Seek
G
od,
S
erve
O
thers,
S
hare Life
Sunday Worship at 10am!
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Upcoming Church Events
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J
oin 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, a "Pray Ground" for toddlers to enjoy during worship, a private room for nursing moms,
and coffee and snacks are available in the Narthex.
Remember, St. Luke church is a blessing to share
!
Invite a friend to Sunday Services
Weekly Recurring Events:
Sundays
10:00 am Worship Service of Holy Communion
Mondays 5:15 pm Jazzercise
Tuesdays
5:15 pm Jazzercise
Wednesdays 10:00 am Knitting in the Narthex
5:00 pm WEB Meal
5:30 pm Praise Team
6:00 pm Cherub Choir
6:30 pm Confirmation Class
7:00 pm Adult Choir
Thursdays 1:00 pm Al Anon
5:15 pm Jazzercise
Fridays 6:30 am Men's Bible Study
Upcoming Events:
about upcoming events
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Service is Cancelled. Come Serve!!!
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Join us at 9 am on Sunday, September 8, for
God's Work Our Hands Sunday.
You are needed! God is calling us to serve our neighbor, let's get to work!
We begin with a short devotion at 9 am in the St. Luke sanctuary, then we divide up
to work on the service projects of your choice. We then
regroup around noon
for a cook out in the church pavilion
. Hamburgers and hot dogs are provided, you
may bring a side dish or desert if you are able.
Our big community project is taking place at Fletcher Creek Park in Cordova.
This park it located near our church at Chimney Rock Blvd, and Dexter.
We will be spreading mulch, cleaning the pavilion, and picking up trash. We have
jobs for all ages and abilities. We have a need for wheel barrows to move mulch.
We need many hands for this project. Shovels, gloves and garbage bags are provided.
Other indoor service projects,
Assemble Manna bags
Letter Writing
Casserole Cooking
Child care
Projects that are full:
Deliver cookies to Police Stations and Fire stations
Member care projects
Youth service projects
Cooking and meal preparation
Jesus often worked on the sabbath by caring for the neighbor in need.
Let us show our love of God by serving this Sunday, September 8.
Remember the time change, we will start at 9 am and end at noon with a meal.
WEAR YOUR GOD'S WORK. OUR HANDS. T-SHIRT, OR A ST. LUKE T-SHIRT IF YOU HAVE ONE!!!
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Friendship Sunday
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September 15th 10am Fellowship, Music, Food
Come As You Are!
On Sunday, September 15 a very special Sunday worship service is being planned.
We are asking you, our St Luke members, to invite a friend, family member or co worker to worship with you at St Luke on Sunday, September 15.
We want this to be a joyful, inviting and engaging worship experience for our guests.
Prayerfully consider who you will invite, life is hard, but life is so much harder with out a church home.
For More Information:
Friendship Sunday
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A Message from Our Pastor
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"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one."
-C.S. Lewis
Imagine the joy of sharing St. Luke with one of your best friends and they turn to you and say, "I was looking for a church like this!" You would be so excited. St. Luke means so
much to each one us. We are connected to God and to one another because of St. Luke.
On Sunday, September 15, we will have a "Friendship Sunday." This is your chance to invite a friend to St. Luke. If you can make the effort to invite a friend, we will work to make this Sunday extra special.
The truth is, some Sunday services are just better than others. Not all Sunday services are equal, some services run long, some have a hard message (we talk about money), and some are just low energy.
On Friendship Sunday we will start with Marcin Arendt playing a violin prelude, we will have the praise team lead the opening song, and we will end with favorite hymns, choir, and an organ postlude. As pastor and preacher I will do my best to deliver an engaging message that connects the head to the heart. After the service we hope your friends will stay for fresh coffee and special treats to eat.
In other words, we want to take away the guess work on what Sunday to invite your friends, coworkers or neighbors. The best Sunday to invite someone to St. Luke is Friendship Sunday on September 15. We even have nice invitation printed up, and we created a special web site for more details (www.stlukememphis.org/friendshipsunday).
