S
eek God, S
erve Others,
S
hare Life
Sunday Worship at 10am!
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Upcoming Church Events
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Sundays 9:00 am Sunday School - All Ages
10:00 am Worship Service of Holy Communion
Tuesdays 10:00 am Ladies' Bible Study
Wednesdays 10:00 am Knitting in the Narthex
5:00 pm WEB Meal
6:00 pm Cherub Choir
6:30 pm Confirmation Class
Thursdays 1:30 pm Women's Bible Study
Fridays 6:30 am Men's Bible Study
about upcoming events.
February Calendar
| 3 Sat |
8:00 am
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Transformational Ministry 2.0 (T2) Retreat |
| 4 Sun |
11:15 am
5:00 pm |
Souper Bowl of Caring
Food First Sunday
Executive Committee Meeting
SLY Super Bowl Party |
| 10 Sat |
9:00 am
5:00 pm |
Illusion of Race Workshop
Adult Potluck & Movie (War Room) |
| 11 Sun |
11:15 am
11:30 am
3:00 pm |
Transfiguration of Our Lord Sunday
All Sly Winter Olympics
Worship Committee Meeting
Girl Scouts Troop 13778
Family Promise Hosting - through Feb. 18 |
| 12 Mon |
2:00 pm
7:00 pm |
Grace Healthcare Birthday Party
Church Council Meeting |
| 13 Tue |
12:00 pm
6:30 pm
6:30 pm |
Stephen Ministry Peer Supervision
Family Promise Coordinators Meeting
Mutual Ministry Meeting |
| 14 Wed |
12:00 pm
7:00 pm |
Ash Wednesday Service
Ash Wednesday Service |
| 16 Fri |
5:00 pm |
Sr. SLY Serve Family Promise |
18 Sun
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3:00 pm |
More Than A Meal |
| 19 Mon |
6:30 pm |
Worship Committee Meeting |
| 21 Wed |
7:00 pm
7:20 pm |
Lenten Service of the Word
Choir Rehearsal |
| 25 Sun |
11:30 am
3:00 pm
3:00 pm |
McGhee Baby Shower
Toni Robinson Installation - Peace Lutheran
Girl Scouts Troop 13778 |
| 28 Wed |
7:00 pm
7:20 pm |
Lenten Taize Service
Choir Rehearsal |
Mar 4
Sun |
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LifeBlood Blood Drive |
Sunday, Feb. 4:
SOUPER BOWL OF CARING!
Help MIFA with their Meals on Wheels program for the homebound by dropping your coins (or bills!) in the Soup Pot this Sunday.
FOOD FIRST SUNDAY!
Please bring non-perishable items (meat, soups, vegetables, fruit, peanut butter, cereal) for our St. Luke Food Pantry this Sunday.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Sunday we will receive new members who completed the Membership 101 class on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Welcome!
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A Message From Our Pastor
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Dear St. Luke Saints,
February at St. Luke offers us opportunities to grow and mature in our faith. We will have an in-depth discussion on Race, begin the Transformational Ministry process and start our Lenten journey.
What is this thing called race?
Race -- The Power of an Illusion
is based on a  provocative three-hour video series that questions the very idea of race as biology. If race is a biological myth, where did the idea come from? Are we open to challenge many long and deeply held assumptions? Is it safe to talk about race? Can we end racism? Join us as we, a people of faith, examine these important questions in our society.
All are invited to attend this seminar. We will meet at St. Luke on Saturday, February 10, start at 9am and end by 4pm. Lunch will be provided for all in attendance. Cathy Crimi and I will be the presenters and facilitate the discussions. Please join us and invite a friend to attend.
Transformational Ministry is a program designed by the ELCA and Southeastern Synod to lead Lutheran congregations to growth and vitality. St. Luke is a healthy congregation, but we are not all that God is calling us to be. We have lost some of the vitality of a new congregation. We risk becoming disconnected from the communities around us. In February we begin a two year process of discernment. We will be asking you for guidance, ideas and prayers as begin this process. Our first team meeting will be held on Saturday, February 3, 8am - 4pm. We will join with Living Word, Epiphany and Peace Lutheran churches in this discussion. The St. Luke Church Council has designated resources for this process. Our congregation voted at our last congregational meeting to engage in this process. Your participation will be needed in the coming months.
The season of Epiphany is quickly coming to an end. Ash Wednesday will soon be upon us. This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 14. What a cruel joke to have Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day on the same day. Chocolates and Ashes do not go together. Maybe this can be reminder that death and love are both part of our lives. We need to pause and acknowledge both. Both are part of who we are as humans. A life is not fully lived without love, as we consider our death, let us recommit to love God, love ourselves and love our neighbor.
