Tidings Newsletter - July 2026
- Trinity Presbyterian
- 23 minutes ago
- 14 min read
Pastor's Corner
A Theological View of America’s 250th Birthday
On July 4 of this year we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. On this occasion, I thought it might good to review the Biblical guidance on Christians’ proper relationship with their country and government.
The two most important scriptures in attempting to answer this question are Romans 13 and Revelation 13.
Romans 13 represents the apostle Paul’s positive view of the Roman government as
“God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:4)
that asks for Christian submission and cooperation. Revelation 13, which represents the strongest critique of the government in the New Testament, presents John’s negative view of the Roman government as an inhuman “beast” that deserves prophetic resistance from the Christian faith community.
How, then, should we as Christians interact with our government? The divided Biblical witness seems to say that our faithful response depends on what kind of government we perceive that we have right now. If the government is good, that is, working in the best interest of the people, then it deserves our support. If the government is evil, idolatrous, God-blaspheming, anti-Christ, persecuting, we should speak out in protest and resist it.
In Romans 13, the apostle Paul presents a surprisingly affirming role of the Roman government. It is surprising in that Paul, in the end, would be put to death by the Roman government led by Emporer Nero, one of the most notorious persecutors of Christians. Paul probably wrote Romans before Nero took over, and the government he saw at the time was one that benefitted people, including Christians, and so it would make sense that he urge the Christians in Rome to obey and submit to the government and pay their taxes.
Revelation was written decades after Romans when the plight of Christians at the hands of the Romans had worsened significantly, and so the Christian view of government had darkened considerably since Paul wrote Romans 13. Now the Roman government was seen as the beast, lacking a basic humanity, worshiped as a god by some, and making life hellish for the people of faith. Now resistance to the government by the Christian community was more appropriate than submission.
In every age Christians have to decide whether their government is good over all for most people, or evil, and then respond accordingly with either faithful cooperation or faithful resistance.
On this, the country’s 250th birthday, the current American administration appears to be closer to evil than goodness, acting more like the beast than the servant of the people in its encouragement of idolatry, in its eagerness to provide entertainment rather than real governing, in its is looting of the country, in its racist attitudes and actions toward immigrants and other minorities, in its celebration of violence, in its denigration of those who refuse to worship it. In the face of this tidal wave of evil, the only sensible Christian response is to speak out and protest and call the country back to something so much better, something like the Kingdom of God that Jesus had in mind.
As Simon Peter put it so clearly to the High Priest, who wondered why Peter continued to teach Christ after he had been told not to,
“We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29)
—David Garnett
Associate Pastor's Note
The Presbytery of Western North Carolina is doing something a little different for its next meeting:
Instead of a single meeting for the whole presbytery, there will be four meetings taking place simultaneously in each of the presbytery’s four “neighborhoods.”
We’re in the Western Neighborhood, which extends all the way from Cleveland County to Cherokee County, but the good news is that our meeting will be just up the road at Mills River Presbyterian Church. And you’re invited to attend, to meet folks from other congregations and to experience a presbytery meeting on a small scale.
A regular docket typical of most presbytery meetings will be followed, including a service of worship with communion. One thing that’s different about this meeting is that churches are asked to share a special local mission project or focus that they believe to be unique, the goal being to expand our local mission focus by learning from other congregations.
Here are the details: Western Neighborhood Presbytery Meeting, Saturday, July 25, beginning at 9:00 a.m., at Mills River Presbyterian Church.
There’s no need to register for the meeting unless you wish to stay for lunch, which will be local barbecue, with vegetarian options as desired. (The cost for lunch is $15 each. Please contact the Mills River church office to register and to place your meal order: 828-891-7101or mrpc10@att.net.)
Peace,
—Dwight Christenbury
Christian Nurture
Youth News
DONUTS!
Summer Youth Learning Hour
Sunday mornings 9:00—9:45
Youth Lounge (Room 106)
Trinity Youth (middle school and up) are invited to join us for an informal summertime gathering called DONUTS! We’ll meet in the Youth Lounge (downstairs, room 106), and each gathering will include:
DONUTS! (because it would be a crime to call an event “DONUTS!” and then not have DONUTS!)
Comfortable, overstuffed leather furniture in a casual, welcoming atmosphere
A semi-random conversation topic so that we don’t just sit there in awkward silence as we munch our Dunkin Munchkins
ThoughtProvoker, a free, limited-edition collectible trading card containing one or more questions or ideas related to the worship service that will follow each of our gatherings (10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary).
DONUTS! will take place on the following five Sunday mornings:
July 5
July 26
August 2
August 23
September 6
Hope to see you there!
