Dear members & attenders,

Have you ever overheard someone complimenting your spouse or children? Just hearing someone speak about your loved ones can cause anxiety, but that can give way to immense relief or joy when you overhear good things being said.

That’s how I’ve felt this week hearing so many people compliment Trinity’s Community Group system. Surely, every church has its flaws and weaknesses (we have many)! But one strategy that we have been committed to from our inception is the meeting of believers in small groups, throughout the week, all over our city.

So this week, in the wake of Hurricane Irma, it warmed my heart to hear stories of Trinity members working out these relationships in such practical ways: getting damage reports; finding out who has power; people sharing meals from refrigerated food that would spoil if left too long; impromptu barbecues; and amazing generosity (and a special shout out to the friend who brought us a generator and another friend who brought us smoked pork butts – enough to feed 4 families in our neighborhood)!

What we do in spiritual care every day, every week – life-on-life – spilled over to very natural and genuine care when we literally went through the storm. And I’m inexpressibly grateful!

So, what if you’re not in a Community Group? Because I realize about a hundred of you are not. First, hopefully, you still have had connections and relationships to draw on when Irma dropped a hammer on all of us. Secondly, we are always working to help you find your way into a Community Group, and this Sunday is one of those times.

Get Connected is a short-term group designed to help you get familiarized with the basics of Community Groups at Trinity. It is both a place to get plugged in and join a Community Group as well as a place from which you can connect, learn, grow and launch your own Community Group. Starting this week, you can meet on Sunday mornings (9/17, 10/1, 10/15, 10/29 & 11/19) in the Fellowship Hall, from 8:45-9:45 a.m. If you have any questions, please contact Luke Wolfe at luke@trinitylakeland.org or on his cell at 763-670-7337.

Things to pray for:

– Gratitude. Things were not as bad as they could’ve been, so give thanks to the Lord for His protection during Hurricane Irma, and no one in our church lost their life!
– To be a friend. So often we can lament not having friends, but what is within your power is to be a friend. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in the craft of love and friendship.
– Eyes to see. Ask the Lord to help you see how the Trinity IS eternal Love – Father to Son to Holy Spirit to Father, etc.. Ask Him to help you see how He loves you in Christ, and how generous He is to others, so that you would catch a vision of caring for others as He cares for you.
– No excuses. Ask the Lord to help you to be so secure in His love and power that you would care more about others than you care about yourself. And because of that concern for others, that you would put aside whatever excuses you’re prone to make so that you could be a committed member of a Community Group. You need them and they need you.

Tim Rice, Lead Pastor & Director of Church Planting