St. Luke’s Episcopal Church |
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Lifelines: News and updates for you from St. Luke's |
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I want to express my deep gratitude to Dr. John A. Schultz, our Director of Music, and to St. Luke’s choir. They poured so much time and energy into rehearsing last Sunday’s service of Lessons and Carols. In so doing, they helped to create a wonderful, contemplative service of word, music, reflection, and prayer. Thank you for a rare treat!
I’m keeping it short this week, so I’ll only add one other thing: Please keep looking for the movement of God out in daily life. Notice where love is springing up, where new understanding is dawning, or where consolation is being offered. Make a note, bring it back to church, and put it up on the window. Let’s cover the church with the movement of God!
Yours in Christ,
Justin
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Call or text: 612-618-3826
Email: revjustinc@gmail.com
Drop in Office Hours: Wednesdays, 12:30 to 3:00.
If you'd like a visit, communion, prayer, or just time to talk, please call, text, email, or drop by office hours. I'd love to connect with you!
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Sunday Eucharist: 9:30 a.m.
Please join us for worship on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. as we celebrate Eucharist on the Third Sunday of Advent. As always, please join us for coffee hour following worship.
If you can't make it in person, please tune in for the livestream on St. Luke's Facebook page. You don't need an account to watch the video; just click here and the livestream should be the first post on the page. Download the bulletin to follow along at home.
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Make Music with Us!
Choir
We need your voice! If you'd like to sing, please meet in the worship space Sunday mornings at 8:45 to rehearse the hymns and service music. We're also planning monthly rehearsals for more involved pieces; watch this space for more information
Handbells
The St. Luke's Handbell choir practices weekly on Wednesday night from 7:30 to 8:30 PM downstairs in the St. Luke's church building. Anyone interested in having fun while making a joyful noise is welcome. For more information, contact Harold Solbrig / harold@solbrigs.us / 507-319-2628
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Coffee Hour: The Eighth Sacrament
The time we spend together in conversation and fellowship is as important to the life of our community as our worship. We need your help to make it happen! We particularly need coffee hour hosts: People who are willing to provide some treats, make the coffee, and get things cleaned up afterward. Take it on as a solo exercise or pair up with friends. Either way, your help is needed and appreciated. If you have questions about any of it, from setup to coffee making to clean up, Harold Solbrig is the one to talk to ( harold@solbrigs.us / 507-319-2628)
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Sunday Morning Faith Formation |
This week is the final installments of our discussion of Do I Stay Christian? As we wrap up our discussion, let's consider what we've learned from the book that we might put into practice at St. Luke's. What's one concrete thing we could do?
After this week, we'll have coffee hour (uninterrupted) until the new year when our next season of faith formation will begin: A series on the basics of Episcopal Christianity. It'll be an introduction for new folks and a refresher for long-time members.
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Have news to share with the congregation? Please get in touch with Rev. Justin (612-618-3826, revjustinc@gmail.com) or Karen (507-288-2469, gouldk@stlukesepiscopal.org).
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Stewardship Campaign Thank You |
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Greetings Members of St Luke's -
Thank you so much for your timely and generous response to the pledge drive. We have received 61 pledges for a total of $195,701. This is very close to the amount we anticipated and puts us in a strong position to move forward with budgeting for 2023.
St Luke's is its members- from finances to worship to outreach and activities, we can only do what we support. It is so gratifying to know that in this time of difficult decision making and change you are still committed to financing our community and spiritual life together.
Thank you to all of the people who helped make the case for our financial needs and to everyone for responding without too much prompting. I appreciate all of the contributions and all of the honesty about what you can and cannot commit to at this time. And of course, I appreciate all of the contributions that each of you makes beyond the financial ones. That is what makes us thrive together.
Sincerely
Cathy Manduca
Stewardship Chair
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Christmas Poinsettias For the Altar |
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Decorate the Altar this Christmas Season with poinsettias with an offering in memory of or in thanksgiving for. Dedication Flower offering envelopes are available on the table in the church entryway or call Karen in the church office.
Place your envelope in the offering basin, mail or bring into the church office no later than December 18th.
