St Luke's Newsletter

Join us for the Service,

Sunday at St. Luke's and also on

Facebook Live at 9:30 a.m.

Dear St. Luke’s Family,

Due to the state of Ohio COVID numbers falling at a significant rate we believe it is time for St. Luke’s to loosen our restrictions. This Sunday, we would ask that you be aware of your own need as well as others to continue social distancing (stickers will be available at the front door if you wish to be identified as someone at risk and would prefer that people keep a 6 foot social distance out of respect for you.) Because the CDC has shortened the requirements from 6ft. to 3 ft in schools, we feel comfortable lifting the floor tape and request that you self-regulate and be sensitive to others as noted above. Until Pentecost, we ask that people continue to wear masks while traveling around the building, coming forward for communion and during worship, which is cause for the greatest concerns because of the distance that particulates can move while singing.

It is our intent that on Pentecost Sunday we will remove our mask restrictions completely. We also plan to take down our bathroom protocol signs and add additional seating to the sanctuary. We will continue to request that people be careful, use Purell often, be sensitive to others who wish to continue wearing masks or who are staying distant. We will respectfully request that if you have any symptoms of cold, flu or COVID to please stay home and join our online livestream service.

We will continue to monitor the state of Ohio’s daily infection rates and believe that barring any future spikes in new cases by Pentecost we will have cause for celebration. We plan to reopen the café and have some hospitality after church so we can once again enjoy the fellowship that we have all come to appreciate. Moving forward provided we see the number of cases continue to trend down we will carefully resume our café hospitality offering coffee and food to be served.

I want to thank you for your patience with me, the Vestry and the staff during this pandemic. We have worked hard to strike a balance by operating with prudence and not fear, with wisdom and not judgement. There have been a host of opinions on both sides of the mask discussion, and we understand the frustrations from each point of view. We believe over the course of the year we have done our best to error on the side of caution.

As you know, we have had some cases of COVID in our congregation, but they were well contained, managed and healed. We are thankful for God’s covering and the time is coming soon when we can once again see your smiling faces while we gather together to praise him.

Continue to Pray. Exert care where necessary and may the Joy of the Lord be your strength!

Blessings

Dan

Alpha for Teens

· The Youth Alpha course for teenagers starts Sunday, Apr

18th 2021 and ends on Sunday, June 13th 2021.

· We will be meeting in person after the church service and

ending at 1:30 PM (around noon to 1:30) in the Youth

building.

· A light lunch will be provided.

· Youth are welcome to invite friends.

If interested, please contact Mike or Sonja Carson

at (330) 666-3915.

Alpha Starts TONIGHT! April 7th

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT

and running thru June 16th.

Alpha is here!

Starting tonight, Alpha will begin again.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Click here for an invitation to Alpha that you can email to friends, post on your facebook page, send out in Instagram or just print out and pass out.

Our hope is not just to offer this to those who have not done Alpha before at the church, but to invite friends, neighbors, even relatives that live near or far away to join us as we explore questions of faith, journey on the road to discovering what it's like to have Jesus in your life or just simply to have a better understanding of God’s plans and purposes.

Please use this as your opportunity to spread the Good News! You won’t regret it and it could possibly be the thing that saves the lives of those you love.

Blessings,

Dan

Golf League

The Golf League has begun. They will be playing at Loyal Oak Golf Course

in Norton each Tuesday evening

with the first tee time at 5:15 p.m.

If you have any questions, contact Hank Eimer.

Borrowing from best-selling studies by Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Lisa Harper, Kelly Minter, and Jennifer Rothschild, this 5 session study explores crucial moments in the lives of 5 Old Testament figures - Esther, Gideon, Malachi, Nehemiah, and Hosea. Through their stories, discover how God uses the lives of ordinary people for His glory and the good of His people. Strengthen your faith as you walk alongside these larger-than-life figures who all chose to obey God no matter the circumstances.

To all Women and Girls of St. Luke's:

You are invited to a monthly ZOOM Bible Study sponsored by Order of The Daughters of The Holy Cross.

Topic: "GOD is Sovereign in Turbulent Times"

Text: The Book of Daniel

Purpose: To examine how Daniel and his fellow Jews remained faithful to

GOD following their deportation from Judah to the foreign land

of Babylon.

Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Leader: The Very Reverend Dr. Henry Thompson, III

President and Dean, Trinity School for Ministry

Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Reading: Daniel - Chapters 4 and 5

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Leader: Dr. Erika Moore

Academic Dean, Professor of Old Testament and

Director of Partnerships, Trinity School For Ministry

Reading: Daniel, Chapter 6

Sunday, June 13, 2021

The Reverend Canon Diane Reese

Director of Communications

Next Generation Leadership Initiative

The Anglican Church of North America

Reading: Daniel - Chapter 7

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Beverly Scipio.

Telephone: 216-231-5948

Email: Revbev.scipio@yahoo.com

We ask your prayers that GOD will lead and bless this ministry.

Blood Drive at St. Luke's

On Friday, April 30, 2021, we will roll up our sleeves and partner with the American Red Cross to hold what we expect to be the first of many blood drives. The Red Cross has over 135 years of experience providing humanitarian aid including more than 75 years of supplying blood to those in need.

Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of so many more. What a great way to pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country. We are very excited about the drive and I hope you are too.

If you have any questions, would like to reserve a time to donate blood, or would like to volunteer, please contact Jim Fulton. There are many ways you can help, but most importantly we hope you come out to donate.

There will be a table in the cafe this Sunday so you can sign up for a time slot to donate.

2021

April Offering: $7,725

Needed monthly: $40,417

YTD Offering: $115,310

YTD Budget: $134,722

Baskets are provided in the front and back of the

sanctuary for your offering on Sunday morning.

We are continually grateful for your amazing generosity, especially during this challenging year and we pray

for each of you each week.

Click here to find out what items are accepted at the shed.

St. Luke's receives 4 cents per pound for the clothing we collect.

We earned $196.48 for 2021 YTD donations.

The Clothing Shed

All the clothes you've been stashing in the corner of your spare room can now be brought to the Clothing Shed at the back of the church parking lot. With many of the thrift stores not accepting donations or having limited hours, it's a great place to donate gently used clothing and you'll be helping those in need, too!

Please tie the clothes into a bag (do not use boxes or put clothing in the shed un-bagged) and put in the slot to keep them safe and dry.

Ways to Give to St. Luke's

Mail checks to St. Luke's Church 3810 Ridgewood Rd Copley, OH 44321

PayPal -send to donations@stlukesakron.com.

St. Luke's Website - stlukesakron.com - in the upper right corner, click on the button that says, "Give." You can fill out the form with a credit card/debit card or bank routing and account number. You will receive a receipt by email. This can be set up as recurring if you choose. Click here to be taken to the website.
Your Own Bank - send a payment through your own bank account's bill pay on the bank website. The church will receive a paper check in the mail. This can be set up as recurring if you choose.
Drop off in the church mailbox or come inside to the office if you're driving by.

Prayer for St. Luke's

Pray for an easy transition for the new Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes, Bishop Mark Engel.

Pray for those who are affected by the virus, the healthcare workers and our leaders who have to make difficult decisions.

Prayer List

If you would like to have your prayer need listed in the newsletter, click here.

Pray for the division of our country and that we, as Christians may be united and may shine as a light to those who are in darkness.

To submit a prayer request, please fill out a pink paper in the back of the chairs in the sanctuary or click here to submit it through the website.

‌

Our Clergy on call emergency phone#

330-665-2229

Hospital and Shut In Ministry

Call the church office when you or a loved one will be in the hospital or would like

a visit from the Clergy. They

would be glad to visit as COVID restrictions allow, pray and offer communion when requested.

St. Luke's On-Line Directory

Have you gotten the new directory?

You should have received an email with a link to download the app. If you haven't received it, or need assistance loading the app, please contact Jim at the church office for assistance.

330-665-2227

Prayer Texts

Contact the church office if you would like a prayer request sent out to the St. Luke's family. If the request is for someone other than yourself, we must have their permission before we publish it.

After office hours, email Kathy.

We reserves the right to edit or deny requests for the prayer text to prevent the violation of privacy. Thank you for your understanding.

Inner Healing Prayer ministers to

body, soul and spirit.

If you would like prayer or have any questions, contact

Nancy Koly

330-618-4036

If you would like to be involved in this

vital ministry to the body of St. Luke's and also to our visitors, please see David Springer for more information.

Please have all ministry information for the newsletter to the church office by Wednesday before noon to be included in the weekly newsletter. Thank you!

Click here for email or call 330-665-2227.

There are many resources on the St. Luke's website. Spend a few minutes browsing to see all the information that's available or click on the links below.

To access a copy of the weekly bulletin, click here.

You may give online by clicking here

To submit a prayer request, click here.

For the Children's Sunday School lesson, click here.