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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, At the end of this month we embark again on the pilgrim way of Lent. For all of us it should be a time of reflection and self-examination, a kind of annual spiritual check-up. Perhaps instead of cholesterol levels perhaps we should be looking at our prayer levels. Health is not just a physical matter, it is also affected by our emotional and spiritual life. The more at peace people feel, the healthier they are. Spiritual health is all about our relationship with God. The more we try to go it on our own and manage without God the more upset we feel with ourselves when things do not work out as we planned. We like the illusion of being in control of our lives when in reality we have little control over what may come at us out of the blue. The prayer of St. John Chrysostom in the Prayer Book (BCP pp. 102 & 126) asks God to grant "…our desires and petitions as may be best for us". This is a very healthy prayer. We can ask for, we can hope for, we can plan for, we can dream about, all kinds of things that we think would be nice to have, but it is wise to leave it up to God to decide whether what we want is good for us. Lent is a time for recognizing that many of the things we would like are not really essential for us. We collect toys and stuff and then want better toys and better stuff. Yet how many people become happier with more and more toys and stuff. The pleasure of possession lasts only for a short time, and fades in the light of the latest model or the newest craze. There is a terrible warning for all of us in the Gospel story of the rich man with plenty in his barns who dreamt of building bigger barns to house even more riches unaware that he would die that night. Yet we do not have to face death before realizing that our values are often skewed. Serious illness, our own or that of someone we love, is enough to remind us that there are more important things than possessions. Lent is about getting our priorities right. Our relationship with God and our relationships with each other are the measure of our spiritual health, the health and well-being of our soul. We are on a journey of which this life is just an opening segment. Beyond it lies eternity. What we take into eternity is who we are, not what we have. May this Lent be for all of us a time of healthy reflection and one in which we can grow as children of God, honestly facing up to what we need to change in our lives and confident in God’s grace to assist and guide us in doing this. Yours in Christ, Fr. Michael + LENTEN PROGRAM 2009 This year we are going to take a look at the Psalms. The choir sings one every Sunday morning and they are part of every service we hold here. I propose that people who come select a psalm that interests them in some way and we can discuss it and what it is that strikes us about it. The Psalms exist in different versions, depending on which Bible translation you use or whether you are using the old Prayer Book or the current one. You can read the psalm from any version you like, and we can also look at how different versions strike us in different ways. Fr. Michael +
Treasurer’s Report December Income $32,699.12 Expense $12,187.43 Net income $20,511.69 NEW MEMBERS Starting on March 1st, we will hold informational meetings on the Episcopal Church and The Anglican Communion twice a year, on the 1st Sunday of Lent and the 1st Sunday of Advent. Please avoid any other meetings, rehearsals, etc. on those two Sundays every year. God Bless Fr. Michael+ Turkey Casserole ½ stick butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook onions and celery until clear. Add mushrooms. Add mixture to soup. Add soy sauce to the chicken broth and add to soup mixture. Mix in chicken or turkey. Sprinkle Chinese noodles over top. Bake 15-20 minutes. Finally add cashews and serve. 2009 ANNUAL MEETING The congregation of the 2009 Annual Meeting elected 3 new Vestry members. Elected to 3-year Vestry terms were Dean Peck, Lanny Melville and Steve Sommer. Thank you for joining with our other officers, your time and talents. Also, we give our thanks and appreciation to outgoing Vestry members, Sue Peck, William Ruhl and Art Kuenstler. Job well done! Congratulations to the following people who were elected as
delegates to the Diocesan Convention: Steve Cook, Kris Holaday-Wondrachek, Jim
Stringfellow, and Dana Washburn. The elected alternates to the delegates are
John Halvorsen, Sue Peck, Amy Cook, and John Luetzow. FREE HEALTH CARE CLINICThe Open Door Free Clinic for the uninsured and underinsured will be open every Wednesday in the months of January, February, March, & April, 2009. The clinic is located inside Unity Lutheran Church at 1025 E. Oklahoma Avenue. Sign-in is at 5:30 PM and the medical staff will see patient’s from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. No one 18 or under will be seen. For dates the clinic is open, you can also contact: Telephone – 481-1778 Submitted by, Georgia Seis, Chaplain SUBJECT: ACTS 2:38 A woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services, when an intruder startled her. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled: "Stop! Acts 2:38!" (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven.) The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar: "Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you." "Scripture?" replied the burglar. "She said she had an Ax and Two 38s!" Share this with someone who needs a laugh today and remember: Knowing scripture can save your life - in more ways than one!
