Groups & Ministry | Holy Trinity Lutheran - Chapel Hill

MINISTRY
Here at HTLC we are continually providing opportunities to learn and grown in faith through Bible Study, Groups, Lectures, Hosting Podcast and Events.

Faith Formation Information

Each week we meet for Faith Formation on Sunday morning from 9:45-10:40am. You're welcome to join us for Luther's Cafe in the Reception Hall first to get a snack and then head to class. Below are the options for Fall 2026-

Godly Play (Classroom 1) is for 3 year olds (by Sept. 1, 2026)-1st graders. Children learn bible stories and interact with the story through play.

Godly Adventures (Classroom 3) is for 2nd-5th graders. This group uses some of the Godly Play stories but go into more depth with the story and interaction with the stories. On the 4th Sunday of the month, this class turns into the KOOL Club where the youth engage with a topic, do art, and sometimes cook!

Confirmation Class (Youth Room) is for 6th-8th graders where they learn more about the Lutheran faith, the Small Catechism, Martin Luther, and other faiths.

High School Class (Conference Room this Sunday) meets once a month for breakfast on Franklin Street and discussion. Youth are encouraged to watch in the youth newsletter for dates when they're meeting.

Adult Forum (Community Room downstairs) meets for topical classes and conversation. Sept. 13th- Oct. 11th (no class on Oct. 4th for outdoor worship and picnic) the group will be led by Pr. Will as they discuss the summer reading book “When God became White.” You don’t have to have read the book to join the class!

Adult Bible Study (Worship Center Conference Room) meets each week to dive deep into various books of the Bible. Currently they are studying the book of John.

Women’s Book Discussion meets each Wednesday at noon via Google Meet for discussion (please find the link in the Sunday email).

The Men’s Breakfast Group meeting via Zoom on Tuesday & Thursday mornings at 8:00 am. (Please find link in the Sunday email)

The youth of Holy Trinity are encouraged to be an integral part of the entire ministry of Holy Trinity. Youth Ministries allows time set apart for the youth to interact with peers, have fun together, grow in faith, and reach out and be active members in the church and community.

*Sunday School will resume September 13, 2026*

Confirmation Ministry

Confirmation ministry at Holy Trinity is a three-year program in order for students to have a more comprehensive learning experience. Sixth – eighth graders are in one class together meeting on Sunday mornings. We use a university model of core course and electives. Through Discipleship University, youth will be able to pick and choose core courses and electives that fit their schedule and interests.

Godly Play Sunday School

Children ages 3 years - 1st Graders learn Bible stories and about our liturgical calendar through the Godly Play curriculum. Children hear and watch a story told by one of our Sunday School teachers and then engage the story through retelling, art work, Bible reading, and play.

Godly Adventures Sunday School

Children 2nd through 5th graders are welcome. They use a combination of Godly Play stories and age appropriate styles of learning with crafts, games, and cooking mixed in. This class meets on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour in Classroom 2 upstairs in the Ministry Center.

KOOL Club (Kids of our Lord)

Kool Club is for 2nd through 5th grades and meets once a month during the Sunday School hour for a lesson, games, snacks, and sometimes crafts.

Music Camp

Music Camp is held each summer (this year it is August 4-10, 2025) for K-5th grades. The children practice for a musical during the week and perform the musical on Sunday for worship. During the day they engage in singing, practicing the play, making props, crafts, Bible stories, games, lunch and snacks. (Please see the Music Camp flier under "Music" for more information).

High School Sunday School

High School Youth go to breakfast once a month with youth advisors and have topical discussions. Information is in the weekly Youth email!

Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry is for 6th-12th grades and meets several times a month. The group usually meets in the Youth Room on Sunday evenings for topical discussion, devotions, games, movies, and dinners. They also go off campus for activities like Frankie's Fun Park, ice skating, escape rooms, and weekend retreats. The youth usually have four retreats per year- an August Fall planning beach trip, January ski trip, February Lutheran Youth Organization weekend, and a Memorial Weekend mountain trip. Some youth also attend summer church camp and every three years we attend the ELCA Youth Gathering for high school students.