If your friend is more of a worker, you can invite them to God's Work Our Hands Sunday on September 8. On this Sunday we leave the church grounds and go serve in our community. Note the time change, we gather for a commissioning prayer at 9 am and then go and serve. After we work, you are invited back to St. Luke at noon for great food and a cook out in the pavilion.
We are blessed to have a church home. St. Luke is a special place and it means so much to each of us. Remember, St. Luke is not ours, it is God's church, and God's church is for all people. So let's share the good news, St. Luke has room for us all, come and enjoy the blessings of spiritual growth for you and your friends at St. Luke.
In Christ +
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Worship Committee News
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Join Us for Worship!
September 8: God's Work. Our Hands.
Commissioning Service at 9am; go out into the neighborhood to serve, then return at noon for a picnic lunch.
September 15: Friendship Sunday! Service of Holy Communion
Invite your friends, family and co-workers to church. We'll have special music, a message about our beliefs, and a time of fellowship with Pastor Cliff after the service.
September 22: Praise Service, Holy Communion
September 29: Worship Service of Holy Communion
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Good Stewards Help
Multi-Media Help Needed
Our Multi-Media Team needs a few more volunteers to help create the slides used on Sunday mornings during worship. It's pretty simple: take the script that's provided, make up slides, save the file! Sometimes you'll create, other times you'll proof what someone else created. The more people we have on the team, the fewer times per month you'll be asked to do one of the jobs.
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Offering Counters Needed
Are you good at counting money? We need a few more offering counters to work on Monday mornings. The more we have, the fewer times you'll need to volunteer.
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Worship Committee
will have meeting on Sunday, September 22 at 11:15, all are invited
.
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SATB - musicians will know that this is the acronym for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass - the four
parts of a traditional choir. I like to think of it as
Sagas, Adventures, Tribulations, and Blessings
(yes I use the Oxford comma and I'm proud of it ;-) Choir and Praise team will start their weekly Wednesday rehearsals on August 28
th
and I'd like to officially invite you to join us for all of our
SATB's
this season.
There's a famous quote of unknown origin "No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." If I were to make a New Year resolution, it would be to have a deeper commitment, a deeper love, and a deeper worship for the Lord. We don't start over; but we begin again right where we are, making things better in our lives.
It may not be the traditional time for a New Year resolution but if you've ever thought that sharing your talents, whatever they may be, in the music ministry at St. Luke would enhance your spiritual journey we would LOVE to have you. If that means adult choir there's an easy way to get involved....just show up! We rehearse at 7pm in the sanctuary. If that means praise team just find me after any service and we'll figure out the best way to get you involved. And of course, the cherub choir is also a great experience for the younger members of our congregation - just see Jennifer Carkeet.
Here's to a great season of
SATB's
!
~Jacob
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New Members Class - Wednesday, Sept. 25, 5:30-8pm
We're so excited to have our visitors worship and fellowship with us at St. Luke. If you'd like to join us and be a St. Luke Saint, plan to attend the New Members Class on Wednesday Sept. 25. We'll serve you a hot meal with WEB (Wednesday Evening Believers), then Pastor Cliff will share information about our beliefs and activities. Let us know if you're coming, and If you need childcare, please let Patti in the office know (patti@stlukememphis.org). Looking forward to seeing you there!
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Message From Our Council President
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Greetings St. Luke Saints,
Service is cancelled......so we can go out and Serve!! God's Work Our Hands is Sunday, September 8. We will have a brief Service and then we will go out in our community to serve wearing our bright yellow t-shirts. What is really exciting is that this just isn't at St. Luke. We will be joined by ELCA congregations around the country in celebrating our call to spread the Gospel - using actions, not words! We have several exciting projects planned and there is something for everyone, including staying at St. Luke. Afterwards our Fellowship committee will treat us to a picnic lunch (please bring your favorite side or dessert to share). Come and join your church family in serving our neighbors.
