April 2018 Newsletter

Palm Sunday is Sunday, March 25. We will begin with a procession of palms as we sing All Glory Laud and Honor. This year our children shall lead us into the sanctuary with shouts of Hosanna in the highest! Adult Choir under the direction of Becky Arendt will lead us in a special Palm Sunday song, Hosanna, Hosanna. Marcin Arendt will share a special offertory musical selection.

All are invited to join Holy Week Services at St Luke. Join us as we pray and contemplate the cost of discipleship and God's great love for us.

On Maundy Thursday, 7pm, we remember the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. We receive the absolution of our sins and hear the words of Jesus as he gives us a new commandment to love one another. Jesus' new command is demonstrated in the washing of the disciple's feet. Holy Communion is then celebrated as a gift that Jesus gave to his followers just before his arrest on the Mt. of Olives. Finally we remember Jesus' arrest by stripping the altar in the sanctuary.

Good Friday is the day Jesus died on the cross. It is a day of great sadness, but it is good in that through the cross Jesus delivered salvation to those who believe. Our noon service will be the Biblical Way of the Cross. Together we prayerfully walk in solidarity with Jesus on his agonizing Way of the Cross----from his last torturous moments from the Garden of Gethsemane to his death and burial.

At the heart of the evening service at 7pm is the Passion reading according to John, which celebrates Christ's victory on the cross. As Jesus draws all people to himself, we pray for the whole world for which Christ died. Finally, we honor the cross as the sign of forgiveness, healing, and salvation.

Easter at St Luke will be wonderful! You are invited to

bring flowers for the resurrection cross, as we celebrate our risen savior with music, song, and the sacrament of Holy Communion. Our service times will be 8:00 and 10:00. Both Easter Services will have brass accompanist. Refreshments will be served in the narthex between services. Come and celebrate our Risen Lord at St. Luke this Easter morning.

Remember, St Luke church is a blessing to share!

Invite a friend to Holy Week and Easter morning Services.

____________________________________________________

FOOD FIRST SUNDAY

Please bring non-perishable items (meat, soups, vegetables, fruit, mac 'n cheese, peanut butter, cereal) for our St. Luke Food Pantry this Sunday.

Welcome Visitors!

Join us each Sunday as we gather around Word & Sacrament.

Stop by our visitors table for a free gift.

We have a nursery for your young ones, and coffee and snacks are available in the Narthex.

Weekly Recurring Events:

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

Please refer to the Church Calendar on our webpage for further information

about upcoming events.

March/April Calendar

Mar 24 Sat	11:00 am	Nancy Roman Memorial Service (In St. Louis, MO)
25 Sun	11:15am	PALM SUNDAY All SLY Easter Egg Stuffing
29 Thurs	7:00 pm	MAUNDY THURSDAY Maundy Thursday Service
30 Fri	12:00 pm 7:00 pm	GOOD FRIDAY Service - Stations of the Cross Good Friday Service
31 Sat	10:00 am 10:30 am	Easter Egg Hunt Easter Decorating the Sanctuary
Apr 1 Sun	8:00 am 9:00 am 10:00 am	EASTER SUNDAY Food First Sunday Easter Worship of Holy Communion Refreshments in the Narthex Easter Worship of Holy Communion
2 Mon		Easter Monday - Office Closed
8 Sun	11:15 am 11:15 am	Mid SLY Bowling Exec. Comm. Meeting
9 Mon	2:00 pm 7:00 pm	Grace Healthcare Birthday Party Church Council Meeting
10 Tues	12:00 pm 6:30 pm	Stephen Ministry Peer Supervision Mutual Ministry Meeting
14 Sat	8:00 am 9:00 am	Mulch the Playground Work Day Health Fair (Delta Sigma Theta & St. Luke)
15 Sun	11:15 am 3:00 pm	Worship Committee Meeting More Than A Meal
19-22 Thurs-Sun		Via de Cristo Retreat
22 Sun	9:00 am 11:15 am	First Communion Class Jr. SLY Laser Tag
29 Sun	9:00 am 11:15 am	First Communion Class All SLY Video Scavenger Hunt

Worship Ministry

Worship News

Thank you to everyone for offering to read the Passion on Palm Sunday!

