We had a great time with the Bishop on Tuesday night. Many, many thanks to everyone who helped prepare for his visit and to each one of you who showed up on a beautiful Tuesday evening!

We're gathering on Sunday after worship to check in about the "State of St. Luke's." More details are just below.

This Sunday, the vestry, wardens, and I, your rector, invite you to join us after worship for a presentation we’re calling “the State of St. Luke’s.” Over the past few months, we have been working hard to get a handle on the challenges our congregation is facing and investigate the opportunities we have to move in new directions. Our goal for Sunday is to bring the whole congregation into the loop regarding the specific challenges facing our church and the plans we’re making to meet them.

 

I’m sorry to say that the news isn’t all good. We have some real challenges to overcome in terms of finances, building upkeep, and recruitment.

 

Even so, We have many reasons to be hopeful. You, the members of St. Luke’s, are faithful, committed, and generous. Our worship feeds and inspires us and attracts new people to our church. We’re developing new ways of exploring our faith and putting it into practice. Our elected leaders are committed to working hard to discern and follow God’s call to St. Luke’s, wherever that may take us. And, as we saw on Tuesday night with the bishop, the members of our community have a good sense of God’s movement in the world and are asking incisive questions about where God is calling us to go.

 

These are challenging times for churches. As the bishop reminded us, every faith community in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota is struggling against our culture’s changing relationship to religion and with the after-affects of the pandemic. Even so, God remains faithful and abounding in steadfast love and we remain people ruled not by death, but by resurrection and life.

 

Writing to you, I find myself coming back to Paul’s encouragement to Timothy:

 

I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:6–9a)

 

We have indeed been called, my friends. We have been given the love and power of God. And we have been sent as emissaries of divine love to a world that’s more in need of that love than ever.

 

Ultimately, this work to which we are called necessarily involves each and every one of us—you included—because this community of faith belongs to all of us together. I hope you’ll join us on Sunday morning for the State of St. Luke’s, as we seek clarity about our present situation and begin to explore together where God might be calling us to go. If you’re unable to attend in person, please join us on Zoom. Where, exactly, we go from here has yet to be determined and your input matters greatly.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing you there to the conversations that will follow.

 

Yours in Christ,

Justin

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State of St. Luke's

Oct 9, 2022, following worship

(beginning between 10:45 and 11:00 AM)

 

 

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,81363604113#,,,,*1884#

 

Call in by phone

       +1 312 626 6799 US

 

Meeting ID: 813 6360 4113

Passcode: 1884

Calling everyone who wishes to sing in joyful praise and fellowship! We're doing a soft restart of the choir this summer, meeting in the worship space at 8:45 to rehearse the hymns and service music. We're not wearing robes right now and there's no commitment. Let's make music together!

For more information, contact Harold Solbrig / harold@solbrigs.us / 507-319-2628

A huge shout of "Thanks!" goes out to everyone who helped to make the bishop's visitation on Tuesday such a success! I'm especially grateful to:

A special welcome to our new, official members:

Finally, I'm deeply grateful to all of you who showed up to feast, celebrate, and converse. Your love for God, for our church, and for one another was on full display on Tuesday night and I couldn't be more proud. What a wonderful community we are!

With gratitude and blessings,

Justin

Please check out Calvary's weekly newsletter, The Visitor, published on Wednesdays. Current and archived editions are available here.

In addition to a variety of worship services, Calvary regularly has other public events that are sure to be of interest to folks like us.

If you've got something to include in next week's Lifelines, get in touch with Karen (507-288-2469, gouldk@stlukesepiscopal.org). The deadline is Wednesday at noon.