| This Week at St. Luke’s |
| Public Health Indicators: here Free COVID test from Durham County here. Click here and scroll down for Online Worship Bulletin. 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. Sunday, November 27 – Advent I 8 and 10:30am Holy Eucharist – masks optional but recommended The Rev. Caleb Tabor, Preacher and Presider 9 – 11:30 am – Nursery – Gray Building 11:45 am Children’s singing – Music Room, Johnson Hall Tuesday, November 29 Rector Rhonda will not hold her usual office day this week or next week. She is still available by phone or email, or to meet by appointment. Her regular Tuesday office day will resume on the 13th of December. 7 pm Confirmation Class – Kramer Room Wednesday, November 30 8 am Morning Prayer on Zoom 11:30 am Prayer and Share on Zoom Thursday, December 1 7 pm Bible Study on Zoom Friday, December 2 1:00 pm Connections and Support Group by Zoom Choir Advent Party Saturday, December 3 9 am Altar Guild – Nave 9 am Vestry Retreat – Episcopal Center 10 am Girl Scouts – Johnson Hall |
| New This Week |
| The clergy and vestry have resolved that masks are now optional for all vaccinated individuals while worshipping but remain recommended. Diocesan policy requires that unvaccinated persons wear a mask at all times during worship and in meetings. This policy allows for unmasked singing which can elevate the possibility of Covid transmission. Masks are available in the narthexes at the entrances of the church for anyone who needs one. Getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing masks, and refraining from physical contact are important precautions for your own health and that of your neighbors. The vestry will continue to review public health data and the masking policy and will adapt the policies if needed should the data warrant more stringent measures. If you have any cold-like or flu-like symptoms, please stay home. If you are unwell and need the church’s assistance, please let us know. 2023 Pledge EMC Update – You have closed the gap! We currently stand at $339,695 (339,384 in 2022.) We have 9 new pledges this year for a total of 101. Close to half of you have increased your pledge. Thank you for your faithful generosity to St. Luke’s, its work and mission. We are truly God-filled people, and we thank God for that. Rhonda will be away Tuesday the 6th of December through Sunday the 11th. In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact the office, Senior Warden Lisa D’Amico or Junior Warden June Santa. Our friend and sibling in Christ Phillip Bass will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday the 10th of December at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill. Please pray for Phillip and his family in this time of preparation, and please plan to attend the ordination service if you can. As members of Phillip’s sponsoring parish, if you would like to contribute to an ordination gift for him from St. Luke’s, please do so by the 9th of December. Please clearly mark your contribution “Phillip Bass gift.” Thank you! Pilgrimage to Historic Stagville Saturday, December 3, 2-4 p.m. | Historic Stagville, Durham Join the Diocese for a one-day pilgrimage to Historic Stagville, the remnants of the largest plantation in North Carolina. The pilgrimage will include material to watch, read and reflect on before the pilgrimage; prayer and reflections during the pilgrimage; and activities for children. Contact Jenny Beaumont, missioner for adult and lifelong formation, or the Rev. Kathy Walker, missioner for Black ministries, with questions. The 207th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina was held Nov 18-19 in Winston- Salem and St Luke’s was well represented. Lay Delegates included Jan Freeman, Anne Burgess, and Julia Hoyle. Our Diocesan Intern, Kate Rademacher, along with Rector Time Certain, Rhonda Lee and Priest Associate, Jim Craven, rounded out our team for this in-person gathering. It was rewarding to be able to meet in person.The theme of the convention focused on Creation Care and specifically how we as individuals and communities of faith, support our Biblical call to care for God’s creation. The keynote address explored strategies and initiatives to protect God’s creation and also acknowledged that every time we fail to protect our Earth home, we are impacting our global neighbors, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable.Our new Assistant Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brook-Davidson, was officially welcomed to the Diocese and she led our Eucharist service on Friday. Later that day, we gave thanks and appreciation to our retiring Suffragan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, at a reception held in her honor. We are all grateful for Bishop Anne’s ministry.A variety of resolutions were introduced ranging from Creation Care strategies, concerns about gun violence in our communities, and awareness of equity hiring practices in the Diocese.And finally, our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman, encouraged all of us to please read the weekly Diocesan electronic email titled “Please Note.” Every Wednesday afternoon, the most up to date communications from the Diocese are detailed in this email. You can sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/tuzmbd2n Please read, ask questions, and if you need help signing up to receive this weekly message, please ask…someone will help! Our Nursery is now open Sunday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. for infants through children aged five. Both the nursery attendants are fully vaccinated and boosted and will be wearing masks. It’s Easy to Share Your Christmas! This year we’re taking a “hybrid” approach to Share Your Christmas (gifts as well as contributions), so you have two ways to help St. Luke’s Families (families identified by St. Luke’s parishioners or clergy), LEAP participants, Maple Court veterans, Ronald McDonald House residents, and Durham’s shelter animals. To donate a present or a gift card, stop by the Sprague Room and take a tag off the Share Your Christmas tree. All tags are numbered. Please enter your name and phone number on the sign-up sheet, next to the number that corresponds to the number on your tag. This will help ensure gifts are delivered on time. Put presents/gift cards back under the tree on or before December 14 (December 11 for Ronald McDonald House). If you prefer, you can skip the tags, the sign-up, and the shopping and simply make a donation to St. Luke’s online (in ACS, choose Share Your Christmas from the “select a fund” pull-down menu), or via cash or check. Indicate the cash or check donation is for “Share Your Christmas”. These donations will be used to purchase presents or gift cards, as appropriate. Contact Bill or Carol Charping with questions or to help with shopping, wrapping or delivery. |
