Welcome, visitors! There is a visitor card in the pew rack; if you’d like a call this week, please fill out the card and give it to the pastor or place it in the collection plate.
Welcome, children! Our nursery is located upstairs. Just follow the signs. Mrs. Fatu Colley is in charge of the nursery. The nursery is available from 10:45 until 12:15. Parents can take their infants, toddlers, and younger preschoolers to the nursery at any time during the service.
Children ages 4 and up usually go to Sunday School after the children’s story, and meet their parents or adult relatives after Sunday School in the Wesley Room for refreshments. Cherise Williams and Heather Thomas are our Sunday School teachers.
Today --Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when we remember the joy of welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem and acclaiming him as king. We will shout “hosanna!” and wave the palm branches, but on day we also begin our walk with Jesus to the cross. With all its scripture (more scripture than any other worship service) and its stark shift from joy to sorrow, Palm Sunday is easily the most dramatic service of the church year.
On Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday), April 8th, we remember the last supper Jesus ate with his friends. We will gather in the Wesley Room at 6:30 for supper. Please let Shalom know if you plan to attend. After our meal, we’ll move into the sanctuary for a service which will include holy communion and foot washing. The Holy Thursday service will begin at 7:30.
On Good Friday, we will worship at 7:30 pm. On Good Friday we not only recall Christ’s crucifixion, but also, as Christ did on the cross, we lift up prayers on behalf of the world.
On Holy Saturday, we will prepare the sanctuary for Easter. We’ll meet in the sanctuary at 5:00 pm.
Today --Grate Patrol Offering & meal-making. Our monthly Grate Patrol Offering supports the purchase of groceries and supplies to make 150 bag suppers for people living on the street.
Our next Grate Patrol night is Tuesday, April 6th. Sign up in the Wesley Room or email the church to be part of that night’s Grate Patrol team (7-9 pm; meet at the church).
March’s Grate Patrol offering was $249.00
Easter lily deliverers needed! Please sign up on the bulletin board in the Wesley Room to deliver a lily to one of our home-bound members or friends after church on Easter Sunday. (Several are within walking distance.) You’ll be glad you did!
Community Easter Egg Hunt on April 11th
Ah, how could we properly celebrate springtime in all her glory without the annual St. Luke’s Easter Egg Hunt? This event will be celebrated in St. Luke’s courtyard (barring spring tornadoes) on Easter Sunday, April 11th, directly after the Easter Sunday Service at approximately 12:15 p.m. We are collecting prizes (small toys), candy, coins and plastic eggs now through Easter. Please drop them in the basket in the Wesley Room
Second Spring Concert April 18th Heather Lauffer, pianist, will perform at the second of our Spring Concert Series, at 2:00 pm on April 18th. The concert will last about half an hour, and refreshments will be served afterwards in the narthex. The Spring Concert Series is free and a part of St. Luke’s community outreach, so be sure to bring a friend. You can also download the Spring Concert Series flyer at www.saintlukesmethodist.org to share with others
Shelter Dinner Opportunity April 18th A group of church members and friends provides dinner for the Shelter residents on the third Sunday of every month. If you’d like to be a part of this enjoyable and rewarding experience, contact Nikki Parker or Cory Scott at nicoleparker555@hotmail.com and scott@urbanretail.com
Children’s Choir – meets after coffee hour each week for 20 minutes or so. For more information talk to Deke Polifka, Music Director.
About St. Luke’s Choir. The St. Luke’s choir rehearses every Sunday morning at 9:30 am. The St. Luke’s choir seeks to strengthen our worship by encouraging congregational singing, by honoring the varieties of the congregation’s faith heritages and traditions, and by embracing new ways of discovering God’s presence in our lives, through worship that is vibrant and alive. You don’t have to be able to read music to be a part of St. Luke’s choir. We keep it simple. For more information, contact deke@saintlukesmethodist.org.
