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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Imagine if you will the inside of an old English parish church, hundreds of years old with leaded stained glass windows now merely dark spaces between the ancient arches and columns as it is evening and the pale winter daylight has slipped quietly away. The church is dark save for a solitary lamp giving a faint golden glow in the sanctuary. Yet the church is not empty. Hardly visible in the dusk, yet there in every pew are heads slightly raised in silent expectation. A rustling noise filters in from the porch, the sound of feet moving softly, of faint whispers and shuffling papers. Some heads in the pews turn, as one small figure steps hesitantly forward from the porch into the nave. The waiting silence breathes in anticipation, then is broken by a soft treble voice that rises softly up through the arches and the columns: Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed, The boy soprano, always a boy soprano, leads the silent procession into the body of the nave. A waft of incense drifts through the church and the faint light catches the glint of a processional cross. The figures in the pews rise slowly and quietly to their feet. Mary was that mother mild, The sole piping voice reaches the end of the first verse, and the lights come up enough to read by, and the organ peals its might sound as all present launch into the second verse: He came down to earth from heaven, Thus begins the Service of Lessons and carols as it will take place this Christmas not just in the old English medieval churches I remember with deep affection but in countless other churches across the world. It is a very beautiful service, and traditionally it begins in the evening dark and is opened by a solo boy soprano singing the first verse of Once in Royal David’s city. There are many beautiful Christmas carols, and I hope that you will join our St. Luke’s carolers on Saturday December 5th at 5.00pm. The one that opens Lessons and carols sums up what happened at Christmas. The God who is Lord of all came to be one of us and was born in a stable and laid in a manger. No palaces, no grand houses or hotels, no hordes of servants, but laid in a manger in a stable among the animals. If ever we needed a lesson that God sets no store by human valuations this is it. It reminds us that so much of what we strive for, our possessions and toys, really have no meaning in terms of what is really important. God came because he loves us. Hard as that is to believe since we know ourselves, it is true. Christmas is about God’s love, and what we call too lightly the spirit of Christmas is really our pale reflection of that great divine love in how we feel about each other at this time. People do feel differently at Christmas, as our better selves awaken to recognize our common humanity as children of God. We really do hear the song of the angels in the warmth that we share with others. May this Advent season lead us once more to that stable in Bethlehem, and may we join with all those in every generation who come to the manger to adore the living God become one of us for our sake. God bless us, every one. Caroling on Saturday, December 5 at 5 PM. We will gather at St. Luke's at 5 PM to go caroling to some of our shut-ins. If you want to sing please join us. This activity is open to every one of all ages in the parish. We will arrange carpools and visit 3-4 locations. Then return to the church to celebrate with a pizza party afterwards at the Rectory. Please contact John Halvorsen if you are interested in attending.Treasurer’s Report for October: Expense ($37,397.32) net income ($25,848.24) OUTREACH COMMITTEE UPDATE Thanks for your support of the Outreach Committee. Respectfully submitted, We deeply appreciated Dana’s sterling work as chairperson. She put a great deal of effort and love into this demanding role. Fr. Michael+
UTO Ingathering was November 22 Thank you for the donations to UTO on Sunday, November 22. We collected $216.44. Women of the Episcopal Church from all over the United States collected coins put aside by parishioners. Funds will be used for outreach projects or for repairs like our own church has in the past. We are still accepting money for UTO. Please send your donation to St. Luke’s, but make the check to UTO. Thanks. December Birthdays
December Anniversaries
November 12, 2009 LUNCH WITH JAN SCHERR The fall meeting of ECW was an outing to St. John’s On The Lake to visit our good friend, Jan Scherr. Jan greeted us with a big welcoming smile, and escorted us to the beautiful dining room overlooking the lake. We had a delicious lunch and a good chat with old friends, while enjoying the spectacular view of Lake Michigan. Our view to the south included huge earth moving equipment that was preparing the way for a new tower to accommodate more residents. Jan visited with one end of the table, and then went to the other end to make sure she didn’t miss talking to anyone. It was after lunch, that we started our tour. The first stop was Jan’s apartment. It’s a lovely, interesting, homey space that reflects Jan’s interests and style. After that, we went across the hall to a sunnier apartment, which Jan will occupy, in the next few months. Her view will change from an interesting cityscape, to an ever-changing Lake Michigan view. She is very excited about the move even though it is just across the hall. We were all surprised at the rest of the tour. St. John’s is alive with any activity that one could want. We saw a woodworking room, men enjoying a game of cards, a movie room, an exercise and spa area, a library, and more things too numerous to mention. Along all the hallways, were many and varied pieces of art. We ended our visit in the peaceful, beautiful chapel. We were sad to leave, but promised Jan that we would be back to see her new abode. Jan wished us well and says a big "Hello" to everyone at St. Luke’s. Submitted by The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held January 10, 2010 following the 9 AM service. All church organizations should submit their annual report to the office no later than Monday, December 28th. If your group has a bank account, receives donations, or receives funds from the parish, a financial summary should be included with your report. If there are any questions, please contact Jim Stringfellow or John Halvorsen
1 c. butter or margarine, softened In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combined flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, cranberries and orange peel. Stir in vanilla chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 6 dozen. Recipe Note: Great cookies for the holidays.
Why Dean Peck Loves St Luke’s Episcopal Church (And on "Being Excellent") In one of my favorite movies; Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the two main characters go back in history via a time machine phone booth and bring back historical figures for their History Report. One of the figures; Socrates whom they mispronounce as "SO-Craates" provides a speech to the San Dimas High Assembly which is a part of the verbal report and concludes with last but not least he says "He loves San Dimas". Prior to this concluding statement he discussed the reasons why he loves San Dimas. Here are some reasons why I love St Luke’s:
Like any family our church family at St Luke’s sometimes has disagreements, wonders how we will pay the bills; hopes for more grandchildren to keep the family heritage going and all kinds of silly issues that sometimes keeps us from being the "best Christians we can be". I love it…. that is called reality. The other message which these two students share is "Be excellent to one another". Although that is not officially in the 10 Commandments or Book of Common Prayer or Vestry by Laws, I would hope that all of us will practice "Being Excellent to one another". So in the words of Bill and Ted bodaciously speaking "Party on Dudes" and "Be excellent". Submitted by This is a beautiful story…makes you understand that things happen for a reason. The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest, a driving rainstorm, hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus…she missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "Where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was capture, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, saying that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. What a wonderful service that had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to site in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike. He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow pastor to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imaging. True story by Pastor Rob Reid
SPAGHETTI DINNER 2009 REPORT Income: Expenses: *The cost of pumpkin cake supplies and the cost of printing place mats and tickets were donated. Many, many Thank you’s to all who helped with this year’s Spaghetti Dinner!! It is always a big undertaking, but with everyone lending a hand, it was accomplished without too much effort from any one person. The net profit of $2,344.33 will be added to the roof fund. Congratulations – a job well done. Doris Holaday, Chairperson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||