Dear St. Lukers,
Your pastors and staff are hard at work preparing to welcome you back to on-campus worship (with limited capacity to help with social distancing) next Sunday, October 11. It’s fitting that this month is Pastor Appreciation Month since we have so many reasons to recognize the dedication of our pastors and staff in helping us stay connected to God, St. Luke’s, and one another. All month long we are inviting St. Lukers to give a gift in honor of our pastors and staff to support the ministries you love through St. Luke’s Operating Budget. Click here to give a special appreciation gift and be sure to leave a message of encouragement and thanks in the notes field. Join us in praying for our amazing St. Luke’s team working to keep us safe as we move forward in our phased campus reopening plan.
In keeping the health and safety of our congregation, staff, and community as our top priority, St. Luke’s has reimagined several of our fall events in line with CDC recommendations. While hosting a pumpkin patch would seem like a safe outdoor event, safely unloading hundreds of pumpkins from the truck while keeping students six feet apart has proved problematic. The company we work with for this fundraiser has specific guidelines for how pumpkins are loaded, unloaded, and sold and for this reason, St. Luke’s will not have a pumpkin patch on campus this year. In place of this event as well as the Trunks, Treats, and More event (which will also take a hiatus in 2020), St. Luke’s has a number of “FestiFALL” themed offerings.
“FestiFall” Events:
October:
- “Power of One” Online Community Conversations and Video Series (Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.)
- UMW Gift Shop Days (select days each week)
- “Grow it Forward” Micro Farm Groundbreaking (10/3)
- New fall book and Bible studies (begin 10/7)
- St. Luke’s free “FestiFALL” family photo spot (opens mid–October)
- Neighborhood “Pumpkin Hunts”*
- ZOE Virtual Trip of Hope (10/13-15)
- Youth ReConnect Events (10/17 & 10/18)*
November:
- All Saints Day Online Service of Remembrance (11/1)
- St. Luke’s Acts of Kindness Campaign
- UMW Festival of Trees (11/13-11/14)
- Outdoor Movie Night*
*Registration required, details coming soon.
This Sunday, we’re blessed to have our long-time friend Rev. Dr. Gary Mason joining us for online worship. Gary lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he is the founder and director of Rethinking Conflict, which seeks to model the principles of the historic Good Friday Agreement. The organization fosters peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and the United States.
Gary is a Methodist Minister and holds a PhD from the school of Psychology at the University of Ulster. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate in Divinity for his role in peace building in Ireland, from Florida Southern College. We look forward to Gary’s message on Micah 6:8 as he connects this Scripture passage with issues of peace and justice facing our nation today. Gary will continue our “Love Matters More” worship series with World Communion Sunday. Last month we learned love matters more as Jesus awakened discipleship muscles within us to see the belovedness and grace offered to all people in our relationships. This month we see the love of God matters more to help us also reveal the Kingdom around us through justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God.
We hope to see you online this Sunday for worship because it’s not St. Luke’s without U!
-St. Luke’s Campus Reopening Task Force