Our senior high school youth will continue serving after September 8, but a little farther from home. They will be participating in Mission Jamaica next June, ministering to the residents of Westhaven Children's Home in Montego Bay. As someone who was blessed with the opportunity to participate in previous Mission Jamaica trips, I can guarantee a life-changing experience for these participants. The youth will be holding various fundraisers throughout the year, the first one coming up on Saturday, September 21 when they will hold a yard sale. Everyone can help by donating items to sell and by shopping the day of the sale, picking up some great bargains! Donations will begin being accepted on September 11. Please contact Jennifer Wright or one of the senior high youths for more details.
Have you seen the flashy invitation cards for Friendship Sunday, September 15? These cards are for us to give our neighbors, friends, co-workers or literally anyone to come and enjoy a Service at St. Luke. Our church will have on our Sunday best that day as we showcase to others what we already know - St. Luke is a wonderful place to worship our Lord and experience His presence with other broken sinners. Think about how your life would be different without St. Luke and the Saints - now let us share this gift that we have with all on Friendship Sunday.
Peace and God's Blessings to all.
In His Service
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Spiritual Growth Ministry
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Thursday Women's Bible Study
The Thursday Women's Bible Study group will start back up
September 12th studying the book,
The Twelve Disciples by Douglas Connelly.
Please join us at 1:30 in the Narthex for the study of God's Word and great fellowship.
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Ladies' Tuesday Morning Bible Study
Discover the God Who Cherishes You
Jennifer Rothschild has a story for you. It's about an unlikely couple, an unlikely courtship, and an affair. But the marriage didn't end, instead, a love story began. It is Hosea and Gomer's love story and it is your love story.
When you're looking for identity, God calls you His own.
When you feel enslaved, God frees you.
When you wander away, God brings you home.
No matter where you are, God sees who you are and loves you faithfully. His unfailing love changes everything.
Join us as we study Jennifer Rothschild's
7 session study of Hosea: Unfailing Love Changes Everything, on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 - 11:30.
The study began August 13, 2019, but it's not too late to join!
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What does a Stephen Minister really do?
According to a long time Stephen Minister:
"All we're really doing is being vessels for Christ, to be a listening ear and to walk with people during difficult times." Joel McCauley, Sr. Stephen Leader."
- If you'd like a Stephen Minister to walk with you in the trials of life, contact Pastor Cliff, Paul White, or Nancy Lendman
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Our Daily Bread Devotionals
The September, October & November "Our Daily Bread" Devotionals are here. Pick yours up Sunday!
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Private Prayer Every Sunday
Sometimes it is good to be able to share our prayer concerns with another Christian. That's what the after-service Prayer Room (#111, next to the nursery) is all about. If you want to share a prayer concern for yourself or someone you love, there will be a Stephen Minister waiting for you!
Remember Christ said,
"For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them."
Matt. 18:20
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Opportunities for Adult Spiritual Study
Sunday Morning Studies
Women of Faith
Room #152 Jennifer Carkeet
The Women of Faith class will be studying Seamless by Angie Smith. Seamless
covers the people, places and promises of the Bible, tying them together into the greater story of Scripture. Participants will gain an overarching understanding of the fundamental layout and meaning of God's Word.
Seamless
helps replace insecurity that holds participants back with clarity and helping them move forward with confidence in their understanding of Scripture.
The Hundred Story Home Room # 135 Pastor Cliff
Pastor's class will be part of MIFA's Community wide read of
The Hundred Story Home,
A memoir about finding faith in ourselves and something bigger, by Katy Izard. Books are available for purchase in the St Luke narthex for $10. Katy Izard of Charlotte, NC, explores the reality of homelessness and how she became an advocate for the homeless and mentally ill. The author will speak in Memphis on September 10 and 11. MIFA will sponsor a luncheon on 9/11, you can sign up to attend in the St. Luke narthex. See
kathyizard.com
to view an interview with the author.
https://community.mifa.org/our-city-our-story
for more information on the author's visit to Memphis.