The Tuesday evening study group is sharing various readings that have meaning for our individual journeys. The readings are available on Sunday before Tuesday (in the Wesley Room) or by fax. If you don’t pick up the reading today, contact the church office to get it by fax. We meet 7:30-8:30 in Anne’s office (rear office entrance).
St. Luke’s Shelter is a ministry of St. Luke’s church. The Shelter, which is located in the church, provides a small group of homeless men with a secure residence for up to six months. The Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place refers residents to the Shelter. The Shelter operates every night of the year. The dinner meal is provided 365 nights of the year by neighbors, members of nearby churches and synagogues, and several Wisconsin Avenue restaurants and grocers.
St. Luke’s Shelter Next Step Kitchen is a new program of St. Luke’s Shelter and St. Luke’s Church. Next Step Kitchen will provide job training in restaurant skills for 6-8 homeless men and women in a 12 week course, with the course to be offered 4 times yearly. The program will be located downstairs in the St. Luke’s kitchen. For more information, go to www.saintlukesmethodist.org, or Susan Keenan, Executive Director, susan@nextstepkitchen.org.
Yoga classes. A practice of breath and posture that helps integrate body and soul. Beth Sworobuk leads yoga Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the sanctuary balcony, 9:30-11:00 am. Classes are half-price for church members and friends. Contact bethsworobuk@aol.com for more information.
Wednesday evening prayer. A time for sharing, reflection and prayer. In the Chapel, 7:30-7:45 pm.
St. Luke’s web site is always current! Check it out at www.saintlukesmethodist.org. Thanks to Derek Willis for making this happen.
New Church Directories are available in the Wesley Room. Please take one with you.
Put yourself on the map. We now have a map on the wall in the Wesley Room so that we can see where everyone is from and also the places we all keep in our hearts. Please add your places during coffee hour today.
Joys and Concerns…
The joy of Conrad’s friend Ripley visiting
The joy that Jeff King’s wound is healing well
The joy of Joyce Polifka with us, and the afternoon concert
The joy of Christine Day preaching today
For the family and friends of Andrea Banysz’s friend Sonia, who died suddenly
For places in the world in need of healing, especially in Spain, in Haiti, in parts of the Middle east, and here in the US
For Dorothy Preston’s family and friends: Darin, Terri Ann, Annette, Richard, and Donna
Jen Runyon shared the joy of her sister’s pregnancy, and asked for prayers for Amy and Michael as they prepare for the birth of their child
Charles Howe asked for prayers as he applies for a new job
Don Scroggin lifted up the controversy about the ordination of United Methodist pastors who are gay or lesbian, reminding us that not so long ago churches had also been in conflict about ordaining women. He gave thanks for the gifts of openness and diversity he has found at St. Luke’s, and asked that we continue to assert our identity as a congregation that welcomes all.
Derrick Wagner shared the joy that Joyce has been cleared for jogging by her doctor.
For those seeking work and anticipating job interviews
For the children and staff of Wings of Hope Orphanage, in Haiti.
For peace and for members of the military, for contract employees, and for the people of Iraq
For Carrie and Bob, whose baby is due in May
For our Volunteers in Mission team as it prepares for the trip to Cuba in August 2004
For the community of St. Luke’s Shelter.
For those living with HIV/AIDS
For our members who are unable to attend because of their health: Margaret Roberts, Jeanne Goss, Vernon Thomas, Lucille Dade, and Dorothy Bowers.
Sermon copies for the hard of hearing can be picked up every Sunday in the narthex. Each week’s sermon is also available on the web.
Our Mission Statement
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church seeks to serve the community’s spiritual and physical needs. We are a small congregation dedicated to creating an atmosphere of inclusiveness in which all feel welcome to worship. At. St. Luke’s, we try to follow the example of Christ’s ministry and teaching by sharing our building, our time and our prayers in many community partnerships. We embrace new ways of giving thanks and work to teach the joy of God’s grace to all whom we can reach.
We follow in the Wesleyan tradition in our belief that “scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.”