- Bay View - Milwaukee
A great place to worship and grow

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
     May is all about endings and beginnings. The school year is drawing to an end, and the summer is about to begin. It is also a popular time for weddings, when life as a single person ends and life as a married couple begins. All of our lives are in fact about endings and beginnings. Everything that comes along marks the end of something, and the beginning of something else. When that happens we can never be the same as we were before. At the time things happen we may only be able to see them as an ending. Loss and tragedy may end our ability to see and talk to someone we love. It is easy for us to forget that for them it is a new beginning. That is why the Church has always celebrated a saint’s day on the day of their death, not their birth. The death of every child of God in this world is the birthday of that child in heaven.
    Even in everyday things, whatever happens is always a new beginning. Each day we awake offers the possibilities of meeting new people and discovering more about ourselves and others. Information changes us. Whatever we learn becomes something we can never again not have learned. We may stow it away at the back of our minds, we may think we have forgotten it; but it is there, and will re-emerge sometimes when we do not expect it.  I think that is how the Holy Spirit sometimes works. We half-expect messages from God to come in dramatic form. Not exactly clouds of angels and descending fire on the holy mountain, but something that immediately proclaims THIS IS FROM GOD
    `The Holy Spirit moves more quietly and unobtrusively than that. It may be something someone says to us; it may be something we read, or see on television (I wouldn’t even rule out fortune cookies); but whatever it is, at the time we may not recognize it as the work of the Spirit. St. Benedict, who was a truly wise man, advised his abbots to listen to the youngest novice.  Children are often the source of the greatest honesty and forthrightness, sometimes to the embarrassment of their parents; but all truth is of God, and should be respected as such
    Every time I hear the lessons being read in church I hear something in them I had not heard before. It may be the intonation, or the emphasis, but whatever it is it strikes me in a new way. It is easy to become used to the readings, so used that we led them glide by
    But if we listen carefully, we can hear again the message of God reach our hearts. It should always be a new beginning for all of us. It is a living word, one that conveys life in the Spirit.  We do not have to put off new beginnings to some determined point in the future. Every moment is one for us. Every voice from God is a call to us to start over, whether that voice comes in hearing the reading from Holy Scripture or listening to a child speaking honestly and openly. God uses all means and ways to reach our dull ears
    May all our lives be times of new beginnings
yours in Christ, Fr. Michael +

Knowing scripture can save your life in more ways than one
An elderly woman had just returned home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home and yelled, "Stop! Acts 2:38!" (Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.) The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer came and 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 38's!".
 

Letters from friends: From Betty Lovendahl: “Just to let you know that I think of each and everyone at St. Luke’s. May you have a blessed Easter. God Bless…Betty L…”

Wayne Wallis’ daughter Kathy called to say how much the family was touched by the outpouring of support at Wayne’s funeral. They  were pleased to see so many St. Luke’s friends and your presence brought great comfort. We will remember Wayne and his love for gardening as the flowers pop up this Spring.

Do you recognize this family?
They are acolyting often. Dean, the father, has faithfully organized the acolytes for years. His wife, Sue, is now a vestry member.
    Dean and Susan Peck were married at St. Lukes Episcopal church on August 6, 1977. Dean and his parents, Fred and Esther, joined St. Lukes when he was approximately 8 years old. They attended the wedding of George and Jean Makref who were married by Pop Harding and joined soon after. Previously the Pecks attended St. James Episcopal on Wisconsin Ave, where Fred and Esther were married on November 3, 1951. Dean was baptized at St James. Dean recalls getting in trouble at St James at approximately age 5 by singing “Popeye the Sailor Man” during one Sunday service. 
    Dean is a licensed clinical social worker, with a Masters Degree in Social Work and just recently celebrated his 26th anniversary with Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin. His primary focus has been Child Welfare, and Treatment Foster Care. He is also heavily involved with continuing education for staff at CSSW as well as assisting with policy development.  He also teaches part time in the Helen Bader School of Social Work at UW-Milwaukee in the graduate school. He used to be a skinny basketball player who played 2 years in college and he has enjoyed coaching Spencer and Nolan in both basketball and baseball through AAU and assisting with the Whitnall High School programs in the off season. Susan is a Family nurse practitioner in an internal medicine clinic with Aurora St. Lukes. She has been a registered nurse for 32 years and worked in a variety of areas. She has a master’s degree from UW-Milwaukee and is currently completing a teaching certificate program.  When not nursing or being a mom, she likes to experiment in the kitchen as Mr. Peck’s gourmet assistant (clean up).
    Spencer is a junior at Cardinal Stritch University. He plays on the men’s basketball team and continues to make the dean’s list. His major is business and he is considering law school in the future. He sometimes considers the family home as his hotel with personal valet service like most adolescents.
    Nolan is a senior at Whitnall high school and plays on the baseball team. He is a developing young artist who has had his work on display at the Wisconsin State Fair for the last five years. He plans on attending UWM in the fall and wants to be accepted in to the Peck School of Arts (no relation). He also enjoys cooking and has been known to offer advice and opinions on his father’s cooking which is always greatly appreciated. 
    The Pecks feel very blessed and honored to be members of the St. Lukes family. Serving as acolytes, chalice bearers and Susan on the vestry has enriched our love for this parish. The Pecks have benefited considerably with the prayers, comfort and support from our St. Lukes family as they have had multiple medical challenges with Esther and Dean over the years.  Dean is convinced that St. Lukes has a special connection to heaven as the faithfulness of the congregation, spirituality of the parishioners is abundantly demonstrated through the many answered prayers and blessings that this congregation always seems to be blessed with. St Luke’s and its people are gifts from God as far as the Peck family is concerned.