We are blessed by your servant hearts.

Many people have offered their assistance with our Holy Week services to make our journey to Easter meaningful. Maundy Thursday is the time to reflect on Jesus's commandment to love one another. We invite you come and participate in the washing of the feet, partake of Communion as the disciples did with Jesus and spiritually prepare for what wa s to come prior to Christ's glorious resurrection. On Good Friday we read the stations of the cross at noon and in the evening offer our petitions and prayers as we remember that Jesus will triumph from the cross.

On Holy Saturday we wait....

Easter Sunday arrives and once again we have hope! More thanks to all those who are singing, providing special brass music and serving as good stewards for Easter Sunday

We will have a beautiful celebration of the

Resurrection of our Lord.

As of this writing the amazing Saints have filled most of the Good Steward positions for both services on Easter Sunday.   We can still use a Crucifer and Acolyte for both services. For 8 am we need an adult helper for nursery, and a children's sermon provider.    For 10 am we are in need of two communion assistants, and an adult and youth nursery workers. Please call or email Patti if you can help.

May you and your loved ones have a blessed Easter!

The Worship Ministry

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

March 25 Palm Sunday - Reading of the Passion

March 29   Maundy Thursday 7 pm - Communion Service

March 30 Good Friday, 12 noon (Stations of the Cross)

and 7 pm Worship Service

March 31 Holy Saturday - Easter Egg Hunt, 10 am

Worship will prepare the church for Easter after the Egg Hunt

and would appreciate a ny help you can offer.

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES

April

1, 8 am and 10 am

Communion Services

Bring flowers to decorate the cross!

Join us!

St. Luke's annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 31st, at 10:00am!

Invite your family, friends, neighbors,

co-workers, schoolmates, and anyone else you can think of. Everyone is welcome!
Three egg hunting sections sorted

by age groups: 0-3, 4-7, 8-11.

Bring a basket or a container for your eggs!

Time to make more
Memories!!!

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Saint Luke Saints,

I hope you will continue in your blue "Living Well" Lenten Devotional this week. Over the past few weeks we have been challenged in our faith walk in a number of ways. We began with " Giving and Receiving Belovedness ." This was a great way to start. Then we moved to "Letting Go and Loving." Ask yourself what can I let go of in my life? What do I seek to control? As I draw close to God, can I let go, and seek to be more loving?

The next week the theme was " Deciding to Love ." Can we grow to seek love not just as feelings, but as a loving commitment? We decide to love even when we may not feel loving. This leads us to week four, "Loving in the Midst of Adversity ." True love is not dependent on feelings and situations. When faced with adversity and turmoil in our lives, true love carries on, and seeks God to be our source of love to see us through.

The final two weeks carry us through to Easter. "The Healing Power of Love " and "Loving with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind ."

As Christians we believe and know that God is love. So learning to love, and living in love is part of our walk with God. As we approach Holy Week and Easter I hope you will see an opportunity to grow in love. You may even find an opportunity to invite a friend who feels unloved to Easter Services. Many people would like to attend an Easter Service, but they are shy about going alone to a new church. It is hard to go to a new church not knowing anyone! When you invite someone to attend with you, it is a real blessing to those you invite. What a comfort to attend a church where you already know someone at church! This year we will have 8:00 am and 10:00 am Easter Services.

Another wonderful opportunity to invite people to attend is our Easter Egg Hunt. Our Easter Egg Hunt is held on Saturday, March 31 at 10 am sharp. Our hunt is free, has plenty of eggs, and is a perfect event to invite neighborhood children to attend. Kids love to attend Easter Egg Hunts! Be a good neighbor and invite the children (through 5 th grade) near you to attend.

I hope to see you and your family this Sunday at St. Luke!

