In Case You Missed It...Artist Showcase

A sampling of long-time Trinity member Steve Hostetler's photographs were recently showcased in the Artist Display Case on Level 2 of the Plaza Building. It's not a large case, but it is always filled with beautiful works of art by Trinity members. We asked Steve to tell us a little more about his gift for photography:

"Photography has been part of my life for about as long as I can remember. My first camera in the mid 1970s was a plastic camera from Shakey's Pizza that took 120 roll film. I carried it everywhere taking pictures of family, pets and everything else that caught my eye. At 15,  my parents bought me my own 35mm camera, and off I went! I photographed wildlife, air shows, flowers, landscapes and loved taking pictures of my friends' band in high school. Eventually I began photographing some of the rock bands that came through Colorado Springs in the 80s, but I could never get approval to photograph the big bands that came to Denver arenas.

Fast forward 35 years...I still love photography more than any other job I have ever had. In 2013 I started Steve Hostetler Photography and turned passion into profession. I continued to pursue music photography and am now the concert photographer for 98.5 KYGO radio and contributor to the Denver Post's music blog. I have photographed more than 135 acts from George Strait to Merle Haggard and shoot around 25 shows a year. I was privileged to photograph the Trinity Christmas Concert last year. I was also asked to photograph a CD cover for American Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook in 2014. I've photographed President Obama, Governor Romney, Governor Hickenlooper and other public figures.

Most of my work is portrait photography, professional and business headshots, event photography, wildlife, landscape and fine art photography, but I can photograph anything!

Photography lets me "see." It allows me to visualize things differently. I am blessed to be able to capture visual images in a unique and memorable way. I have often been told that my images have "life." I believe it's because when I photograph people, I concentrate on their eyes. Eyes have to sparkle! I can't begin to express the joy of making an image that makes people feel something. I want people to feel like they are there themselves.

Thanks to Trinity Music & Arts Ministry for the opportunity to display my photography during the month of March!  I hope you enjoyed it. Please contact me if you have any questions or have any need for photography—senior portrait season is right around the corner!"

View more of Steve's photography at www.stevehostetler.com.

Trinity Event Recap: Family Camp 2015

Trinity's Family and Children's Ministries spent a gorgeous weekend at John Wesley Ranch in Divide, Colorado, the last weekend of February. Led by Wayne Brown, Director of Adult and Family Formation, and Cristina Muldoon, Director of Children's Ministries, the weekend was full of fellowship, tubing, singing, crafting, eating and cozying up to the fireplace.

Staff Pick! Book Recommendation from Rev. Linda Marshall

The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall

Order here

The reading of a will following the death of a loved one can produce lots of emotion. In the book The Ultimate Gift, young adult Jason appears in the lawyer's office for the reading of the will from his great-uncle's massive fortune. Surprised, Jason discovers that in order to learn of his monetary inheritance, he was required to perform twelve specific tasks over the next year. Jason's journey takes him and the reader on a journey of discovery. Jason discovers gifts that are ultimately far more valuable than money...gifts that are reflected in the life and teachings of Jesus...gifts that contribute to a life filled with love, laughter, dreams, friends and gratitude. This book was the inspiration for the major motion picture of the same name starting James Garner and Abigail Breslin. This is an enjoyable and thought-provoking book and movie, which I highly recommend.

Trinity Event Recap - Habitat Soup Cook-Off Dinner

Habitat Interfaith Alliance's Annual Soup Cook-Off Dinner is always a big hit with Trinity members. This year a large group gathered on January 31 to taste lots of soups and support HIA's 2015 home build.

Pastor Mike and Rev. Miriam served as judges for the event. Tough job!

Being the entertainment was a tall order.

Trinity member table

Trinity member table

Trinity members Grace Rampacek and Julie Mueller were two of the winners of the evening! Look for their outstanding recipes in the April/May Trinity Vine.

Trinity Event Recap - "Selma" Discussion

Trinity has recently hosted a number of special events:

January 25 - "Selma" Discussion

Over 100 gathered for a dialogue about the movie "Selma" and what it means for race relations today. The discussion was led by Trinity's Young Adults coordinator Jasper Peters and his father Rev. James Peters, who was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the events in Selma 50 years ago.

Staff Pick Book Recommendation: "On This Spirit Walk"

On This Spirit Walk: The Voices of Native American and Indigenous Peoples
By Henrietta Mann and Anita Phillips

Recommendation by Rev. Miriam Slejko, Minister of Discipleship at Trinity

Maybe you are like me and, as a newcomer to Colorado, now 26 years a resident, have a desire to learn more of the history of this area and its indigenous people. So when Dr. Henrietta Mann spoke at our Rocky Mountain Annual Conference last June, I was fascinated by her stories of the history of her people, the Cheyenne.

Henrietta Mann is Professor Emeritus in Native American Studies at Montana State University. In 1991 Rolling Stone Magazine named her one of the top ten professors in the nation. In On This Spirit Walk, which she co-authored with Anita Phillips, a member of the Cherokees from Park Hill, Oklahoma, Mann shares the stories from her culture about traditions of welcoming and naming, stories of creation and genesis, and stories of vision and prophecy.

On This Spirit Walk is not only a selection of stories from the histories of native peoples, it is a vivid portrayal of these storytellers who "do not choose to be storytellers" but "are chosen to be the Keepers of Living Stories. With our breath, we give life to the stories and they take flight." These stories include reflections by native people on recent efforts by the United Methodist Church's General Conference of 2012 to engage in an Act of Repentance including confession, repentance and forgiveness for the manner in which religious ideas were forced upon native peoples.

If you are a storyteller, story writer or a person who is interested in the spiritual walk of peoples of other cultures, you will enjoy this informative and stimulating history. On This Spirit Walk reminds me that we all benefit from sharing stories from our history. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)


Order online: http://www.amazon.com/On-This-Spirit-Walk-Indigenous/dp/1426758413

Staff Pick Book Recommendation

From Wayne Brown, Director of Adult and Family Formation

The Hungering Dark, by Frederick Buechner (Seabury Press, 1969)

Link to order online: http://www.tatteredcover.com/book/9780060611750

In 1979, when I was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, I literally stumbled on my first Frederick Buechner book at the annual book sale in the library courtyard. In the midst of the book-buying chaos, the book was bumped from its perch on one of the tables, and onto my tanned and sandaled California beach toes. The book was The Hungering Dark, and my foot (and, eventually, my mind and spirit) were never so painfully grateful.

In The Hungering Dark, Buechner (pronounced BEEK-ner), draws on texts from both Old and New Testaments to help us encounter the gracious, sometimes hidden face of God in refreshingly honest ways. 

One sample from chapter 2, Confusion of Face: “The voyage into the self is long and dark and full of peril, but I believe that it is a voyage that all of us will have to make before we are through. Either we climb down into the abyss willingly with our eyes open, or we risk falling into it with our eyes closed.”

Author, Professor, Pulitzer Prize nominee, Poet, Philosopher, and lover of Christ: Frederick Bueckner. Read Him. You’ll be grateful from your head to your toes. Also, for a more personal sense of this extraordinary man, view Walter Brueggemannʼs interview with Buechner here: http://www.frederickbuechner.com/content/walter-brueggemann-interviews-frederick-buechner

Enjoy!