For more information contact Deacon Holly Shipley, Minister of Discipleship (hshipley@holytrinitychapelhill.org).

All are Welcome, regardless of musical background.

Adult Choir

The Adult Choir (SATB) rehearses each Wednesday 7:00-8:15pm. This group sings most Sundays, alternating between the 8:30 and 11:00 services. All are welcome to join, regardless of musical background and availability.

Handbell Choir

HTLC has a 3-octave set of handbells. We currently have one handbell choir that rehearses Tuesdays 7:00-8:00 in the conference room of the worship center.

Instrumentalists
A group of instrumentalists (currently piano, guitar, bass, percussion, and saxophone) leads the 8:30 worship services. New instruments would be welcome in that mix. There is also a small group of singers that offers prelude and offering music at that service along with the instrumentalists. They rehearse on Saturday mornings.

For More Information contact Megan Mash, Director of Music.

We are named and find our baptismal identity in the belief that God is one God revealed in three persons. All are called to enter into this life giving dance and eternal love flowing with and through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These blogs are reflections about how we understand God, how we put our faith in the Triune God into action, and how we live as a community of disciples.

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"We must reject calls for color blindness. That diminishes and washes out God's gift of diversity. We should be color amazed, recognizing the strength that comes with all our many colors. God as creator made all of us in God's image."
- Rev Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop ELCA

Mission

As a congregation, we stand for “Loving God, Loving Neighbor.”
We are a church that belongs to Christ, where there is a place for everyone.

This is the “mission and vision” of Holy Trinity’s Racial and Social Justice Ministry Team. We understand this to be a living and working document where there is room and space for this to evolve, learn and grow. The Racial and Social Justice Ministry Team meets monthly to plan upcoming opportunities for the congregation to deepen our understanding of important justice issues. Contact Sally Bond, the committee's facilitator, if you are interested in participating.

Mission (Who We Are)
As a congregation, we stand for “Loving God, Loving Neighbor.” We are a church that belongs to Christ, where there is a place for everyone. As such, the Racial and Social Justice

Ministry Team commits to:

growing in our understanding of systemic racism and its consequences;
confronting racism in ourselves, our congregation and our world;
becoming anti-racist;
witnessing and leading change within and beyond our congregation;
advocating for justice and fairness for all people.

We have taken our lead on this Mission Statement from the ELCA’s Social Statement: Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture (1993).

Vision (Where We Are Going): The vision of the HTLC Racial and Social Justice Ministry Team includes:

A safe, courageous and inclusive community where all are welcome and valued;
Sponsorship of ongoing educational forums leading to greater understanding of race and culture;
Sharing in service, music, fellowship and food with sister and brother Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) congregations;
Individual introspection and communal discussion;
Involvement in community action which challenges and changes underlying structures that support an unjust status quo, disenfranchisement, and privilege.

To become a part of the conversation, contact Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

RESOURCES:

The Holy Trinity Library has a wide variety of books on racial and social justice issues. Simply take a book and return it when you are able. The library is in the conference room of the new building.
"Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigration Justice" was studied in Sunday School and is an excellent resource for all concerned about this topic. This outline highlights the topics covered in this important book.
Resources to address immigration issues highlights how concerned Christians can address the needs of immigrants locally and across the country. See how you can make a difference.

For more resources go to ELCA Racial Justice Ministries

The mission of HTLC’s Outreach Ministry is to reflect Christ beyond our own doors. In doing so, the Outreach Ministry Team seeks to raise awareness about the needs of others and provide opportunities for congregation members to do God’s work with their own hands. We also strive to be socially responsible in allocating our budget funds to support both local and global charities.

Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day

We honor the extraordinary example of Dr. King by initiating a service project each January. In 2018 and 2017 the Outreach Ministry Team and Quilting Ministry sponsored “no-sew” blanket projects to benefit local refugee families and critically ill children. In 2016 Outreach joined with Womenship to collect four carloads of clothing for Dress For Success. Other past projects include a winter coat collection and the hosting of a Red Cross blood drive.

CROP Hunger Walk

The Chapel Hill/Carrboro CROP Hunger Walk supports hunger relief efforts globally and locally. Holy Trinity has long been a sponsor of this event. In both 2017 and 2016, we fielded a team of 30+ people to walk four miles, raising $5,000+ each year to help stop hunger “one step at a time.”

Project 5000

Project 5000 is inspired by the miracle in which Jesus fed 5,000 followers with five loaves and two fish. Every February, we fill 100 boxes with nonperishable food to benefit needy families through the Inter-Faith Council Food Pantry.

Lenten & Advent Offerings

Each year, the Outreach Ministry chooses a charitable recipient for the Lenten and Advent service offerings. In 2018 our Lenten offering will go to Lutheran Services Carolinas. In 2016–17, the beneficiaries were Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services.

Special Collections

The Outreach Ministry Team regularly appeals to the congregation for school supplies, gently used toys and and books, craft materials, and other supplies for local groups in need. Beneficiaries include local schools; community groups such as KidSCope, which uses our facility for childcare classes; pet shelters; and prison ministries.

Giving Tree

The annual Giving Tree provides us with an opportunity to share the giving spirit of Christmas by fulfilling the wish lists of local needy children. In both 2017 and 2016 the congregation donated more than 150 gifts to benefit 10 Orange County families, in addition to 88 Food Lion/Wal-Mart gift cards to provide food over the holiday break.

Gods Work, Our Hands Sunday

The Ministry Team proudly leads projects each year to celebrate the ELCA’s God’s Work Our Hands Sunday. In 2017 one group of church volunteers worked at the Transplanting Traditions Community Farm, while another cleaned up Umstead Park. In 2016 we gathered approximately 100 volunteers to pack 17,712 meals with Stop Hunger Now (since renamed Rise Against Hunger) for global distribution. In 2015 we offered three opportunities: One group made casseroles to benefit the local community kitchen, another put together hygiene kits for a homeless shelter, and another cleaned up the trash-strewn park behind a public housing unit.

Food for Schools & Grocery Cards

Through PORCH, we are sponsoring $500 worth of healthy snacks at Smith Middle School for the 2017–18 year. Through both the Outreach Ministry budget and direct appeals to the congregation, we annually collect grocery store gift cards for local families enrolled in the free lunch program at public schools. These cards help cover the cost of groceries during school breaks; we distribute them in May and in December with a value of $1,000+ each time.

In need of a Stephen Minister? Contact either Pastor Will Rose or Pastor Katie Elkin Ziehr.

WHAT IS STEPHEN MINISTRY?
Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.

WHAT ARE STEPHEN MINISTERS?

Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour.

WHAT ARE CARE RECEIVERS?
Care receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A CARING RELATIONSHIP?

Your meetings with your Stephen Minister are CONFIDENTIAL
Men are matched with men and women are matched with women
If your care exceeds what a Stephen Minister can provide, we will help you find the proper professional care or community resource.

We call ourselves "Gather on the Hill."

We commit to creating an intentional community for young adults where we celebrate all identities and welcome everyone to bring their whole selves. We engage in meaningful conversations about justice and equity informed by our faith which transcends denominational boundaries. Embracing a grassroots approach, we empower individuals to contribute to the planning of activities and gatherings, ensuring a diverse, open, and participatory environment for all.

For more information, contact Pastor Katie (ya@holytrinitychapelhill.org).

MINISTRY Here at HTLC we are continually providing opportunities to learn and grown in faith through Bible Study, Groups, Lectures, Hosting Podcast and Events.