Jesus said, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." - Luke 17:6
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Lifelines: News and updates for you from St. Luke's
The first Sunday in October means it’s time for the Blessing of the Animals! Bring your furry or feathered friends to church this week for a special blessing following worship.

Special events this week:
  • Saturday afternoon: Southeast Mission Area picnic with Bishop Loya
  • Sunday afternoon: Love Your Neighbor rally downtown
  • Tuesday: St. Luke's 'date night' with the Bishop Loya

Read on for details on all this and more!
From the Rector
I’m really excited to welcome our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Craig W. Loya, to St. Luke’s on Tuesday.

Bishop Craig has paid an official visit to St. Luke’s once before, but it was back in the middle of the pandemic when Sunday mornings were still all on Zoom. (He was also in the building once before when the bishop candidates stopped at St. Luke’s for lunch during their tour around the state. You can be forgiven for not remembering it; the quick stopover wasn’t open to the public.)

The bishop’s visitation is an opportunity to celebrate the life of our own faith community and also our connection to other faithful Episcopalians across Minnesota. It doesn’t always feel like this, but in The Episcopal Church, the diocese is the primary unit of the church. That is to say, we belong first to the Episcopal Church in Minnesota (ECMN) and then, secondarily, to St. Luke’s. Our church is sort of like ECMN’s local chapter in northwest Rochester. A bishop’s visit is one embodiment of our connection to the larger body we’re part of.

On Tuesday night, there will be lots of time to connect with Bishop Craig. At 5 p.m., the weenie roast begins—we’ll share food and informal conversation over food around the fire pit. At 6, we’ll move indoors for Eucharist, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and to Welcome New Members (more on that below). Then, following Eucharist, we’ll move to the fellowship hall for Minnesota bars, coffee, and a town hall gathering with the bishop.

As noted above, we’re officially welcoming new members to St. Luke’s. We’ve got a few new faces and a few that have been around for a while (the pandemic disrupted the usual flow of welcoming new people to our congregation). On Tuesday night we’ll officially welcome: Ron & Ann Bailor, Suzy Fitzsimmons, Phil Green, and Kevin & Laura Peterson as members of St. Luke’s. I’m thrilled to have each one of them as a member of our community!

As I hope you can tell, I’m really looking forward to the bishop’s visit. I hope you’re excited, too. I can’t wait to see you there!

Yours in Christ,
Justin
Office Closed: All Day Tuesday, Wednesday Morning

Karen will be out of the office on Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday (her daughter Rachel is in town).

The bishop's visit comes with some additional commitments for clergy, which means the church office will be closed all day on Tuesday and through lunch on Wednesday.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience! If you need to get in to St. Luke's and don't have a key, please get in touch with me. I'm happy to figure out a workaround.
A new season of Sunday Morning Faith Formation
Beginning on October 16, our new faith formation series begins: Conversations on Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. I found it to be an incredibly honest, thought-provoking, and hopeful read and I'm excited to read and discuss it with all of you.

We have a handful of copies available for you at St. Luke's (no charge). If you'd like one, please get in touch with me.

Here's the schedule for our discussion:

___Oct 16 - Introduction through Chapter 5
___Oct 23 - Chs. 6 through 10
___Oct 30 - Chs. 11 through 15
___Nov 6 - All Saints Sunday (no book discussion)
___Nov 13 - Congregational conversation: Advent worship (no book discussion)
___Nov 20 - Chs. 16 through 20
___Nov 27 - Thanksgiving weekend (no book discussion)
___Dec 4 - Chs. 21 through 24
___Dec 11 - Chs. 25 through Afterward

Don't let the chapter counts scare you off---the whole volume is 228 pages, so each discussion covers about 35 pages. I spent two weeks reading it because I paused frequently to stop, think, and fill the margins with notes.

I'm really excited to talk about this book and I hope you are, too!

Justin
Connect with Rev. Justin
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!
Worship with us
Sunday Eucharist: 9:30 a.m.

Please join us for worship on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and plan to stay 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. Download the bulletin to follow along at home.
Blessing of the Animals

Immediately following worship on Sunday, we'll gather for our annual Blessing of the Animals.

Bring your favorite animals to church for a special blessing!
The choir is back!

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!

Handbell Choir

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
Pastoral Care Notes
Celebrating this week
Birthdays
  • William Bois
  • Mary Solbrig
  • Carmen Garness
  • Eric Ofori-Atta
Anniversaries
  • Lance & Janet Johnson
  • Bernell & Carmen Garness
Updates
Jan Pritchard
On Friday, Jan is undergoing a procedure to reset her heart rhythm. It should be an easy procedure and have her feeling better immediately, but your prayers would be appreciated nonetheless.

Douglas A Decker brother of Jeffrey Decker
Doug Decker passed away suddenly on Wednesday September 21 in Irving Texas. Memorial plans are still underway.

It's been a quiet week, so far as we know. 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).
Bishop's Visit to St. Luke's - October 4
Bishop Loya with be visiting St. Luke's on Tuesday, October 4th.

