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. 

Friday, April 7. Good Friday 
Office closed 
12 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy with distribution of the reserved sacrament  
6-7 p.m. Stations of the Cross: Women of the Cross. 

Saturday, April 8 
9:30 a.m. Altar Guild. Nave. Nora Hammond, Beth Bonner, Peter Kariher, Kelley Lawton. 
10 a.m. Croasdaile Morning Prayer 
No services today 

Sunday, April 9. Easter Sunday! 
8 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. Masks optional (except for ministers serving Communion or doing healing ministry). Remember to bring bells or noisemakers to the 10:30 service. 
Preacher, Presider: The Rev. Rhonda M. Lee, Ph.D. 
Easter Brunch, 9:15-10:15. Johnson Hall Easter Egg Hunt following 10:30 service. 
10:15-11:30 a.m. Nursery, Gray Building (the school building across the walkway from the fountain) 
Rector Time Certain Rhonda Lee will be away for continuing education April 10-16.  

Monday, April 10 
6:30 pm. Finance committee meeting on Zoom 
 
Tuesday, April 11 

Wednesday, April 12 
11:30  a.m.  Prayer and Share on Zoom  
5:30-6:30 p.m. Handbell Choir rehearsal. Nave 
7-8:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal. Nave. 

Thursday, April 13

Friday, April 14 
11:30 a.m. Connections and Support Group by Zoom  

Saturday, April 15 
9:30 a.m. Altar Guild. Kay Gresham, Bill Callahan, Valleri Callahan, Cindy Henry, Ila Hurley, June Santa 
10 a.m.-12 p.m. Girl Scouts. Johnson Hall. 

May newsletter submission deadline extended to April 16th. 

Our Nursery is open Sunday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. for infants through children aged five.  Both nursery attendants are fully vaccinated and boosted and will be wearing masks.
New and Ongoing Announcements
The vestry and rector time certain have resolved that masks will no longer be required when singing in procession. This means that masking is now optional at all services. The only exception is that ministers serving Communion, or offering prayers for healing, must be masked while doing so, in order to make Communion and healing prayer available to all. The vestry and rector time certain will continue to review our masking and other Covid protocols monthly.  

Our offering this Good Friday will be added to those of other churches and sent to the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.   
The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922 when, in the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. From these initial efforts which focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations, the Good Friday Offering was created. 
Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the three dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pastoral care, education and health care continue to be primary ministries through which the reconciling spirit of the Christian faith serves all in need. Participation in this ministry is welcome. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children.  Thank you for your gifts.
   
Chrismons at Easter: Chrismons (CHRISt + MONogram) are symbols that proclaim the Name, the Life, and the saving Acts of Jesus Christ. Though in the past we have only displayed Chrismons at Christmas, they can be used at any time of the year to highlight aspects of Jesus’ life and the faith journey we share with Christians over many centuries.  It had been our Chrismon leader Sue Campbell’s wish that we use Chrismons at Easter.  In her memory we hope to start a new tradition this year.   
Chrismons are made in combinations of white and gold. White refers to our Lord’s purity and perfection; gold for His majesty and glory. For Easter we have hung them on bare branches to remind us of the “old rugged cross” on which Jesus died.  The beauty of the symbols remind us that death was not the last word—Christ rose from the grave and now reigns in glory as Lord and King of all.    
SYMBOLS displayed for Easter:  Serpent on the Tau Cross reminds us of the bronze serpent which saved the Israelites in the wilderness; prefigured the crucifixion.  The Dove which descended on Jesus after his baptism.  Crosses of many types (Celtic, Latin, St. Andrew’s X-cross).  Shell to remind us of our baptism.  Chalice and wafer to remind us of the Last Supper.  Angels who announced the resurrection.  Butterflies which are symbols of resurrection.  Fish with ichthus (Greek word for fish; first letters of the Greek=Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior). Crowns to remind us that Jesus is Lord and King of all. 

Rector Time Certain Rhonda Lee will be away Easter Week (Monday 10 April through Sunday the 16th) for continuing education. During that time, if you have a pastoral emergency, please call Parish Coordinator Mike Sistrom at 919-286-2273, or contact Senior Warden Jeff Dawson or Junior Warden June Santa. They will assist you and/or contact Rhonda if necessary. The Rev. Dr. Lauren Winner will be our guest preacher and presider on Sunday the 16th. Thank you!   

Sunday Adult Learning in Easter. Celebration of our baptismal covenant through service in our community.  April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, and 28 – the 50 days of Eastertide:  Over the course of the Sundays of Eastertide Deacon Kate will lead an exploration of the ways St. Luke’s has served our community, highlight current community engagement, and explore possible opening paths for us as a congregation. Speakers from within the parish and some from our partner agencies will join us. 
Adult Formation generally meets at 9:10 a.m. in the Kramer Room, just off the north-side narthex. Please plan to join in the celebration of our Christian commitment to love and serve one another.  

St Luke’s Walkers’ next walk will be on April 22 at 11:00 a.m. with a bring-your-own lunch to follow. No trail has been chosen and so, if you have a favorite hiking trail or there’s one you’ve never tried and want to, please let Karen Gray (919-612-0331) or Bill Gutknecht (919-672-2153) know. 

Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson will visit St. Luke’s on Sunday the 23rd of April. So that all of us may worship together with the bishop, and witness the confirmation of Tobe Sexton together, we will have one service that day at 10:30. Following the service, there will be an opportunity for fellowship and conversation with Bishop Jennifer.  

Diocesan Events: Notices of these and other events of interest around the diocese are published weekly in the diocesan electronic newsletter, ‘Please Note.’ You can sign up to receive ‘Please Note’ here
*History Day, April 15, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., St. Luke’s, Salisbury. Co-sponsored by the diocesan office of Black ministries and history & archives committee, the event will be hosted by St. Luke’s, Salisbury. This site is especially fitting because the election of the Rt. Rev. Henry Beard Delany took place at St. Luke’s during the 1918 diocesan convention. For more information on the event and a link to register, go to History Day & Celebration of Bishop Delany
*Pauli Murray Spiritual Pilgrimage, April 22, begins at 9 a.m., Pauli Murray Center,  Durham. Take a pilgrimage for a spiritual journey through locations of importance to the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray in Durham, North Carolina. Along this curated 4.5 mile walk that begins at the Pauli Murray Center, participants will engage in a self-guided exploration and receive selected prayers, meditations, and conversation starters to encourage reflection and learning about the history of Durham and its importance to Murray’s legacy. Visit the Center’s site for registration link.

Our long-time priest associate, Jim Craven, will celebrate his final Eucharists with St. Luke’s on Sunday the 14th of May at 8 and 10:30 a.m.  Jim will continue as St. Luke’s priest associate after that date. 

Our long-time priest associate, Jim Craven, will celebrate his final Eucharists with St. Luke’s on Sunday the 14th of May at 8 and 10:30 a.m.  Jim will continue as St. Luke’s priest associate after that date.
Please be advised that neither the clergy nor your vestry will ever ask for help, gift cards, etc. through emails or text messages.  Some parishioners have reported receiving bogus text messages.
CONTACT UPDATES – Up-to date contact information can be found online at ACS, or the ChurchLife App for your phone or tablet.  Contact Mike if you have any problems logging onto ACS.  You can also ask Mike to send you a paper directory if needed.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s