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Decorating the Church for Christmas |
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This Sunday, December 11th and next Sunday December 18th, following the 9:30 am Service, we will be decorating the church for the Christmas Season.
This Sunday wreaths will be hung so we need volunteers who are able to climb a ladder.
Next Sunday we will be putting out the trees, poinsettias and other finishing touches.
We are in need of volunteers both Sundays. Everyone is welcome! Many hands make quick work and this is an especially fun volunteer opportunity.
Please contact Cathy Botz, 269-1312 or botz.cathy@gmail.com or Karen in the church office if you are interested in helping and your availability or just show up.
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Given the continuing need for virtual meetings, we would like to make sure that everyone in the congregation can access our meetings being held on zoom.
If anyone would like some assistance learning to login to zoom on their computer or through their phone, Andrew Altrichter is available to assist in person or over the phone. If you or someone you know could use assistance, please reach out to him at 651-261-3241 or ajaltrichter@gmail.com. If anyone else is interested in teaching other congregation members to use zoom more comfortably, please let him know. |
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St. Luke's Retains Realtor to Lease Sunday School Space |
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The Vestry and the Property Usage Committee have approved contracting with Realty Growth Inc. (Bucky Robert Beeman, Matt Gove, and Nick Pompeian) to search for a renter or renters for our Sunday school wing. We are hopeful that they will find a non-profit user who will see our space as appropriate for their needs, and provide much needed income for St Luke's. Any potential renter will need approval by the vestry, and if the lease is longer than 1 year, by the Diocese.
In anticipation of new users, we have been consolidating and rearranging furniture and items in the Sunday school rooms. If you have used this space, or stored items in the area, we would appreciate it if you would help us with the final few rooms. Karen, at the church, can let you in to have a look.
This will be a new chapter for St Luke's. We sincerely hope that a new use, that furthers our mission, and helps us finance our current mission, can be found for this space.
Your Wardens,
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This past summer, a committee of Calvary and St Luke's members busily gathered input from all of us and explored possibilities for us to build community between our Rochester Episcopal parishes. The ice cream social, shared outreach to San Jose Obrero and Salvation Army Bellringing are 3 of the early successes. More will be planned and implemented with your input and help.
Possible areas for collaboration include:
- Fellowship
- Outreach
- Faith formation (adult & youth)
- Worship
- Music
We are willing to try LOTS of different ideas if there is an organizer and several helpers at each parish to implement. We have brainstormed several 1-time, seasonal, or ongoing ideas including: a winter party this January, a volunteer corps to listen to student readers at Sunset Terrace (sign up for 1 time, 1 season, or ongoing for 1 hour/week), youth group special outreach projects (as Calvary had before Covid), ‘pulpit swap’ for 1 Sunday to trade rectors, or shared musical performances. Some of these were ideas formulated by members in a survey, but we are sure YOU have even more good ideas. Are you willing to help???
Let’s not be strangers. Share your ideas by email or in-person at church with Amy Crockett (Calvary) or Amy Caucutt (St Luke's), and watch for monthly updates of collaboration opportunities for us all.
Your Calvary-St Luke's Collaboration Implementing Team: encouraging, supporting and coordinating 😊
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Calvary has two events coming up this weekend to check out:
Advent Quiet Day
December 10, 2022
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Advent is many things to us – a time of waiting, preparation, rest, and repair. It is also a time of intense consumerism and pressure to be busy with tasks both joyous and difficult. You are invited to take a few hours away from your Saturday schedule on December 10 to sit and pray with others in the lovely, sacred space of Calvary, and to bring all that is in your heart and mind to this time of gentle discussion, meditation, and holy wondering. Tea and scones will be ready a little before 9:00 am.
Co-facilitated by the Rev. Beth Royalty and the Rev. Paul Ehling, the practice of Lectio Divina (the reading of scripture followed by a time of meditation, prayer, and journaling) will be offered on the hour by the Rev. Paul Ehling in the Fireside Room. Rev. Beth Royalty will be in the church for private counseling, confession, or to be a companion in prayer. Come for the whole morning or for a little time of quiet. All are welcome!
A Service of Lessons and Carols
December 11, 2022
4:00 p.m.
