Open Hearts, Open Arms
Stewardship 2021
Dear Friend,
I pray this letter finds you healthy and well. We have all had to navigate an incredibly painful and difficult year due to COVID-19. Like every other area of life, parish life has been uprooted. Out of an abundance of care and caution for the physical health of our members and neighbors, our bishop has directed that we remain closed for in-person gatherings until it is safer to do so. This will likely mean no in-person worship for the remainder of 2020, and possibly even into the beginning of 2021.
As your priest, I miss you all profoundly. I miss seeing your faces and getting Sunday updates about life and health, joys and struggles. I miss the delicious food and lively conversation of coffee hours. I miss the energy, creativity, and playfulness of our youngest members. I miss celebrating and receiving Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I miss the wonderful tradition of people coming up to lay hands on those who wish to be anointed during our Sunday liturgy. I miss a lot!
While I miss a lot, I have also discovered a lot about St. Luke’s for which I am profoundly grateful. I have discovered again and anew that at St. Luke’s what is most important is the love we have for each other. I know not everybody agrees with the decision to remain closed. What I am grateful for is the love and charity you have shown me as your priest and one another. Instead of growing divided over this pandemic, I have experienced again and again our hearts and arms opening in new and life-giving ways!
We opened our hearts and arms by learning and utilizing technology that can help us connect not only with our regular parishioners, but with people who might normally never step through our doors. Our Virtual Liturgies on Sundays along with our Pause and Pray weekday reflections are reaching a much broader audience, and the response has been tremendously positive. To make this possible, we have extended WIFI throughout the entire parish complex and have purchased the necessary recording equipment and software to put together our virtual liturgies and reflections. We also built an entirely new website that is easier to update and more versatile to help us meet our technological needs and share God’s love in new ways!
We opened our hearts and arms to one another by purchasing a Zoom license as well that is allowing us to have Morning Prayer, Taize Prayer, Coffee Hours, Book Studies, Vestry Meetings, Sunday School, and Bible Study on a regular basis. All of these offerings are helping to keep us connected and are bearing life-giving fruit! To make these technology upgrades possible, we received a $500.00 grant from the diocese which helped offset costs. We are grateful to the diocese for their ongoing support!
We opened our hearts and arms by expanding leadership of key ministries. After many years of wonderful and dedicated leadership in so many areas of parish life, Mike and Linda Bossow have stepped back to accommodate a move and family responsibilities. A wonderful team has stepped up to continue the good ministry begun in our Giving Garden. This team has opened our hearts and arms to include neighbors, both helping to harvest and enjoying the produce of our garden. Mike is also stepping back as Treasurer at the end of 2020. In response, we are putting together a finance team, so that no one person needs to shoulder all the responsibility. We are also creating a team that will work to creatively keep us more connected during and after this pandemic!
We opened our hearts and arms to a new daycare partner, The Nestling House, after Mary Linsmeier Daycare sadly closed because of the pandemic. Things are off to a great start with the Nestling House, and it is a blessing to hear the noise of children on our playground again! We continue to open our hearts and arms to help our friends at Malaika Early Learning Center with school supplies, and St. Joseph’s Academy with winter clothing too!
To say we have been busy during this pandemic is definitely an understatement! Without your generous financial support, we would not be able to open our hearts and arms in all the ways described above. Our financial stewardship is another way we acknowledge that all is gift, meant to be given with open hearts and arms, for the building of God’s Kingdom. Through the grateful response of our pledges to the mission of St. Luke’s in 2021, we have the opportunity to continue to open our hearts and arms, bringing about life-giving transformation in our city and congregation in the coming year.
I know that times are very uncertain and difficult for many, which is all the more reason why I am so grateful for the open hearts and arms we offer at St. Luke’s! If you are able, please consider pledging to the mission and ministry of St. Luke’s for 2021! Thank you for opening your hearts and arms of love and making a courageous pledge! Click here for a secure, electronic pledge card.
