Strait, it was a number one hit in 2008.   The ballad shares the tale of man walking down the sidewalk after his wife has just had a baby, meanwhile noticing such things as a flower growing out of a sidewalk crack, a couple expecting a baby and the colors of a sunset. The song ends with the central character in the nursery of a hospital, looking at his own newborn baby girl. He cites each thing that he sees along the way — the flower, the couple, the sunset and his newborn daughter — as examples of how he saw God that day.

With eyes of faith we see God every day, especially on Sundays when the family gathers at Trinity.  Hands of welcome are extended to all.  Smiles are abundant.  Classrooms are filled with children, youth, and adults.  Prayers are prayed.  Songs are sung.  Offerings are made.  Coffee and burritos become sacraments of fellowship.  Babies are baptized.  The Good News is shared.  Food is collected for our neighbors.

A homeless man sits next to a bank president.  Both share the body and blood of Christ.  Souls are fed.  Friends are made.  Hope abounds.   A guest from overseas finds an oasis of beauty in the building and those who occupy it.  And it seems to happen every week.  God has a way of showing up and showing off on Sundays when sacred stories are shared.

“I was glad when they said to me,

‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’”

Psalm 122:1

Michael Dent

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: Sunday Stories—Changing the Direction of our Lives

Saturday, March 26

Sunday Stories—Changing the Direction of our Lives

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.—Philippians 4:6

Several Sundays ago, about 18 years’ worth, we were introduced to a new “tool” for churches called the “Spiritual Inventory”.  We would not have volunteered to take it, but were asked by George Brunner and Susan Patterson-Sumwalt, and so we each filled out the questionnaire and the following Sunday we had a short meeting to discuss the results.  Interestingly, both Arlen & I rated highest in “intercessory prayer”—a term we were not familiar with even though we actively prayed for others. 

The experience led us to some evening meetings with a group of interested persons including a couple of people at TUMC who were, and still are, actively involved in the Trinity United Methodist Church Prayer Team.  Within a short time, we became involved and have been ever since. 

The TUMC Prayer Team including about 50 congregation members and the clergy staff faithfully pray daily and weekly for the many prayer requests we receive through the prayer cards on Sunday and calls or emails during the week.  Prayer requests are sent to Team members by email throughout the week.

The Prayer Team does not pray as a group together—no meetings to attend. Each member prays in their own home on their own schedule with the one requirement of confidentiality—to respect the privacy of the request. Each Team member signs a “Confidentiality Form”.  

Praying for others is a very spiritual experience—a meaningful relationship with the Holy Spirit; a greater connection with others, opportunities for strengthening our faith and a deeper awareness of the presence of God in our lives.  There is such tremendous POWER in PRAYER—it is humbling and rewarding to be part of seeing God in action in so many ways.  

Gracious God, thank you for loving us all and hearing our prayers.  Amen.

Nancy McFaddin