Evangelist
September 9, 2015
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Carey's Conversations

"We need both silence and socializing in our lives and pitting one against the other is a false dichotomy. They aren't in opposition to each other but are both vital components of the same journey towards a community of life with God and each other." 
Ron Rolheiser, OMI

The following comes from a daily meditation I receive by email each week from the Rev. Ronald Rolheiser. As we prepare to kick off another fall we have a chance to come together as both introverts and extroverts  and share our gifts from solitude with our community of faith.

INTROVERTS AND EXTROVERTS AND THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Spiritual writers have always tended to put an important emphasis on the type of inner work that can only be done in private prayer and contemplation.
To fear or shun silence generally brings with it the judgment that you are superficial, shallow, fearful of depth, and afraid to be alone with God and yourself. Sometimes this is true. We often do fear being silent and alone because we are afraid of what we might find there.
Christian spirituality has also always emphasized the social aspect of our lives, family, church going, and involvement within a community. The social dimension of life too has always been considered a non-negotiable element within a healthy spiritual life.
Most of the same writings that emphasize silence and solitude also emphasize being within a family or a community and participating in church life. They warn that there is a real danger in being too private, in being too caught up inside of ourselves, in avoiding community, in being on a private quest without enough concern for the family and community - Ron Rolheiser
Hope to see you this Sunday for Rally Day!

Carey+
ST. LUKE'S SHIRTS ARE READY!

St. Luke's second order of shirts is ready to be picked up in the church office! If you are unable to come by the office, they can be picked up Sunday, September 13th.
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew will meet at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday , September 16th, in the LIBRARY. We will continue The GREAT COURSE'S DVD Series - The Old Testament.  Please join us. For more information contact: Dickey Mayland, 835-6411, ddmayland@sbcglobal.net  
ECW ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND PLANNING MEETING: THURS., SEPTEMBER 17 AT 6:30 p.m. IN THE PARISH HALL. 

Please join us for a delicious ice cream social evening while we plan activities and outings for our ECW Ladies. Our fundraising plans, our fun plans and our prayer plans!  Please bring a taste for ice cream and ideas!  Let's do some great things this Fall and Winter.  For any questions please contact Chris Schaefer at glschaefer@sbcglobal.net.

ST. LUKE'S IS GOING TO THE U.K.! 

St. Luke's is taking a trip to England in June 2016 and we hope you come! Be watching for more information and specific dates. If you are interested, please contact the church office.
St. Mark's Shrimp Boil
Cool Music, Cajun Food, Worthy Cause

Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 5-9 pm (takeout 5-7pm)
Help out St. Francis House at the St. Mark's 11th Annual Shrimp Boil. Make plans now to buy tickets, invite friends, get a chance on a Yeti Cooler. Not only a fund raiser for St. Francis House fundraiser, the event is also a fun-raiser for the entire family. Enjoy Cajun shrimp and fixins' table-side service and entertainment by the Greasy Greens in the Garden. 1000 pounds of gulf shrimp and over 200 volunteers make this happen each fall at 1000 N. Mississippi in Little Rock. Discounted advance tickets ($25 adults/ $10 children) available now or get them at the door for $5 more. Call St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 501-225-4203 for tickets.

Save the Dates! September 25-27
Join us at Wonderful, Wonderful Camp McDowell for a retreat sponsored by the Recovery Commission.

Retreat Theme: Mediating on the Psalms as a Spiritual Tool for People in Recovery: A Spiritual Journey for people in Recovery with the Psalms, Harp, and Story with Keynote Speaker, The Rev. Joanna Seibert, M.D.

Retreat is Open Now! Click link below to register:
https://secure-q.net/EventQ/Event/Info?OrgID=dioala&EventID=1039

Retreat Schedule Overview:
A Spiritual Journey with the Psalms, Harp, and Story ~ September 25-27 at Camp McDowell

Friday evening: How God speaks to us and uses us especially when we have other plans. We are wounded healers.

Saturday morning: God heals and speaks to us in community. Help comes when we think solutions are impossible.

Saturday evening: How God cares for us during times of suffering.

Sunday: Learning from those we think we are teaching.

12 Step Eucharist

Ongoing Ministries
Annual Recovery & Spirituality Retreat in fall, open to all persons.

12 Step Christian Education Materials educational resource material consisting of speakers, special group programs, videotapes and 12 step materials for the Sunday School classroom.

Recovery Sunday Curriculum- diocesan convention passed a resolution setting aside the second Sunday in November as Recovery Sunday. Readings, hymns and Sunday School materials are available through the diocesan office.

Networking and Referrals :if you are in need of intervention, support group and/or treatment facility information, the department is prepared to assist you.

