HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Our first missional reflection is from Visioning Team member, May Persaud on Fostering Community. 

“In 1991, my mother-in-law, Basant Persaud, came from Guyana to live with us in Dubuque. Growing up a devout Hindu, a gifted seamstress, committed in her marriage to a Christian to see that her children went to church, she came to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church with an open heart. HTLC extended welcoming arms to her, and through the years HTLC enfolded her in an embrace of sharing and friendship. She was active in the women’s circles; she delighted to use her sewing skills to create quilts for LWR that went to people throughout the world. She loved Sunday School, read her Bible, and looked forward to hearing Christ proclaimed in worship. In 2008, after she experienced Christ coming to her in dreams, she asked to be baptized. That was a moment in her life, our lives, and the life of her dear Holy Trinity community that touched us all. Through the Holy Spirit Basant experienced community in Christ at HTLC and Holy Trinity through the Spirit experienced community in Christ also.  

As a member of the Vision Team, listening to our HTLC stories about what it means to be Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Dubuque, Iowa, I could not help but hear our stories, memories of the past, reflections upon the present, dreams for the future, through the story of Basant and how Christ fostered community in this moment.

What does it mean to ‘foster community?’ We have named HTLC ministries, such as the food give-away and food pantry, Noah’s Ark, and the Care Team. We have lifted up our life together centered in Holy Communion and Holy Baptism, worship and liturgy, preaching and music. We have named education, youth ministry, and a value upon multigenerational life together. There is much more! This sharing together has been a blessing, energizing renewed commitment as we live into our future calling in Christ.

Most of all, as together we have studied John 20:19-23, it has been a gift of the Spirit to confess that HTLC, in fostering community in Christ, is doing so because Jesus died for us that our sins may be forgiven, and the risen Christ has passed through our locked doors and stands in the midst of HTLC. Jesus calls HTLC to live in the truth that we are part of the Body of Christ. We cannot but ‘foster community.’ In word and action we are to proclaim to one another, to our neighbor near and far, God’s forgiveness in Christ. The Spirit calls HTLC to share in God’s mission in Jesus’ Name.”

Missional reflection #2
Gail Schneider - "Christ feeds the hungry"

“We know that feeding the hungry was important to Jesus; ‘Do you love me?... Feed my sheep.’ (John 21:17). Therefore we respond to Christ’s charge to provide nourishment to a world that hungers. As Jesus fed the 5,000, we are called to be Christ to our neighbors in need. At Holy Trinity, we have organically expanded our food ministries to meet physical hunger in recent years. We do this through our 24-hour food pantry and regular robust participation in local food-giveaways. But we also know that hunger can be more than physical – it can also be emotional and spiritual. We as people of this congregation hunger too. We are fed in those instances through engaging worship, authentic prayer, generous service to our community, and the loving relationships we build with others. We at HTLC understand that people hunger and it's Jesus’s gift of “true food”--life, love, and grace that nourishes all.

Missional reflection #3
Martin Lohrmann - "Christ sends the faithful"

Our third missional reflection comes from Council President, Martin Lohrmann on Christ sends the faithful. 

“Being faithful means trusting God for life and goodness. This faithfulness is not about us needing to prove how good we are or how much we believe, but rather about receiving the good things that Jesus Christ gives us: grace, peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love.

When we say that Christ “sends the faithful,” we are describing the many ways that the Holy Spirit moves in us and around us as we go through our daily lives. Just as Jesus gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, we trust that the Spirit is working in us to share Christ’s blessings with this beloved creation. We are truly blessed to participate in the many ways God’s love touches real lives today.”

Missional Reflection #4
Council member John Chesterman
"So all would know"

“At HTLC, we open and offer our church spaces, time, and talent up to our community and family in many ways.  People come to our church to visit the food pantry and food distributions for nourishment.  Others come for Children’s chorale, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts to teach and lead youth in our community.  We have parents trusting their children to Noah’s Ark for teaching and care in a Christian environment.   We have others that come to learn like the Ecumenical Bible study, Bible explorers, and adult education.  We open our space up for weddings, and funerals bringing together people in times of joy in sorrow.   The hosting in our spaces builds community but we also hope those we serve will also reflect on joining in Christ’s ministry wherever they can. We serve a full variety of ages and people through HTLC and we want to make sure all people feel belonging in this place that shares Christ’s love.

But what is personally most touching for all would know, is our worship and celebration of communion with an open table for all to receive, remember, and celebrate Jesus’s last supper.  We make no exclusions on where you come from, your age, or your past religious beliefs but open our celebration so all can experience Christ's love and forgiveness through communion.”

Mission Reflection #5 "The depth of Jesus's love and peace"
Visioning Team member, Jenny Parker

The word that sticks out to me in this phrase is “depth”. In our society, our culture, so much is surface level. We curate social media posts to project an image of how we want to be seen. But Jesus knows us, sees us, and loves us, so much deeper. At HTLC we do things more than surface level. We worship, we eat “church supper” with others from across the aisle. You can’t just click “unfriend” while you are eating, serving, or distributing food with one another. These relationships are deeper, and more authentic than that. 

