CarrolltonTLC

03/21/2026

From the Pastor, April 2026

As I write this article, the addition to our house is almost complete. There are just a few things left before it is finished and we can move our bedroom downstairs to our new room, as well as move our washer and dryer to the new laundry room from the basement. It has been a long process. It will be so good when it is finally finished.

I imagine as the people of the Exodus neared the promised land, they were anxious and so ready to cross the river and go home. They had been through a lot in their long history since their ancestors moved to Egypt to escape a severe drought. At first the people of God were welcomed by the Egyptians. As time wore on, the hospitality of the hosts of the land grew tired of the people of God. There then came a ruler who decided the foreigners needed to be enslaved, and so they lived many years in slavery.

I imagine as time wore on, the older generations of Israel began to hope for the day in which they could return to the land of their ancestors — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. At the same time, I can see younger generations considering the hopes of the older ones as mere dreams/fantasies. They could only see the misery of their lives and saw no way to get out of their situation. They felt trapped. Eventually, they remembered God, and cried out to God for deliverance. God heard and responded by providing a new leader — Moses.

The eventual voyage out of Egypt and slavery did happen. The journey the people had to make, following Moses, was long and arduous. No one expected the trip to take years instead of days. They were tested during that long journey. Sometimes they lost it, got upset with Moses and God, and even thought of returning to Egypt. Yet through it all God never wavered in caring and providing for the people. God also had to teach them a lesson and disciplined them at times, as any parent has to do to their misbehaving children. The journey finally came to an end and a new life in the promised land began. God brought them home.

The journey through life is similar. We, like those people of the Exodus, have our moments of grumbling, complaining, getting angry at God and His representatives, and disobedience. Through whatever we experience, God is with us. As we go through this Easter season, may we remember that we are not alone. No matter how long our journeys take, one day we will finally go home to an eternal home/a new promise. We will be welcomed by God and Christ ready to wrap their loving arms around us. On that day, a new part of life will begin. As I have had to be reminded during this build at our home, so must we all be patient. The day will come in due time. Peace, Pr A

03/08/2026

Palm Sunday Service is March 29TH
Baptism of Macey Elizabeth Walters

Maundy Thursday Service will be April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity-Carrollton

Good Friday Service will be April 3rd at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity-Magnolia

Easter Sunday April 5th

03/08/2026

Easter Flowers

It is time to order flowers for Easter. Cost this year will be $9 for Lilies and
$8.50 for tulips and hyacinths. Please try to have your order to Jewel Gallon
by Sunday, March 15th. Order blanks will be available in the Narthex.

03/08/2026

March Cause of the Month….
In Honor of Neva and all others dedicated to music in our Church. Bell-Herron Scholarship Fund/Music Students.

03/08/2026

Greeters and Lectors………….
We just wanted to remind everyone that every Sunday our communion service needs greeters and lectors. Every other month a sign-up sheet is sent around the congregation for everyone to sign up. If this has missed you, you are able to find the sign-up sheet in the Narthex bulletin board. Please consider signing up. Thank you and have a blessed day!

03/08/2026

Thrivent Members have you directed your Choice Dollars yet? Last year Trinity received $1350 from Choice Dollars thanks to our members taking a few minutes out of their day to either go online or call to designate their Choice Dollars to our Church.
Please take a few minutes and designate your Choice Dollars before the deadline of March 31st.
You can go online at www.thrivent.com and choose “choice dollars” or call 1-800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” at the prompt.
Thank you in advance for remembering our church.

Plan your finances for the people, causes and community you love.

03/08/2026

From the Pastor, March 2026

In recent weeks, Victoria and I have been watching some tv shows that showcase the Philippines, Hawai’i, and places I had been to in the Navy. A feeling of warmth and nostalgia filled us. We remember the good times we had in those places, and we miss being there. Just imagining that we were blessed to have been able to go to so many places, see so many things, and experience so much in our lifetime sometimes seems unreal. Yet, those memories are real, and we were really in those places.

Victoria came from a small island in a country clear around the world. I came from a simple town here in NE Ohio. I certainly never imagined my life would turn out as it has. I didn’t expect, when I was younger, to travel as much as I have nor any of the experiences I’ve had. Victoria had her dreams growing up. She was able to go to Manilla to go to college, get her degree, and work in several churches. When the opportunity arose for her to get a Masters degree in the US, she applied and was blessed to be accepted. She probably never expected that I would come along and throw a little twist into her plans. Nor did I expect her to do the same for me. I am glad we did meet — 35 1/2years later we have a nice home, 2 grown, beautiful, talented, educated daughters, and are preparing for the next stage of life.

God’s blessings are amazing. God surprises us when we least expect it and also provides us with opportunities we never thought possible. We are capable of doing so much more than we think. We are the instruments God says He needs at given times in given places. At the same time serving God, God takes us to places that were so much out of our reach or so we thought.