For more information about how the Diocesan Department of Recovery Ministries can assist you or someone you know please contact: kgraham@dioala.org

More information regarding this important and necessary ministry can be found at our national website. Click here for more information from Recovery Ministries of The Episcopal Church.
AYE

The Arkansas Youth Event (AYE) is October 2nd-4th, 2015. This is our fall weekend retreat at Camp Mitchell open to 6th-12th grade youth. It is a great kick-off to the new school year, a chance to spend some time with old friends, and a time to make new friends from all over the state. At AYE we play games, we hike, we dance, we sing, we pray, we laugh and we do even more than that. We do it all in 40 hours. That's right...it's pretty amazing. It is open to all youth across the state and costs $110. Go to the EYC Arkansas Facebook page or go to http://eycarkansas.org/aye/ There are limited openings so be sure to sign up ASAP if you want to go.

Arkansas Cursillo:  A Journey #2 Accepting Applications Now

The Journey is a weekend retreat designed to enliven the Christian faith by discovering Jesus' will for your life. It is based on a method of living the Christian life hat has been presented in many denominations for over 70 years. It is a method that works! It focuses on how the resources of our faith strengthen and support our apostleship, and emphasizes those elements of doctrine and discipline which empower us to reach out. It also offers a method for ongoing support.
The weekend retreat will be held at Camp Mitchell on Petit Jean Mountain on October 23-25, 2015. It will be led by Eric Savage and a team of both clergy and lay persons. It is open to ALL adult individuals of ANY denomination. Those persons who have previously attended a 3-day weekend are welcome to attend. Attendees at the first Journey weekend gave it glowing reviews!
We encourage you to attend and to invite your friends from other denominations. More information about the weekend and an application form can be found here on the Arkansas Cursillo website. Cost for the retreat is $145 which includes all lodging, meals and materials.
Deacon's Bench
Constance and her Companions
THE MARTYRS OF MEMPHIS (9 SEP 1878)

Let's take a trip to Memphis. It is the summer of 1878. The city on the bluff of the Mississippi River is struck by its third epidemic of yellow fever in ten years. 30,000 citizens flee in terror. Death tolls average 200 a day. The area becomes so depopulated that the city loses its charter and will not reorganize for fourteen years. When it is all over ninety percent of the population has contracted yellow fever and more than 5000 people have died. Everyone who can afford to do so leaves the city and flees away from the river. It was not yet known that the disease is mosquito-borne, but it is observed that high and dry are safe. In the city is a community of Anglican nuns who have the opportunity to leave, but choose to stay and nurse the sick. St. Mary's Cathedral is located downtown in the most infected area of Memphis. The sisters came to Memphis in 1873 to found a Girls School adjacent to St. Mary's Cathedral.
St. Luke's Rally Day is from 9:00 until 10:15 on Sunday, September 13, 2015!

St. Luke's is planning a trip to Great Britain next summer to commemorate the Church's Anglican heritage, and we're going to kick off our pilgrimage with an international flair on Rally Day! Come and stamp your passport, and qualify for a door prize, as you visit our classrooms and ministry tables! Put on costume and take a regal portrait at our photo booth! Last but not least, enjoy a potluck continental breakfast with a British twist as you learn about all of the wonderful ways that you can embark on your spiritual journey this year at St. Luke's!
A sign-up sheet with suggested categories for the potluck breakfast will be posted in the Narthex beginning on August 30th.
We hope everyone will join us and have a wonderful time between services on September 13th!

YOUTH GROUP

Many of our youth have wanted St. Luke's to have an active youth group.  We are listening to you and are now offering you an opportunity to build a cool social group that consists not only of St. Luke members but of your friends.  There will be two opportunities for you to show us if you really want an active youth group.

7th, 8th & 9th Graders: If you or a friend or a member of your family is in 7th, 8th or 9th grade there will be the first meeting and voting for President, Secretary  and Treasurer Wednesday, September 16th, at 6:00. 

10th, 11th & 12th Graders: If you or a friend or a member of your family is in 10th, 11th or 12th grade there will be the first meeting and voting for President, Secretary  and Treasurer Sunday, September 13th, at 6:00.  This is Rally Day.

For both groups we will have a meeting to decide if you really want to have this outreach activity (if only a few show up then we will know it is not what you want).  Lasagna and salad will be served along with loud music (if wanted) and you will have the time and space to interact with your peers. For this to be highly successful it will require each and every participant to invite a friend each time we meet.  That is the outreach part of the activity. The suggestions provided by the youth as to what activities they want to do for fun, for helping others and for making money (so we will have a broader choice of fun activities) will be presented and acted upon by those present. In other words this is being offered and how successful it is will depend on our youth. 