The Motet Choir and guests will lead a traditional service of Lessons and Carols surrounded by candlelight. Come listen to and sing along with Advent and Christmas music and begin your own holiday season in the beauty of this traditional service.
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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. |
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“Thank you so much for your holiday meal donations, especially important when food insecurity has been soaring in our community! St. Luke’s works with the social worker at Sunset Elementary to provide meals to children’s families who are experiencing food insecurity.
We were able to provide a traditional Thanksgiving meal for 25 people this Thanksgiving! Donations received now will be used for Christmas meals. Your generosity is truly appreciated!
Please send checks to St. Luke's Episcopal Church or drop off at the church office at 1884 22nd Street NW. Please note in memo 'Holiday Food Drive'.
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Rochester Public Schools started on Tuesday, September 6
and St. Luke’s looks forward to helping families in our neighborhood continue to learn and thrive throughout the school year. Each month during the 2022-2023 school year, Operation Backpack will list in the Lifelines four or five of the most needed school supplies at Sunset Terrace Elementary and John Marshall High School. These can be dropped off at St. Luke's, Monday through Friday, 8-5 and , of course, on Sunday. Drop in the bins marked "Snacks" for Sunset Terrace or John Marshall that are located in the downstairs foyer. Our Operation Backpack Team will deliver them to the schools.
December's Greatest Needs at Sunset Terrace Elementary School are:
- Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash.
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Gift Cards for Walmart, Amazon, or Target in $10 increments so teachers can buy emergency supplies for students.
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Healthy Snacks (individually wrapped) that do not contain peanuts or do not need to be refrigerated.
Some good examples are: Raisins, Unsweetened Apple Sauce, Keebler
Club and Cheese Crackers, Nutri-Grain Bars, Quaker Oat Chewy Bars,
Natural Fruit Rollups, Fruit Leather, Apple and Banana Chips, Gold Fish,
Pretzel and Cheese Packs, Popcorn.
Water-proof Mittens and Gloves for elementary sized hands.
Woven mittens get too wet and soggy. Currently they have adequate
supply of hats.
Please place the mittens or food items in the plastic bins under the Backpack poster in the downstairs hallway and hand gift cards to Karen.
As always, thank you for your continuing generosity and for thinking of these kids, especially since the Christmas season is almost upon us.
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“Dashing Through the Snow” |
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The Rochester Area Handbells concert, “Dashing Through the Snow,” will be held at St. Luke's on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm. St. Luke's is providing the venue.
The community's most accomplished handbell ringers will participate in this wonderful holiday program.
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If you have donations of new or gently used household items, including couches, tables with chairs, beds, bedding, towels, dishes, etc, here are many wonderful options.
Catholic Charities at 507-287-2047 will arrange pickup from your house and accepts all the above. Donations are used for refugee families.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Resource Room at 507-288-7313 works with St. Vincent De Paul for helping Rochester homeless families and adults or for families in crisis with relocation needs to start their new apartments. They accept non-furniture items. They will arrange a time when you can drop off your items.
St. Vincent De Paul (507-250-5715) directly accepts beds, tables, dressers and household items, (not couches), but will usually ask you to hold onto the items until move in day, as they do not have a storage place. They appreciate a drop off, but will pick up if needed.
The Landing (507-884-0423) and The Warming Shelter (507-458-1223) accept new or gently used adult socks and jeans, which are given to homeless adults. Feel free to drop these off at St. Luke’s and we’ll get them delivered.
If you have any questions about any of these ministries or would like to help volunteer, please email dianeomara@charter.net.
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Bible Study: Luke
Join us for our ongoing study of Luke's gospel. We never fail to find something interesting to discuss!
Join us on Wednesdays from 10:30 till noon.
Meeting ID: 827 6194 5638
Passcode: 1884
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Book Group
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (fiction)
Tuesday, January 24th, 6:30 pm
Discussion through Zoom.
Enjoy the book; then join us for a discussion led by Debbie Whicker.
Watch for a St. Luke's Book Group notice to join the meeting by computer or phone.
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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. |
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St. Luke’s is...
Joyful community
Faithful service
Transformational worship
Growing in relationship with God in Christ.
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