Our Lenten devotional books are available in the narthex. "LIVING WELL through Lent 2018 --Loving With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind" includes daily readings and journal entries. Lent is a time for introspection and self- reflection, a time to reflect on the core of what it means to live a Christian life. For people of faith, love is not an abstract or feel-good concept, but an urgent call to radically incarnate love in how we relate to God, our neighbor and ourselves. Please join in the study and reflection this season of lent. A small group leader's guide is available for Lenten small groups using this resource.
As we continue the journey before us, consider this prayer by Chaplain Mychal Judge who died on 9/11/2011,
Lord, take me where You want me to go,
Let me meet who You want me to meet,
Tell me what You want me to say,
And, keep me out of Your way.
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A Message From Our Council President
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Dear St. Luke Saints,
I hope this finds everyone enjoying a peaceful start to 2018. This promises to be an eventful year for St. Luke and Memphis as we commemorate the 50
th
anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination at the Lorraine Motel while fighting for equality for all people. It is a struggle that we unfortunately still find with us today. One of the first events that we have an opportunity to participate in is on Feb 10. St Luke will host the Illusion of Race Workshop. Pastor Cliff and Cathi Crimi, the chairperson of the Southeastern Synod Anti-Racism Task Force, will lead the video presentations and discussion addressing questions concerning what is "Race".
I am not sure where the workshop will be held, but if it is in the CFC, we know everyone will be warm. We thank Bill Frye for once again ensuring that our largest financial asset remains in excellent condition. Bill led the process to replace the heating/cooling unit in CFC in January. As always, we thank Bill for his love of St. Luke and the passion he has for the Property Ministry.
Likewise, the Saints will be cozy as we enjoy our first Fellowship event of the year as we enjoy pizza and the movie "War Room" by the Kendrick brothers. This will be an adult-only, BYOB event. I suggest that you also bring a box of tissues as this movie will evoke the full range of emotions. I encourage everyone to attend and enjoy the evening with your Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
For the next two years we will embark on a journey with our fellow Memphis ELCA churches termed Transformation Ministry 2.0, or T2 for short. Led by our Synod, this promises to be a deep dive into everything that we are and are not as a Christian community. It is our hope that this two-year long process will further align us with God's will for us to reach beyond ourselves to those searching for the love and peace that only Jesus Christ can offer us. We all know that this is alive and well at St. Luke and we will be learning new and exciting ways to share Him with those beyond our walls.
Our Family Promise guests will be staying at St. Luke from Sunday, February 11 through Sunday, February 18. This is an opportunity for us to be part of the solution to end the chronic problem of homelessness in our city. Please join your fellow Saints as we show Christ's love to our guests by serving during this week. No one should be without the basic needs of food and shelter and we have the chance to help our families obtain these as they transition into permanent housing.
I am excited to serve as your council president. I pray that the Lord leads all of us to a deeper relationship with Him by loving, serving and worshiping Him at St. Luke.
Peace,
Jim Allay
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ELCA News
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From the ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ
Greetings in the name of Christ!
When we began our work in 2012, we were charged to foster church dialogue around issues of sexism. We had no idea those issues would be dominating the headlines when we scheduled the publication of the "Draft Social Statement on Women and Justice" for 2018! We invite you to join this timely conversation about the draft because we need the voices of everyone from across our church.
How can you join the conversation?
You can read the draft and respond. Just as talking together has helped our task force to think about these issues, we encourage you to get together with a group. You also may choose to attend a hearing in your synod.
Click here to learn more about all of these options. The comment period is open through Sept. 30, 2018.
What will you find in the draft?
Among many important theological themes, the draft stands upon the Lutheran emphasis that we are justified by grace through faith. It explores how this marvelous gift urges, even empowers, us to challenge the structures of patriarchy and sexism because they prevent all people from living the abundant lives God intends.
Some of the issues the draft explores include:
- how Lutherans understand Scripture;
- restricted access to health care and economic resources;
- objectifying portrayals of women and girls in the media and popular culture; and
- gender-based violence.
It has been an immensely humbling and gratifying experience to be part of the Task Force on Women and Justice. We invite you to the table as the Spirit moves you. We invite you to be a part of advancing this social statement process and to contribute to what will be a living guide for our church.
Yours in Christ,
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The Rev. Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld
Intentional Interim Pastor, Wisconsin
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Professor Brad Wendel
Cornell University School of Law
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Worship Ministry
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 2018 Lenten Journey
Join with your fellow St. Luke Saints on our Lenten Journey.
We will gather for the imposition of Ashes, and Holy Communion on Ash Wednesday.
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