In Christ,

A Message From Our Council President

Greetings St. Luke Saints,

Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter are upon us. After the intense focus of our spiritual energies during Lent and the emotional roller-coaster of the Passion, Easter brings about the celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This miraculous event proved to the early followers and to us today that we are loved by the one true living God and that He has secured our heavenly home.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the Saints that have contributed their various musical talents during our worship services over the last several months. It has truly been a blessing to listen to each week and thank God for the wonderful gifts that He has bestowed on each of these individuals and their willingness to share it with us. Though we are all praying and are anxious to see what musical direction He will lead us in, we are blessed by these wonderful individuals!

One of the things that I really enjoy is the use of our wonderful, God-given facility by the community. Every week St. Luke hosts Jazzercise, Karate, quilting, knitting, adult sororities and Al-Anon, among so many others. During the school year we host Shady Oaks School and coming back again this summer will be the YMCA. All of these groups are a blessing to St. Luke and I believe help us glorify our Lord by sharing what He has so generously given us. I also love that the Saints welcome these groups with open arms and make them feel that St. Luke is their home too.

On the heels of Easter, Memphis will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On April 2 nd the University of Memphis Law school will host a panel discussion concerning criminal justice, voting rights, persistent poverty and 21st century activism. On April 3 rd The National Civil Rights museum will host a panel discussion at Michael D. Rose Theater at the University of Memphis entitled Memphis 50 Years Later, Marching Forward; Poverty & Economic Equity: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; and The Promise of Education. April 4 th will mark the 50 th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination with events all day at the National Civil Rights museum. Unfortunately, 50 years later we still encounter the ugliness of racism which I believe we as Christians are called to fight against whenever and wherever we encounter it.

In Christian Love,

Jim Allay

Spiritual Growth Ministry

First Communion Class for all first and second grade students will be held starting Sunday, April 22, April 29, and May 6. Classes are held during the Sunday School hour at 9 am each Sunday. A service of First Communion will be held on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13 at 10 am. Children, teenagers or young adults who would like instruction in the sacrament of Holy Communion are asked to speak with Pastor Cliff to set up an individual instruction time.

T-2 at St. Luke - April 2018

Your T-2 Team met this month and are excited to share our goals with our St. Luke Saints. Having a shared mission leads to growth and a vibrant congregation like ours can carry out God's purpose, which is to turn us into a missional church. This common purpose will be successful if we are 100% on board to take on the task of not only serving our members, but to transform lives outside our church, as the body of Christ. We will be a new church, for a new day by doing what we are called to do. We, as a united church, will create a purpose statement that is easy to remember and easy to do. This statement comes out of evaluating current trends in worship and figuring out what segment of the population we wish to target. We will all be in this visioning process to create a plan that more accurately directs the mission of St. Luke in our community. In the coming weeks, we will ask you to fill out a survey provided by the synod so that you can share your input. The Synod will provide the results of the survey to the T-2 Team. The results will then be reported to the congregation. The T-2 team serves as facilitators of this process, with the Council as support. Pastor Cliff and all of the St. Luke Saints will be participants in this new mission, while the Synod continually advises us and gives us the tools to accomplish a healthy growth for St. Luke. Welcome on board, everyone - we're in for an exciting time!

Sunday School is not just for kids!

We are blessed to have so many wonderful adult Sunday School class offerings. Whatever your interest, gender, age group, or family status, you're sure to find a class where you'll feel comfortable learning more about what God might say to you through His Word. Whether you are new to reading the Bible or have studied it in depth, we hope you will join one of our adult education groups. Together we can read, study, discuss, and support each other as we learn to understand God's Word and how to put it into action in our lives.

See the complete list of Sunday School classes here.



Retreats have always been an important part of the spiritual journey!

Dallas Willard, who writes about spiritual practices, says

"It was an important day when I finally understood that if Jesus needed forty days in the wilderness.... I could probably use three of four."

Here are six reasons why you should go on a retreat this year:

1) Jesus did it. Luke reminds us "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places..." (Luke 5:16) In Jesus' ministry, he accomplished a lot. Performing miracles, healing, preaching, and walking all over Israel can take a lot out of a person. Yet, we never see Jesus frantically rushing. He wasn't driven by agendas or running around at the speed of light. Retreats fueled his ministry

2 ) You've got rhythm. There is a natural rhythm to life that people often want to avoid. We just can't get around the fact that we need 8 hours of sleep, in order to be alert and functioning during the other 16 hours. There is also a rhythm to nature. There is a purpose to nature's seasons of rest! A retreat can help restore your rhythm.