Peace and Abundant Blessings,
Fr. Jason
I pray this letter finds you healthy and well. We have all had to navigate an incredibly painful and difficult year due to COVID-19. Like every other area of life, parish life has been uprooted. Out of an abundance of care and caution for the physical health of our members and neighbors, our bishop has directed that we remain closed for in-person gatherings until it is safer to do so. This will likely mean no in-person worship for the remainder of 2020, and possibly even into the beginning of 2021.
As your priest, I miss you all profoundly. I miss seeing your faces and getting Sunday updates about life and health, joys and struggles. I miss the delicious food and lively conversation of coffee hours. I miss the energy, creativity, and playfulness of our youngest members. I miss celebrating and receiving Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I miss the wonderful tradition of people coming up to lay hands on those who wish to be anointed during our Sunday liturgy. I miss a lot!
While I miss a lot, I have also discovered a lot about St. Luke’s for which I am profoundly grateful. I have discovered again and anew that at St. Luke’s what is most important is the love we have for each other. I know not everybody agrees with the decision to remain closed. What I am grateful for is the love and charity you have shown me as your priest and one another. Instead of growing divided over this pandemic, I have experienced again and again our hearts and arms opening in new and life-giving ways!
We opened our hearts and arms by learning and utilizing technology that can help us connect not only with our regular parishioners, but with people who might normally never step through our doors. Our Virtual Liturgies on Sundays along with our Pause and Pray weekday reflections are reaching a much broader audience, and the response has been tremendously positive. To make this possible, we have extended WIFI throughout the entire parish complex and have purchased the necessary recording equipment and software to put together our virtual liturgies and reflections. We also built an entirely new website that is easier to update and more versatile to help us meet our technological needs and share God’s love in new ways!
We opened our hearts and arms to one another by purchasing a Zoom license as well that is allowing us to have Morning Prayer, Taize Prayer, Coffee Hours, Book Studies, Vestry Meetings, Sunday School, and Bible Study on a regular basis. All of these offerings are helping to keep us connected and are bearing life-giving fruit! To make these technology upgrades possible, we received a $500.00 grant from the diocese which helped offset costs. We are grateful to the diocese for their ongoing support!
We opened our hearts and arms by expanding leadership of key ministries. After many years of wonderful and dedicated leadership in so many areas of parish life, Mike and Linda Bossow have stepped back to accommodate a move and family responsibilities. A wonderful team has stepped up to continue the good ministry begun in our Giving Garden. This team has opened our hearts and arms to include neighbors, both helping to harvest and enjoying the produce of our garden. Mike is also stepping back as Treasurer at the end of 2020. In response, we are putting together a finance team, so that no one person needs to shoulder all the responsibility. We are also creating a team that will work to creatively keep us more connected during and after this pandemic!
We opened our hearts and arms to a new daycare partner, The Nestling House, after Mary Linsmeier Daycare sadly closed because of the pandemic. Things are off to a great start with the Nestling House, and it is a blessing to hear the noise of children on our playground again! We continue to open our hearts and arms to help our friends at Malaika Early Learning Center with school supplies, and St. Joseph’s Academy with winter clothing too!
To say we have been busy during this pandemic is definitely an understatement! Without your generous financial support, we would not be able to open our hearts and arms in all the ways described above. Our financial stewardship is another way we acknowledge that all is gift, meant to be given with open hearts and arms, for the building of God’s Kingdom. Through the grateful response of our pledges to the mission of St. Luke’s in 2021, we have the opportunity to continue to open our hearts and arms, bringing about life-giving transformation in our city and congregation in the coming year.
I know that times are very uncertain and difficult for many, which is all the more reason why I am so grateful for the open hearts and arms we offer at St. Luke’s! If you are able, please consider pledging to the mission and ministry of St. Luke’s for 2021! Thank you for opening your hearts and arms of love and making a courageous pledge! Click here for a secure, electronic pledge card.
Peace and Abundant Blessings,
Fr. Jason