Welcome to St. Luke’s! We invite visitors and guests to come and explore this community at worship, at work caring for God’s world, and in fellowship together as we seek to create a community of faith in the city.
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. Please join the congregation for refreshments after worship in the Wesley Room.
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.
Older children worship with the rest of the congregation, leaving during our final hymn for twenty minutes of worship arts with Amy Catania and Deke Polifka, then rejoining their families during coffee hour.
We welcome the Rev. Don Lowe to the pulpit this morning. Don is a retired minister of the Baltimore-Washington Conference who now teaches the Art of Pastoral Care.
Our Turn with Shelter Dinner August 21st. Once a month a group of members and friends prepares and shares dinner with the residents of St. Luke’s Shelter. For more information, contact the shelter dinner coordinator, Cory Scott, scottc@urbanretail.com
Special Charge Conference September 11
At the July Church Council meeting, a motion was passed that called for a special charge conference to be held Sunday, September 11th. This special charge conference, which will be held after the regular Sunday service, is for the purpose of discussion and voting on whether to become a Reconciling Congregation. Being a Reconciling Congregation means that St. Luke’s will openly and publicly welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT) persons into our community of faith. This action will make us part of a growing community of congregations that is responding to the greater United Methodist Church’s conflicted doctrine regarding the acceptance of GLBT persons.
The meeting will be open to the public, and all members of St. Luke’s present at the meeting will be eligible to vote. The Church Council’s August meeting will further refine the range of topics that will be discussed at this special charge conference, as well as the method for voting as a congregation.
Worship Changes--From Rev. David Myers
No doubt you have noticed that the order of worship has changed: I have chosen to do this with consultation from the staff. It is not necessarily that the old Order of Worship was bad – but that this has a degree of comfort for me – and now I hope you.
Starting at the beginning: The Passing of the Peace has moved to follow the exclamation of God’s Peace through the Words of Assurance and Pardon. In this way we share with one another the Peace we have found in God’s Grace.
Which leads to the change in the placement of the Prayer of Confession – I have always felt that this should come very early in worship – it is a way of cleansing ourselves so that we may open ourselves to God’s grace that comes from the Scripture, Hymns, and hopefully, the preaching.
One of my favorite stories is about a disciple who went to a Zen master seeking to find more meaning in life. The monk began by pouring the disciple a cup of tea. Soon the teacup was full and began overflowing. The Zen master kept pouring and the tea soon flowed over the saucer and onto the table. Finally the disciple told him to stop. To which the Zen master replied. “This teacup is like your mind. Until you empty it, there is no room for anything new.” To me the Prayer of Confession helps us empty ourselves to be open to the wonders of God’s teaching and the miracle of grace.
You will also find that I like a Psalter reading – for two reasons: one is that it helps remind us that there is a “left side” of the Bible (the Old Testament); and secondly, because I like the honesty the Psalmists display in their words with God
When we get to the Joys and Concerns I will ask us to join together in saying, “Lord, hear our Prayer” after each one. Each of these joys and concerns are really prayers – so let us lift them up to God as prayers.
And finally, I like to offer prayer before the collection of the Offering. It is a chance to center ourselves on what this very important act of worship is: the Offering is our response to God’s Word – it is our offering of our money – the results of our time and talents to the challenges in this world that God has set before us. Then when we sing the Doxology, it is our prayer of thanksgiving and dedication. Then we move directly into the next phase of worship which will usually be the closing hymn.
I invite your feedback and comments. But let’s try this order of worship for a while, and see if it fits God’s people known as St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
New Narthex Gallery Exhibit. Explore the architectural photographs of Carolyn Johnson in our Narthex Gallery.
This gallery is the second in a series of four by Carolyn Johnson that will be featured in the Narthex. The galleries will rotate monthly: Southwest Light Gallery, August 7-August 28; Greek Architecture Gallery, September 4-September 30; and Illumination Gallery, October 2-October 31.
About St. Luke’s Choir. The St. Luke’s choir is on vacation for the summer. Rehearsal will resume in September. 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 Director of Music Ministry Deke Polifka, deke@saintlukesmethodist.org.
2005 Jazz in the Garden Concert Series Schedule
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2005
Asheley Elise
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005
Special Guest, Julie Hall
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 program of St. Luke’s Shelter and St. Luke’s Church, providing job training in restaurant skills for homeless men and women. The program is located downstairs in the St. Luke’s kitchen. For more information, go to www.saintlukesmethodist.org.
Coming Soon … Shalom House! We are developing a new ministry of hospitality for student and church groups visiting DC for experiential learning and advocacy. For more information, check out the web site at www.saintlukesmethodist.org
St. Luke’s web site is always current! Check it out at www.saintlukesmethodist.org. Thanks to Derek Willis for making this happen.
Congregational Giving
Monthly Pledges
Budgeted $5000/month
Actual Pledges $3,641/month
Received in July 2,650
Non-pledge and Anonymous Giving
Budgeted $1,333/month
Received in July $948.25
Joys and Concerns…
For the joy of Shaun’s parents being with him
For the joy of Penny’s successful six month check up.
For Sonia’s cousin as she heals.
For Don’s son who celebrated his eighteenth birthday.
For Earl’s cousin Steven who was honorably discharged from the army last month.
For Shirley Henderson and her family, as they mourn the death of her husband Arthur.
The joy of Mike and Nick Wagner going to summer camp.
The joy of a new look to the sanctuary.
For the victims of the bombings in London and Egypt, especially their families.
For those in war and especially those in London after the recent terrorist attacks.
For Kaou Kassambara as he takes the TOEFL exam.
For the sister of Amy’s coworker who was in a car accident.
For the congregation Dave left in Andover, MA as they welcome their new pastor.
The joy of having Dave, our new pastor, and his wife Deb with us on their first Sunday.
Deke shared the joy of a wonderful year with the choir.
For Sonia’s friend, “Auntie Baby” who passed away
For Dorothy Preston’s sister who has been hospitalized and for Dorothy’s son’s father who has cancer
For Shawn’s uncle recovering from colon cancer surgery.
Sylvia shared the joy of having so many people in church.
Derrick shared the joy of seeing Matthew graduate from drill-sergeant training
Earl shared the joy of his parents celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary
The joy of Molly and Vince expecting their child in December
For Jen’s uncle, recovering from bypass surgery
For Penny, recovering from a stomach virus
For Nate and Shalom’s friend Dan whose hand was blown off in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, and for all those killed and injured in the war, and their families and friends
The joy of the birth of Matthew Wilshire’s nephew, Lucius Jackson Wilshire
For the people of Zimbabwe during this difficult time
For Don’s mother, in a time of transition
For those facing unemployment
For those who have died in war
For peace
For our military in Iraq and for the people of Iraq, and for our leaders that they may lead with wisdom
For the children and staff of Wings of Hope Orphanage, in Haiti.
For Prince of Peace Methodist Church in Holguin, Cuba
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: Emma Cox, Jeanne Goss, Lucille Dade, Betty Lawrence, and Margaret Roberts.
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.”