We have now reached our first goal of $2,000,000 in pledges received to our Family Life Center building project. This is a huge step in the development of this project. This gives the building committee what they need to sign the necessary documents and contracts to start construction. Praise God!
This is just the first step. Now comes the hard part of building the structure, finishing our capital goal of $5.4 million and using the building for the development of ministry that we have all dreamed about.
Thank you for all the hard work that you have done. My excitement grows as we get closer to achieving the vision that God has put upon the hearts of the people of Trietsch. Now is the time to make the most of this most visible part of the project.
The above video was shown in worship in December 2009 and e-mailed to those who have OPTED IN for electronic communications. This video represents a small sampling of God at Work at Trietsch in 2009.
November, 2009
Trietsch Receives Furniture Donations
Some of you may have noticed some different furniture, chairs, plants and other supplies around the church. We have been very blessed by a recent donation through our relationship with Serenity Church and their merger with New Hope Church in Dallas. The Pastor of Serenity, John Featherston shares the story in next month’s December inTOUCH and on our website, but we wanted to be sure and make you all aware of this generous donation. CLICK HERE for complete story.
We received numerous items including over 350 chairs, tables, desks, plants, greenery, refrigerator, credenzas, book cases, file cabinets and a Steinway & Sons Upright Piano just to name a few.
Please thank any members of Serenity and New Hope Church for such a wonderful donation. We would hope that all of you would welcome the worshippers of New Hope, just as we have welcomed Serenity to be part of our family. If you want to be a part of a special worship service on Saturday night or know anyone who might, Serenity worships in the Ministry Center every Saturday at 7 p.m. You can visit their website at www.serenitychurch.net.
The purpose of the Good Samaritan Award is to provide United Methodist churches a means to recognize an individual youth who demonstrates the attributes of the Good Samaritan as described in Luke 10:25-37.
This award recognizes ministry to others through outreach, humanitarian assistance or advocacy.
Youth that receive the God and Church and/or God and Life award are eligible for the Good Samaritan Award. Less than 2% of all United Methodist youth recipients receive this honor, which is the highest youth award in the United Methodist Church.
We are lucky to have two recipients at Trietsch this year, William “Shelby” Maddie and Joshua Glazer. Both are Scouts and were presented their award by the United Methodist Men at their breakfast on October 17.
Join us in congratulating these young men and their parents on their accomplishments.
If you would like more information on the God and Country program in the church, contact Jeanette Goodnight at jeanetteg.tmumc.org.
It’s official! Trietsch will build a Family Life Center complete with a multi-use gymnasium and stage area, youth gathering area, classrooms and offices.
At a special called Charge Conference of the congregation on October 8, members approved construction of the 32,839-square-foot building beginning in January. The builder, Medco Construction, estimates construction would take approximately 10 months.
Breaking ground is contingent on collecting $2 million in pledges from the Growing in Faith Capital Campaign. Currently, Trietsch has collected $1.3 million of the $5.5 million pledged. Several large donors were waiting for the vote before sending their pledges, so church leaders are confident the $2 million mark can be reached by the end of the year.
The new Family Life Center will be a two-story building on the Dixon Lane property at the south end of the Trietsch campus. The current small church building will be removed, and Upward sports fields will be placed at the southernmost portion of the property. The Family Life Center is to be situated on the land nearest the current Trietsch church building.
H&H Architects also took the placement of the Veterans Memorial Plaza into consideration in the building’s design, and someone at Trietsch will be able to see through the open plan of the Family Life Center to the Veterans Memorial Plaza on the west.
Among the highlights of the Family Life Center are the large multi-use area with state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment for worship services and stage productions. It will also function as a full-size gymnasium, and could be set up with tables for all-church fellowship meals.
The building will also feature a youth fellowship area with games on the second floor. Office space for the youth staff is nearby.
Two sports fields are included in the plans, and Upward soccer, flag football and cheerleading will be able to continue to grow and pull in families that don’t have a church home. The facility has storage space for all the sports ministries needs and office space for its staff.
On each of the two floors, there are six classrooms separated by heavy-duty room dividers that will block sound while in use. When moved, the space can be set up in many configurations.
As Senior Pastor John Allen said, “This building gives us great capacity to feed His children, His people. We are the church.”