4^th Annual EcCo* Worship Site TourS.E. Milwaukee/Bay View Area *Ecumenical Cooperation – Interfaith PartnershipAll are welcome to join us on a  tour of neighborhood worship spaces   Saturday June 9^th 2007 This year we begin at 9am at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 3200 S. Herman Street Next we visit Prince of Peace Lutheran (ELCA)
 4419 South Howell  We conclude our morning at the Islamic Center of Milwaukee
4707 S. 13^th Street  (13^th & Layton) where a satisfying lunch concludes the Interfaith presentations There is no charge for the tour or lunch! Please come and bring your friends to this informative gathering. At each site we explore rich faith traditions in the friendly atmosphere of fellowship. We will gladly arrange car-pooling from site to site as we are able.
For more information please call Sue Johnson 414.764.8688 or Patrice at St. Luke’s Church 414.744.3736 or 414.764.5467

Treasurer’s Report March 2007 Income $11,194.36 Expense $11,007.41 Difference $186.95 

Office Hours
          Patrice began doing some work at the Diocese for Our Next Generation. This is a new, somewhat flexible and mildly unpredictable position, at least at the onset. So, especially on Monday mornings, if you call the office and no one answers, please leave a message because I will be in to check later in the day. Office hours will again become definite but even as they fluctuate, I will still be here on the days posted: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. Thank you for understanding. This will be a good way to exercise my brain cells, which medical science encourages, hopefully without too much stress! Also this will be beneficial in learning more about Diocesan programs. Our Next Generation, Camp Webb and The Gathering all have offices at the diocese.

  Please Join Alderman Tony Zielinski, Officer Arzaga, and your neighbors for Block Watch Training Wednesday, May 9^th 6:30 p.m. Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church
TOPICS COVERED:
1        When to contact police.
2        How to start a block watch and keep it going.
3        The Nuisance Abatement Ordinance and how to use it to your advantage.
Learn how to improve your neighborhood.
ALL ARE WELCOME! For question & comments contact Alderman Tony Zielinski at 286-3769 or email: tzieli@milwaukee.gov
 

Eco – Palms – good to know
We purchase our palms from Stempers whose supplier harvests palms with a genuine focus on protecting the environment. Leaves are harvested only from mature trees, fields are harvested just once a year to preserve as safe haven for local plants and wildlife the remaining months. Stempers does not sell over-harvested tropical Chamaedora palms.
Workers are treated with dignity and paid fair wages. The annual harvest at the South Texas operation provides workers with good pay and employs more than 200 workers in one of the poorest counties in the U.S. Almost 75% of these workers return each year.

Don’t think of it as a deadline
 If you have something for your newsletter, articles are appreciated by the 15^th of the month. This leaves plenty of time for layout, proof-reading and photo-copying so they can be ready for pick up at the end of the month. You are welcome to submit information on your group’s activities, significant events in your family that you would like to share, or something that moved you spiritually. For instance how were you enlightened this Lent? Surely Fr. Michael inspired someone with the Lenten program’s focus on the Apostles’ creed. The newsletter reaches shut-ins and visitors who surely are interested in the life of the Parish.
 A thank you goes to all who save us postage by picking up their newsletters from church, and kind regards to all who read it. Finally, thanks to the Peck family for contributing a bio to this month’s Epistle. We should probably practice the refrain in the event a spontaneous rendition of  ‘Popeye the Sailor Man’ arises from the pews some Sunday.

