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Worship Ministry
Music Ministry
Pastoral Care Ministry
Stephen Ministry
Women's Ministry
Men's Ministry
Youth Ministry
Young Adult Ministry
Christian Education Ministry
Eldercare Ministry
Children's Center Ministry
Parents of Young Children Ministry
Church Council
Worship Ministry
An active worship ministry is maintained by Trinity Lutheran Church, using the resources of Evangelical Lutheran Worship and other sources. Two weekly celebrations of the Lord’s Supper take place at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning. Once a quarter there is a special Service of the Word for Healing in a small chapel behind the chancel in our facility. That same chapel is open and available to the public for early-morning meditation during the three-week Stock Show held at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in the cultural district of Fort Worth each January and February. The chapel is available for small attendance occasional worship services like weddings and memorial services. Trinity has been known among ELCA congregations in the Greater Fort Worth Conference as the most traditional in its worship style, but it maintains a vibrant worship ministry in the community of the central city.
Special midday worship services are offered during the seasons of Lent (the John H. Tietjen Ecumenical Lenten Preaching Series) and Advent (special concerts, Bach’s Lunch), as well as regular midweek Lenten and Advent worship services on Wednesday evenings, using the resources of Holden Evening Prayer, a special melodic musical liturgy.
Our worship ministry is overseen by the Worship Life Commission and directed by our Pastor, Rev. Dr. Ronald K. Heimsoth, and our Minister of Music-Organist, Dr. Laurence Furr.
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Music Ministry
Trinity Lutheran Church has a full-time Minister of Music-Organist. Having a full-time music staff member affords us a rich variety of musical offerings. Dr. Laurence Furr directs a Adult Choir (vocal), as well as a Bell Choir, and three choirs of African Marimba players. The Adult Choir sings each Sunday as part of the weekly celebrations of the Lord’s Supper during the school year. The marimbas are rhythmic instruments producing a rather unique sound. The congregation owns seven of the instruments and they regularly perform as part of the worship life of the congregation. They have performed at other congregations in the Greater Fort Worth area by invitation. Those whose worship experience includes a selection from one of the
Marimba Choirs can witness the unique sounds of these special instruments. Dr. Furr is an accomplished organist and pianist who accompanies all the worship services in the schedule of the congregation. He arranges for special music from vocal and instrumental soloists to supplement our music ministry for weddings, funerals, and special midweek midday worship services during the liturgical seasons of Lent and Advent. He also teaches several classes of Kindermusik for the Trinity Lutheran Children’s Center.
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Pastoral Care Ministry
Trinity has an active pastoral care ministry through its Pastor, Rev. Dr. Ronald K. Heimsoth, who regularly visits the hospitals, extended care facilities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and homes where Trinity members or friends of the congregation and its members are patients. His pastoral care ministry is supplements and complimented by an active group of Stephen Ministers, specially trained lay caregivers who regularly visit with those who have requested a Stephen Minister. The Stephen Ministers also supplement Pastor’s ministry in hospitals, medical centers, and in grief situations.
Pastor Heimsoth provides Pre-marital Counseling with couples wanting to get married, as well as a special ministry at the time of a death, or in personal or family crises. The Youth Director assists with pastoral care and concern for families with young people, in consultation with Pastor.
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Stephen Ministry
Trinity offers Stephen Ministers as specially trained lay people who serve as caregivers to people of the congregation undergoing difficult times in life. Trinity is a member of the Stephen Ministry Network in Fort Worth, a group of 28 different congregations of differing Christian denominations who together seek to serve those in need. Stephen Ministers are trained to assists in crises, to be active listeners, to do grief follow-up ministry, to assist the Pastor in pastoral care in hospitals, nursing homes, and extended care facilities. They serve confidentially to protect the privacy of those who avail themselves of the Stephen Ministry caregivers. Stephen Ministers meet together once a month for continuing education, peer ministry, and mutual support, always preserving the anonymity of their care-receivers.
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Women’s Ministry
Trinity has an active chapter of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA), a national women’s organization of the church body of which the congregation is a member. Several women’s circles provide opportunities for small group Bible study, intimate sharing, and special service and/or ministry projects.
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Men’s Ministry
Trinity’s men have an opportunity to gather on the first and third Thursday mornings of each month during the school year for a Prayer Breakfast, and topical discussion. Special prayer concerns are shared and this provides an opportunity for another small group experience for the men of the congregation.
