Dear Trinity Friends:This is one of those times. Here’s my list for this week;
Thank you to all those who participated in worship this week. It was amazing.
Thank you to all of those who continue to give financially to support our shared ministry.
Thank you to all those who participated in the Worship Training after church on Sunday.
Thank you to the Worship Planning Team for your effort presenting this Training Day.
Thank you to Dan Strang without whom many of our events would be foodless.
Thank you God for this ministry to which you have called all of us together.
I want to offer some very practical information here. My electric bill at home increased by nearly 100% this month. With the increase in events at church and with the heat and humidity, our bill increased, too. Several of you have shared with me the difficulty you are having paying increased utility bills, so I’ve done a little research that I’d like to share with you. I hope you find it helpful.
Year 'Round Tips
Provide solar screens for east and west windows. Sunny windows can account for 10% to 25% of your cooling bill by making your air conditioner work two to three times harder.
You can save as much as 10% a year on your utility bill by simply turning your thermostat down during heating season, up during cooling season or off when you leave home for more than two hours.
If buying a new heating and air conditioning system, make sure it is sized properly A properly sized system can save you $600 a year in heating and cooling.
Weatherization and caulking such things as windows and doors can save over 30% of cooling and heating cost
Insulate your water heater to save energy and money. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit you lower the temperature setting, you can reduce your bill 3% to 5%.
Don't use the "rinse hold" on your dishwasher for just a few soiled dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.
Let your dishes air dry. If you don't have an automatic air-dry switch, turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open a little so the dishes will air dry.
About 80% to 85% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes-use less water and use cooler water. Wash clothes in cold water only. Your clothes will be just as clean as using warm or hot water and you'll save money by not heating water to wash clothes. Save energy, water and money.
Check door seals on refrigerators and freezers. Place a dollar bill in the door as you close - if it does not hold firmly, the seal is worn and needs to be replaced. A refrigerator door that does not close tightly will increase heat gain and cause the refrigerator to run more.
Match pan size to element size when cooking. For small pans, use a small burner and for large pans use a large burner. Using the wrong sized element will cause you to use more energy to cook than when the pan size fits the element size.
Use glass or ceramic pans when cooking in ovens. This way your can reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees and your food will cook just as quickly.
Use the garbage disposal sparingly - compost instead and save gallons of water every time.
Clean your dryer's filter after each use.
Check your pool filtering system for debris and leaks.
Check your central air conditioning/ heating system's filter once a month, clean or replace as needed, and maintain the system so it will run longer and not use more energy than necessary.
Make sure your home is properly insulated in order to keep the conditioned ac/heat within the home for a longer period of time.
Install a programmable thermostat, adjust the temperature automatically and maximize energy savings. When cooling, try programming the thermostat to 82° while you are gone in the daytime and return it to 78° two hours before you get home.
Visit the U.S. Department of Energy Saving Tipsfor cost-saving information.
http://www.gru.com/YourHome/Conservation/Energy/energysavers.jsp Last accessed August 23, 2010.
These are exciting times for all of us. With so many offerings, I believe there is a place for every one of us to plug in to a ministry at Trinity MCC. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday’s and all throughout the week. Finally, a special WELCOME BACK to the University of Florida community. GO GATORS.
Bless you!rritt
Pastor
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"Sharing the Message of God's Inclusive Love"
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Dear Trinity Friends:
Did you notice all the good things that were happening at Trinity this past Sunday? Trinity Tribe is in full bloom, we had new trained volunteers in almost every worship role, we had the first meeting of our Pride Team, and the first meeting of our Basic Sign Language class. The good news is that there is room for you in each one of these activities. We would love to see even more children at Trinity Tribe, we need a lot more help with Pride, there’s still time to catch up with Basic Sign Language, and we’ll be training more worship volunteers in a couple of months. Here’s the bottom line; there is a role for every one of us and that includes you. We are sharing the message of God’s inclusive love together and we are having a good time doing it!
Our Stewardship emphasis month is coming soon. Before we get there, I want to say thank you to all of you who give on a regular basis. It is a fact that it takes money for us to do what we do both on our campus and in the community. Many of you share in ministry with us through your gifts, all of which are deeply appreciated. I assure you this campaign will be 100% positive, no shame, no blame, no scare tactics. So let’s all begin praying now about what we can do to help maintain our vital ongoing ministry in the coming year.
Finally for today, let’s all be supporters of peace, inclusion and freedom from acts of spiritual violence in our community. Let’s focus on the good. Let’s enjoy the opportunity to share with sisters and brothers in our area who are walking diverse spiritual paths. We of all people know what it feels like to have acts of spiritual violence perpetrated on us, so let us stand in solidarity with those who are targeted and identified as “other.” That’s part of what it means to live according the “Jesus Guide to Etiquette and Graceful Living.”
Bless you,
Rev. Jim Merritt
Pastor
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MCC Transgender Ministries 
