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I love St. Luke’s because it is a place where I can be myself.
It is a place where I make friends.
It is a place where I can try new things.
It is a place that encourages me to help others.
It is a home to me and others.
It brings people together for a community.
-Charlie Knowlton
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The church I served in New York City had four professors of philosophy in the congregation. One, Elise Crull, focused on the Philosophy of Science and the interface between Religion and Science. She taught me the term “scientism” which means “an excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge.”
Elise, a former physics major, and I share a high esteem for science. We also share a strong background in Philosophy and Theology which most proponents of scientism don’t share or take seriously. Wittingly or unwittingly, proponents of scientism make all sorts of philosophical and theological mistakes.
Just today in my feed on the social media platform Bluesky, someone posted that brain scans ‘prove’ that our experiences of God in meditation are ‘just’ our brain doing what it was ‘designed’ to do. Whenever the words ‘just’ or ‘only’ appear in a claim like this, we know we are encountering a primary tool of scientism ‘reductionism.’ And, on a funny note, the word ‘evolved’ was probably more apt than ‘designed.’ The latter implies a designer. So hard to escape metaphysics!
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| | Keep Watch with Jesus - Vigil at the Altar of Repose | | |
Jesus spent an agonizing evening praying in the garden of Gethsemane between the last supper (Maundy Thursday) and his arrest. A long-standing tradition in the church is to accompany Jesus through the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday at a special altar where we keep the reserved sacrament in a garden-like setting. Essentially, we accept Jesus' request that we "watch with him." This is a wonderful time for prayer and meditation in the quiet of the church at night.
We will offer hour-long shifts for up to four people, or just one person. We will have the Bible, prayer books and other resources available for prayer. One custom is to read the Gospel one chapter at a time through the night. More on that later.
The Altar of Repose will be in the Atrium area and accessible through the parking lot door.
Sign up using the button below or the sign-up sheet in the atrium.
| | Launching a New Way to Give! | | | | |
We’re excited to announce that Apple Pay and Venmo are now available for donations! You can now donate to the church easily via PayPal using Apple Pay or Venmo, either from your phone or through our website.
This payment option is also now available for Easter memorials. Visit our Easter Memorial section to make your memorial donations today.
| | Launching Our Church Calendar! | | Our Church calendar is now available online! We're committed to continuously improving communications and updates for both our parishioners and staff. This new calendar will allow you to view all public events at the church and can be accessed through our website. You can also add it to your Google Calendar for easy reference. | |
| Interested in meeting with our Interim Rector? | | You can now self-schedule a meeting with Rev. Jarrett online! Please click on the link below to view his availability and book an appointment with him. | | |
Running through April 20th (Easter)
In what has become a tradition at St. Luke's, parishioners are invited to read, reflect, and write on daily readings.
Interested in writing a Lenten blog? Contact Betsy Fornal efornal@aol.com
Click on the button under the QR code to subscribe for automatic email notifications when new blogs have been posted! Previous blog subscribers are automatically signed up.
| | | Easter Flower & Music Memorials | | | | |
We are now accepting donations for flower and music memorials in honor of Easter. The deadline for submissions is April 6, 2025. Please make checks payable to St. Luke's Church, indicating "flower memorials" or "music memorials." Checks can be placed in the Sunday offering plate, brought to the church office, or mailed to: St. Luke's Church, 99 Peirce Street, East Greenwich, RI 02818.
You can now donate with Apple Pay and Venmo!
Recommended donation per name: $10
| | We are especially grateful to all those who have stepped forward to contribute to our partner diocese in Sudan. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised over $1,000—a significant sum that will directly support those facing life-threatening conditions. This donation will be sent promptly to provide relief where it is most needed. Your support is a testament to the power of community and compassion in times of crisis. Together, we are making a real and lasting impact in the lives of those who need it most. Thank you for being a part of this life-saving effort. | | The Witness Stones Project: Celebrating The Rev. Daniel Davis 1834- 1904 | | |
The Rev. Daniel Davis was a formerly enslaved man who escaped from Maryland and settled in Richmond, RI. He lived in Wood River Junction and served as an itinerant preacher at churches in Westerly, Richmond and Hopkinton, including the Wood River Chapel which is now St. Thomas Episcopal Church. All are invited to the following events at St. Thomas Church, 322 Church Street, Wood River Junction:
Sunday, April 27 at 2:30 pm: Introduction to the life of Elder Davis and the Witness Stone Project
Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m: Gather at the Church and walk 1 mile to the burial site of Elder Davis.