United Methodist Church story on "Theology of Twitter" series
Click on the followng link to view the complete story from the United Methodist Church on the series "Theology of Twitter" about the church being the ultimate social network. CLICK HERE.
The CW, Channel 33 covered the sermon series "The Theology of Twitter" on May 24. The broadcast was picked up on affiliates around the country, CNN, ABC, Dallas Morning News and dozens of other sources. The Fox national morning show, FOX & Friends also covered the story which will air the week of June 1. Fox 4 News locally covered the series on May 31, which was broadcasted on all three newscasts that day. Following is the original press release about the series and then the Channel 33 and Fox 4 coverage follows.
Beginning May 17, Dr. John Allen will begin a three-part series about “Theology of Twitter,” at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound. As part of the series, Dr. Allen is encouraging everyone to follow his daily thoughts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jallenjr.
Social networking is all the rage these days, with over two-thirds of the global online population visiting these “member communities” – a percentage that puts it ahead of personal email, according to the Neilsen Company’s March report.*
But what accounts for the dynamic growth of Twitter and Facebook? Simply put, people don’t want to be alone; they want to be connected to other people, and online communities are an easy way to do it.
“There is interdependence among people, a need for each other,” Dr. Allen said. “The church is called to be the ultimate social network.” In the series, Dr. Allen will address the role the church should play in connecting people to each other; how there is unity in diversity, based on the scripture in 1 Corinthians 12.
Trietsch exists with a three-fold agenda – to come, to grow and to serve together. The church should not be just about coming together for weekly worship, but about growing together in community and in faith, and in serving together to help those in need. Our mission is “To know Christ and to make Christ known.”
Dr. Allen will also address the backlash against Twitter and Facebook, which is in many ways the same complaints people have against the church. That those involved are narcissistic and only concerned about themselves. The one element that separates the narcissistic from the true community is love, based on 1 Corinthians 13. If you care about your followers on Twitter and your friends on Facebook, you no longer are acting out of selfishness but out of genuine affection.
In the final week of the series, which is Pentecost (the celebration of the church’s beginning), Dr. Allen will issue a call to action based on Acts 2 to move community from the virtual to the real, from just being involved in online communities to finding community in the church. He will also talk about ways the church can use social networking sites to take care of each other.
One Trietsch member recalls posting on Facebook having to make a midnight run to the emergency room, and how within seconds had almost a dozen replies from members of his online community with offers of help and prayers.
We encourage you to join us for this insightful and inspiring series about “The Theology of Twitter,” from May 17 to May 31 at all three worship services – 8 a.m. traditional, 9:30 a.m. contemporary, and 11 a.m. traditional.
Trietsch is located at 6101 Morriss Road, Flower Mound, Texas, 75028. You can find out more about Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church ministries at www.tmumc.org or by calling 972-539-8547.
Len Wilson is listening. But he's also tweeting tidbits about the morning service at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound. Len Wilson says, "People look to social networks to find community. Our point is for the church to be the ultimate social network, the place to find community."
It's part of a 3 week sermon series called the Theology of Twitter. It's designed to get congregation members to better connect with family, friends, the community and church.
Pastor John Allen says, "Our world doesn't operate one hour a week or one day like it used to. The world is 24-7. We've got to use whatever means as a church to be 24-7 for each other."
Today, week 2, was about love. Pastor Allen asked every one to get out their phones and text someone. "Let them know you care about them and want to connect with them."
Several members told us the gratification was as immediate as the message sent. Church member Pam Taylor says, "I just kind of really got on twitter a few weeks ago, so it was new to me. But it was fun."
Youth Minister Kris Melvin was new to Facebook. Some of his teens helped him set up an account. Now he returns the favor readings theirs. Kris Melvin says, "A lot of times they share what's going on in their daily lives and what happens is if they're struggling with something, I call them I text them."
Other members told us this use of social networking sites feels natural. After all, we use our phones and computers for everything else. Kristi Webb says, "We need to use today's technology to do more to help others." Pastor Allen realizes this might be difficult for some people, especially older members of the congregation, but he's encouraging everyone to try. He says it's not really about Facebook or Twitter or whatever, but all about the message.
FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Changing technology is finding its way into north Texas churches. One house of worship, Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound, is now urging the congregation to "Tweet" during Sunday service. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has the story.