Hopefully it will take off and make many wonderful memories for this year. If you have any questions call Barbara Rhodes  940-1437. 
St. Luke's Green Team
Week 4 - Back to School

Sunday - Isaiah 11:6-9 (NSRV) "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."

Monday - Start with the basics. Remind kids to turn off the lights in the bathroom or any unoccupied room at home and at school. Encourage them to throw away any trash they find on the school playground, tell them to use both sides of their notebook paper, and suggest that they save unused chalk and art supplies.

Tuesday -Carpool. If you live somewhere where bus service isn't provided, start a carpool and take turns with other parents in the neighborhood to drop off and pick up the kids. You'll each save time, energy, and fuel.

Wednesday - Lunch break. Pack kids' lunches in lunch pails or canvas bags instead of throwaway paper bags. Consider re-using plastic sandwich bags, or only using durable plastic containers. Be sure containers are safe, however, as some plastic lunch boxes contain harmful toxins such as PVCs.

Thursday -It might seem obvious, but check out your school's recycling programs. Ask whether recycling bins are available and accessible -- and if the kids are encouraged to use them. Make sure your child knows what can be recycled and what can't.

Friday - Make smart decisions while shopping. Buy school supplies with less packaging and seek those made with organic and/or recycled materials. Consider investing in sturdier products - this can ensure years of use from commonly used items like backpacks. You can also make environmentally-friendly choices when buying back-to-school clothes.

Saturday -Re-use school supplies that are in good condition. When you're in the middle of the back-to-school shopping frenzy, it's sometimes easy to forget about all those items you have at home that are still in good working condition. Binders, loose leaf paper, pencils and scissors are often only lightly used. Save money and resources by buying only what's really needed! If you can't re-use old products, donate them to your school or a local daycare.

Tips Source: EarthShare.org

THE BLUE BARREL IS BACK....

In the Narthex!  Outreach for homeless shelters, such as Jericho Way, is in need of DETERGENT to help wash clothes and bedding.  Dorcas House is also in need.  WHAT DO YOU SAY?  Let's fill up the BLUE BARREL during the month of September with loads of detergent and soap, both for laundry or bathing.  Contact either Tommie Williams, Don Wood, Betty Seymour for more information or if you have questions about this project.
Chairs For Sale

Help us raise funds for our Building and Grounds by buying a folding metal chair! Chairs are $10. Contact a building and grounds committee member or the office to purchase yours now. The sale ends October 31st. 
PILL BOTTLES FOR ST. FRANCIS HOUSE continues...

This is a small way that you can help the clinic at St. Francis House.  The small basket in the narthex is a gathering place for empty pill bottles.  Empty pill bottles are used by the clinic at St. Francis House for medicine dispensed to vets and others in the community.  Please remember to remove the labels and clean the empty pill bottles before leaving them. If you have any questions on this, please contact Betty Seymour.

Office Hours
Monday - Friday, 8 to 4 
Closed: Saturday and Sunday 
Office Phone: 501-753-4281 
Office Fax: 501-753-4322 
Email: stlukesnlr@gmail.com  
The office is located behind the church at 4106 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, AR 
Prayer List

Anne Gontermann, Allen Baxter II, Jeff Spradlin, Hudson Woods, Paula, Helen Snipan, Caleb Jablonowski, Angela Corlett, Kate Toepher, Ryan Dillon Parker, Bill Moses, Gene DeLisa, Nina Goins, Edward Anderson, Cheryl Hall, Paula Kalina, Bryant Family, Ann, Cherie, Zill Coleman, Sydnie Reedy, Jake Harrell, Aaron Dutton, Bradley Stinnett, Charles Ray Kennedy, Barbara Coker, Chris Morehart, Lexi Probst, Kay Reiter, Leslie Westbrook, Louise Ahrens, Megan Elizabeth Hall, Carole Grant, Debi and Phil Palladan, Susan Haner, Betty Miller, Linda Hawkins, Chris Mikesell, Louis Jenkins, Carle Carrell, Row McLaughlin, Ty, Kyley, Myla Hood, Jean Belknap, Sarah Martin, Anthony Riggins, Pam Cox, Corey McBain, Tim Woods, Cash Clancy, Mary Rose, Gloria Holst, Pam Cox, Tammy Martin, Mailyn, Sue, Tracy, Curt, Tricia, Bill Shepherd

 

Special Concerns: For all the men and women of our Armed Forces, especially Justin, Joshua, Bret, Tim, Matt, Doug, Brian Mahoney, Brian Mennes, Frank Tate, Alex Schimelpfening, David Liem, Justin, John Landis, Lucas Kunce

 

 

 

 
On-Going Events and Programs