Annnouncements for Week Ending September 13
There will be no Adult Forum this Sunday. Instead, you are invited to join us in Johnson Hall for our Ministries Fair following the 10:30 service. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some fellowship, learn more about what is happening in the life of the parish, meet new people, and see if there is a ministry or opportunity to serve that resonates with you.
We hope you’ll stop by and be part of it!
Durham Savoyards September 27 at 4 p.m.
We are thrilled to open our 2026-27 Arts at St. Luke’s series with the Durham Savoyards! Join us September 27 at 4 p.m. for “Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither,” which features fun and familiar Gilbert & Sullivan selections and highlights from next year’s production of Iolanthe. Come enjoy the timeless joy, clever humor, and lively music of Gilbert and Sullivan. The concert is free, with $10-20 suggested donations warmly welcomed. Enjoy an afternoon of classic G & S joy!
Looking Forward Together EMC Dinners
October 6 or 27 • Johnson Hall • 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
As part of our Every Member Canvass program this year, we will be having two potluck dinners to discuss how we would like to look to the future together, both financially and spiritually. How do you want St. Luke’s to invest in the future? Where do you want St. Luke’s to invest in the future?
While, ultimately, the Vestry makes all final financial decisions, they would love to hear your thoughts. Sign up for one of two potluck dinners in Johnson Hall. Bring something delicious to eat or just come!!
Sign up in the Sprague Room or sign up online by using the QR codes in the Friday ENews.
New to St. Luke’s? Then Please Attend the Newcomers Lunch
If you started attending St. Luke’s in the last year or so but haven’t yet attended a Newcomers Lunch, then please join us on Sun, Sept 27 at 11:45 for a delicious lunch and an opportunity to learn more about St. Luke’s: our history, ministries, communications, a vision for our future from Greg, and a tour of the campus. This will be a great opportunity for you to get to know other newcomers, to meet some of the leaders of St. Luke’s, and perhaps identify a ministry close to your heart that offers you the opportunity to serve your fellow parishioners and the greater world.
Please let Parish Coordinator, Kaye Saunders, or Bill Gutknecht know your decision about the lunch by September 23. If you plan to attend, please let us know if you have any food restrictions. We hope to see you at the Newcomers Lunch.
Stillpoint and Wednesday Night Suppers coming Sept 23
This fall, we are beginning a new Wednesday evening offering at St. Luke’s called Stillpoint. Stillpoint will be a simple, quiet Eucharist with healing prayer and contemplative music in the Nave from 5:30–6:00 p.m. on September 23, October 21, November 18, and December 16. In the middle of busy weeks, full calendars, and all the noise of life, this will be a chance to pause, breathe, receive communion, and be reminded that God’s presence is already here. The service will be gentle and reflective, with space for prayer, stillness, and healing.
At 6:00 PM, everyone is invited to stay for Wednesday Night Supper. Dinner will be catered, and all are welcome. The cost is $10 for adults and free for children. You are welcome simply to come and enjoy dinner, conversation, and time with others in the parish. For those who would like, there will also be table discussion groups. Bob Buchanan will host a Spanish-speaking table for those who want to learn and practice Spanish, and the Rev. Chris Redmon will host a table for theological exploration and Bible study.
Our hope is that these Wednesday evenings will become a meaningful rhythm of prayer, community, food, and formation. Come for the service, come for supper, or come for both. However you enter in, we hope you will find this to be a place of rest, connection, and grace in the middle of the week.
Register in the Friday ENews.
St. Luke’s Pantry
Our pantry is ready to be replenished. Please consider donating the following: canned tuna and chicken, spaghetti sauce and canned tomatoes, pasta and noodles, jelly or jam, canned soups, pop-top containers (ravioli, etc.), small bags of rice, breakfast cereal and instant or regular oatmeal, granola or protein bars, packages of sandwich crackers. Leave donations in the baskets in the narthex.
Personal and household items are often needed as well: laundry or dish detergent, shampoo and conditioner, feminine products, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, cleaning supplies, and body lotion.
No glass containers of any kind, please.
Church Center is coming!
We are in the early stages of rolling out new technology to improve connectivity and information sharing within the parish. Imagine if you had something in the palm of your hand that could tell you how much you had donated this year, or help you sign up for events and keep track of what you had signed up for? All without calling the parish office. The plan is for this to become a reality in the next few months.
Church Center is a fun, easy-to-use app and web portal built just for you—our church family! It puts everything you need to stay connected right at your fingertips: sign up for an upcoming event, find a small group, or send a quick message to a fellow member, all in one place.
If tech makes you a little nervous, take a deep breath: Church Center is safe, secure, and hassle-free. Navigating it feels as simple as scrolling through your favorite photo app—clear buttons, friendly layouts, and no complicated menus to get lost in.
You don’t need to be a computer whiz to use it. Just open the app or website, tap what you need, and you’re set. At its core, Church Center isn’t about staring at another screen—it’s a simple, helpful tool designed to make keeping up with our church community easier and more joyful than ever.
Children’s Chapel in Johnson Hall
Families are invited to drop their children off before the 10:30 service begins. They will gather for Children’s Chapel and then be led back into the church in time to join the community for the celebration of the Eucharist. During Children’s Chapel, the children participate in a Liturgy of the Word through bible stories, song, and prayer. We are also working on memorizing the Lord’s Prayer through recitation.
We offer nursery care from 9-11:45 a.m. in our nursery in Johnson Hall, just across the breezeway from the church.
Ladies’ Lunch Bunch
Come and join the Ladies Lunch Bunch the second Tuesday every month @ 11:30 am. Each month we gather at a different restaurant throughout the Durham/Chapel Hill area. A sign-up sheet is located on the back counter in the Sprague Room, just sign your name, phone number and your email address or notify Beth Bonner of your interest. An email will be sent out 3-4 days prior to the lunch date, and you can respond by email.
