| 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. Rector Time Certain Rhonda Lee will be away for continuing education through April 16th. 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. Sunday, April 16 8 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. Masks optional (except for ministers serving Communion or doing healing ministry). Preacher, Presider: The Rev. Lauren Winner, Ph.D. There is fellowship time in the Sprague Room immediately after each service. 9-10 a.m. Adult Learning. Kramer Room. 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. 11:45-12:45 p.m. Children’s Choir. Nave. 12-1 p.m. Faith Team meeting. Kramer Room 1- 3 p.m. Girl Scouts. Johnson Hall. May newsletter submission deadline. Monday, April 17 6:30-8:30 pm.. Vesty Meeting on Zoom. Tuesday, April 18 Rector’s Office Day. (Please call first before visiting to make sure Rev. Lee is available.) 6 p.m. Pastoral Care Team meeting on Zoom. 6:30-8 p.m. St. Luke’s Men’s Group meeting. Johnson Hall Wednesday, April 19 11:30 a.m. Prayer and Share on Zoom 1:30-3:30 p.m. Needlework Ministry. Kramer Room. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Handbell Choir rehearsal. Nave 7-8:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal. Nave. Thursday, April 20 7-8:30 pm. Evangelism/Communications Committee meeting on Zoom. Friday, April 21 11:30 a.m. Connections and Support Group by Zoom Saturday, April 22 9:30 a.m. Altar Guild set up. Nora Hammond, Beth Bonner, Peter Kariher, Kelley Lawton 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Days for Girls-Durham. Johnson Hall. 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. The Easter alleluias are back! During the Great Fifty Days of Easter, from today through the day of Pentecost, we bring back our cries of “Alleluia, alleluia!” Deacon Kate offers them when dismissing us, and we respond in kind. These alleluias are reserved for the Easter season, to proclaim our joy in the Resurrection. After the day of Pentecost, we will return to simply responding to the dismissal with “Thanks be to God.” 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. Volunteers needed for the next Every Member Canvass/Stewardship Drive this fall. Would you be willing to help to ensure that St Luke’s has the financial resources to continue to grow and thrive? This is not a significant time commitment and your help would be needed primarily in October. Please join our EMC Team. Please contact Jim Brunnquell if interested. 919-358-0801 or jbrunnquell@nc.rr.com 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. Almoner’s Request: The funds in the Rector’s Discretionary Fund ebb and flow as we provide direct financial assistance to Durham neighbors in need. We are in a low ebb phase right now and humbly call attention to this fact. The Rector’s funds are most commonly applied to rent and utilities requests, and occasionally for fresh groceries. We’ve also provided substantial assistance for car repair or purchase, reliable transportation being one of the most important elements in maintaining employment and obtaining healthcare. To those of you who have made contributions before, for which we are always grateful, and for those of you who have not been able to contribute before, please consider a contribution of any size so that we can continue to respond to requests from our neighbors. Thank you. Jan Sweet Freeman. St Luke’s Almoner. Note from Mike and Julia: we have streamlined the RDF accounting. If possible, when writing a check to the “Rector’s Discretionary Fund-St. Luke’s”, rather than to St. Luke’s. If you donate online via Paypal or ACS, you can also set it to deposit directly to the RDF. Days for Girls-Durham, April 22, 12-2pm, Johnson Hall. Join the Day for Girls Durham East NC team in their work to end period poverty. Learn about their work in Tanzania, pack menstrual health kits, and learn how you can get involved. Email durhameastnc@daysforgirls.org to volunteer. You can also donate at bit.ly/dfgdurhameastnc. 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. Rector & Friends Bible Study: The Next Installment. Friends, please join in reading and discussing the book of Jonah on second and fourth Tuesdays from 7 to 8:15 p.m., starting the 25th of April. Only four chapters long, the book of Jonah plumbs theological depths. (Not to mention the depths of the sea, and the depths of a fish’s belly.) We will devote at least two, and possibly four, sessions to this remarkable tale of repentance, resistance, and grace. No advance preparation is necessary. We will read the text aloud and discuss it together. Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84865462615 Diocesan Event: Notices of this 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. 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. De Colores: LEAP Spring Fundraiser and Auction Party, May 4, 6- 8 p.m. Come celebrate and support LEAP’s work with drinks and hors devours and bid on valuable prizes. Visit givebutter.com/c/decolores to learn more and to reserve tickets. 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. St. Luke’s Durham Bulls Outing, June 4. Would you like to see a Durham Bulls Game with St. Luke’s? We are planning a group outing to the Durham Bulls v. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Sunday, June 4 at 5:05 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and are in the Terrace View, Section 209. The deadline to sign up and pay for tickets is Sunday, May 28. Click here for an online signup form. There is a sign-up sheet in the Sprague Room. Please give your payment (cash or check) to Mike or Cindy Henry. Please contact Mike & Cindy Henry for information, Clnh248@gmail.com or 919-471-3030. Join us for a fun night at the ballpark! |
| 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. |
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