One gargantuan donation follows another
With the enormous Greendale Entertainment Assn. Donation to Kids Kloset barely sorted and stored, Waupun Christian Thrift shop made their regular Monday visit with a semi full of boxes (no kidding!). This generates a lot of strength training for those who are here to move the boxes and thereafter, hours of follow up work. Our small spaces are filled up fast so it’s necessary to sort through the boxes as quickly as possible. It is not long before these clothing and toy donations travel to a good home so we continue to welcome all of your kindnesses. St. Matthias Episcopal Church is holding a clothing drive on May 12^th.  Anyone who can help pick these up, our hearts go out to you.
And to our own Ryan Holaday who came in during Easter break after he cleaned out his drawers of clothes that no longer fit and chose many of his toys to be given to needy children. He had a big smile on his face when he and mom dropped them off. Thanks Ryan! And to Jim Luepke and Arlene Miller who often lend a hand to sort.

EcCo minutes 3/20/2007 Tippecanoe Presbyterian Represented: Unity Lutheran, St. Veronica, Prince of Peace, Tippecanoe Presb., BVUM, Christ Church, St. Roman, St. Luke’s, Grace Presb., Islamic society
Covenant Statement: Revisit? we are unified as people of faith and humankind yet we do not seek ‘unity’ in our faith practices. What phraseology highlights our growing together in acceptance?
Worship Site Tour Begin at St. Luke’s 9am, Prince of Peace next, conclude at Islamic Center. Fliers to churches and press.
Rally for Day of Peace hosting our own unique event Friday, Sept. 21, 2007. Proclamation: Don brought variety of appropriate statements. He and Ziad will connect and chose the ones that best describe our intention and deliver to Mayor’s office. Path: to be determined, will conclude at  Islamic Center after Friday prayers for program: Program suggestions Speeches and peace prayers from faith communities (including those from faith traditions not represented by EcCo) –short statements could be printed on banners to display during the walk. As it is a day of “PRAYER” for peace, silent times and quiet places to be incorporated. Have papers, blank posters… available onto which people can record their thoughts.
Picnic: Reminder we are not having picnic this year as it would occur during Ramadan.
Bay View Bash: 9/15 EcCo will reserve a booth. Promote peace rally this day.
Bay View Baptist Church has been sold to another faith group. BVP ‘church’ still exists though without a building. All were invited to Palm Sunday 3pm celebration of their community.
Agenda: Can we host a fund-raiser spaghetti dinner 9/8 for the Open Door Free Clinic?
YISR April 27 & 28. Girls will sleep over at Islamic Center and boys at St. Roman’s Friday – Saturday to complete light tasks throughout the neighborhood and conclude with fellowship dinner. Milwaukee Area interfaith Youth Café, a partnership of House of Peace, Interfaith Conference of greater Milwaukee, and Archdiocese of Milw. Environmental organizations, displays of café’s various programs, global warming and earth issues. Church groups can staff a table, attend the café, host a future café. Call 414.964.8505 EcCo meets April 17^th, May 15^th, June 19^th 7pm at Christ Church. If you are an interested St. Luke’s member, please feel free to include yourself

Great days ahead:
Church Picnic:  May 20^th
Father’s Day Pot Luck:  June 17^th

ECW for May May 20 after Sunday church services we (ECW) would like to have a
meeting about the replacement of the dishwasher and refrigerator. We would like the men of the church also to be present to help make this decision as the men use this dishwasher also. Some of the legwork has been done by Pat and Art Kuenstler, we thank you. We are short money to complete this project presently but are hopeful that with all participating we can accomplish this task. Also we need a person to oversee this project as Pat is the treasurer not a project manager. If some competent person will step forth to oversee this we can proceed and put this plan into action. We are looking into several sources for funding. All interested persons can contact Pat or myself and we can guide you in this project. There has been some contact with a supplier but we need more bids. Also the electrical and plumbing work may require bids depending on the selection made.
The kitchen has been a well used area of St Luke's for so many years and the need to upgrade is now. Help us in this major renovation, as the kitchen is still important to all users.
Don't forget the rummage sale coming up on May 5 Saturday The week before we will need help from everyone willing to give a few hours. This is one of the sources for funding so lets make this effort HUGE. We all will benefit in the long run.