This year, the world is full of uncertainties. What is certain is God’s love for us and what God wants to do for us. In the midst of chaos there is calm. In the midst of “noise” there is peace. In the midst of hopelessness is true and lasting hope. In the midst of despair is joy. In the midst of it all is God in Christ. They are the ones in control. They know what they are doing.

May we remember this year that even when things seem crazy and out of control, God is there. When we don’t think we accomplish certain things, God has already set a plan in motion to help us achieve the completion of those things and goals. God doesn’t leave us hanging. We are the children of God, and that is saying a lot.

God’s peace and blessings be with you this year & in the years to come, Pr A

01/23/2026

From the Pastor, Feb. 2026
When I was younger, I had a small collection of models I had put together. The collection included trucks, planes, and starships. Over time, something happened to that collection, and no longer have it. I both enjoy and get frustrated with model building. I have tried to get back into it after being gone from it for a while. I have started another small collection. We’ll see how much I can grow it.
As I finished 2 small models and just received a 3rd, I began thinking how model-making and doing puzzles are similar. Both take time, effort, patience, and endurance to accomplish the task at hand. How much one gives of oneself into the project depends on how meaningful the project is to the builder. The level of difficulty also depends on the builder. A model or puzzle with a few pieces and not requiring much effort may take only a few minutes, whereas ones with many pieces will take longer — maybe even days. Once put together, the question is, “What’s next?” Does one keep the project together to display? Does one give the model to another as a gift? Does one tear the puzzle apart to do it again at a later date? Will another puzzle be put together or a model built? Each depends upon the person involved.
This month is traditionally known as the “Month of Love” due to the celebration and commemoration of St. Valentine’s Day — the day for lovers. This year, it takes on a special meaning since the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, only 4 days after Valentine’s Day. Love to and from one another and love to and from God, happening only a few days apart. How’s that for timing?
Love, as a whole, can be exciting, enjoyable, and frustrating all at once. Love involves affection, gentleness, kindness, caring, patience, among some other qualities. We can both look forward to it, as well as be afraid of it. We can be accepting of the opportunity/challenge, or we can try to run away from or hide from it. It depends on what’s going on inside ourselves at the time. It depends upon where we are in our own lives.
Puzzles, models, and love don’t always fit together nicely and smoothly. Sometimes each there are “pieces” that take a little work/effort, time, and patience, as well as persistence. Eventually, with enough of “this and that,” things begin to come together and fit into the places they were meant to be, even if not in the prettiest way. Eventually, things begin to make sense. Eventually, one can treasure the accomplishments/work put into the project and enjoy the end product.

Over time, one may look at the model or puzzle and wonder if there was something more or different that could have been done to make it better. Sometimes, one may wonder whether there was something more I could/should have done in my relationship to strengthen the love that is/was there. Second-guessing is always with us — how we deal with it tells how we move forward. Do we regret the process or the end product and never want to do it again, or do we keep going with the next? Do we decide our relationship(s) are too much to handle and run away? Do we acknowledge that, yes, there have been some difficult times, for whatever reason, in our relationship(s) and decide to continue to work to heal those that were cracked, torn, or broken because they are too important for us to give up on or run away from?
God has probably gone through such ups and downs throughout the centuries, especially after casting us out of the Garden. God may have had 2nd thoughts throughout human history. We have not made it easy for God, and still don’t. Yet, God has never wavered. God has never shrunken back from or abandoned us. God and God’s love for us have remained consistent. Shouldn’t our love for God and each other be the same? Isn’t each love important to us? Isn’t each worth our time, effort, patience, and persistence? I believe so!
May the love of God shine in and through each of you this year. Peace, Pr A

05/09/2023

This Week(s) at Trinity:

6th Sunday
of Easter: Communion Service 11:00 am
(5/14)

Thursday: Planting Day 5:00 pm
(5/18)

7th Sunday
of Easter: Communion Service 11:00 am
(5/21) *Vestry Mtg after service

Day of
Pentecost: Communion Service 11:00 am
(5/28)

1st Sunday
After Pentecost: Communion Service 11:00 am
(6/4)

05/09/2023

Greeters and Lectors………….

We just wanted to remind everyone that every Sunday our communion service needs greeters and lectors. Every other month a sign-up sheet is sent around the congregation for everyone to sign up. If this has missed you, you are able to find the sign-up sheet in the Narthex bulletin board. Please consider signing up. Thank you and have a blessed day!

05/09/2023

May Cause of the Month:


Community Hospice is a community based, non-profit organization that has provided end-of-life care and support for patients and their families in their time of need for over 30 years. Since opening our doors in 1986, Community Hospice staff and dedicated volunteers strive to fulfill the hospice mission on a daily basis by assisting with direct and indirect patient and family care. Our service area includes Tuscarawas, Stark, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Holmes and surrounding counties. To date, we have had the privilege of serving over 14,500 patients and families in our local hospice, palliative and bereavement care programs.