Dear St. Lukers,
When I was first appointed to St. Luke’s in 2007, my role was to be the pastor of Contemporary worship and oversee evangelism. Some of my favorite memories were of the events we held to invite our neighbors to see who we are in low-risk, fun ways. I was talking to someone just last week who said that their first touchpoint with St. Luke’s was Trunk or Treat way back in 2010! Another said they came to an event we held in June after the Pulse tragedy, where I spoke on a panel with Rev. Terri Steed Pierce and Rev. Joel Hunter about building relationships across divides of difference. Two very different events, but both were hosted by gracious St. Lukers who welcomed our neighbors with hospitality and acceptance to give people a chance to experience Christ-centered love in community.
After COVID our community events, besides what we do with theatre, came to a halt. Our staff moved to other areas, gathering in crowds was difficult for a while, and we were in a rebuilding phase. But WE ARE BACK with our first big community invitation event: EASTER HOP! Next Saturday, April 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on our campus.
Families with children will get to “hop” from car to car, where hospitable St. Lukers will sit by their festively decorated trunks and fill their baskets with treats, candy, and invitations to join us in ministry. There will be crafts, games, a photo spot, bounce houses, food, and fun for everyone, and we will have a chance to invite our neighbors back for Holy Week!
We need YOU – to sign up to volunteer, welcome guests, decorate your car, donate items to give away, AND to INVITE YOUR NEIGHBORS! This is a great chance to walk around your neighborhood and let people know, to call friends you have been trying to get to attend church and invite them to join you! Who knows the seed it will plant, the door it will open, and the conversation you will get to have about not only your church, but your faith! You can pick up invitations on Sunday in worship to share with your friends and family.
Volunteers are needed to help with parking, concessions, activities, set-up, and clean-up. Click here to let us know how you can help! We also need donations of individually wrapped candy, fruit snacks, or other kid-friendly snacks. Non-food items such as pencils, erasers, stickers, etc. are a great choice as well, especially for friends who may have food allergies. Please bring donations to the Rotunda in Building C and drop off in the Easter Hop bin.
This is our chance to show our neighbors that it’s not St. Luke’s without THEM, and that means we need all of U to help us create an Easter to remember.
See you Sunday,
Jenn.
Our Commitment to Safety: A Special Message from Pastor Jenn
Recently there have been articles in the news about open and affirming churches, and churches led by female pastors being targeted for worship disruption. There is a small church and a separate family who believe Scripture tells them they need to preach against women clergy and affirming all people. This disruptive hate speech is not only wrong, it’s against the law.
One article mentioned St. Luke’s. In October of last year a family did visit at the end of worship and tried to engage Pastor Melissa and I after the service in the Narthex of the Sanctuary, taking video for their YouTube channel. We talked with them, called police, and escorted them off our campus, and since then no one has been to St. Luke’s. One of our values is that all people are welcome, but all behavior is not.
In an effort to stand together we have joined with those churches to raise our concern to city leaders and law enforcement. We had a productive meeting on Monday afternoon with Orange County Sheriff Mina, the Orlando Chief of Police, and Mayor Demmings’ Deputy Chief of Staff. They are investigating the groups as well as increasing their patrol units on Sunday mornings around our churches. They have our worship and event times and will know what to expect when they receive calls from our churches. We are grateful for the coordination of city officials to support our congregations and communities to stand up against hate.
As a congregation you will be seeing a law enforcement presence on Sunday mornings, as well as changes in security measures to create protocols around safety and locked doors to ensure procedures are in place. We are doing all we can to continue to live into our values of welcome and be a safe environment for everyone. If you would like to know more please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our Clergy or Scooter Leonard, our Executive Director of Administration. These measures will require new funds we were seeking to raise in addition to our budget, but we are trying to do everything we can to ensure this is a safe and brave space for everyone.
Jenn.