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 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. Their Sunday School teachers are Miss Heather and Miss Cherise.
Changes for Sunday School and Nursery. Since the number of children is growing, we are making some changes so that we will continue to have a safe and welcoming environment for the children. The Sunday School and Nursery are now both located on the second floor. Also, we are making a rotation of parents/adults who are willing to assist our Sunday School teachers in the Sunday School room once every 6-8 weeks. Please contact Shalom to be on the rotation (if you haven’t already agreed to do this).
St. Luke’s web site is always current! Check it out at http://www.saintlukesmethodist.org. Thanks to Derek Willis for making this happen.
New church directories are available. Pick one up in the Wesley Room after church.
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.
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).
Pledge Sunday follow up. Last Sunday was a strong beginning for our 2004 pledges. If you weren’t able to pledge last Sunday, you can place your completed pledge card for 2004 in the collection plate today. Extra pledge cards are available in the narthex. If you would like a box of pledge envelopes for your 2004 giving please let Shalom know in the church office.
Visions of India’s Villages: Paintings by Supti Sen
The exhibit in the Narthex Gallery features the work of one of our own parishioners, Supti Sen. Supti was born in Calcutta, India. After completing a master’s in science, she taught herself how to paint. Supti has traveled to many places in India, including the villages of the Himalayan region, where she found the inspiration for the landscapes that will be on display. To Supti, these scenes depict the true nature of India’s villages. Supti also is accomplished in embroidery, and one of her embroidered pieces is on display.
Today - Georgetown University Gospel Choir concert at 5 pm. An opportunity to support Cherise Williams, Heather Thomas, and the members of the Gospel Choir. The concert will be held in Gaston Hall on the university campus. If anyone wants a ride, please speak up during coffee hour.
Preparation for Advent Saturday November 29th at 5:00 pm. We will meet in the sanctuary to prepare it for the Advent season. There will be refreshments. All are invited!
Adult Sunday School for Advent begins next Sunday, November 30th, at 9:45 am in the Wesley Room. We will use a 4 session study, Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Study based on African-American Spirituals
Baby Shower for Kim! All are invited to a baby shower for Kim Pyle, during coffee hour on December 7th. For more information contact Penny Andrews or Sonia Peters-Kassambara.
Poinsettia Orders Begin November 30th. Beginning November 30th, order forms for poinsettias will be available each Sunday. Cost for the poinsettias is $9.50. Please indicate a preference for red or white. Poinsettias may be purchased in honor or in memory of loved ones. They will be used to decorate the church on Sunday, December 21st, and may be picked up following the service; or please indicate if you would like it delivered to someone unable to attend church.
Christmas at St. Luke’s Shelter. On both Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Shelter remains open all day. The residents, who must leave by 7 am every other day of the year, can sleep in and enjoy a late breakfast and relaxing day. The Thanksgiving meal, with all the trimmings, is generously provided each year by our local Fresh Fields/Whole Foods. Christmas dinner is prepared by June Kress and Dennis Soiberman.
We have asked each resident to name something ($30 and under) he would like for Christmas. The list will be posted on the bulletin board in the Wesley Room. Two or three people could go together to make one of these purchases. Please wrap and tag your gift and bring it to the church office by December 21st.
Christmas Pageant on December 14th. With the special help of our children and the choir, we will hear the Christmas story told in scripture and in music during worship on Sunday December 14th.
Christmas Pot-Luck Feast for Cuba trip. After church on the 14th we’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall for a Christmas pot-luck feast to benefit the Volunteers in Mission trip to Cuba. Sign up on the bulletin board in the Wesley Room and bring a dish to share. Suggested donation for the Volunteers in Mission trip will be $5. For more information contact Sylvia Zulu, sylzulu@yahoo.com.
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 Director of Music Ministry Deke Polifka, deke@saintlukesmethodist.org.
New! Children’s Choir. The children now have a brief rehearsal every Sunday after church, and they will sing regularly during worship.For more information contact Deke Polifka, deke@saintlukesmethodist.org.
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, please consult the St. Luke’s Kitchen Notebook on the information table in the Wesley Room, or Susan Keenan, Executive Director, susan@nextstepkitchen.org.
Combined Federal Campaign. St. Luke’s Shelter/Next Step Kitchen is now a part of the Combined Federal Campaign. The CFC # is 7940.
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.
Joys and Concerns…
For Dorothy Preston’s friends, the Nunby and Lacey families, suffering the sudden death of loved ones
For Sonia’s friend Jeremiah Knight’s brother who passed away
For the family of Katie Arnold’s colleague Tom who died in a car accident
For the joy of participating in Mayor William’s Summit Meeting
For The Washington International Church as they await approval of proposal to buy a nearby church building
For Ian Zulu, brother of Sylvia, Rosalyn and Kirsty, recovering from a car accident in Zambia
For Molly’s brother Michael
The joy of Emily’s mother visiting and in worship
Rob shared the sense of connection he and Annette have felt at St. Luke’s and asked for our prayers as they leave for Norway (Annette and the children) and Baghdad (Rob)
For the family of Leslye’s co-worker Deidre, who died unexpectedly
For Nikki’s father traveling internationally
For homeless people as the weather turns cold
Dorothy Preston asked for continued prayer for those in military service and for her in her work of helping them during such a stressful time
For Dorothy Bowers, continuing to recover from surgery
Joyce shared the joy of the Wagner’s son Matthew Scruggs return from military service in Kuwait and Iraq
For Michael Veltri, recovering from additional surgery
For Beth and DJ, whose baby is due in early March
For Kim and Robbie, whose baby is due in January
For our Volunteers in Mission team as it prepares for the trip to Cuba in August 2004
For the military in Iraq and for the people of Iraq
For situations of danger and violence in the world
For the community of St. Luke’s Shelter.
For Wings of Hope Orphanage in Haiti
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.”