Voice Of Trinity

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and School 167 Palisade Avenue, Bogota, NJ 07603

Church Office: (201) 487-3576 School Office: (201) 487-3580

E-mail: secretary@tlcbogotanj.com Rev. Dr. Janet Blair, Vice Pastor

OUR MISSION: To provide a home in the love of Jesus Christ where all God’s children can be nurtured in worship and fellowship through the Word and Holy Sacraments, so that, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, sharing the life of Jesus and His ministry of compassion and justice in our

daily lives and ministries, we might grow in faith and num-bers and proclaim God’s reign of love to all.

April 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, indeed! Alleluia! Happy Easter To You All! Truly a time to celebrate life, the eternal life that Jesus Christ gave us when he suffered and died for our sins. However, we now live to witness the COVID 19 pandemic, which is taking such a terrible toll on the world. There is so much fear, hardship, uncertainty, suffering and death because of it. We have been asked to lay aside the familiar rhythms of our lives for a time. Yet these times are not empty. As we struggle to find our balance in the chaos of a new normal, we may be wise to focus on another kind of practice, The Practice of Resurrection. Easter Sunday is past. But the resurrection of life birthed and proclaimed on that day continues to reverberate through every aspect of life. How may we actually be able to live into this resurrection life? Practicing resurrection leads us to lives of generous, full-hearted, hospitality and service to everyone and every part of God’s beloved creation. We are seeing great examples of this, through the courage and sacrifice of our healthcare workers, law enforcement, firefighters, first responders and military. From the brave people that work each day to continue those essential services such as grocery workers, postal and delivery carriers, transportation workers, auto mechanics, manufacturing employ-ees, sanitation, and the list goes on. If you walk by the Church, you will notice blue ribbons on our trees, in dedi-cation to all essential workers. Ms. Lourdes Abbate (our School Principal) donated these ribbons to the Church. All proceeds went to Holy Name Hospital and their efforts against COVID 19. Practicing Resurrection also includes the efforts and activities by all of us at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, other Congregations and charity-based organizations. In the 29 years as a member of Trinity, I have not seen the love, fellow-ship and support among our congregation and school as I have seen over the last 30 days. It is a miracle beyond words, and it truly resonates what Christianity is all about. I am proud to be a part of this Church. We will continue to support one another now and beyond; it is what Our Lord Jesus Christ would expect us to do. That effort of support and love is evidenced in the ongoing activities and work of our Church Council, School Board, em-ployees and volunteers from the congregation. We determined from the day our buildings closed that Trinity would con-tinue on despite COVID 19, with the following testaments in mind: Communication brings hope in situations of this nature, and so our Messenger Tree was created. The crucifix was made from a tree and is the symbol of our faith that “branches” out to all who believes in Him! It is a way to keep in daily contact with all our people, to support those of high risk and special needs and to disseminate important infor-mation. It is also an interactive communication system that allows the best in people to be heard; thus, the Message Tree is a beacon of hope, comfort and spiritual uplifting. My heartfelt thanks to Fran Eardly (our Church Secretary) for organ-izing and putting this together for all of us, 7 days a week. I ask that everyone participate in its content to lift up our spir-its and give hope to all of us during these trying times! The Worship of our Lord to thank him for life and to pray for comfort and peace during these troubling times can NEVER waver. Staying indoors and self-quarantining is not only to protect yourself but to protect others. It is not a cow-ardly act but one of sacrifice, compassion and mercy. Under the guidance of Pastor Janet Blair (our Vice Pastor) and our “Ridgefield / Bogota / Garfield Congregations (RBG) Worship Advisory Group” we have created a wonderful Sunday morning virtual ZOOM church service. We are worshiping and working together with our Brothers and Sisters at Zion Ridgefield and Zion Garfield, a relationship that will continue for years to come. Our music is still a strong part of this wor-ship, under the guidance of Pastor Blair (from Ridgefield Zion) and Richard Tegtmeyer (our Director of Music). Attend-ance averages 30-35 people; Easter attendance alone was 50 people! All are welcome to attend; it is a wonderful exam-ple of people coming together under difficult situations to be one with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Please contact Fran Eardly (our Church Secretary) for more information!