Men of Faith Room #137 Choir Room Carl Ellsworth
& Tim Wright
Real Faith For Real Life Room # 106/108 Connie White
Real Faith For Real Life will be begin the study "
How Lutherans Interpret The Bible" on September 15th. This is as a video/discussion series based on the presentations by Mark Allan Powell, a Lutheran pastor and Bible professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Dr. Powell explains his perception of Lutheran thought in his video presentation and encourages discussion of the various topics he brings forth.
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Newsletter
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Are you reading the entire Newsletter?
There may be a message at the bottom of your email stating
Don't miss out on important information!
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Thank you for your support!!!
We would like to thank all the "Saints" and the PUPS Quilt Guild for donating all the school supplies this year!! Your giving hearts made a huge difference to many children in the Peace Lutheran Neighborhood and to our Family Promise families. You can only imagine the smiles you put on the faces of these children and their parents!! Another job well done, "Saints"!
Blessed to be a Blessing...
Even more to be thankful for!...
Eleven+ years ago this beautiful family came to the United States with courage, determination and a desire for a better life. We were so blessed at St. Luke to start a relationship with them and call them our friends! Now these proud parents have two graduates in the family. Estella recently graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in Business Administration. We are so proud of her hard work and accomplishments! We know Estella is going to make this world a better place!
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The Hundred Story Home
MIFA is bringing the community together to read, learn, and connect using Kathy Izard's inspirational book
The Hundred Story Home-A Memoir about Finding Faith in Ourselves and Something Bigger.
Have you heard? Kathy is coming to Memphis in September!
Kathy will add Memphis to her busy and distinguished itinerary of engagements at conferences, festivals, universities, libraries, bookstores, speaker series, churches, and interfaith events across the country from Massachusetts to Texas to Wyoming to California.
Homelessness Here & Now - Free Public Forum
Second Baptist Church
4680 Walnut Grove Road
Tuesday, September 10 at 6 p.m.
Please register HERE to attend these events.
Do Good, Love Well Luncheon
Our tables for MIFA's "Do Good, Love Well Luncheon" on Sept. 11 at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis are full. If you're interested we can put you on a waiting list-email Patti at
patti@stlukememphis.org
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Mission Jamaica
Our next adult trip to Mission Jamaica is February 8-15, 2020, costing approximately $1600 plus airfare. Please prayerfully consider joining our St. Luke Missionaries on this trip! See Pastor Cliff or Ed Cooley.
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Habitat for Humanity Fall Build
Mark your calendars for Sept. 28 and Oct. 19, 7:30am-1pm, to help build a house! P
lease sign up HERE and the sign up sheet in the narthex.
The house location is
Cedar Heights Build Site
1919 Carver Avenue
Memphis, TN 38114
Click
HERE for a testimony from Habitat homeowners.
Thank you everyone for your donations of food staples to our St. Luke Food Pantry. We especially need vegetables, fruits, canned meats, soups and cereal. The Food Pantry is always open to St. Luke members, but open to the general public on the fourth Tuesday of each month, 10am-Noon.
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Children & Youth Ministry News
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September 4th-
Confirmation Classes begin-
Confirmation Classes will be held for 7th and 8th graders on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:00pm
September 11th-
Begin collecting donations for the Youth Yard Sale
-
On Saturday, September 21st at 7:00am, our youth will be having a yard sale to raise funds for their 2020 Mission Jamaica trip.
Help support our youth by donating furniture, clothes, toys, household items, etc.
We will be accepting donations on Wed., September 11th from 4pm-7pm, Sunday, Sept. 15th, before and after service, and during the week of Sept. 16th-20th from 4-7 pm. Donations should be placed in room #142 (7th and 8th grade classroom). This year we will not be collecting any T.V.s unless they are flat screen (if they don't sell, we are no longer allowed to donate them unless they are flat screen). If you need to make arrangements for donations other than these hours, please contact Jennifer Wright at jennifer@stlukememphis.org.