| Announcements |
| Join us for the 11th Annual Jingle Bell LEAP! WHAT: 5K run/walk benefiting the Latino Educational Achievement Partnership WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 2022 WHERE: American Tobacco Trail Registration available at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Durham/JingleBellLEAP5K or at www.durhamleap.org . Advent Quiet Day: Be Still and Know – Join our diocesan intern, Kate Rademacher, for a half-day retreat at St. Luke’s on Saturday, December 10 from 9:30am-12:30pm in the Kramer Room. During this Quiet Day, we will reflect together on the words of Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Together we will ask: How can we quiet our hearts and minds during this season? How can we become still and grow in our knowledge and love of God? Please join us for this time of contemplative prayer, group discussion, and quiet reflection. Snacks will be provided. Email Kate with any questions. Fall 2022 Adult Learning Offerings, Sunday mornings, 9:10-10:00, Kramer Room(opposite the narthex/vestibule as you enter the church from the north side visitor parking)Please note: on Sundays when no adult learning is offered, we will enjoy extended fellowship time.December: Diocesan Intern Kate Rademacher will lead a discussion of evangelism, adapted from the curriculum, Embracing Evangelism—The Episcopal Church.· December 4: Embracing Evangelism by Sharing Our Stories· December 11: Embracing Evangelism in the Age of Social Media Confirmation/Reception/Reaffirmation/Inquirers’ ClassA Joint Venture Between St. Luke’s and St. Joseph’sIf you’re new to St. Luke’s or the Episcopal Church and want to learn more;if it’s time for you to be confirmed, or to be received into the Episcopal Church if you’ve already been confirmed in another Christian tradition;if you’re feeling called to reaffirm your Christian faith:Please participate in an adult formation opportunity jointly offered by The Rev. Dr. Lauren F. Winner of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church and our own Rector Time Certain Rhonda M. Lee. We expect that the group will include members of both congregations.Dates: Tuesday the 29th of November, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Topics: 29 November: SacramentsLocation: St. Luke’s, Kramer Room (next to the narthex/vestibule as you enter from the north side visitor parking)The date of confirmation/reception/reaffirmation is still to be determined and will depend on the date of a bishop’s visit or a convocation-wide confirmation service.Need more information? Ask Rhonda. Opportunity For Children to Sing – Our wonderful St. Cecilia children’s choir was put on hold during the pandemic, and we certainly miss them! Although there aren’t currently many children attending church Kaye Saunders will be offering a thirty-minute singing time on Sundays for children in grades 2 and above who are interested in singing in some Sunday services. Each session will be at 11:45 (later if church runs late) in the music room, and will last thirty minutes.SESSIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH DECEMBER 18. THERE WILL BE NO SESSION ON NOVEMBER 27. Come join us in the music room after church for some singing! Almoner Requests – I’ve had a couple of specific requests from some neighbor partners that I wanted to pass along. One woman is looking to replace a poorly working car, and a father is wanting to find a refurbished, fairly new computer (probably a notebook), either Apple or PC, for his son who will be attending college next year. Please contact me for more information. Thank you! Jan Freeman The Good News Garden at Saint Titus would love to have your help with building a hugulkultur bed and refreshing all of its other beds with compost. If you would like to learn more about hugulkultur, and about what Saint Luke’s has been doing in partnership with Saint Titus through the Good News Garden program, please join us and lend a helping hand. We will meet from 2-4 on Saturday, December 3 in the fenced in area (Delaney Park) next to Saint Titus Episcopal Church, 400 Moline st. in Durham. Please contact Carla Knip to let her know if you plan to come. Bring a shovel and/or a soil rake if you have one. We hope that you can join us! Attention all Needleworkers (knitters, crocheters, seamsters …) Starting on Wednesday, November 16th, the St. Luke’s Needlework Ministry will meet in the Kramer room on the third Wednesday of the month from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. We do our work at home and meet once a month in the Kramer room to knit/crochet/sew and enjoy each other’s company. However, it is not necessary to attend the meetings to participate. Come join us while we make warm scarves and hats for our homeless neighbors, chemo caps for the Durham Blood Cancer Center, and Prayer Shawls for people who are ill, recovering or grieving. For more information contact Grams Gutknecht. Join us online for Morning Prayer – Wednesdays at 8am – Join our diocesan intern, Kate Rademacher, for Morning Prayer on Zoom on Wednesday mornings at 8am. As part of her discernment to potential ordination, Kate is strongly encouraged to pray the Daily Office, and she is eager to do this in community with people at St. Luke’s who may want to participate. Whether you have a long-standing practice of praying the Daily Office or whether it’s brand new to you, everyone is welcome! Join us online using this Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3dsRusD . For questions, please contact Kate. |
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