Compassion for all our employees who face financial hardship. In the week following our closure, I attended a call of Lutheran churches nationwide to discuss the potential financial hardships related to mandatory closures as a result of COVID 19. I was extremely moved at the fact that every single congregation was determined to continue to provide pay-roll and benefits to their employees, regardless of the cost. I am VERY proud to say that the Church Council and School Board of Trinity Lutheran Church UNAMINOUSLY voted to do the same. Our employees have expressed their heartfelt gratitude, and we should all take comfort in knowing that their families will not face the financial hardships that unfortunately many of our fellow citizens are experiencing today. My thanks to Kim Pulido (our Treasurer) in over-seeing our financial operations and commitments during this crisis and for researching and navigating through the com-plicated Federal and State legislation recently passed to help Trinity with the cost of payroll protections. The dedication of our employees to our Church and School continues to allow us to educate and spread the Word of our Lord to our students! Even though our buildings are closed, our Christian education programs continues to thrive! Due to the efforts of Fran Eardly, our Church Sunday School keeps the children busy through online Christian teachings and projects. Our teachers in both our private Trinity classes and the UPK program are working with both the students and their parents to continue their lessons and education, all under the guidance and administration of Lourdes Abbate (our School Principal). My sincerest appreciation to Ms. Abbate, Diane Occhiogrosso (our School Board Presi-dent), Suzanne Rivera (our Kindergarten / Head Teacher), Kim Pulido (our Treasurer), Drea Evans (our Bookkeeper), Raquel Rivas-Kehl (our School Administrator) and the entire teaching staff for working diligently each day to make sure our school’s educational and financial operations are ongoing until the school opens again. Church volunteers are determined to give our congregation support, hope and spiritual continuance through acts of kindness and selflessness. We did not let COVID 19 stop us from distributing palms to you on Palm Sun-day. Our Easter flowers in years past that decorated our Altar now decorate your homes. A big thank you to our “RBG Delivery Team”: Jim and Darlene Sauter (Ridgefield Zion), Fran and Zoe Eardly, Gene and Nancy Markow-ski, Nicole and Diane Occhiogrosso and the Pulido Family! The planning of our weekly church service, the Mes-sage Tree and many more activities and outreach soon to come are wonderful examples of our fellowship. The generos-ity of these volunteers is what Jesus would expect us to do. One particular surprise was the wonderful appreciation for Trinity from our florist, Hofmann Flowers. They were grateful for our continued business, as most of their religious clients actually cancelled their Palm Sunday and Easter flower orders, depriving them of funds to provide the badly needed in-come for their employees. We will continue to support each other as God would expect us to do! Governor Murphy’s “Stay at Home” policy is the most sensible strategy to stay safe and not spread the virus to others, which would result in sickness and possibly death. The Trinity Church Council has approved this policy as our own and that until further notice, our Church and School will remain closed. This in accordance with Bishop Tracie L. Bartholomew’s letter to all New Jersey congregations on April 17, 2020 (see attached). She states that “I am aware of a growing weariness for abiding by our governor’s orders not to gather and to remain at home to the extent possible. Sev-eral pastors have contacted me because they are getting pressure to re-open their buildings and allow people to begin to gather again for worship. I want to be clear: if you do that, you are exposing yourself and your people not only to infec-tion but also to legal action for breaking the governor’s orders. When given the green light to hold in person worship, we will do so but not before.” As I mentioned earlier, quarantining is not a cowardly act but one of sacrifice, compassion and mercy. By doing so, you are saving countless lives, an act worthy in the eyes of God. As you can see, we have been very busy keeping Trinity Lutheran Church and School alive and well, and we will contin-ue to do so! Under God’s grace, mercy and love we will beat COVID 19. To date, I am very thankful to say that while some of our Trinity family members have been tested positive for the virus, no one has passed from it. I attribute this to our faith and God’s love, mercy and protection as told in Psalm 3: 3-4 (in Message Tree 4/14/2020): “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.” May God Bless You and Keep You Safe! We will prevail! Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, indeed! Alleluia! Sincerely Yours, Troy Pulido Trinity Church Council President

TLS continues to provide online classes for Kindergarten

and Universal PreK, as well as twice weekly circle time for our Pre-K and Toddler classes.