The Learning Hour
FEAR NOT
Ohmann Lecture Series
Dr. James E. Sargent
Sundays in July 2026, 11:15 a.m.
In response to the climate of fear which began with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and escalated during the Covid pandemic, Dr. Sargent will present his response to the question, “What can we do?”
His response is “RESIST.” He will direct our thinking to the emergence of biblical faith, the courage of first-century Christians, the challenges to the contemporary church, and the hope that resides in courageous resistance.
James E. Sargent holds degrees from The Defiance College (B.A., 1964) and United Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1976, D.Min, 1992). He taught at Bluffton College, Winebrenner Theological Seminary, Athenaeum of Ohio, and the Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science. His scholarly interests focus on Old Testament, education and imagination. He has published eight books, and has delivered the C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture (Bluffton and Goshen Colleges) and lectures on the Prophet Jeremiah to the West Ohio School of Ministry. He is currently working on a manuscript entitle “Fear Not: What the Bible has to say about fear.”
Trinity Library Notes:
Several books have been added to the library. Thanks to those who donated them including Dick Bobb, Tom Karvonen, Esther Hider, and Billie Hicklin.
32/WIR Wirtz, Ann Greenleaf -Hand of mercy: a story of God’s grace
25/COO Cooper, Christopher A. – Anatomy of a purple state: a North Carolina politics primer
9/BUL Bulanda, Susan – God’s creatures: a Biblical view of animals
9/KOL Kolbell, Erik – What Jesus meant: the Beatitudes and a meaningful life
25/SNY Snyder, Timothy – On tyranny: Twenry lessons from the Twentieth century
33/ROE Roedel, John – Hey John. Hey God. What happens when God writes back
33/HIG Higgs, Liz Curtis – Bad girls of the Bible: And what we can learn from them
33 TOW Towles, Amor – The Lincoln Highway
These books will be in the Library cabinet in the Atrium.
—Linda & Barry Stokes
Earth Care Ministry
Plastic Free July™ is a shared global movement that helps millions of people reduce
plastic waste through simple, everyday choices and be part of the solution to plastic pollution. That way, we can enjoy cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.
To be Plastic Free is a large ask. Plastic is all around us, and while we can make a difference in what we consume, your Earth Caring Ministry is choosing to focus our awareness on the microplastics that make their way into our bodies by way of the food and beverages we ingest.
Microplastics are the tiny particles of plastic pollution that have infiltrated all life on earth. They have been found in the blood streams of every person and animal in every environment on the planet (that have been tested to date).
Needless to say, we’re not sure what health effects this plastic has in our bodies. Our team watched the Netflix documentary The Plastic Detox and learned about how microplastics can affect our fertility. From there we thought about steps we can take to reduce plastic contact with our food, whether purchasing, storing or preparing it.
Please take a look at our table in the Narthex and our bulletin board, across from the Atrium, to learn more about how we can reduce plastic contact with our food and possibly prevent some microplastic contamination of our bodies.
—Cindy Ann Bowers
Finance & Stewardship Ministry
Trinity’s stewardship theme for this year is “Living with purpose, giving with gratitude.” This theme was suggested by John Bodamer in memory of his late wife Karel, and it was unanimously supported by the other members of the Stewardship Committee.
As Christians, we do well to ask ourselves the perennial question our theme suggests: What is the purpose of our lives? The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) says that the chief end of humankind is to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever. And how may we glorify God? One answer is supplied by the lyrics of a familiar hymn:
We give thee but thine own,
what’er the gift may be,
All that we have is thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.
May we thy bounties thus
as stewards true receive
and gladly, as thou blessest us,
to thee our first fruits give.
Each of us has so much for which to be thankful to God. As the Fall stewardship season approaches, I encourage Trinity members and friends both to reflect on these blessings and to consider ways to express your gratitude though offerings of time, talents, and treasure.
In Christ,
—Jeff Morris
2026 Stewardship Snapshot: Offering Plate and Pledge Income
Your faithful generosity funds Trinity's annual budget for operating costs, staffing, ministries and missions. Thank you!
May 2026 YTD: | $235,249 |
Budget YTD: | $191,950 |
May 2025 YTD: | $237,341 |
Local Missions Ministry
We bid a fond farewell to our friends with Brethren Disaster Ministries. They spent over two months on a sleepover pajama party at Trinity while they generously donated their time to post-Helene recovery projects with Henderson County & Thermal Belt Habitat for Humanity. But never fear, their next project site will be in Yancy County where they will help get folks back into their home and into their lives again.