3)
God is awesome.
Without reminding yourself of the bigger picture, the overarching story of life, you can find yourself living a small, lonely existence filled with meaningless routine. Work, fast food and Facebook can consume your life. We need community, we need other Christians, we need to be deliberate with our time and find ways to share life.

4) Your soul needs recharging .   When the battery in your cell phone is dead, you plug it in to get it going again. You have to recharge the battery. God rested, so should you. Rest is how your soul recharges. Something happens during rest - in retreat - that cannot happen when you are living on adrenalin. Your soul needs to retreat to recharge.



5) Knowing God requires more than books . God says, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) There is a holiness in stillness and silence. Experiencing God's presence changes your life in a way that knowing facts about God can't. Jesus' parables referred to things like storms, seeds, trees and birds. Creation can teach us things about God that books and conferences can't.

And the best reason of all to retreat:

6) Jesus invites you. "Are you tired? Worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

Join others April 19-22 to explore a Via de Cristo Christian retreat and experience three days of talks by lay members of local churches and pastors, with your relationship with Christ their focus. Food, fun, fellowship and talks about Grace, upon Grace!

Ask Pastor Cliff, or Tanya Bolkcom how you can make a reservation

Stephen Ministry Moment

"Caring for one another is the fruit of Grace not the law."

For those who have suffered a loss or who are going through a difficult time, Easter can be a time of painful loneliness and emptiness. If you are smiling on the outside but full of pain on the inside, and the joy of Easter seems far away, help is available. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care. They will listen, care, encourage, and pray with and for you. Stephen Ministers have been specially trained to meet your emotional and spiritual needs; male Stephen Ministers are always matched with men, and female Stephen Ministers are matched with women. If you or someone you know is hurting, find out more about Stephen Ministry by talking with one of our Stephen Leaders.

(Call the church office, Paul White or Nancy Lendman) Our Stephen Ministers are there to care!

Social Ministry

MLK50 Events

Monday through Wednesday, April 2-4, join others at the Civil Rights Museum for events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Go to MLK 50 for more information.

Lutheran History Moment

In 1955 Pastor Robert Graetz was serving a Lutheran church in Montgomery, AL. Pastor Graetz's neighbor was Rosa Parks, who help to start the Montgomery Bus boycott and the modern civil rights movement. Pastor Graetz was a part of the original local pastors group to organize the boycott and elect Dr. Martin Luther King to lead the organization. Pastor Graetz would have his home bombed by the KKK but he never wavered in his support for equal rights for all of God's people. You can read all about it in his book, "Montgomery, A White Preacher's Memoir."

More than a Meal ...

An Opportunity to Serve

More Than A Meal provides a hot meal and, in addition, provides the dignity of table service, fellowship, and a break from the

invisibltythat

many of the guests live.

St. Luke Saints led by Dave and Susie Carlson are responsible for the afternoon meal at Grace St Luke Episcopal Church the third Sundays in April, May, August,

October, December this year.

FOOD FIRST SUNDAY!

Thank you to all of you who remember "Food First Sundays" and days in between

so that we can feed the hungry.

C an you guess what outside organization

supports the St. Luke Food Pantry?

The answer in next month's newsletter.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 14, 9 am-noon for the

Inaugural Health Fair

presented by Shelby County Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
in collaboration with

St. Luke!

Cindy Wright is our coordinator for St. Luke.

If you need a ride to an appointment, someone to stay with you and then take you home,

St. Luke has a solution!

Call Al ice , 901-752-4973 for confidential assistance.

We have memb ers who are waiting to help you.

The Real Faith for Real Life Sunday School class received a Thank You letter from the ELCA Good Gifts program

for their contributions which purchased a water filtration system and 20 baby chicks. The class collected donations every Sunday morning leading up to Christmas, and they decided to continue until enough money is raised to purchase a significant gift like a cow. This is a program similar to the Heifer Project which the entire church has designated as a recipient of the Lenten contributions. Gifts like these make a huge difference to the families and communities receiving them.

