| This Week at St. Luke’s |
| Public Health Indicators: here Event risk assessment: here. Free COVID test from Durham County here. Click here and scroll down for Online Worship Bulletin Saturday 8 Garden Work Day Sunday 9:30 In-person Worship The Rev. Dr. Rhonda M. Lee, Preacher/Celebrant Blessing of Solar Panels Monday 7 Spring Congregational Meeting on Zoom Tuesday NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 11 Holy Eucharist at Croasdaile 7 Spring Congregational Meeting on Zoom Wednesday 8:45 Staff Meeting on Zoom 11:30 Prayer and Share on Zoom 12:30 Committal for Camellia Sprague 6 Bell Rehearsal 7:30 Choir RehearsalThursday 7 pm Bible Study on Zoom Friday 1:00 Connections and Support Group by Zoom Saturday 9 Girl Scouts – Johnson Hall |
| New This Week |
| The St. Luke’s Walkers rescheduled their hike to Saturday, May 28th, at 1:00 in the Brumley Forest Nature Preserve. Here is the site description – Explore Brumley Forest Nature Preserve North | AllTrails. If you wish to join us, please let Karen Gray or Bill Gutknecht know by May 27th. Of course, if you just happen to be free on the 28th, please join us. The starting point is about 1500 feet west of University Station Road on Old NC 10; it’s at the northern parking lot, 3620 Old State Hwy 10. If you wish to carpool, please be at St. Luke’s by 12:20. Solar Panel project is 100% paid for! Yay for St Luke’s. Thank you all for donating so generously to make this “Creation Care” project a reality. Gratefully, we do have a surplus of donations which could be used for unanticipated costs associated with its upkeep. There are many St Luke’s parishioners who dreamed, planned, organized, and made this idea into a tangible fixture! Thanks be to God! We would like to honor our High School and College graduates in our June newsletter. Please contact the church office with that information. We would also like to know what college they will be attending in the fall or what plans they have after college. (We will honor our High School Graduates who are attending college in the fall with a scholarship later this summer) (Newsletter deadline is May 22) The clergy and vestry have resolved that masks will be optional in worship for fully vaccinated participants. Regardless of vaccination status, masks will continue to be required when singing at this time. Diocesan policy requires that unvaccinated persons wear a mask at all times during worship and in meetings. In making this decision, we have taken into account the facts that Durham has lifted its mask mandate, and our bishops have left masking requirements up to local discernment (while requiring masking for unvaccinated persons) and strongly recommending masking for choirs in rehearsals and when singing in church service). One section of distanced, pod seating is available with no kneelers. Fully vaccinated persons may still choose to mask during worship, even when not singing. When considering whether or not to mask, please take into account your own risk factors and the possible vulnerability of your neighbors. And please be kind to each other always, as we move into a phase where some of us will be masked and some of us unmasked. Please remember: No gathering can be completely safe. Unvaccinated people remain more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, and to severe disease, hospitalization, and death. Singing and removal of masks can increase transmission. We will continue to refrain from passing of the peace for now. The offering plate will remain at the entrance, not passed, for now. We will continue virtual worship offerings (as we started before Covid.) During the Eucharist, the consecrated wine will be available to all and communion will be received around the altar rail. Reception of the Blood of Christ will be by intinction. Only the priest (or lay eucharistic minister) will lightly intinct the wafer for you, and then drop the wafer into your hand. Communicants will not intinct their own wafers. If you want to receive the wine, please approach the priest with your hands cupped in front of you, as most of us typically already do. If you do not want to receive the wine, please approach with your hands together as if in prayer, and then open them to receive the dry wafer. Please remember that the consecrated bread (or wine) alone does constitute full Communion, and you may receive the wine, or not, as you feel led. We believe this practice of distributing the wine, from a silver chalice and without the priest’s fingers touching the wine, is as safe as we can make it. LocoPops for Pentecost! The LocoPops truck will be visiting St. Luke’s for Pentecost on Sunday the 5th of June. Please plan to join in this festive outdoor celebration to mark the end of the Easter season. Immediately after the service that day, we will gather on the lawn (or in shadier spots if you prefer) for delicious paletas (Mexican ice pops) and conversation. Please bring your own lawn chair