—Katie Cilluffo
Photos from their recent new home dedication. Presentation of a gift quilt and a spiritual moment recognizing the sacredness of home.
A Quilt Stitched with Love
Interfaith Assistance Ministry
A Quilt Stitched with Love From Trinity Presbyterian Church
Visitors to IAM are now greeted by a beautiful reminder of the compassion that surrounds our neighbors in need.
The congregation of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Hendersonville recently presented IAM with a handcrafted quilt that now hangs in our waiting area, where neighbors gather before visiting our pantry. Every stitch reflects the care, generosity, and love poured into this remarkable gift.
We were honored to welcome members of Trinity Presbyterian to IAM for the quilt's unveiling and a tour of our facility. Their thoughtful gift is more than a beautiful work of art—it is a daily reminder that our community stands together to offer comfort, dignity, and hope.
Thank you, Trinity Presbyterian Church, for this meaningful expression of kindness and for your continued commitment to loving your neighbors so well.
History of Trinity
Been meaning to scan this into digital records for a while, and thought some of you newer members might be interested in it...a description of the meaning behind the central stained glass window in our sanctuary, written by the artist, and former Trinity member, Gene Carman.
—Katie Cilluffo
GOD IN CREATION
This is the title of the stained glass "window" created for Trinity Presbyterian Church. Inspiration for the window is taken from both Old and New Testaments - Genesis l and John 1.
Viewing the window, there is a purple shield in the center panel denoting the majesty of God. Centered in that panel is a glowing circle representing the omnipotent power of God. Radiating from the shield and circle are six rays to remind us that God created the Earth in six days. They reach into the universe and beyond with God's message of love to anyone who will receive it. The Earth is the dark area in the lower center of the window - "the Earth was void and without form and darkness was upon the face of it...". God commanded, "Let there be light", and there was light here represented by the blue band above the Earth. God also created the firmament which He called ”heaven” and this is the white "sky" forming the upper background of the panels.
And then God created two great lights in the firmament to separate the day and the night. Panels containing the sun and the moon (in the lower corners) carry out this theme. He also made the stars - in this window they are shown as eight solid circles in various locations representing the planets in our solar system - the ninth being Earth in the lower foreground.
And then God made the birds of the air and the fish of the sea - panels depicting these events are in place. And now a giant leap from Genesis 1 of the Old Testament to John 1 of the New Testament - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.."
The central panel recognizes this unity, and combines the omnipotent power of God with the cross which signifies the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The rays emanating out become the welcoming arms of Jesus and, at the same time, become roads leading to the cross. Jesus said, "No man cometh to the Father but by me"
Hallelujah!
—Gene Carman
Matthew 25 Ministry
Circles Update
Circles Henderson County was birthed by you, the mission minded members of Trinity Presbyterian Church, in November 2025. After several years of preparation, Circles Cohort 1 is up and running! Seven families including nine children, are meeting every Tuesday at 5:30pm in the TPC fellowship hall. Our goal was to have five Circles families completer the initial 12 week of training, (typically 30% drop out), but we are seeing 100% of the families who began in May, continue their basic training!
Is Circles new to you? I suggest that you take 3 minutes to watch this video on the link below.
Here’s the update - Lin Johnson has been employed as our Circles Community Coordinator/ Executive Director. Limited funds only allow her to work 20 hrs/wk. We have two social work agencies, Community Action Opportunities and The Free Clinics providing social workers as agency, ‘volunteers’.
Trinity Presbyterian Church gave birth to our new Circles chapter last November with generous cash donations, meeting space, and free use of office space, (for one year), in our downstairs, Suite 107. All for which we are most grateful.
Now Circles of Henderson County is reaching out to engage a broader spectrum of our community. Your support is still needed. We have a tremendous team of volunteers but to keep current volunteers from burning out, we could use the help of a few more..
Volunteers are needed to provide child care, meals, resource team members, board members, and cash contributions to increase staff hours. Circle Allies are caring volunteers who become intentional friends with Circle Leaders, families who have taken leadership of their own journey, out of poverty.
We have learned a lot in our start-up. We once thought that Circles volunteers need to commit to attending every Tuesday Circles meetings. In reality, the expectation is that Allies attend two or three Circles meetings each month. Childcare, food, and resource team volunteers have the flexibility to meet one meeting per month or several meetings depending on their amount of time, interest, and energy.
To learn more about Circles, in three minutes, watch here.
To speak to Lin, just call (937) 380-5600 or speak with any number of Trinity members in the Circles Community.