Rather than a recipe this month grow a yard of wooly thyme instead of grass. Easier to care for (virtually) never needs watering, it will hold the heat of the day's sun and fill your yard with a pleasing smell. On a small scale plant it between walking stones in your garden path. Every time you walk across it it wafts up this smell. Can be used in recipes also.
Submitted Marge Lower

The Outreach Committee: “Reaching Out” to the Community!
My first and most favorite memory of St. Luke’s Church is the immediate and genuine sense of acceptance and ­­­­appreciation that I felt for my family and myself the first minute I walked in the door.  So often these days, people are missing that something in their lives.  More often than not, it is the peace and confidence of knowing and having faith in the Lord and having somewhere and someone to call home.  On behalf of St. Luke’s, this is the mission of the Outreach Committee.  Our congregation is more than just a small community, it’s a huge family, and we would like to be able to bring the joy and “home” we all feel to as many people as we can.
Some exciting Outreach progress and ideas:
1.       Dave Bennett Tribute Concert event organized by Marge Lower as the first “Social Club” outing for April 28^th was very popular, with 36 St. Luke’s members in attendance!  Look forward to other interesting and stimulating Social Club events!
2.       We’ll offer concessions at the May 5^th rummage to raise funds for brochures, flyers, new member packages & more.  Come shop till you’re hungry!
3.       We’ll be celebrating our congregation and Sunday School with the Church Picnic on May 20^th, complete with entertainment and cotton candy machine! We will be putting up flyers at various bulletin boards to invite community members.  Bring your family and friends to this joyous event!
4.       The Dinner Club has had a good signup of 21 adults and 7 children (Dana’s and Jamie’s, haha!) so far.  This group is designed to be really low stress and low maintenance.  Sign up!  We’d love to get to know you better!
5.       Beginning in June, we’ll be having some musicians from the congregation contributing their talents to entertain and enlighten us on various Sundays. 
6.       At the St. Patrick’s Day Pot Luck $100 was raised for the Outreach Committee.  Thank you all SO much for your generosity!  Our next quarterly Pot Luck is scheduled for Father’s Day, June 17^th after church, where we will celebrating our fathers and be honoring a special one in the congregation.
7.       We’re planning to have a “Bring a Friend Sunday” sometime in the fall.
8.       We’re looking into getting “St. Luke’s” clothing put together as a fundraiser idea.  What better advertising for our church than for you to proudly sport your wear!  Send us your slogan ideas!  “St. Luke’s,  ­­­­_________!”
We’ve had really interesting monthly meetings so far, and are excited about ideas brought forward.  As always, everyone is welcome to visit, to join, or to just pass along some thoughts or opinions.  Our meetings are scheduled for the second Monday night of each month, the next meeting being Monday, May 14^th, 6-7pm in the Guild Hall.  We’d love to see you there!  Contact Dana or Larry Washburn at (414) 327-0949 or larrydana@wi.rr.com for more information. submitted by Jamie Verley
Outreach inspiration of the month: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole  France

FREE HEALTH CLINIC The Open Door Free Clinic, for the uninsured and underinsured, will be open: May 02 - June 06 - June 13 - June 27 The clinic is located inside Unity Lutheran Church, 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. Sign-in time is 5:45 and the medical staff will bee patients from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

Bay View Community seeking volunteer to help in the food pantry on Mondays and Wednesdays. This involves taking donations, stocking, and packing food for customers. Hours are Monday afternoons from 1-5pm, and are flexible. Wednesdays help is needed from 12-3pm. Please call Kris at 482-1000.
 

Women’s’ Mini Week – Camp Webb 2007  This may be just what you gals need, to relax and in get in touch with your spiritual self. There is also plenty of fun, food and fellowship in store. This annual retreat takes place this year from June 21 – June 24.Õ       Friday service of public healing - Saturday Eucharist       Prayer and Praise in the mornings, Compline in the eveningsÕ       Labyrinth - Hallelujah Hoe-down – nature strolls       Book review – choir & dance sessions       Afternoons on the beach – Arts & Crafts       Personal Pampering – Campfire Crawl       Registration forms available in Guild Hall or call Barb McFadden 262.719.6035 or Anne Meyer 608.271.5675

Camp Webb Summer 2007 June 21-24: Women’s’ Mini-week -July 8-13: Discovery Camp - Sr. Hi Rock Climbing - Pioneer Camp - Sr. Hi Stay-Over July 15-20: Discovery Camp - Explorers Plus -Sr. Hi Rafting Jul 22-27: Discovery Camp - Sr. Hi Caving - Kinder Camp - Family Camp -Discovery Stay-Over - Jul 29 – Aug. 3: Discovery Camp - Pioneer Camp – LIT -Aug. 5-10 - Creativity Camp – KinderCamp - Aug. 13-17:Family Camp -Aug. 20-24: Women’s Escape Camp 414.291.2895 www.campwebb.org