or, for those who would like to sit on the grass, beach towel. This event will happen rain or shine. (The LocoPops have been partially funded by donations, and additional gifts to cover the cost would be welcome. If you mail or drop off an offering, or leave it in the plate on Sunday, please mark it “LocoPops.” Thank you!) Please be advised that the clergy will never ask for help, gift cards, etc. through emails or text messages. There have been more bogus texts being received. We ask that if someone attends a service and then tests positive for covid, that they please contact the Interim Rector or Sr. Warden for both pastoral care needs and also to inform others that may have come in close contact. Godly Play will happen on June 5. A special invitation: If you find your family at church on a Sunday when Godly Play is not planned, you are invited to enter the space with your child. Follow their lead, let them show you a story and ask them what they remember about that story. Use the art supplies and create something together. Or just pull out the Legos or clay and watch them play. There is no right or wrong, just enjoy the sacred space with your child. At some point you can ask them to put everything away and return to worship for communion together. (If you go to the classroom and another family is there, don’t assume they will watch your child, stay with your child and see what they would like to show you in the space). |
| Announcements |
| Congregational meetings coming up! This spring and fall, as part of her work as our interim rector, Rhonda will be facilitating two sets of congregational meetings focusing specifically on transition. Each meeting will last about an hour and a half. Each parishioner is asked to attend one meeting in the spring, and one in the fall. The spring meetings will take place on: Monday 23 May, 7 p.m., on Zoom Tuesday 24 May, 7 p.m., on Zoom Sunday 12 June right after church, in the nave. At the spring meetings, you will have the opportunity to share feelings, needs, and questions about transition at St. Luke’s. This sharing will take place in small groups and in the plenary. Everyone will be invited to speak; no one will be required to. Please plan to attend one of these meetings! Your voice matters in taking stock of who St. Luke’s is and who we want to be, as we prepare to develop a parish profile and to call a new rector next year. Vestry Minutes Availability – The vestry meets the third Monday of each month. Minutes of the meetings are taken and hard copies for viewing are kept in the Kramer Room library. Because of COVID protocols and staff mostly working remotely, the church is normally kept locked.If you would like a copy of the minutes, please call or email Kathy (Parish Administrator) and request an electronic copy be sent to your email. Or, if no computer access, you may also request a hard copy be mailed to you. Thanks to all who have contributed to restocking our food pantry. What a bounty! Please continue your generosity! The need is great and we want to be able to say ‘yes’ when we get calls about food. Thanks again. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jansweetchpa@gmail.com. Jan Freeman The long-awaited St. Luke’s Fall Fling will be held on October 15, 2022, along with our Pumpkin Patch. This is a major opportunity to work with other St. Luker’s to support our outreach program. the Fall Fling proceeds will go to St. Luke’s Outreach efforts while providing useful items to the Durham community at very reasonable prices. So, mark October 15th on your calendar and continue or start saving those “treasures”. Email Joan Hodges, or Lisa D’Amico for questions or volunteer opportunities. See you there! CONTACT UPDATESUp-to date contact information can be found online at ACS, or the ChurchLife App for your phone or tablet. Contact Kathy if you have any problems logging onto ACS. You can also ask Kathy to send you a paper directory if needed. |
| Full Article – Rector Search Update May/June 2022 Information forms have gone out to those who have indicated a willingness to be considered for the Search Committee for St. Luke’s future rector. The vestry will review these forms with the goal of naming Co-chairs some time in July. The vestry agreed on a committee size of 9 which will include 3 vestry members as full participating members. It is not too late to be considered for this important task in helping to select St. Luke’s next rector. Please let anyone on the vestry know of your interest and we will add you to the candidate pool for consideration. Once the co-chairs are named, they and the vestry will select the full committee. The Search Committee work will then continue in concert with the Office of Transition Ministry of the Diocese. Please join me and the vestry in praying for God to continue to guide us throughout this process. Faithfully, Lisa D’Amico Sr. Warden, St. Luke’s vestry |
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