To register to become a part of the Circles Community just click on
ASV registration form, there’s no obligation to volunteer, but opportunities are there as you feel called to join this exciting new enterprise.
With Peace and Joy.
—Paul Hugger
What Can Churches Learn from the Declaration of Independence?
This July 4th offers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence and its relevance to Trinity Presbyterian Church and other like-minded congregations.
The first two paragraphs of the Declaration refer to “the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” and familiar words that all men “are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights.” Faith communities need to advocate for life-long programs that enable individuals to pursue happiness and develop their potential endowed by the Creator.
These words have accommodated broader meanings than the founders envisioned. They intended that rights would apply only to white men; women waited 144 years for the right to vote, and minorities have encountered forms of discrimination.
The special June issue of Sojourners magazine provides guidance. The first article emphasizes the importance of civic renewal:
“From the perspective of Christian faith, civic renewal is a way to live out the call to truth-telling and loving our neighbors as ourselves.”
Proposals from Matthew 25 and other ministries, as well as contributions of church members, demonstrate our commitment to civic renewal.
An article by Jemar Tisby quotes Martin Luther King, Jr., who said,
"the church must serve as 'the conscience of the state. It must be the critic of the state, and never its tool.'”
Frederick Douglass asked in 1852,
“What to a slave is your 4th of July?”
Substituting other groups for “slave” can guide us in addressing social justice issues. What is July 4th today to Native peoples, brown-skinned families incarcerated in detention centers, and transgender youth? The author also calls out Christian nationalists:
“Followers of Jesus will not let a fear of sounding ‘political’ keep them silent about injustices committed by our government in our name.”
Discussing the entire Declaration can assist with framing our engagement with the broader world. Many have not read the 27 grievances against King George III that comprise two-thirds of the document. Almost half of them apply to tyrants of any time.
Congregations can breathe new life into this country’s ideals by claiming the Declaration for our time, while facing its shortcomings and the flaws of Jefferson and other founders.
—Bob Miles
Administration Ministry
Transportation Update
In late 2025 we began to offer transportation to our 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship service for members no longer driving. Our deacons were familiar with Deborah Franklin, owner/operator of ShuttleBee. ShuttleBee uses a SUV for transporting riders and has routinely served local customers needing rides to health care, often needing limited assistance to transport medical equipment they use. Several of our non-driving members have been able to ride with other members living nearby. Our deacons often
work with individuals within their parish to explore ride-sharing such as this, when schedules of driver and rider work.
In September 2025 we began a trial to 'test the waters' for demand and viability of offering Sunday transportation. While demand for ShuttleBee rides have been low, we recognize the demographics of our aging congregation and the potential need for this assistance. If you've are no longer driving and want to be physically present for Trinity's Sunday 11:00 worship service, we encourage you to talk with your parish deacon about using the ShuttleBee service. Transportation for the 10:00 summer service is also available at this time.
If you think worshipping at home connecting to our online worship service is your preferred option, and need some in-home assistance to figure our how to do that, let us know. We can help with that. Either way, we want to have you connected to Trinity!
Questions? Contact your parish deacon or Joy Guenther, 910-409-1914.
—Joy Guenther
Building & Grounds
Pollinator Garden! and the rest of Trinity Grounds. Your moment of Zen...
Global Missions
Guatemala - Welcome back, Prebytery Youth!
Photos
ABOVE: Sandy & Bud Weeks in their new home in Las Vegas; members at large Don Widmayer, Katie Cilluffo, Marina Hischfield, and Marty Zigovsky in their travels; Sunday after VBS (people enjoying the artwork!)
July Birthdays!
Calendar
Check out what's happening this month on our web calendar
Highlights:
Sun Jul 5: Ohmann Lecture Series begins
Tue Jul 7: Circles Ally Training begins
Sat Jul 11, 4PM: Asheville Gay Men's Chorus If you enjoyed our recent concert with the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus, come on out to support our local chorus with our friends at the UU. Details below...
What do you love BEST about Trinity?
New neighbors and friends find out about Trinity through Google Reviews that members and friends like YOU write. If you'd like to share one of your favorite things about Trinity - a memory, a peaceful place on our grounds, a friendship, a mission, a concert, a class, a club, a meeting - something that brought you joy, we'd love to hear about your experiences.
Social Media Nerd Moment:
If you’d like to see more of what YOU and your Trinity family are up to, you can FOLLOW US on Facebook. Yes, I know you can look us up, but if you want to be notified when we post something about all the good stuff YOU ALL are doing in the community, you can go to this link and click “follow”. (I won’t spam you, I promise 😘 - Come on, it’s ME!)