Grace Healthcare

Birthday Party

Monday April 9, 2pm

We need volunteers to help serve cake and ice cream, and to play instruments and sing with the residents of Grace Healthcare. Contact Alice Burns or Pastor Cliff for more information or to volunteer.

Praises for you saints who have donated jewelry, baseball caps, cards, small gifts and wonderful stuffed animals for the birthdays at Grace Healthcare over the last many months. This ministry goes on because you care and want to share the abundance of love that we receive from our Lord. Thank you.

Thrivent Cho ice Dollars

Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have Choice Dollars available have until

March 31, 2018 to direct any remaining 2017 Choice Dollars. Choose St. Luke to receive these dollars; go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more, or call 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" after the prompt.

Helping our youth raise the money for youth activities

can be as easy as swiping your Kroger card or making your usual purchases from Amazon! HOW??? Follow the links below for the details...it's easy and well worth the little effort required!

AmazonSmile is an automatic way for you to support St. Luke Lutheran Church every time you shop at Amazon, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com , you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

AmazonSmile

Kroger

is committed to helping our communities grow and prosper. Year after year, local schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations

will earn millions of dollars through Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger Community Rewards makes fund-raising easy...all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card!

Kroger Community Rewards

Youth Ministry News

April 8th- Mid SLY Bowling

On Sunday April 8th, our Mid SLY will be heading to Andy B's to bowl. We will meet in the Sr. SLY room at 11:15 am for lunch. An email will be sent to sign up to bring food. After lunch we will head to Andy B's to bowl for an hour. Cost is $5.00 to bowl plus $3.19 for shoe rental. Please RSVP to Jennifer Wright ([email protected]) by Friday, April 6th. If you would like to help chaperone, please let Jennifer know.

April 15th- Sr. SLY More Than A Meal

On April 15th, Sr SLY will be serving at More Than a Meal. We will meet at St. Luke at 2:15pm then head to Grace St. Luke's to serve. When we are finished we will try to have dinner at Pyro's Pizza in Cordova depending on the crowds. If it is to long of a wait, we will eat somewhere else. Please bring enough money for dinner. If you would like to chaperone please let Jennifer know.

April 22 - Jr. SLY Laser Tag

On April 22nd, our Jr. SLY will be headed to Golf and Games to play Laser tag. We will meet in the Sr. SLY room at 11:15 am for lunch. An email will be sent to sign up for food. After lunch, we will head to Golf and Games for a 30 minute session of laser Tag. Cost is $17 plus tax ($8.50 per 15 min. session). Please RSVP to Jennifer Wright ([email protected]) by Friday, April 20th. If you would like to help chaperone, please let Jennifer know.

April 29th- All SLY Photo Scavenger Hunt

(Last SLY Event of the Sunday School Year). On April 29th we will be having an All SLY Photo Scavenger Hunt to celebrate our last SLY Event of the Sunday School year. We meet in the Sr. SLY room at 11:15 am for lunch. An email will be sent to sign up for food. After lunch, we will be headed downtown for our scavenger hunt. We will be using a website/app called Big City Hunt. The app is designed to help you explore

your city and find the best sights with your group and answer questions that can only be found in-person hidden on plaques, statues, art, and more. Each person will have an interactive role

and will be texted photo challenges and fun activities to do with the rest of the group. Get points for the best photos! Tickets for this activity are $11.00 per person. The scavenger hunt will last about 2 hours so wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a water bottle. Please RSVP to Jennifer Wright ([email protected]) by Wednesday, April 25th. If you would like to help chaperone this event please let Jennifer know.

Learn how you can help support our Youth Programming by simply utilizing the benefits offered by AmazonSmile and Kroger Rewards

Programs. See the Social Ministry section for the links!!

Parish Talk

contributor Sue Malone

In Sympathy...

A Memorial Service for Nancy Roman will be held this Saturday, March 24, 11am, at St. Thomas Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 3980 S. Lindberg Blvd. in St. Louis, MO.

