Jo Anne Ault
January 27, 2010; sister-in-law of Lynn Ault and aunt of John (Judy) Ault.
Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.
Noah Parker Duke, January 10, 2010; son of Christine and Grover Neal Duke III and grandson of G. Neal Duke Jr.
As he grows in age, may he also grow in grace and in the knowledge of his Savior Jesus Christ.
Sunday Lectionary Readings
February 7, 2010
Fifth Sunday
after The Epiphany
Isaiah 6:1-8
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
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Click here for our newsletter archive:
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By the Rev. Christopher Girata
We've all heard the tragic stories of people in the community and around the country who have been defaulting on their home mortgages. As the rippling effects of our Great Recession continue to spread across the economic pond, friends and neighbors have been brought to the financial brink, some even losing their homes and businesses. How many of them lost their homes or businesses because they were overextended without truly knowing the risks? How many of us misunderstand the ways in which we make investments in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our church? Like so many who were unaware of the risks of their financial commitments, how many more of us are unaware of the risks we are taking with our church? How many of us are at risk of defaulting on our church?
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Souper Bowl of Caring
Donate $1 on February 7
People from all over the world will tune in to the Super Bowl football game with parties, abundant food, and friendship. At the same time, many people from our area will worry about staying warm, finding shelter, and eating a warm meal. Please join our Saint Luke's youth in a nationwide project as they demonstrate God's love for their neighbor through the Souper Bowl project. Simply drop a dollar in the "Soup Pot" in the Narthex on Super Bowl Sunday (this Sunday). ALL proceeds will be given to the Firehouse Shelter, which provides a nurturing environment for homeless men in the Birmingham area. |
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Saint Luke's Parish Choir
Presents
Love Songs From Broadway, February 14
Make a date with your sweetheart for Sunday evening, February 14. Members of our Parish Choir will present a program of love songs first heard in Broadway productions. Some of our choristers have had professional experience in the theater, but all of them are multi-talented, so the evening promises to be entertaining. The program begins at 6:30 pm in Graham Hall. The cost is $15 per person and includes coffee and dessert. Tickets are on sale Sunday mornings, or you may pay at the door. |
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Searchers Meeting
Monday, February 8, 10:30 am
Bring a sandwich. Please note we will meeting in the Founders Room for this month only due to BHN using Room 214. |
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Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tickets are on sale Sunday mornings or by calling
802-6212.
$10/adult $5/child under 12
maximum - $30/family
We also will offer drive-through pick-up for $5/order.
Pick up at the back of the church.
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Into God's Lap
Meditations for Lent 2010
Written by lay and clergy members of our Saint Luke's family, this book provides reflections, for each day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Easter, based on the scripture readings following the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer. Copies are $10 and will be available for purchase beginning Sunday morning, February 14. |
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ECW Day Retreat
Saturday, February 20
The Drehers' Farm
The church van will leave Saint Luke's around 9:15 am and return about 2:45 pm. Our speaker will be Shirley Ann Stringfellow of the Advent. Her talk will be on "Hearing the Voice of the Lord: From the Garden of Gethsemane to the Garden of the Tomb." We will listen to the words of Jesus and explore just what He is saying to each of us in the different phases of our lives. There is a cost of $10 for a box lunch. Please contact Shauna hard for a lunch reservation. shaunahard42@hotmail.com or 835-9928. If you would like to ride in the church van, please contact Jeanna Speegle (jspeegle@saint-lukes.com or 802-6218).All women of the church are welcome! |
Need Some Spiritual Food?
Click here to listen or read a brief Christian meditation, including scripture, prayer, times of silence, and lasting no more than ten minutes! A new one will be posted each week. |
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Volunteer at the Crisis Center
If you have a strong desire to help others and a willingness to listen, this may be the opportunity for you. The Crisis Center of Birmingham is always looking for volunteers to answer their phone lines. You receive complete training and can then sign up for shifts that fit your own schedule. It is possible to answer: the Crisis and Suicide line, Kids' Help Line, TeenLink, or the Senior Talk Line. For more information go to www.crisicenterbham.com or call 323-7782 (option 3). If you would like to know more about what it is like to volunteer at the Crisis center, please contact, Betsy Smith at 322-7056. |
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Welcome our Guests!
Saint Luke's will host Birmingham Hospitality Network families, beginning Sunday, February 7. If you are in the building after business hours during that week and see any of our BHN families, please speak a word of welcome to them. Also, a sincere thank you to all who have volunteered to serve during that week. |
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Are You A Caregiver Who Needs Some Support?
Do you spend much of your time caring for a loved one who is ill, disabled, or elderly? Once a month Saint Luke's offers a group where caregivers come together for support fellowship, and often exchange helpful information. An opportunity for family caregivers to give and receive support. We meet the fourth Monday of each month at 12:00 noon in the Small Dining Room. Feel free to bring your lunch. The next meeting is Monday, February 22. There will be no meeting in January. To learn more, call Gail Sharp (871-7025 or gailsharplpc@aol.com). |
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September Song
A History of Norwood
Now available is a memoir of early days in Norwood written by Bill Pogue, a former resident. It is called September Song and can be yours for a $25.00 donation to the Norwood Resource Center. These donations will enable the Resource Center to again provide free income tax preparation to members of the Norwood community. Please help support one of our Outreach projects and enjoy reading about a time in early Birmingham history. Copies are available in Barbara Vandergriff's office on second floor. |
Stewardship of Creation
What is the Stewardship of Creation Committee, and what do they do? That was a question from one of Saint Luke's parishioners a few weeks ago. The Stewardship of Creation committee is probably best described by our mission statement:
Saint Luke's Episcopal Church Stewardship of Creation Committee exists to educate and empower parishioners and staff members in regard to our biblical mandates for the care of creation.