September 15th- Sr. SLY Block Painting and Board Games-
Sr
.
Sly
(grades 9th-12th) will be meeting on
September
15th to paint their
block
in the
Sr
.
SLY
room. Each youth gets choose a
block
on the wall to leave their mark. If you have already painted your
block
, we will have a board game or Wii competition while the others are
painting
. We will meet in the
Sr
.
SLY
room at 11:15am for snacks before
painting
. Be on the look out for an email to sign up for food. Please RSVP to Jennifer Wright (
jennifer@stlukememphis.org
) by Friday
September 13th
.
If you would like to help chaperone this
event
, please let Jennifer know.
September 20th- Yard Sale Pricing for SLY Mission Jamaica participants-
All Sr. SLY Mission Jamaica participants who want to earn money to help fund their 2020 Mission Jamaica trip are asked to help work the Youth Yard Sale. We will be pricing donated items on Friday,
September
20
th from 4pm- 7pm. Please come as soon as you can get here.
We need as many hands as possible. Dinner will be served. The
sale
on Saturday will go from 7:00am-1:00pm.
Remember that you only get a portion of the funds raised if you help work this event. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Wright.
September 21st- On Saturday,
September 21st at 7:00am, our youth will be having a
yard
sale to raise funds for their 2020 Mission Jamaica trip.
Help support our youth by donating furniture, clothes, toys, household items, etc
.
We will be accepting donations on Wed., September 11th from 4pm-7pm, Sunday, Sept. 15th, before and after service, and during the week
of Sept. 16th-20th from 4-7 pm. Donations should be placed in room #142 (7th and 8th grade classroom).
If you need to make arrangements for donations other than these hours, please contact Jennifer Wright (
jennifer@stlukememphis.org).
Sunday School Classes
Preschool
2's and 3's Room#109 Donna Meili
(Nursery)
Aaron Tidwell
Pre-K 4's and K 5's Room #113 Amy Wright
Michelle Feuerborn
Carol Mattison
Elementary
1st &
2nd grades Room #111 Vikki & Dale Ernst
3rd & 4th grades Room #145 Terri & Richard Williamson
Youth
5th & 6th grades Room #154 Priscilla Hughes
Jesse Feuerborn
7th & 8th grades Room #142 Jim Allay
Mary Ann Honeycutt
Senior High Youth
9th - 12th grade Youth Room Jennifer & Paul Wright
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Financial News
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Cick our QR code to give via text:
You may also give online through
Simply Giving.
St. Luke Financial Snapshot - through August 31, 2019
|
Actual (in Dollars) |
Budget (in Dollars) |
REVENUE |
|
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Current Giving
|
261,334 |
280,000 |
Other |
16,486 |
15,917 |
Total Revenue |
277,820 |
295,917 |
Expenses |
268,270 |
298,206 |
Surplus (shortage) |
9,550 |
(2,289) |
|
|
|
CASH |
|
|
Total |
72,290 |
|
Designated Funds |
18,157 |
|
Net Available |
54,133 |
|
|
|
|
MORTGAGE |
|
|
Balance at 1/1/2019 |
83,381 |
|
Balance at 8/31/2019 |
52,451 |
|
|
|
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August Tithe |
28,796 |
35,000 |
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Parish Talk
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"Treasures" Needed!
The annual SLY Yard Sale is Saturday, September 21.
We need your "trash" to sell to others as "treasures!" Start collecting stuff now, and we'll accept donations as follows:
Wednesday 9/11, 4-7pm
Sunday 9/15 before & after service
Monday-Friday, 9/16-20, 4-7pm
Thank you!
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Grandparents Day Brunch was FUN!
Wednesday, Sept. 4 a lot of our Grandparents came together for a brunch hosted by the Evangelism Committee, Lillie Mixon, and Bonnie Dolph. Lillie provided special coffee mugs for everyone. If you weren't able to attend, pick up your mug from Pastor Cliff!!!
