Dear St. Luke’s family,
As we journey through Lent together, we’re invited to reflect on how we can live out Christ’s love in real and meaningful ways. One way we do that is through our Lenten Offering, which supports organizations that are making a real difference in people’s lives. This year, your generosity will support ZOE Empowers and the Florida Immigration Law and Justice Center (FILJC), two organizations that embody the heart of who we are at St. Luke’s. At our core, we believe in creating community and welcoming all people with love and dignity.
For over a decade, St. Luke’s has partnered with ZOE, an organization that equips orphaned and vulnerable youth with the tools and support they need to become self-sufficient. Instead of relying on charity, ZOE provides young people with training in entrepreneurship, agriculture, and life skills so they can take control of their futures. Through our partnership, St. Luke’s has helped fund empowerment groups in Rwanda and Zimbabwe, walking alongside young people as they move from survival to success. The transformation is incredible. Children who once faced poverty and hunger are now business owners, leaders in their communities, and even supporting their own families. This is discipleship in action—offering people not just a meal for today, but the skills to build a future for themselves and others.
Closer to home, FILJC stands in the gap for immigrant families, providing legal services and advocacy to ensure that everyone, no matter where they come from, has the opportunity to thrive. Many of these families are fleeing violence, persecution, or extreme poverty, and they arrive here vulnerable and in desperate need of legal assistance. FILJC provides expert legal services, guiding families through the complicated immigration process so they can build safe, stable lives. Their work embodies our values of hospitality and community, welcoming the stranger, and ensuring that every person, regardless of where they come from, is treated with dignity and love.
This week, our Lenten Guide invites us to consider how God is calling us to see the world differently, through the lens of justice, compassion, and transformation. How is God calling us to open our hearts and minds to what God is doing in the world and how we are called to participate? How is God stretching our hearts to recognize the sacred worth of all people? Supporting these organizations is one way we live into that vision, helping create a world where justice, opportunity, and love are extended to everyone. If you haven’t already, we invite you to take some time this week to sit with the reflections in your Lenten Guide (click here to view/download a digital version on your computer or mobile device), and if you’d like to give a special Lenten Offering online, click here.
And as we move closer to Easter, we hope you’ll join us for Holy Week, a time to walk through Christ’s journey to the cross and celebrate the hope of resurrection. You can find all the details for our Holy Week services by clicking here.
Thank you for being a church that gives, serves, and loves so well. Together, we’re continuing to spread hope, stand for justice, and transform lives.
Love y’all, see you Sunday!
Saniye Kazan
St. Luke’s Director of Missions Development