We are not just there for the good times, the weddings, the baptisms, but something else we do is walk with each other through the lows of life. Through conversations with the congregation, something that bubbled up was the profound way our church shows up during the hardest parts of life: job loss, illness, tragedy, marital strife. It’s one thing to be there through the good times but even more profound to walk with each other through the hard times. 

Jesus' love for us is deep, and our connection to one another is authentic, yet we yearn for deeper love and peace in this world through Christ. Romans 8, 39, “nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. May we continue to live and love deeply with one another through Christ, as we do this challenging, and beautiful life together.

Mission Reflection #6 "Christ-Centered Worship"
Council and Visioning Team member, Mary Emily Duba

“Our congregation is, above all, a worshipping community. Worship is the center of our life together. Over and again in our visioning conversations, we heard this community express the importance of beautiful liturgy, excellent preaching, and robust music. We find joy and meaning in participating in worship, whether by singing in the choir, serving communion, reading Scripture, ushering, serving as assisting minister, coming forward for the children’s sermon, or simply by joining in prayer and song from our seats.

When we say that worship at Holy Trinity is “Christ-centered,” we mean that, in worship, the Holy Spirit gathers us in the presence of the risen Christ, made known to us in Word and sacrament. In a “me-centered” culture, worship reorients our lives toward Christ and our neighbor. During Sunday morning worship, we quite literally turn our bodies toward the font, the cross, the scriptures, the table, and one another - all signs of Christ’s presence and activity among us.

At Holy Trinity, worship is not a performance or spectator sport, but our grateful response to all that God has done and is doing. We give thanks for baptism and God’s faithful promises. We confess our sin and receive forgiveness. We hear the good news and proclaim our faith in word and song. We pray for one another, our neighbors, and the world. We feast at Holy Communion, inviting all to Christ’s open table. We welcome children as full participants in worship. By God’s grace, worship forms us to be the body of Christ, sent from worship into the world.”

Mission Reflection #7 - Council Member Chris Hoden shares his thoughts on HTLC valuing intergenerational community. 

“We are a church rich in lived wisdom and optimistic/enthusiastic youth.  The things we can learn from each other - person to person - generation to generation - is a differentiator for us.  Having a thriving pre-school program in Noah’s Ark offers a unique opportunity to help keep all of us young at heart.  We are in a great position to support building a solid foundation of Christian values for children at an impressionable age.  Mostly, we respect the learned experience of each person and value that perspective and contribution it makes to our collective dialogue.  We also are thankful to have a broad cross-section of the community that signals we are indeed a GROWING church, and not experiencing the same global trends other faith communities are seeing.  This is happening as a direct result of the relationships that exist where personal belonging and support is found in many many ways.”

Missional Reflection #8 

Visioning Team member Chris James reflects on what HTLC means by the value, Care for One Another.

“At Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, we value care for one another. We show special concern for those in our church community as siblings in Christ with whom we are learning to love. Many in our church have stories to share about how, during a time of grief, pain, loneliness or struggle, the church community came alongside and offered them compassion, comfort and companionship. Organized caring and visitation ministries are one way we care for one another but equally important are the organic expressions of care shown in meals, hugs, tears, and invitations. Caring for one another is something we already do but it is also something in which we hope to grow. Paul commends the church in Thessalonica for the way they loved one another but urged them to so “more and more” (1 Thess. 4:9-10). At HTLC, we want to grow in our care for one another by more openly letting one another know about our lives and struggles so that we may “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Our care for one another is simultaneously a way that we show God’s love, a way that we receive God’s love, and a way that we bear witness to God’s love to the community. As Jesus taught, it is by our love for one another that others will know that we are disciples of Jesus (John 13:35).

 Missional Reflection #9

Both Council members, Cris Houlihan and Brian Leib, reflect on HTLC’s value, Love for Neighbors.

Cris Houlihan- Reflecting on "love for neighbors," we see it as living out our faith through tangible acts of kindness and support. Our church's commitment is evident in various ways. By providing 130,000 hours of high-quality childcare through Noah’s Ark, we meet a critical community need, supporting working families and nurturing children. Distributing 75,000 pounds of pantry supplies helps alleviate hunger and ensures our neighbors have essential resources. Contributing nearly $40,000 in 2024 to schools, communities, and global initiatives through special appeals shows our dedication to stewardship. Additionally, offering tens of thousands of hours for youth development, charitable organizations, support groups, and higher education fosters growth and mutual support. Through these actions, we embody "love for neighbors," transforming our faith into meaningful service and making a lasting impact on those we serve.

Brian Leib- Love for neighbors is such a simple phrase that can mean so much. We at Holy Trinity have always been committed to reaching out with the food giveaways, visiting the sick and aged, and childcare through Noah’s Ark. It can also be an act of kindness, such as reaching out to an elderly neighbor just to say hello and maybe share a cup of coffee with a little conversation. I think we here at HTLC are always looking for ways both within and outside our church to make a difference.