Calendar
(Please check parish calendar at stlukesdurham.org for possible updates.)
Thursday, September 10
9 a.m. Morning Prayer, Nave
12:45 p.m. Nave reserved for handbells setup
1:15-2:30 p.m. Handbell Choir rehearsal, Nave
6-8 p.m. Iglesia El Buen Pastor choir rehearsal, Music Room
7-10 p.m. Church Campus Cleaning
Friday, September 11
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Connections and Support, Zoom
2:30-5 p.m. Johnson Hall reserved for Ministries Fair setup
Saturday, September 12
7-9 a.m. Food Distribution, parking lot
8:30-10:30 a.m. Johnson Hall reserved for Ministries Fair
9:30 a.m. Altar Guild setup, Nave
11 a.m. Gin Brown Funeral, Nave
12 p.m. Funeral Reception, Sprague Room
1-2:30 p.m. Parish Discernment Committee mtg, Kramer Room
Sunday, September 13: Fall Kickoff Sunday!
8 and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
Presider and preacher: The Rev. Greg Farrand
10:15-11:30 a.m. Children’s Chapel
11:30 a.m. Ministries Fair, Johnson Hall
12:30 p.m. Iglesia El Buen Pastor Holy Eucharist, Nave
1:30-4:30 p.m. Johnson Hall reserved for Iglesia El Buen Pastor
Monday, September 14
7-10 p.m. Church Campus Cleaning
Tuesday, September 15
9 a.m. Centering Prayer, Nave
10-11:15 a.m. Staff Meeting, parish office closed
12-1:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Men’s Lunch meeting, Kramer Room
6:30-8:30 p.m. Iglesia El Buen Pastor meeting, Kramer Room
Wednesday, September 16
9:30 a.m. Calendar Team meeting, Kramer Room
11:30 a.m. Noonday Prayer, Zoom
1:30-3:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Stitchers, Kramer Room
6 p.m. Nave reserved for choir setup
7-8:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Choir rehearsal, Nave
Thursday, September 17
9 a.m. Morning Prayer, Nave
12:45 p.m. Nave reserved for handbells setup
1:15-2:30 p.m. Handbell Choir rehearsal, Nave
6-8 p.m. Iglesia El Buen Pastor choir rehearsal, Music Room
7 p.m. Evangelism/Communications meeting, Zoom
7-10 p.m. Church Campus Cleaning
Friday, September 18
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Connections and Support, Zoom
Saturday, September 19
8-10 a.m. Garden Work Day
9:30 a.m. Altar Guild setup, Nave
Upcoming at St. Luke’s
St. Luke’s Men’s Lunch meeting • Tues, Sept 14, 12-1:30 p.m., Kramer Room
St. Luke’s Stitchers • Wed Sept 16, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Kramer Room
Stillpoint (Eucharist w/healing) and Wednesday Night Dinner
Sept 23, 5:30 service, 6:00 dinner, Nave and Johnson Hall
(registration required, occurs monthly)
Garden Work Day • Sat, Sept 19, 8-10 a.m.
St. Luke’s Choir Retreat • Sat, Sept 26, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Stewardship Campaign begins • Sun, Sept 27
Newcomers Lunch • Sun, Sept 27, 11:30 a.m., Johnson Hall
Arts at St. Luke’s presents The Durham Savoyards • Sun, Sept 27, 4 p.m., Nave
Pumpkin Patch Opens • Sat, Oct 3
8 a.m. Pumpkin Delivery and Unloading, 1 p.m. Pumpkin Patch opens
St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals • Sat, Oct 3, 1 p.m.
Looking Forward Together Dinner • Tues, Oct 6, 5:30 p.m. Johnson Hall
Chrismons Workshop • Wed Oct 7, 1-4 p.m., Kramer Room
St. Luke’s Sunday • Oct 18, one service only at 10:30
Lunch and festivities following in Johnson Hall
Looking Forward Together Dinner • Tues, Oct 27, 5:30 p.m. Johnson Hall
More About St. Luke’s
Newcomers
If you are a newcomer, welcome! We are glad you are with us today. Please join us to say hello! Stop by the Newcomers table in the Sprague Room where you can learn more about St. Luke’s, request a nametag, and maybe make a new friend.
St. Luke’s Email- What’s in it for you?
Our email list lets you stay up to date on parish news and fellowship events (weekly announcements email), stay aware of difficult times facing your fellow parishioners (weekly e-prayers email), and know when the latest issue of our monthly newsletter, Acts of Faith, is published. But, to paraphrase a saying, you have to be on it to get it! Make sure the parish coordinator has your email address, or subscribe automatically by going to our homepage at stlukesdurham.org, “Connect with us.”
St. Luke’s Calendar
Our parish calendar is up to date on our website at stlukesdurham.org. Weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other special services are scheduled by the clergy. The parish coordinator can help you arrange meetings or other events. Contact her at the church office at 919-286-2273.
Online Church Directory
St. Luke’s parish directory is now exclusively online. To view and update your contact information or photo, or look up contact information for other parishioners, you must activate your account using the email address you placed on file with the parish office. If you are unsure what email you used, or need instructions for activating your account, please contact directory@stlukesdurham.org.
Ways To Give:
- Check (drop it in the plate or mail to our Parish Coordinator)
- Use PayPal with a debit/credit card via St. Luke’s website (no need for a PayPal account)
- Push payments from your bank or credit union to the Church, just like bill-pay payments for your regular bills
- Initiate a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA if you are 70 1/2 or older
Submission of Materials for the Newsletter
The deadline for submitting materials for the monthly newsletter is the 20th of each month. Please email your materials to Babs Wise.