The vision statement of Trinity Lutheran Church in Islip reads:

• The commitment to worship will increase each year.
• The church body will actively minister to the needs of the surrounding community with the Gospel message.
• Trained teachers and parents will enable greater numbers of God’s children to hear, learn, and live Biblical truth in church and home.

Trinity Lutheran Church has always worked diligently, spreading God’s message of hope in new and exciting ways.

Their congregation’s commitment to worship continued even after the church doors closed. Various church members read and recorded designated Scripture lessons. Grace Anderson played beautiful music to be used in their virtual worship services. Pr. Staneck provided sermons, broadcast first from inside his home and then eventually in the church building. Rachel Kelly (Office Assistant) and Grace Anderson (Organist) were dubbed, “Trinity’s Production Team” who stepped up, glued all the pieces together, and provided outstanding worship services.

Christian Education continued with Trinity’s DCE, Christopher Boccalupo, completing First Communion and Confirmation classes. His diligence has enabled the students to have the opportunity of receiving their First Communion and making their Confirmation as soon as it can be arranged.

Trinity’s Deacons, Bruce Daly and Deborah Graybosch, as well as Deacon-in-Training Ed Camp, connected with their members by phone and email, strengthening one another and fulfilling needs as they became known.

Yet another of Trinity’s outreach activities was its food pantry.

For more than 30 years, Eileen Shaffer ran Trinity’s pantry, supplying food to the surrounding community. Every Wednesday and Friday, people knew they could visit the church, be warmly welcomed, and receive food. After Eileen lost her fight to cancer this past April, Kris Holvik continued her legacy and began overseeing this great ministry.

Things got a little dicey when the virus reared its ugly head and the church had to close its doors. Trinity had to quickly navigate a new way to continue this outreach even in the midst of a pandemic.

Facebook and outside signage were used to broadcast the food pantry’s needs as well as letting people know the pantry was still operational.

The local school district was contacted, asking if they knew of families who might need food. Church members contacted these families to arrange and food distributions. Congregation members formed teams and made deliveries.

Islip High School students were encouraged to bring food donations when they went to pick up their high school graduation gowns.

St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore also got in on this great outreach by donating bags of bread. There was so much bread, Pr. Staneck had to ask them to slow down their deliveries!

Pastor Staneck said, “It was great seeing so many people volunteer to help in various ways to ensure Trinity’s food pantry outreach continued.”

He added, “Even though everything has changed, I have learned to have patience in times of adversity and to continue to rely on God’s truth. His grace shines forth even through the midst of this storm.”