Dear St. Lukers,
Happy (almost) 2021! We are finally here. The moment we all have been waiting for – to say goodbye to 2020. But before we do I want to take some space to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who made our Advent and Christmas so beautiful. From our worship team, to all who helped with our new family services on Sunday afternoons, volunteers who have fed hundreds by packing food, gardening and harvest, cooking and handing out meals, to the hundred plus TwELF Days of Christmas volunteers and crew, to singers, actors and tech who created our services for Christmas Eve, every moment was a gift of light and love for our congregation and community. It is a blessing to be a part of sharing some joy and helping people walk through Advent toward the manger. Thank you so much for all you have given in this year to offer hope, miracles, and the light of true joy through such a difficult year.
There’s a LOT of pressure on 2021 to be different. I am actually a little concerned it may not be able to live up to all our hype and hope! There is much out of our control, but there are things WITHIN our control, to help make this year strong, no matter what may happen. We have considered a list to awaken some new muscles in our following Christ, and help us continue to reveal the Kingdom of God through light and love for others. To make it even easier, they are in our 2021 framework to help you LEARN × ENGAGE × LISTEN × ECHO as we Live the Story: God’s, Mine, Yours, and Ours.
LEARN: Go ahead and mark Wednesdays on your calendar for our church-wide Bible study every Wednesday (click the button below to register), and find a good study Bible (CEB is a great translation) and journal to prepare to dig into and explore God’s Story in 2021!
ENGAGE: Engage in God’s Story to find your place in it by being a part of worship on a regular basis. We start the first sermon series of the year on January 10 by digging in for six weeks to the themes of the entire Bible and finding out how to engage God’s Story in our daily life.
LISTEN: Start listening to the life stories of others, and how God engages us all differently by joining a Life Together group to connect and share life together. We also have a powerful four-week class to learn to listen and become Beloved Community led by Rev. Dr. Gary Mason and Dr. Nichole Phillips on Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. starting January 10 (click the button below to register).
ECHO: Echo God’s Story to the rest of the world by being generous of time, talent, and resources. Every gift of tithes and offerings echoes God’s Story as you support the church, or support others through our Restoring Hope ministries. You can click here as we try to end our 2020 story strong for St. Luke’s budget. You can also echo the story through your time and talents by considering volunteering at our micro farm or taking your spiritual gifts assessment to find the best place to serve. Click here to find a way to volunteer or take the assessment and a Kingdom Revealer will contact you to help you find the best place to serve.
2021 will have its ups and downs but putting stakes down now can help you stay rooted regardless of where the wind blows. There’s no better place to do that then digging in and grounding yourself as a St. Luker, because not only are we not St. Luke’s without U but the world is not as beautiful without U’r story.
Here’s to a New Year and all God has to offer through us.
Grace and peace,
Jenn.