Sunday, May 18 at 2:30 pm: Showing of the film "Traces of the Trade"
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Register before July 1:
St. Luke’s will host Vacation Bible School (VBS) from July 21–25, 2025, for children ages 4–12. This summer’s theme, Waves of Gratitude, will feature a full-day summer camp program filled with fun, faith, and creativity. Parents can expect:
-Water fun
-Music & Movement
-Creative crafts
-STEAM projects
For more info, contact Amy Weigand, Director of Youth and Family Ministries at amy@stlukeseg.org
| | | | Please fill out the form below for each child who would like to join us for the Youth Camping Trip April 25-26 at the Peg Mill Shelter on the Narragansett Trail, Pachaug State Forest, Voluntown, Connecticut. | | |
We have two exciting upcoming events for our men's group, Theology on Tap, and we’d love for you to join us!
Saturday, April 5th – Service Day at the Episcopal Conference Center (ECC)
CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
Monday, April 21st – Post-Easter Fellowship & Meeting
Join us for a time of reflection, discussion, and fellowship the day after Easter. We'll meet in the dining room to continue building community, dive into theological conversations, and share in a meal together. This is a great chance to reconnect after the Easter celebrations.
We hope to see you at both events as we grow together in faith and friendship!
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Women of Grace will be meeting Monday, April 7th, 7:00pm in the dining room at St. Luke’s. We will be discussing the book, American Jezebel, by Eve LaPlante. “Considered one of the earliest American feminists, Anne Hutchinson was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority—and, indirectly, acceptable gender roles—by preaching to both women and men and by questioning Puritan teachings about salvation.” (https://www.womenshistory..org)
In exile from MA, she settled RI (which later merged with Roger William’s Providence Plantation), thus becoming the only woman to co-found an American colony. One wonders if women face similar challenges today. This is sure to be a fascinating discussion.
Please feel free to bring a savory or sweet to share. Kindly RSVP deblukens73@gmail.com, (908) 500-4573.
| | Last Meeting for Becoming Beloved Community | | |
Becoming Beloved Community: Sacred Conversation on Race
An Anti-Racism training for Spiritual Growth and the building up of an Inclusive Community
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Our theme for Lent, “Loved into Clarity” includes, for those who are ready, the opportunity to seek clarity about racial justice and all the ways that the racism prevalent in our culture has affected our souls. The course objectives include:
- To provide a spiritual growth opportunity based on the mission of the church and our baptismal vows that brings us closer to the Beloved Community of Jesus Christ.
- To educate members at St. Luke’s in the skills and awareness necessary to become a community that welcomes all people across race and other forms of difference.
- To develop the lens of anti-racism to help us to see and acknowledge racism in our church and our world.
- To build up our capacity to be present and committed to each other through difficult and painful conversations.
The future of the Episcopal Church is diverse and we will either prepare to embrace that fact or wither on the vine. Racism is not yet healed in our country and the church is called to play a role in that healing and restoring work.
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Of course the scan shows patterns of brain activity. Areas of our brain light up when we do certain activities or have certain thoughts or feelings. But the author failed to note his move from observing data to interpreting data, and so he exposes his lack of training in philosophy. To say that religious experience is reducible to brain activity begs a lot of questions and reveals the assumptions of the author.
In the comments sections I riposted this way: “Why are you assuming that the physical and spiritual are separate? What warrants your reductive conclusion? How have you ruled out other factors or rival interpretations?”
As a disciple of Jesus, I know that the spiritual and physical are not two separate spheres. First, God created humanity so why would we be surprised that our brains are wired for connection to God? Second, God became Incarnate in Jesus restoring our humanity and re-affirming that we are made as whole humans for union with God.
There is no need for reduction. Science teaches us many things and shows us the wonders of the world. Science can glorify God or it can be used for sinful purposes too (Zyklon B, Nuclear Weapons). Every area of human expression and action is marked by our shadow including theology, philosophy and church. If we make it to Mars, the human condition will come with us.
The point is, science, theology and philosophy can work very well together as we interpret our experience and the data points of our lives. But we all must admit that we are engaged in interpretation. Because the church has such a long history of interpretation -because the Bible is at the center of our lives - in some ways we are ahead on this topic and other spheres have some things to learn from us.
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St. Luke's Episcopal Church | (401) 884-4116
admin@stlukeseg.org | http://stlukeseg.org
99 Peirce Street
East Greenwich, RI 02818
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