  • 5:00 PM - Outdoor weenie roast: dinner and informal conversation at the fire pit (weather permitting). Bring your own lawn chair.
  • 6:00 PM - Holy Eucharist, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and Welcoming New Members
  • 7:00 PM - Minnesota bars & coffee and a town-hall gathering with the Bishop.

If you would like to help cook hot dogs with Doug Butler, bake bars, or serve coffee with Amy Caucutt, please inform Karen. See you at St. Luke's 'date night' with Bishop Loya.
Southeast Picnic
Saturday, October 1, 2-5 p.m.
Hok Si La Park, Lake City

As a part of his residence in southeast Minnesota, the Bishop will be hosting a gathering at Hok Si La Park in Lake City on October 1st from 2-5pm. There will be snacks, games and conversation with other Episcopalians from southeastern Minnesota.

You are invited!
Love Your Neighbor Rally
Sunday, October 2, 2:45 p.m.
6th Street and 2nd Avenue SW
(by Zumbro Lutheran Church)
 
In response to the messaging of Fanklin Graham’s “God Loves You” tour, taking place at Soldier’s Field on Sunday, October 2, Peace Church UCC, in concert with other local churches, is holding a counter-event to emphasize the inclusive nature of the Gospel. We need to show that there is a bigger message of hope. That is something that Graham, through his homophobic and Islamophobic comments—including support for Vladimir Putin’s banning children from accessing media portraying LGBTQ identities and relationships—has shown doesn’t apply to everyone.
 
Pastor Paul Bauch, Senior Pastor of Peace UCC, said “The messaging Franklin Graham has made about the LGBTQ community has not been very helpful. A lot of our folks feel threatened by that message. And there are many of us who believe that the Gospel is a Gospel of love and inclusion of all people.” (Post-Bulletin, Sep 24, 2022)
 
This gathering is not to cancel Graham’s tour nor to prevent others from attending. It’s to offer a counter-message of affirmation for all.
 
You are invited to join! Please gather at the corner of the Zumbro Lutheran parking lot (6th Street and 2nd Avenue SW) on Sunday, October 2, between 2:45 and 3:00 p.m. Consider making a sign like the one shown above. With our signs and peaceful presence, we want to show support and love to our LGBTQ community and proclaim that the Gospel teaches us to love ALL our neighbors, no matter their race, gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or anything else.
Welcome to St. Luke's
You may have noticed some sheets titled ‘Welcome to St. Luke’s' on the tables in the Narthex and in the Fellowship Hall.

As part of our renewed congregational effort to welcome visitors, if you notice someone new, or who you don’t know, please introduce yourself, hand them a welcome sheet and most importantly, invite them to sit with you for coffee and fellowship after the service. Do you remember the feeling of not knowing anyone the first time you stepped into a new place? Some of us kept coming back because we felt so warmly invited. Also, if you have suggestions for additions to the welcome sheet, please send them to Diane at dianeomara@charter.net or call 507-261-3773.
Calvary
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.
Operation Backpack Coordinator Needed
‘A big thank you to St. Luke’s new Operation Backpack team for volunteering to this important neighborhood ministry. The new team is Barbara McLeod, Suzy Fitzsimmons, and Diane O’Mara.

Monthly opportunities for giving to help our students succeed will be published in the next few weeks. Thank you all for your contributions!’
From the Episcopal Church in Minnesota
This year's annual ECMN Convention will be held in Rochester, Thursday, October 27, through Saturday the 29th. More information here.
Caring Conversations
Everyone deserves to receive the quality care that they need when they need it, and all those in our community who care for others deserve to live and work with dignity. 
 
Despite this, many caregivers and caregiving industries are in crisis and lack the support they need. This Thursday at 6pm, our friends at Christ United Methodist Church will welcome all members of the public to attend Caring Conversations: Exploring Caregiving and Resources in Our Community.
 
This gathering and panel discussion will provide a platform to highlight caregiver stories and needs in our community, to raise awareness of the present resources available and changes needed for a better future.
 
Rochester Mayor Kim Nortion has even declared Thursday, September 29th as Caregiver Awareness Day in honor of this event and the many caregivers in our community! Invite your friends and neighbors to join the conversation. Refreshments will be provided.
 
Christ United Methodist Church is located at 400 5th Ave SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Please register at the link below if you would like to attend. We hope to see you there!
 
Reading in Community
Bible Study: Luke

Join us Wednesdays at 10:30 as we read and discuss Luke's gospel. It's always a wide-ranging and interesting conversation. Hope to see you there!

Click here to join the meeting or call in: 312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 827 6194 5638
Passcode: 1884

Book Group
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (fiction)    

Tuesday, October 25th, 6:30 pm  

Discussion through Zoom.
Enjoy the book; then join us for a discussion led by Colleen Arnold.

Watch for a St. Luke's Book Group notice to join the meeting by computer or phone.
Submissions
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.
St. Luke’s is...
           Joyful community
           Faithful service
           Transformational worship
                                   Growing in relationship with God in Christ.