Evangelist
January 6, 2015
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Carey's Conversations

Ring out the old, ring in the new...

The Gate of the Year
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East."

By Minnie Louise Haskins

Melissa Bacon


George Collins


Jacob Flippin


Rita Friend


Mark Holst


Nelson "Van" Reid


Dennis Terry



From the Senior Warden

With the selection of new Vestry members at the annual meeting, please thoughtfully and prayerfully consider your votes. I think each candidate has the best interest of our church in their heart... We are blessed
ECW 

First ECW Meeting of the New Year
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 6:30 p.m.
(note: this is a change from Tuesday due to vestry meeting). We will be our planning meeting for fun and projects for 2016 so bring your ideas. We will also have cider, wine and a neat winter craft. Be ready to enjoy warmth, fun, and a little craftiness! For any questions call Chris Schaefer at 501-454-6815.

REMEMBER:
ECW still has your 2016 ECW Calendar available. All the photography shows special places inside St. Luke's. Now in two versions - one stands in a beautifully crafted wood block for $10.00 and the second version is done with a side spiral for $5.00. You can get them from Caroline in the office or after Sunday Service.
It's not too late to make your Christmas gift to St. Francis House!
 
Each year we depend on the income from the Christmas Giving to fund our Social Services department through the year.  Social Services provides food, clothing, utility help and prescription help for well over 1000 families a month as well as yearly events like Christmas Giving. This year we provided meals and gifts for over 800 families. But now, we needyour help! Christmas is our only ingathering for the year.  Last Christmas we gathered about $95,000;  this year we are under $71,000.  The need is greater than ever and we have more than ever to be thankful for.  Help us continue meeting the needs of our community by making your donation to St. Francis House today. To make your tax-deductible donation, go to our webpage at  www.stfrancisministries.org. Contact us at  (501) 664-5036 or stfrancis72204@att.net.    
Deacon's Report

Phyllis Tickle book group
This year, Phyllis Tickle, one of the giants in spiritual writing died. She was a prolific author, lecturer, founding religion editor for Publishers Weekly, and commentator on religious matters, whose writing has appealed to readers for six decades. She was especially known for her series, The Divine Hours, popularizing the observance of fixed-hour prayer, and for her analysis of Emergence Christianity, its precedents, history, and challenges. At every stage of her career - reflected here in essays and poems, sermons, lectures, reflections on the words of Jesus and the future of faith - her vocation has been to assist in the human struggle to come to terms with what it means to live a life with and for God. The collection of her "essential spiritual writings" are a revelation to her newer readers, a treasury for those who have long admired and followed her work. Starting January 27, the Wednesday book group that meets at my house will discus a collection of her essays, Phyllis Tickle's Spiritual Writings as we honor her memory among us. Let me know if any others would like to join this wonderful group.

Convocation Epiphany Service 

The Convocation Epiphany Service will be held at St Mark's Church on Wednesday, January 6, at 6:45 pm.  The St. Mark Baptist Church choir will join us in worship, and the Rev. Phillip Pointer, senior pastor at St. Mark Baptist, will be guest preacher. Bishop Benfield will celebrate.
Baptism with Reception This Sunday

There will be a baptism with a reception following at the 10:30 service this Sunday. The Waliski family invites everyone to join them to help celebrate this joyous occasion. 
Formation 

Formation for children and youth and adults resumes Sunday January 10. The adult class will continue to study Bible Women and meets in the parish hall. The young adults are meeting in the library and will finish a study of the journeys of Paul.
Annual Reports

Annual Reports will be due on Monday, January 11th. If you have any questions about what to submit, please contact Caroline in the Church Office. The Annual meeting is on Sunday, January 17 after the 10:30 service.
 
Annual Meeting

Save the date for the Annual Meeting following the 10:30 service on January 17. EfM will be providing a spaghetti dinner. All donations from this dinner will go to EfM scholarships. We will be electing four new vestry members. 
FESTIVAL OF THE SENSES
The St. Luke's Festival of the Senses concert series presents St. Luke's organist Jason A. Pennington in concert on Friday, January 22, 2016, 7:00pm at St. Luke's Episcopal Church.  The program is offered as a memorial for the late Little Rock composer and physician Dr. Stephen Kemp.  As part of the program entitled "Prisms", Jason Pennington will premiere Kemp's three Dance Suites.  These neo-baroque works will be presented along with repertoire of J.S. Bach, Max Reger, and Dietrich Buxtehude.  Proceeds from a silent auction of an original artwork by Suzette Patterson will benefit the Arkansas Children's Hospital.  The concert is free of charge, but donations will be accepted also to benefit Arkansas Children's Hospital.   A Meet-The-Artist reception will follow the program in the parish hall.
Camp Mitchell Wellness Weekend
February 5th - 7th, 2016
WALKING THE MOURNER'S PATH
 Spring 2016, April 14 through June 2 
Thursday nights 6 to 8
 St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1000 Mississippi, 
Little Rock,

After the funeral and when friends and family go home often is when grief settles in. Walking the Mourner's Path is an 8 week grief group for anyone who has suffered a significant loss and would like to process it in a group setting. Walking the Mourner's Path is a Christ-centered bereavement support program. The purpose is to transform grief into joyful living by offering the outstretched hand of Christ during bereavement. Loss due to a death is always difficult. The support group invites those who have faced death and suffered the loss of a loved one to come into God's loving presence in community with others.
While the Mourner's Path is a non-denominational ministry, it is distinct from many other bereavement programs in that it is Christ-centered, scripturally and spiritually based. Walking the Mourner's Path is not group therapy but is spiritually directed. We believe grieving is not lack of faith but a natural part of living. Through the eight-week program, complete with workbook, mourners learn ways in which they may honor their loved ones, seek spiritual direction and discover God's promise of comfort in community. The fee is $80 for the class. Facilitators are Joanna Seibert, Susan Lyon, and Anita Gwatney. Contact person: Joanna Seibert 425 8525, joannaseibert@me.com or visit Mourner's Path web site: www.mournerspath.com

Comments from previous participants:
"I never would have gotten better if I had not been there with you all
 I feel that I am in God's hands and that gives me comfort.
 I cannot thank the church enough for sponsoring this program.
 God blessed me when he led me to this program.
OUTREACH

SUPPORT THE HOMELESS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: THE BLUE BARREL IS BACK in the narthex!  Homelessness knows no "season."  During the months ahead, we will 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.  The blue barrel is available in the narthex for you to put things you would like to donate to help our area homeless shelters.  These items are delivered monthly by our St. Luke's delivery team. For more information on this project, contact Tommie Williams or Betty Seymour. 

Our GIVING TREE resulted in a donation of $227 to the Episcopal Relief & Development's "GIFT OF LIFE."  As a result, we donated the following: 1 flock of chickens, 1 goat, 1 share of clean water, 1 mosquito net and training, 2 medicine packs and training, and 3 shares of a health clinic. Thanks to all that helped with this project during Advent; these are gifts that will keep on giving.


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, Hudson Woods, Helen Snipan, Nina Goins, Sydnie Reedy,  Barbara Coker, Megan Elizabeth Hall, Betty Miller, Chris Mikesell, Louis Jenkins, Gloria Holst, Pam Cox, Bill Shepherd, Kailyn, Bobby and Gary Mackzum, Marilyn Gay, Alice Ann Briley, Grace Whitlock, Christine Startz, Billy Tarpley, Bessette Family, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Linda Hopkins, David Martin, Bernice Carrigan
 
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