October 29th, 2026
by Brad Banks
by Brad Banks
Dear Trinity family,
I was talking with a friend the other day who moved here recently from Europe and thus their family is about to experience their first trick-or-treating this Saturday. It's easy to forget that dressing up and going door-to-door (or to the town square) is largely, and practically exclusively, a North American thing.
But that got me thinking about how we never really talk about what else took place on October 31st. In the year 1517, a priest by the name of Martin Luther posted his rather lengthy complaint to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, and as a result the Reformation was born. Without his act of protest, I don't know if TBC would be here today. If you think of it, maybe eat some candy or dessert in celebration.
Interestingly, he wasn't trying to start anything new. What Luther wanted was to reform the Church that there was as opposed to founding something different, but God had something else in mind. The process was very messy and even resulted in the loss of quite a few lives, but the Lord used it to bring us to where we are today which I believe is far healthier and far more in line with what is taught in Scripture.
We tend to resist making a mess of things, but how often does God show us Himself in the midst of the mess and bring us to the other side where we see Him far more clearly than if we hadn't made a mess in the first place.
Also, as we head into November keep the following events in mind:
Lastly, many of you have brought it to my attention that our hacker is at it again sending emails pretending to be me asking for the favor of purchasing gift cards. This is a scam. Please just ignore him and know that I will NEVER email you asking you to buy something for me. In the words of Taylor Swift, NEVER EVER EVER.
God bless and I hope to see you this Sunday when we'll be in 1 Samuel 11-12.
In Christ
Pastor Brad
I was talking with a friend the other day who moved here recently from Europe and thus their family is about to experience their first trick-or-treating this Saturday. It's easy to forget that dressing up and going door-to-door (or to the town square) is largely, and practically exclusively, a North American thing.
But that got me thinking about how we never really talk about what else took place on October 31st. In the year 1517, a priest by the name of Martin Luther posted his rather lengthy complaint to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, and as a result the Reformation was born. Without his act of protest, I don't know if TBC would be here today. If you think of it, maybe eat some candy or dessert in celebration.
Interestingly, he wasn't trying to start anything new. What Luther wanted was to reform the Church that there was as opposed to founding something different, but God had something else in mind. The process was very messy and even resulted in the loss of quite a few lives, but the Lord used it to bring us to where we are today which I believe is far healthier and far more in line with what is taught in Scripture.
We tend to resist making a mess of things, but how often does God show us Himself in the midst of the mess and bring us to the other side where we see Him far more clearly than if we hadn't made a mess in the first place.
Also, as we head into November keep the following events in mind:
- Youth Group - Sunday, November 8th @ 4:00 @ the church
- Advent Workshop & Pie Baking Contest - Saturday, November 21st @ 5:30 @ the church (this is for the whole family)
- Christmas Choir Rehearsal's Begin - Sunday, November 15th after worship in the sanctuary
Lastly, many of you have brought it to my attention that our hacker is at it again sending emails pretending to be me asking for the favor of purchasing gift cards. This is a scam. Please just ignore him and know that I will NEVER email you asking you to buy something for me. In the words of Taylor Swift, NEVER EVER EVER.
God bless and I hope to see you this Sunday when we'll be in 1 Samuel 11-12.
In Christ
Pastor Brad
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