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For all of those St Luke Saints who are recyclers, here are some tips:
- Will you please crush the cans before putting them into a plastic bag of your choice.The result will be more cans (weight) in each bag and fewer trips to our outdoor storage area and more $dollars$ on each trip to the recycling company which is HWY 51 near the Mississippi River.
- They only accept aluminum, that is aluminum cans. No other types of aluminum uses. They will just throw anything else out.
- Place your cans next to the Coca Cola machine or in the outdoor storage area and we will transport them to be recycled.
- This does not raise a lot of money but there are many uses for small items or programs that could be easily paid for.
Continue or become a Recycler.
It is good for you, St Luke and America
.
Thank you
Elvin Carlson and Richard Morgan
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St. Luke Saints are off again!
The next St. Luke Saints excursion will be Tuesday, Sept. 24th. We will be touring the Church Health Center at the new facilities at the Crosstown Concourse. We will meet at the church to carpool by 10am. The tour is to begin at 10:30. We will have lunch at a Crosstown restaurant before returning to the church.
You don't have to be a senior {High School or age wise!} to join us.
Just have some free time that day!
The St. Luke Knitters will be taking the prayer shawls and infant kits they have been working on to the center that day.
Please let Connie White or Patti know if you are planning to attend.
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Tailgate Party
We are planning our annual St. Luke football tailgate to a Memphis Tigers football game onThursday evening, September 26, slated for a tentative 7 PM kickoff. We will tailgate at Toby Park beginning at 4 pm. Tickets are projected to be $20 plus a $5 T-Shirt commemorating the game against NAVY.
A signup sheet will be available in the lobby on Sunday Sept 1, 8 and 15. Please contact Burk Renner (240.0284) if you have any questions. Payment for tickets & shirts must be made in advance no later than Sept. 15. Three (3) Tiger season schedule posters are available for the first signups..
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RV Campers Needed!
Faithful Parking provides church locations for
overnight RV camping.
Contact Pastor Cliff if you are interested in how this may benefit St. Luke
and provide hospitality to travelers
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Proud of Pastor Cliff Bahlinger
who served as Chaplain of the day of the
Memphis City Council.
Thanks to councilman Frank Colbert Jr.
for the nomination
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Welcome
ReLoaded Meals, and Chef Bianca Mabry.
On Thursdays and Sunday afternoons, Chef Mabry will be renting the new kitchen.
ReLoaded Meals provides healthy meal preparation and home delivery.
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Amazon Smile Donation
We received
$21.84
in donations from AmazonSmile for the second quarter
(April 1 - June 30)!
It's easy to have a percentage of your Amazon purchases come to St. Luke.
Select St. Luke in Cordova to be the recipient of the donations!
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Kroger Community Rewards
Our Second Quarter 2019 (May 1 - July 31) rewards from Kroger come to
$45.65 in Donations!
20 St. Luke Households support St. Luke through their shopping at Kroger. Thank you!
It's easy to sign up with your Kroger Rewards Card. Click this Link and follow the prompts!
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Tidbits of the Week
Hungry? We'll feed you this Wednesday and if that puts you into a singing mood, there are plenty of choir opportunities for you!
If you have a friend (LOL), please invite them for Friendship Sunday, Sept. 15th at 10am.
It's good to be grand! We are celebrating Grandparents' Day this Wednesday, at St. Luke. Please come for lunch at 11:30 for food, fun, and fellowship!
Flip a coin. On one side there is Faith and on the other is Good Deeds. (See Paul's sermon notes, below). Next Sunday we're doing God's Work, Our Hands as a worship alternative. There are lots of opportunities for you - some physical, some not. See you at 9!
Good Stewards are needed. Please call and offer some of your time.
Treasures are needed for the SLY Yard Sale. Donations may be brought to church starting Sept 11th, from 4-7pm. Thank you!
