Evangelist
November 3, 2015
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Carey's Conversations

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 
to which you were called
in the one body, and be thankful.
Colossians 3.15

As the season of fall fully begins taking hold the signs of change surround us. My daughter who is very aware of the darker days asked yesterday at 6 pm "is it midnight?" When daylight saving time comes to an end it can certainly seem like it! 

Liturgically the tone of growth during the long green season after Pentecost begins turning toward remembrance of our mortality as well as the saints who have gone before us. With this comes the awareness that we have each been richly blessed and this culminates on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 15th that we call Stewardship Sunday. During this time of remembrance we also pay tribute to the fallen and to all those who have faithfully served our country through military service. After the celebration our national day of Thanksgiving we reach the triumphal end of the Church Year with the Feast of Christ the King.

The first Sunday of Advent falls on November 29th this year and it marks the beginning of a new Church Year and the season of hopeful expectation. To mark this, the lectionary points us towards all things prophetic and apocalyptic indicating that a birth would be coming that would change everything. God would offer us his only Son, wrapped in flesh to show us the way to salvation. We will be given a special opportunity to make a difference at our Alternative Giving Faire on the 29th (see Deacon Joanna's article). Items will be on sale that will benefit the various ministries of St. Luke's as well as ministries beyond our walls such as St. Francis House.

Wednesday evenings during Advent we will offer a time of prayer, dinner, and a special three-week study called "Experiencing our Anglican Heritage." Through words, music and images we will take a virtual tour through some of the sites that have shaped our Anglican Christian faith and that pilgrims will see who go with us on our summer pilgrimage to England. You won't have to go on the trip to enjoy learning more about the ancestors of our faith!

I sincerely hope that you and your family will come and deepen your faith and enjoy one another's fellowship during these special days.

Yours in Christ,

Carey+

STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH! 

Be sure to turn in your pledge cards on November 15th if you haven't already. 
SAVE THE DATE

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Advent event after the 10:30 service on December 6th. Look for more information in your weekly Evangelist.
Anglican Heritage Pilgrimage to England - June 13th - 24th

We now have the dates for this awesome trip to the land of our Anglican heritage! The itinerary will include such holy sites as Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Lambeth Palace,  Shakespeare's Globe theatre, York Minster, King's College at Cambridge, Coventry Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, visit Windsor Castle, Whitby Abbey.   The itinerary should be finalized next week and we will then have the exact cost figures.  Professional guides will be there to provide rich historical detail. We will have a brief meeting in the Gontermann chapel after church next Sunday to begin registering. We need at least 17 for the tour to make so talk this us with friends and family!
Deacon Bench for November

Advent Event for St. Nikolas Day

Sunday December 6 after 10:30 service in the Parish Hall. 
Mark Your Calendars!!
What
St. Luke's will again be hosting a luncheon for St. Nikolas on his Feast Day, December 6, after the 10:30 service in the Parish Hall. We will be honoring St. Nikolas (who has agreed to return just to St. Luke) with a catered luncheon for families and guests and an alternative giving fair. There will be Advent material for families and individuals and a St. Nikolas table of activities for children.

Who will be there:
  • Rice depot with all their products
  • Heifer International giving opportunities 
  • St. Francis House Christmas giving
  • Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) giving tree 
  • African ministries jewelry
  • Rick and Helen from Camp Mitchell with CM products 
  • Broken China Pendants for Central Arkansas Women's Shelter
  • Youth selling St. Luke's Water bottles, Lanyards, and St. Luke's tote bags with new logo 
  • Joanna's three new books, Taste and See, and two books of sermons, Interpreting the World to the Church, volumes 1 and 2, as well as Christmas and Peaceful harp CD's with all proceeds going to Camp Mitchell.
  • ECW table with crafts and food; pies breads, jams, jelly mix, wreaths, scarves, ornaments, St. Luke's own personal stand up desk calendar, tee shirts, cookbooks, and more with money going for Camp Scholarships
  • Local Artist's table with Cici Davidson already taking orders for St. Nikolas and St. Lucy hand painted china plates $80. Message Cici on Facebook or email cicidavidson@me.com for orders to be picked up on December 6 
Joanna
From the Senior Warden

During this time to remember to give our "first fruits," I would like to sincerely thank everyone for all that they do for our Parish Life. We recently had a wonderful time with Tales of the South. These people created a great atmosphere giving of their treasure, time and talent: John & Barbara Rhodes, Dawn Reynolds, Nancy Crow, Katie & Josh Taylor and of course, Gerald Williams. Joanna Seibert organized the food truck brigade and Curtis Briggs was on hand assuring a welcome to all. This is just one example of how valuable everyone is in the working of our church. As the Stewardship campaign comes to a close, please, please consider how you can contribute.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2016, FIRST FRUITS - OUR GIFTS TO GOD

The stewardship campaign this year will include the opportunity for you to become more acquainted with the budget of the church and its needs. We have scheduled some cottage meetings in the next few weeks. These are meetings for only a few people (8 to 10) at a parishioner's house. They will be short sessions to inform you about the programs, budget process, and needs of the church. We encourage you to attend one of the meetings. They are open to all members and might be especially beneficial to newer members.  If you have an interest in attending one of the meetings please contact the church office. STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
Outreach Opportunities 

HOMELESS SHELTER DELIVERY DATE: NOV 18: We continue to collect detergent, razors, band aids, small packs of aspirin and toiletries (e.g., toothpaste, shampoo, soap, hand cream, hand sanitizer, etc.) for area homeless shelters. As you get ready for hunting season, why not put a pair of warm socks or a couple of those HAND WARMERS into the BLUE TOP BIN for homeless folks that need to keep their feet and hands warm, too? A small BLUE top bin is available in the narthex for you to bring things you would like to donate to help our area homeless shelters with. These items are delivered monthly by our St. Luke's delivery team. Our next monthly delivery date for items to homeless shelters is November 18. For more information on this project, contact Tommie Williams or Betty Seymour.

ST. FRANCIS HOUSE is seeking help from area churches to provide children (ages infant to age 12) with Christmas presents of either toys or clothing or both. At this time, we are just trying to find out if any of you are interested in helping with this so that we can respond to St. Francis House with the number of children that St. Luke's parishioners are willing to help. Once we determine the interest, we will provide you will more specific details on where and when to bring your "gifts." Perhaps you or your family might want to help one child or several children, or perhaps your organization might be interested in helping with a gift for one child or gifts for several children. Presents may be wrapped or unwrapped, but if they are wrapped, please place a tag on the outside of the gift stating the age of the child for the gift. If you are interested in helping with this or want additional information, please contact Jeannie Fry or Deacon Joanna by no later than Sunday, November 8th.

PARK HILL CHRISTIAN CHURCH is accepting donations for their Christmas store. The "Christmas Store" will be a place for needy families served by PHCC in the North Little Rock area to find things to make their Christmas a little brighter. New or gently used toys and clothing is needed. We have noticed in the past that blankets, coats, sweaters, basketballs, mittens and hats are the items most appreciated. Items may be placed through the month of November in the BLUE BARREL in the narthex. For questions on this, please contact Jeannie Fry.

DO YOU HAVE A GENTLY USED COAT TO DONATE to the VETS served by St. Francis House? Remember, these vets are both men and women, and sometimes there are children with them staying at St. Francis House. These coats will be delivered on November 18 by our St. Luke's delivery team. Contact Tommie Williams if you would like to make a donation or drop it in the BIG basket in the narthex.
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, Caryl Hicks, Bobby and Gary Mackenzie, Marilyn Gay

 

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, David Jackson

 

 

 

 
On-Going Events and Programs