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Youth Ministry
Trinity’s Youth Director, Paige Gasowski, serves as the part-time coordinator and director for youth ministry for young people, grades 7-12. In addition she coordinates some activities with younger people in the upper elementary grades 4-6 in their opportunities for Synod Youth Gatherings and Retreats throughout the school year, as well as summer camping experiences. She makes the arrangements for special youth activities, an annual Mission Trip for youth, participation in the ELCA National Youth Gatherings every three years, and other activities. For more information, please contact our Youth Director, Paige Gasowski, paigegasowski@sbcglobal.net .
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Young Adult Ministry
A periodic gathering of post-college age young adults gathers for a Bible study and/or social activity together.
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Christian Educational Ministry
A well-rounded program of Christian Education for all ages is offered on Sunday mornings, and special educational opportunities are offered during the week. A Sunday School class is available for children from 2 years of age through high school, and one for adults. Sunday School classes for Confirmation students (grades 7 & 8) and youth (grades 9-12) supplement the Youth Ministry.
Confirmation Classes for young people in the 7th and 8th grades are offered on Wednesday evenings with adult mentors as additional adults involved in this important preparation for adult membership in the congregation. Affirmation of Baptismal Covenant (Confirmation) is scheduled annually for the Feast of Pentecost. Adult Inquirer’s Classes (adult Confirmation) are scheduled normally twice each year, starting in January and September. Each class has a total of eight sessions reviewing the elements of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective.
First Communion Classes are offered annually for young people in the 5th and 6th grades between Christmas and the beginning of Lent to prepare these young people for becoming communicant members of the congregation. First Communion (Reception of new Communicant Members) is normally scheduled for the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, the Transfiguration of our Lord.
Adult Bible study is a regular part of Women’s Circle meetings, and Prayer Breakfast meetings. In addition, the Bethel Series, an extensive two-year Bible survey course, one year on the Old Testament, and the second year on the New Testament are scheduled during the school year. The Bethel Series is taught at two levels, the Leadership Training level, involving a two-year commitment to 2½ hour sessions once a week with Pastor teaching it, including 8-12 hours per week of Bible reading and study homework for 36-40 sessions per year; and the Congregational Phase, a less intensive, 20sessions per year, one hour per week in 7-week trimesters, taught by one of the Leadership Trained teachers. In the fall of 2007, there will be new classes beginning at both levels, the Leadership level meeting on Monday evenings, and the Congregational level on Wednesday evenings. Contact Pastor for more information at FriarTuck@tlcfw.org.
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Eldercare Ministry
Trinity has an active Eldercare Ministry, administered by a committee whose purpose it is to make certain that our older members, particularly those who have no immediate family within a reasonable distance, have someone to check in on them regularly. The Eldercare Committee also monitors Lifeline for older members who live alone, and the congregation pays for the cost of Lifeline.
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Children’s Center Ministry
Since the early 1960’s Trinity Lutheran Church has had a Children’s Center, ministering to the needs of families who need quality Christian daycare in a Christian atmosphere and some initial introduction to the Christian faith. A weekly Chapel Service is held to assist in teaching the children in our care some Christian songs and reinforce the Christian orientation of our Center. The Center in recent years has opened up to infant care. In a recent survey, 93% of the constituency of the Children’s Center, which serves infants through Kindergarten-aged children, were not members of the congregation. Several activities are planned each year to provide interaction between the members of the congregation, and the constituency of the Children’s Center. For more information contact the Director of the Center at Diana@tlcfw.org .
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Parents of Young Children Ministry
Trinity’s commitment to providing a ministry to families with young children extends beyond the Trinity Lutheran Children’s Center (TLCC). A group of congregational member parents gathers quarterly for a potluck supper and discussion of common concern and consideration of the pattern for parenting and family traditions they are setting for their children. Parents of children in the TLCC as well as member parents are afforded regular opportunities for a seminar on “Parenting with Love and Logic.” Parents are also encouraged to bring their young children forward during the regular 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service for the Children’s Sermon.
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Church Council
The Church Council convenes each month to coordinate the ministries of the congregation through its Commissions, Congregational Life, Outreach and Social Concerns, Christian Education, Worship Life, Evangelism, Stewardship, and Children’s Center Board of Directors; and Committees, Mutual Ministry, Finance, Personnel, Endowment, 12 Keys Steering (Long-range Planning), Building, Technology, and Nominating in addition to special Committees like Constitution, etc. There are two regularly scheduled Congregational Meetings, one in late September for elections, and one in late January for reporting on the previous year’s ministry and finances, and the action on the Proposed Budget for the current year.
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