Pastor Cliff will give the sermon.

Please be in prayer for Barbara and Brad Anderson on the loss of

her father, Wayne Walther. Send your notes to

10 City Place, Apt 31A, White Plains, NY 10601.

Welcome Little One!

Congratulations to Bev and Jake McGhee who welcomed Jaco b Frank McGhee on March 8, 2018 at 6 pounds even!

Ceruti String Quartet - March 24 - POSTPONED until Fall.

Little Saints' Prayers

Parish Talk

March 4
"Welcome home, Kotter ---err, I mean - Potter!" We had the pleasure of having David Potter join us in worship with the Praise Team, Sunday. Love that lively, worshipful music, team! We also were treated to a beautiful violin prelude - many thanks, ladies!
Cliff Notes: Let go of what overwhelms us and follow Jesus in love. The sacred and secular meet in Him. His body is the new temple, where God dwells. Jesus is divine: the body and word of God. We are to live in Him, center our lives in Him. Give thanks each and every day, in all we do - heart, soul, and mind and do it in joy and sorrow. Amen to that!

March 11
We were blessed with the wonderful voices of the Cherub Choir, singing "Sanctuary," on Sunday. Bravo!
Paul's Wise Words: We are saved by God's grace alone - not by deeds. God has, however, created us in Christ, to do good works by which we come to the Light. Through this light, others see us serving others and obeying God. We are a powerful witness to the world and our relationship with Jesus is the source of our happiness. Where are your good works?
Please join us this Saturday for a clean-up day at church. Good works, remember?

March 19

Ceruti String Quartet: The concert has been postponed, due to a death in Kimberly Patterson's family. Check the Sunday bulletin and "This Week" for an update on this concert. Our sincerest sympathies to Kimberly and her family.

Oh, wow - what a Sunday! Nancy Lendman and Edmund Ijumba rocked it out with their rendition of "I Thirst." Whew! Many thanks to you two and please do this again!!!

Cliff Notes: When Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He states," When I am lifted up (crucified), I will draw people to me." This is the first hint of His death and resurrection, which we can see, in hindsight. At His death, many will come to faith.

Love Notes from Pastor Cliff: some point from our Lenten study:

*Let go and love

*Decide to love

*Love in the midst of adversity

*The healing power of love: love heals each and every body, it teaches us how to accept love, and it empowers people.

*Love is the most powerful force for change in the world (!!)

*We are loved; we can give love to others, which never fails.

MIFA Update!

Lawn Schedule

Click here for a copy of the

2018 Lawn Team Schedule!

Playground Work Day - April 14, 8am

Come help us put fresh mulch on the playground!

Good Stewards

C l ick on this
link to access the schedule:

April Good Stewards

The Good Stewards schedule is also found on our church website under Calendar and Events from the "Get Involved" icon.

Are you having trouble with Planning Center?

https://accounts.planningcenteronline.com

April Birthdays

Eric McKinney	4/1	Alec Anderson	4/17
Barbara Behrends	4/2	Kent Anderson	4/18
Molly Wagner	4/2	Emily Summers	4/18
Claire LaPorte	4/4	Grace Summers	4/18
Andrew Edmonds	4/4	David Sedlacek	4/18
Chuck LaPorte	4/4	Caroline Mattison	4/19
Aaron Tidwell	4/4	Sophia Jansen	4/19
Madelyn Milone	4/6	Jeff Summers	4/19
Jennifer Wright	4/7	Alexander Klein	4/19
Steven Klobe	4/8	Benjamin Klein	4/19
Jesse Feuerborn	4/8	Michelle Nichols	4/20
Robin Denkov	4/8	Tanya Robbins	4/20
Andrea Sedlacek	4/11	Rowan Lehner	4/21
Monica Boes	4/12	Kim Mathers	4/22
Vikki Ernst	4/12	John Welborn	4/23
Dave Carlson	4/13	Paige LaPorte	4/23
Casey Allay	4/15	Tammy Westphal	4/23
Carol Vetter	4/15	Samuel Feuerborn	4/25
Marcin Arendt	4/16	Chris Cherry	4/26
		Bob Hetherington	4/26
		Macie Mathers	4/26
		Katie White	4/26
		Taylor Metz	4/27
		Pierce Kramer	4/29
		Dan Oakley	4/29