Paul's Wise Words. Luke 14:1, 7-14. Be humble! "For the exalted shall be humbled and the humble shall be exalted." The happiness of others makes us happy and Jesus likes to co-host with us when we give our attention to others, which gives them hope and joy, in return. DO the bible, don't just read it. It's a plan for living, for those who bless the poor will be repaid at the resurrection. God's Work, Our Hands will take place next Sunday and we invite you to participate in helping our community. It's a connection between St. Luke and the Kingdom of God. Faith and works are 2 faces of the same coin. Faith and action create a balance, just as the heart pushes blood and receives it, sustaining life. Works = Thanksgiving. We receive from Christ and give to our neighbor: love God, love ourselves. This is one of the "thou shalt" principles to live by. Do something positive and spread the Good News. We touch lives with "heart prints." These leave our identity, which is compassion, kindness, and concern for others. We are the reflection of God. Go and Do. Thanks be to God!
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Jersey Day!
We had a great time on Jersey Day, September 1st.
________________________________________________________________________________
Congratulations Andrew!
Andrew was in 3 tournaments in August at the Tennessee Regional ATA Karate Tournament He got first Gold, first Gold, and second Silver! He was in World Tournament in July and got 3rd , Bronze. Way to go!
____________________________________________________________________
George Malone did very well
at the Delta Fair this week!
Last Call for Lost & Found!
We'll donate these items to the SLY Yard Sale on
Sept. 21 - so come get your treasures before they
are gone!
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ELCA News
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Special Edition
August 12, 2019
|
Dear Southeastern Synod Friends,
Many of you have read or heard that the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, meeting in Milwaukee last week, declared that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is now a sanctuary denomination. The action of the Assembly has received a great deal of coverage in the press, including a front-page article in the Washington Post. There has been some concern about what this action by the Assembly means for ELCA congregations and people. Here the three questions we've heard most often.
What is a sanctuary denomination?
At its most basic, becoming a sanctuary denomination means that the ELCA is publicly declaring that walking alongside immigrants and refugees is a matter of faith, not just politics. By its action, the E
LCA Churchwide Assembly, the highest legislative authority in our church, declared that, in policy and practice, this church will encourage its members and others to learn what scripture teaches about welcoming the stranger and will use its resources to provide concrete resources to assist the most vulnerable migrants who are feeling the sharp edges of a broken immigration system.
In its vote, the Assembly affirmed that being a sanctuary denomination is about loving our neighbors, a call that is central to our faith. In baptism, we are brought into a covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ that commits us to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. Following the example of Martin Luther, we believe that advocacy on behalf of others is a crucial expression of baptismal identity. As a church, we have advocated for ending the detention of children and families. We have spoken out against family separation, sought a pathway to citizenship for community members that have lived in the U.S. for years. We have taken steps to address the root causes of migration in a way that honors the humanity of people who must flee their homes, and we have settled refugees from around the world.
What does the Assembly's action mean for congregations?
In the ELCA, Churchwide, synods, and congregations are three expressions of one church. While we have mutual agreements about how we will live together in this church, neither Churchwide nor synods dictate to congregations how they are to live out their call to serve the neighbor. That means that being a sanctuary denomination will look different in different contexts. It may mean providing financial and legal support to people who are working through the immigration system or accompanying asylum seekers in court as advocates. It may mean advocating for change in our broken immigration system or marching as people of faith against the detention of children and families. It may mean visiting those in detention or providing housing for a person or family facing deportation. It may mean hosting English as a second language (ESL) classes or having thoughtful conversations about what our faith says about immigrants. Congregations will make their own decisions.
Where can we find information about how our congregation can be involved?
You can find information about some of the issues that lead to the crisis at the U.S. Southern border as well as ways your congregation can welcome people who are looking for asylum on the web page of the ELCA's AMMPARO initiative:
Another helpful resource may be a found in a reflection offered by the Rev. Andrew Lewis, pastor, Redeemer, Macon, GA, found
Violence, intolerance, and poverty have combined to produce more displaced people in our world today than ever before. Being a sanctuary denomination means that we, as church together, want to be public and vocal about caring for those who are most vulnerable in our world. We encourage all our congregations and members to have conversations about what sanctuary means to them and to discern together what action they might take to make welcome for our neighbor a reality. For followers of Jesus, welcoming people is not a political issue, it is a matter of faith.