I’d want to take this time to thank all of my staff during this

time as they have mastered online platforms and have continued to be connected to our TLS families.

My thoughts and prayers are with all in our community that

have been affected by COVID19.

Lourdes Morejon-Abbate, Principal Trinity Lutheran School

Prayers

Ridgefield – Bogota – Garfield worshiping community

Please remember these people in your prayers

Dan Tina

Joyce Arlene

Gloria and Ryan Terry (chemo)

Mike Spiro (virus)

Joanne Rosemary

Robert (UPS driver) Chris V (many physical challenges)

Robert (brain cancer) Peter (cancer)

Wayne (pneumonia) Barbara (a nurse)

Eleanor F (in hospice) Arline

Those who are grieving loved ones who have died from COVID-19 and other causes

The congregation of Trinity would like to offer our deepest condolences to Lucille on the loss of her sister Ann – may she rest in peace and may the memories of all the

good times you shared bring comfort to you at this time.

Dear Friends, Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, indeed! Alleluia! We are still in the Easter season and will be for several weeks. It is good that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord for a week of weeks, especially during this pandemic. We need to be reminded of the new life that is ours in the risen Christ. We have been under stay at home orders for about a month now. For some, this has been an inconvenience. For others, this has been a true hardship and a time of suffering – either because home is not a safe place or because you have no place to call home. Some of you have been staying at home alone and finding it diffi-cult to fight loneliness. Some of you wish for a little more alone time as your household has felt more than full with all the responsibilities of teaching children and maintaining your work schedules. Some of you have not been able to stay at home because you work essential jobs. Some of you have lost work and are facing financial hardships, Some of you have lost a loved one to COVID19 or to other causes and are now trying to find ways to grieve that don’t include the usual rituals we have to help us. While we are in this pandemic together, we are not all affected in the same ways. This pandemic has ex-posed the inequalities of life in New Jersey (and across the country) – in healthcare, with access to commu-nity services, how wealth is distributed, and by systemic racism. These are issues our synod has been work-ing on for many years; and we continue to do so during this time. We are especially mindful of the rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and harassment and we denounce it as the sin it is. I am aware of a growing weariness for abiding by our governor’s orders not to gather and to remain at home to the extent possible. Several pastors have contacted me because they are getting pressure to re-open their buildings and allow people to begin to gather again for worship. I want to be clear: if you do that, you are exposing yourself and your people not only to infection but also to legal action for breaking the governor’s orders. When given the green light to hold in person worship, we will do so but not before. Thank you to worship leaders, preachers, and musicians who have been providing worship opportunities for your communities. I am so appreciative of your faithful and creative efforts -- whether by livestream or re-cording, at the church building or in your home -- you have proclaimed God’s life-giving word. In an effort to provide you with time off, we are working on providing a worship service recording that you can use on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (May 3) if you choose. We will provide both an English and Spanish resource. Finally, let me say a word of thanks to all of you providing essential services to your community: healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery store employees, janitors, trash collectors, police officers, firefighters, first responders, food service workers, government employees, delivery people, and others. Our Lutheran sense of vocation tells us that you are doing holy work by serving your neighbors. Thank you! Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, indeed! Alleluia! Living in hope with you, Bishop Tracie L. Bartholomew

