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.
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. During the summer the older children go to the nursery with Mrs. Fatu.
Children’s Choir – meets after coffee hour each week for 20 minutes or so. For more information talk to Deke Polifka, Music Director.
Today – Church Council meets at 12:45
May 27-30 Annual Conference. Each year the Baltimore-Washington Conference meets in an extended session for worship and prayer, and to hear reports, vote on proposals, receive candidates for ordination, and make decisions and set the course for our life together as 700 congregations throughout Maryland, DC, and a tiny part of West Virginia. Conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel across from the new Convention Center downtown, and observers are cordially invited to drop by. Our lay member to Annual Conference is Adam Briddell. He and Anne will be attending sessions from Thursday through Sunday.
May 30 -The Rev. Reginald Cuffee is Guest Preacher The Rev. Reggie Cuffee has preached at St. Luke’s several times over the past few years. Everyone always says, “Please ask him to come again!” Reggie is ordained in the AME Church, and works with Child Protective Services.
June 5- Glover Park Day! St. Luke’s will have strong presence at Glover Park Day this year, as we encourage community support for the upcoming trip to Cuba, and let our neighbors know more about all that’s going on at St. Luke’s. The Shelter/Kitchen will also have a table. So be sure to stop by. Glover Park Day is held across the street at Guy Mason Recreation Center, from 11-5 on Saturday, June 5th.
June 10 – Jazz in the Garden. Hear the Yvette Rivers Trio from 6:30 to 8:30 in the garden. Bring a picnic supper and something comfy to sit on. This is a part of St. Luke’s outreach to the community: it’s laid-back and it’s free. So bring your friends and enjoy the evening. You can pick up a schedule for the entire series in the Wesley Room, or find it on the church web site, to share with others.
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 or 202-333-4949.
The Tuesday evening study group is sharing various readings that have meaning for our individual journeys. During May we are learning about the roots of Methodism with Christine. 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 program of St. Luke’s Shelter and St. Luke’s Church, providing job training in restaurant skills for homeless men and women. First class begins May 24th! The program is 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.
First Ever! St. Luke’s Music Camp July 12-16. Camp this year will be a wonderful experience involving singing, drama, arts and crafts, storytelling, snacks and games for children completing kindergarten through sixth grade. Camp will be held from 9:00 to noon Monday through Friday, with the children presenting their musical on Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm. For family and friends. This year’s musical is “By The Sea: Stories from the Life of Jesus.” Brochures and registration forms are available in the Wesley Room, or contact Deke Polifka, Director of Music Ministry at deke@saintlukesmethodist.org.
Volunteers in Mission Cuba Trip Update
Our trip to Cuba will be August 14th-29th. We will be working at the oldest Methodist church in Cuba, in Mantanza, on the northern coast, and living at the Methodist seminary there. Our trip leader will be Greg Forrester, VIM Coordinator for the Northeast Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, who has led several VIM trips to Cuba in the past.
Upcoming fundraising events for the trip include a community garage/yard sale on May 22nd, and a benefit concert and silent auction on June 19th. Monies raised will go with the group as a gift to the host church in Cuba. Our host church is also in need of the items listed below. Please contact Sylvia Zulu if you need further information or are interested in making a donation. sylzulu@yahoo.com
+ Laptop computers
+ Over the counter medicines
+ Prescription medicines from your doctor (most important thing we can take)
+ Fabric, buttons, needles, thread, etc.
+ Towels
+ Sheets
+ Reading glasses and old prescription glasses
+ New underwear (men, women and children)
+ Toothbrushes and paste
+ Small soaps
+ Pens, pencils
+ Razors
+ Gently worn shoes
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.
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.
Joys and Concerns…
For Nancy Smyrnas’ son Craig, undergoing surgery for hernia repair on May 21st.
The joy of Lisa and Jon Kaldan here for a visit
As gay and lesbian people are legally able to marry for the first time in the US, prayer that St. Luke’s will continue to affirm our openness to all
For Kirsty Zulu’s birthday and baptism
For Jen Runyon’s friend Paul preparing for surgery
For Reese Parker Kolasky, born May 10th, and for her parents, Carrie and Bob
Emily Dawson shared the joy of her family being in worship today, her graduation in the afternoon, and her leaving to return home to Colorado on Monday
The joy of Deke’s graduation this week
For our military in Iraq and for the people of Iraq, and for our leaders that they may lead with wisdom
For Eliza Wharton, recovering at home from a blood clot
For Dorothy Preston’s nephew preparing to attend the Naval Academy
For the Volunteers in Mission Cuba trip in August
For the children and staff of Wings of Hope Orphanage, in Haiti.
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.
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.”