Easter Term 2009 Epistles and Apocalyptic: 9:30 – 10:45 A survey of the Epistles and Revelation as witnesses to the life and faith development of the early church. Taught by Dr. John Zemler, Marquette University Systematic Theology: 11:00 – 12:15 An introduction to classical Christian doctrines and the doing of theology. Taught by Carrie Skinner, MA, St. Ambrose Academy Eucharist at 12:15 Contemporary Society: 1:15-2:30 This course is partly an exploration of the context in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached today as well as a practicum in which the ministries of the diocese will be experienced allowing reflection upon being a faithful witness to Jesus Christ in a contemporary context. Taught by Archdeacons Susan Mueller, Chuck Zellermayer, and Jennifer Henery, MA Classes meet at St. Francis House on February 7, February 21, March 7, March 21, April 18, May 2, and May 23 Course cost is $75 per course. Please contact Jennifer Henery
by e-mail at jennifer.henery@mu.edu or by phone
at 262-646-8831 to sign up for classes. THE OUTREACH COMMITTEE The Outreach Committee Loves St. Luke’s! We are working on some new projects that will hopefully win some volunteers’ hearts for Valentine’s Day and beyond… Newcomer Materials: With the help of many parishioners, our work continues on St. Luke’s New Member Packet. This month we will begin editing submissions from all of our church committees, then will submit our packet to be professionally printed. Once printed (sometime this spring) these packets will provide us an opportunity to present new members with information on all church committees and programs. The Gathering: We had a great experience volunteering at the Gathering Soup Kitchen on Monday January 5. Twelve people graciously gave of their time and their hearts to serve the homeless some hot meals; we served? people. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to help out on such a cold night. Christmas Bake Sale: Our committee held a bake sale in
December to benefit Kids’ Kloset’s outreach efforts to the community. We
raised $200, which will be used to purchase much-needed items (i.e. diapers,
etc.) for the program. Thanks to all who participated! Health Fair 2009: This month we begin planning for a Health Fair to be held at St. Luke’s sometime in 2009. All who are interested are welcome to attend our planning meeting on February 1st after the service. All ideas and talents are welcome, and we appreciate all feedback and volunteers who are willing to help plan and staff the Fair to benefit our congregation as well as our community. Thanks to the congregation for all of your support in our projects. And we are always looking for new volunteers for our projects. The Outreach Quote of the Month: "God is a verb, not a noun." – R. Buckminster Fuller Respectfully submitted by Dana Washburn, Outreach Committee Chairperson HEALTH FAIR 2009 PLANNING MEETING FEBRUARY 1 Come one come all, we are looking for volunteers to help plan
a health fair to be held sometime in 2009 at St. Luke’s. If you have some
expertise in the health care arena or just want to help please come to our
planning meeting. We appreciate any support our congregation can give. If you
have questions please contact Dana Washburn at 327-0949 or larrydana@wi.rr.com. ST. LUKE’S CHURCH SERVES AT THE GATHERING JANUARY 5, 2009 On a cold, wintry afternoon twelve volunteers from St. Luke’s
Episcopal Church came to help serve dinner at The Gathering’s soup kitchen.
Everyone enjoyed the fellowship there, and the opportunity to serve others in
such a meaningful way. A couple of our younger parishioners, Brandon Washburn
and Ryan Holaday, had a chance to help as well. As Brandon put it, "When I
handed them something they would give a smile. That was the best part of
it." The Outreach Committee extends a big thank you to all that were able
to participate. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Some recent events have persuaded me that it would be a good idea, especially for people living alone, if we had a central list in the office for people to contact in cases of emergency. Obviously, this is entirely voluntary, but if you feel that you would like us to know who to contact for you in such an eventuality, please let Bobbie know. It is also in my view a good idea for people to carry a small card on them with similar information. I do. We are working on a standard such card for anyone interested. Fr. Michael +
This is just so that the parish has some basic information if you should be taken ill. Name_______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ Telephone___________________________________________ Email_______________________________________________ Person(s) to notify in case of emergency (please indicate family or friend) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Date________________________________________________ Signature____________________________________________
MARDI GRAS SOCIAL AT ST LUKE’S February 22 at 10 AM Mardi Gras is coming to St. Luke’s coffee hour on February 22nd. The Fellowship committee is hosting this event after service. Mark this event on your calendar, and come prepared to have some fun. More information will follow. Submitted by the Fellowship Committee
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