Easter worship was quite different this year – but different isn’t always a bad thing. We celebrated holy week the “virtual way” – guided by the incredibly talented Pastor Blair. We started out with our Palm Sunday mass that included participation from 3 different congregations and worked our way into Maundy Thursday with some hand/feet washing and into the solemn Good Friday service. Our virtual Easter service was attended by over 51 people (that’s how many Zoom boxes I counted – that doesn’t account for each family inside that box). We celebrated virtual communion and Richard played for us on his home piano. One of the highlights of the service, we listened to “Rise Up” by Andra Day as an “anthem.” Then seven testimonies, based on this song, were offered. Here are our seven one-sentence testimonies. Fred: To me, "rising up" makes me think of the following: “And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of His hand.” Zoe (8 years old): To me, rising up means that God was raised from the dead for us. Brendan: To me, Christ rising up means that we all need to pray and work together as a family during this time when everyone is sick. Susan Fries: To me, rising up means … I can stand on His shoulders and reach the sky and know that if I fall I never have to worry, He’ll always catch me; He is my trust partner. Sarah: To me, rising up means that we all rise together! Diane: To me rising up means encouraging and helping others who are less fortunate in the hope that they can then do for themselves and then do the same for others. Karen: To me, rising up means that with God’s help, overcoming any obstacle is possible.

Author Spotlight –Susan Fries At TLC we are quite honored to have an amazing author among us.

Please check our her biography and let me know if you would like a copy of her book When Pigs Fly—we would love to order a copy and drop it off to you.

Photo by Danny Peragine

Biography It's funny where life leads you sometimes; a chance meeting can alter your path and change your life. I don't have a clue as to where the path will lead, I just know I have to follow it. In this life, I

am a passenger and at any moment, a bump in the road might toss me off course. That' is what keeps life exciting, at least for me. I have an idea where I want to go, but I know I am not the one

in charge of these things as much as I would like to think.

My first book, When Pigs Fly; A Journey Home, was the journey I imagined 12-year-old Nicole might have taken as she crossed from this world to the next after cancer snatched her away from us. My second publication, The Pope and the Prostitute, was the result of a chance meeting with

Anthony Tullo. He passed through my life long enough for us to birth this story. It is a murder mystery, which is generally not my genre, but it was his and he wanted a writer to put it in mo-tion. He and I traveled through the story together until his untimely passing and I found myself

driving the story home, alone. The title is strong and maybe a bit deceiving, so grab your favorite comfy chair and either book, or your Kindle and a cup of tea and read away. In the pages you will

find characters to warm your heart and soul. I hope you enjoy.

Contact me, question me, I would love for you to pick my brain! www.susanfries-author.com or writeawaysmf@aol.com or Facebook https://facebook.com/susan.fries.96

Thank You!

As Mr. Rodger’s mom said, “Look for the helpers.

You will always find people helping.”

We would like to thank our volunteer committee who delivered Palms and Easter Lilies.

We hope their efforts brought a little bit of Easter joy to your home during this

uncertain time.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Pastor Blair, Jim & Darline,

The Pulido Family, Nancy & Gene, Diane & Nicole,

Zoe & Fran

A Note from the Bogota Police Department

The Bogota Police Department in conjunction with

the St. Joseph’s Church in Bogota, is collecting non-

perishable foods for those in need right now.

The church’s food pantry is closed, but will open in

the near future, which is why we need to help.

All non-perishable foods can be dropped off at our po-

lice headquarters located at 375 Larch Avenue

Main lobby 24 hrs. a day.

Please take a moment to gather a few items which

can help feed some of the families in need that rely

on the food pantry.

The Rainbow Project

What has been dubbed "The Rain-

bow Project" has taken us by storm.

We are being encouraged to add

RAINBOWS

to our doors, windows,

sidewalks, and businesses helping to

spread hope and positivity during the

coronavirus pandemic.

Many specifically show support for

essential workers.

Let me see those

TLC/TLS Rainbows.

Our Life in Quarantine A photo journal

New Zoom Meetings

We are excited to announce that starting next week we will be offering even

more ways to stay connected.

Worship Service Sunday mornings at 10:00am

Sunday School Sunday mornings

at 11:15am

Bible Study Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm

Prayer Group Thursday evenings

at 7:00pm

More details will be emailed early next week with call information.

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Trinity Lutheran Church 167 Palisade Ave. Bogota, NJ 07603

The Rev. Dr. Janet Blair, Vice Pastor

Richard Tegtmeyer, Director of Music/Organist

Church: 201-487-3576

School: 201-487-3580

E-mail: secretary@tlcbogotanj.com

Website: www.tlcbogotanj.org