April Anniversaries

Gary & Pat Conway	4/4/1970
Paul & Sheila Rochette	4/4/1999
Chris & Jennifer Carkeet	4/8/1995
Bill & Jill Berghel	4/12/1986
John & Mori Welborn	4/17/2004
Richard & Amber Wyse	4/23/2011
Bill & Sue Parker	4/29/1988

Financial Update

Don't forget to direct Choice Dollars®

Choose St. Luke to receive your Thrivent Choice® Dollars.

Each Thirvent member can designate where your Thrivent Choice Dollars will go. Please designate St. Luke to receive these funds.

Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have Choice Dollars available have until

March 31, 2018, to direct any remaining 2017 Choice Dollars.

Help support St. Luke. Go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more.

Or call 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" after the prompt.

Some thoughts on Stewardship

"Everyday we stand in the shade of trees we did not plant. We live in houses we did not build. We eat food we did not produce. We ponder ideas that are not original to us. So, too, we live in a body and with a mind and a spirit that were given to us. We give generously as all was given so generously to us. "

Create A Lasting Legacy - Remember St. Luke in your Will.

Scan this code to donate to St. Luke with your Smart Phone! Completely secure. Thank you.

OVER 70-1/2?

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD's) have been permanently extended to individuals 70-1/2 and over. These are direct contributions from a qualified IRA (traditional or Roth) to a qualified charity (St. Luke). They do not first go to the owner of the IRA, but instead go directly to the charity from the IRA trustee or custodian. So what are the advantages?

QCDs are included in meeting the test of Required Minimum Distributions (RMD's) from your IRA upon reaching 70-1/2 years of age;

deductibility limits do not apply to QCDs up to a maximum of $100,000;

If you do not itemize you could possibly still get a tax deduction for charitable contributions through lower income assuming that you would otherwise withdraw your charitable contribution from your IRA;

If you pay taxes on a portion of your Social Security, QCDs may reduce reported income below the RMD. This may also help in cases where you are subject to tax on Net Investment Income, or phase-out of personal exemptions or itemized deductions.

If you feel that this is something that would be of advantage to you, talk to your tax advisor. QCD's only became permanent this year so a lot of folks are not familiar with the new law.

ELCA News

A Living Lutheran Legacy & The Troutman-Gordy Atrium

A Living Lutheran Legacy is a partnership between the ELCA Southeastern Synod and St. John's, Atlanta, GA. More specifically, it represents the Synod's move of its offices to St. John's. In September 2017 the Southeastern Synod office moved into temporary space at St. John's. On Saturday, March 10, Bishop Gordy and leaders from St. John's officially broke ground on the construction of the the new office space!

ACT to End Racism

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will join ecumenical and inter-religious partners for ACT to End Racism April 3-5 in Washington, D.C. The focus of the three-day event will be a rally April 4 on the National Mall. All are invited to register and join in the event.

Click f or more information

I nter-religious policy statement draft released

The draft of the ELCA policy statement "A Declaration of Our Inter-Religious Commitment" has been released for a public comment period. The ELCA Inter-Religious Task Force is receiving feedback via an online survey through June 30. The draft will then be revised before it goes to the ELCA Church Council for possible recommendation to the 2019 Churchwide Assembly. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton announced at the 2016 Churchwide Assembly that she had appointed a task force to develop the draft. Learn more at ELCA.org/draftpolicystatement.

Follow us!

Do you follow the ELCA on social media? Keep informed with church news, events, pictures and video across many platforms. We're on Facebook at Facebook.com/Lutherans ; @ELCA on Twitter ; @ELCA on Instagram and YouTube.com/ELCA . Join this online community of Lutherans! For more information

St. Luke Lutheran Church Follow us @stlukememphis

2000 Germantown Parkway N.

Cordova, TN 38016

901-756-8850

www.stlukememphis.org

Follow the Youth activities on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Luke-Youth-SLY/386992871467