To that end we will:
· promote resource conservation and recycling,
· advocate and facilitate wise and responsible practices, and
provide opportunities for service in the stewardship of our surroundings
Watch the Dialogue in the coming weeks for some examples of what the committee does here at Saint Luke's. |
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES
Ash Wednesday is February 17.
Click here for schedule of services. |
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Thoughts for February: Knowing God
By the Rev. Stephen DeGweck
A man walked through the streets of a large city, clipboard in hand, asking people for their opinions. "Who is Jesus?" he would ask, stopping one passerby after another. "I believe he was a great teacher and prophet who lived long ago in Palestine," answered one. "Jesus is the founder of the Christian religion," responded another. "The church teaches that he is the Son of God," offered still another. On and on it went. Finally the pollster stopped at a park bench and spoke to the little old man sitting upon it. "Who is Jesus?" asked the weary man one more time, for he was already dreaming of being done and finding his easy chair for the evening. The little man looked up at his questioner and smiled. "He is my Lord and Savior," beamed the little man. The pollster thanked the man and walked away feeling as if he had finally found someone who knew who Jesus was.
You and I are not called to know facts about God, but to know God himself. The Christian faith is less head knowledge than heart knowledge, more about deepening relationships than mastering doctrine. I can know all there is to know -- in the bible, in the catechism, in the great books of faith and doctrine - and still not know God. The disciples of Jesus were not changed by new ideas about God. They were changed by their relationship to the living Christ who encountered them, called them by name, and asked them to follow him. Finally God must become more to us than words on a page or an abstract idea in a Sunday sermon. Finally, God must be encountered. He calls me to belong to him. He calls me to speak with him in prayer, and to listen in the stillness of my heart for his still small voice speaking to me. He calls me to encounter him in the pages of scripture, once again not as academic learning but as words and messages spoken to me. He calls me to come and fall to my knees before him in worship, lifting my voice in praise with brother and sister Christians who, like me, find themselves surprised by his grace, comforted by his nearness, and overwhelmed by his love. He is not just an idea, this God. He stands before me in the face of Jesus his Son, the living Lord of history, the One who is the fullest and most complete revelation of all God is, all he represents, and all he calls us to become.
What he calls me to become is a disciple, one who follows. The church is not a comparative religion society, debating and comparing ideas about God. It is a community of worshiping disciples, seeking to live for Jesus in all the places our lives take us. All this begins with a strong personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Like any relationship, it depends upon interest shown, time spent, and energy invested. Is worship a priority in my life? Do I know what it means to find a quiet space for prayer, meditation, and a little scripture reading? To avoid such things and expect to find a satisfying spiritual life is a bit like having a gym membership, never going there, and expecting God to grow me a healthy, fit body by magic.
The resources for spiritual growth are all around you. Your church is alive with possibilities for worship, study, prayer, learning, serving, and discipling. If you're longing for something richer and deeper, yet aren't sure where to start, begin by talking to one of your priests - that's why they're here! Will you be one in this new year who knows about God, but hasn't taken the time to grow close to him? I challenge you to be the little man on the bench - the one who understood that it doesn't really matter who Jesus is, unless he is first Lord and savior to me. |
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Rotation Schedule - February 7
1st B.C. to P. C. Computers Room #211
2nd Parable Place Drama Room #227
4th Holywood Movies Room #216
5th Thou Art Room #111
This Sunday we will begin studying the conversion of Saul as he went from being a persecutor of Christians to a persecuted Christian himself.
Attention all 5k through 5th grade boys and their fathers or special friends!
Save the date to go bowling!
When: Friday, February 19th @ 6:00 p.m.
Where: Brunswick Riverview Lanes
Next to Target off of 280. Cost: $30.00 per pair, $10.00 extra for each additional child. Cost includes 3 games, shoes, and dinner. **Don't forget to wear socks!** Reserve your spot by Friday, February 12 by contacting Emily eboles@saint-lukes.com or 802-6211.
Save the Date for VBS 2010!
Vacation Bible School 2010 will be June 7-10. Registration will begin soon... Adults, be thinking about how you can help!
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Open enrollment for the Day School's Fall Registration is going on now. Please contact the school at 871.3453 or click here to print the registration forms. Priority is given to families already enrolled, then church members, and then to the community. You may also register for summer now. Please contact the school to inquire about our program.
If you have not done so already, please stop by the Day School now to pick up your cheese straw and cookie orders. All orders not picked up by January 29 will be donated to the Grace Food Pantry.
We will be closed February 12 for a Teacher Work Day. |
We have several exciting events on the horizon. The Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper will be on February 16th. This year we will feature DJ-Joe, and we have also added a drive-thru option. Tickets will be on sale before and after the 10:30 service or during the week. Just call me, Lars, at 802-6212.
Following the Pancake supper, we will have a Father-Son banquet in March. The details are yet to be determined, but the theme will be "A House Divided" featuring the University of Alabama wide-receiver Joey Jones and Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan. More details will be available soon.
In the meantime, please come join us at EYC Sunday and Wednesday nights. We are also still sitting together in the Chapel during the 10:30 service. We want as many youth as can make it.
Sincerely,
Lars
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Subscribe to our NEW Podcast!!
You can now subscribe to the Saint Luke's podcast! Enjoy listening to sermons and teachings from the clergy of Saint Luke's, updated every week. Search for "Saint Luke's" in iTunes, or click here to follow step-by-step instructions.
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New Email Address?
So you won't miss any of the Saint Luke's digital newsletters, be sure to let Nancy Cain in the office know if your email address changes. Contact her at (ncain@saint-lukes.com or 802-6200).
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