May God bless your conversations and your decisions in Jesus' name.
In Christ's peace,
H. Julian Gordy
Kevin L. Strickland
Bishop Bishop-Elect
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Good Stewards
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Click HERE
for the September Good Stewards Schedule.
The Good Stewards schedule is also found on our church website under Calendar and Events from the "Get Involved" icon.
If so contact Patti at patti@stlukememphis.org for help.
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September Birthdays
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Lisa Miskowiec 1-Sep
Jon Thompson 2-Sep
Sarah Thompson 3-Sep
Heather Hemphill 6-Sep
Gloria Mundt-Wood 6-Sep
Becky Arendt 6-Sep
Jackson Feuerborn 7-Sep
Thomas Dafoe 8-Sep
Josh Hopper 8-Sep
Gene Miltner 9-Sep
Rich Williamson 10-Sep
Ken Dunkley 11-Sep
Cliff Bahlinger 13-Sep
Marybeth Hetherington 13-Sep
Kelsey Groff 14-Sep
Ryan Parish 15-Sep
Roberta Renner 15-Sep
Susie Carlson 17-Sep
Connie White 18-Sep
Luke Wright 19-Sep
Betty Erickson 19-Sep
Chris Carkeet 21-Sep
Toni Duke 23-Sep
Jay Fellenstein 23-Sep
Stephen Vacante 26-Sep
Jasper Mattero-Millican 26-Sep
Cooper Hall 30-Sep
Esther Allay 30-Sep
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September Anniversaries
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Gary & Karen McCracken 9/7/1985
Nancy & Charles Lendman 9/10/1988
Steven & Jill Klobe 9/20/2003
Ron & Toni Duke 9/27/1998
Josh & Rose Hopper 9/28/2013
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September Calendar
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1 Sun |
9:00 am |
Food First Sunday Jersey Day Blood Drive - Vitalant |
2 Mon |
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Labor Day - Office Closed |
4 Wed |
11:30 am |
Grandparents Day Brunch |
8 Sun |
9:00 am 12:00 pm |
Gods Work Our Hands Sunday Commissioning Service Picnic in the Pavilion |
9 Mon |
5:30 pm 7:00 pm |
Exec. Comm. Meeting Church Council Meeting |
10 Tue |
6:00 pm |
Homelessness Here and Now Forum |
11 Wed |
12:00 pm 4:00 pm |
Do Good, Love Well Luncheon Accept Yard Sale Donations |
12 Thu |
1:30 pm |
Women's Bible study begins |
15 Sun |
11:15am 3:00 pm |
Accept Yard Sale Donations before & after worship SLY Block Painting and Board Games More Than A Meal |
16-20 Mon-Fri |
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
Accept Yard Sale Donations |
17 Tue |
12:00 pm |
Stephen Ministry Peer Supervision |
19 Thu |
6:00 pm |
Stephen Ministry Peer Supervision |
21 Sat |
7:00am - 1:00pm |
SLY Yard Sale |
24 Tue |
10:00 am 10:00 am |
Food Pantry Open Saints Outing |
25 Wed |
5:30 pm |
New Members Class |
26 Thu |
4:00 pm |
Tailgate Party |
28 Sat |
7:30 am |
Habitat Fall Build #1 |
29 Sun |
11:15 am |
Exec. Comm. Meeting |
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St. Luke Lutheran Church Follow us @stlukememphis
2000 Germantown Parkway N.
Cordova, TN 38016
901-756-8850
stluke@stlukememphis.org Pastor Cliff
jennifer@stlukememphis.org Jennifer Wright
jacobgallen@gmail.com Jacob Allen
patti@stlukememphis.org Patti Calvert
Follow the Youth activities on Facebook at:
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