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St. Luke's Episcopal Church
1101 Bay Ridge Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21403
www.stlukeseastport.org
410-268-5419
e-mail: stlukes_2@netzero.com
The Rt. Rev. John L Rabb, Bishop-In-Charge
The Rev. Canon T. Sutton, Bishop Elect
Parish Staff
The Rev. John T. Smith, Rector
The Rev. Charles E. Wilkerson, Deacon
Karen K. del Real, Admin. Assistant
Dr. Iraida Poberezhnaya,
Organist
Services
8:00 am Sunday: Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:45 am Sunday: Children's School
10:00 am Sunday: Holy Eucharist, Rite II
1st Sunday of the Month:
10 am Family Service
3rd Sunday of the Month:
Holy Eucharist, Rite II with Healing Rite
Senior Warden
Junior Warden
Fred Sandford
Treasurer
Shannon Talbott
Financial Officer
Louis Valentine
Assistant Treasurers
Margaret Eder, Jeanette Delgado
Registrar
Helen Leitch
Ministry Contacts
Altar Guild: Sheila Mackertich (443-717-4818)
Communications: David Dent (410-956-8839)
Education: The Rev. Charles Wilkerson (410-721-2073)
Food Pantry: Shannon Talbott (410-798-7342)
Gardening & Grounds: David Fogle (410-280-6669)
Lay Ministries, Acolytes, Lay Readers: The Rev. Charles Wilkerson (410-721-2073)
Light House Lunches: Mary Beth Dent (410-267-9394)
Memorial Garden: Helen Leitch (410-263-2783)
Nursing Home: Helen Leitch (410-263-2783)
Thrift Shop: Dawn Moorehead (410-268-2445)
Usher/Greeter: Jay Munnikhuysen (410-263-1984)
Office Open:
Tue - Fri: 9 am - Noon
Food Bank:
Tue & Thurs., 10-11:30 am
Thrift Shop:
Friday,10 am-3 pm
Saturday, 10 am - Noon
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Pew Cushions
There is a sign-up sheet for those interested in purchasing a pew cushion for one of our 18 pews in the Church. The cost is $117 per pew.
When we have commitments to cover the cost of 18 pew cushions, we will order them. Yes, the color will match our blue carpet. There will be a one-sided foam strip that will keep the cushion from sliding.
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Birthdays
March
1 Barbara Smith
6 Mary Beth Dent
14 Andy Dowell
Margaret Eder
20 Mary Frances Coleman
Richard Smith
23 Woody Wetherhold
30 Pat Fearnow
Alice Hall
April
10 Robert VanHorn
Jackie Walden
14 Helen Leitch
18 Jay Munnikhuysen
26 Ned Hall
29 The Rev. John Smith
May
4 David Fogle
5 Sheila Mackertich
8 Faith Victor
13 Charlene Huebl
14 Helen MacPherson
15 Helen Wheeler
1 Harold O'Lynnger
27 Bill Ogden
29 Elizabeth Pollack
Anniversaries
March
21 Tom and Helen Leitch
April
15 Andy and Katharine Dowell
May
7 Ned and Alice Hall
28 David and Pat Forslind
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Poetry - Martha Odell
Doubting Thomas
St. Thomas in the Upper Room
Could see, and touch, and feel
The Wounds to satisfy his doubts
And know his Lord was real.
I wasn't in the Upper Room,
But I have seen the empty tomb.
And I have felt within my heart
His all-forgiving love
Convince my soul of Holy Truth
That reason cannot prove.
I wasn't in the Upper Room,
But I have seen the empty tomb.
March
Blue skies and softly drifting clouds
That only half-perceived
Re-form the patterns of my mind.
And flowers bursting forth in varied hues
That all unbid awaken bright new hopes.
And gentle friends
Whose oft-unnoticed kindness leaves behind
The fragile tendrils of new purposes.
The winter darkness
Yields to spring.
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Prayer List
Margaret Eder; Iona Ogilvie; George; Peter Kushubar; Aiyana; Philip Greig; Nicole Lewis; Jim Borders; Frazier Shulman; Ned Hall; Tommie Scott; Bill Stratton; Joan Visconti; Gordon and Billie Bedford; Hampton Keen; Sister Sharon Mary; Robert Wright; Charles Nisewaner; Cindy Nethen; Kerry Hawthorne; Jane Reynolds; Jim McNamee; Charlene Huebl; Connie Harold; Fred Fearnow; Cindy Lococco; Jean Paterson; Fr. Tom Clarke; Marjorie Marsh; Fr. Bob Herzog; June Durm; John Cozzoli; David Garland; and Bishop John Rabb.
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Stop the Violence Unity Walk
Mark Your Calendar
Saturday, May 17th, 7:30 am
Starting Point Newtowne 20
Community
"Hope, Solutions and Change"
Working together we will take back our city one step at a time!!! E-Mail for more information: info@lotwfamily.com Pastors Frank and Sheryl Menendez, 410-267-6350. (Co-sponsored by GAIN; see Dianne Crews for more information.)
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| FROM THE RECTOR
This year St. Luke's will celebrate its 25th anniversary as an independent church. This is a time of reflection as well as celebration. It is a time of preparing for the next 25 years and how St. Luke's will be a factor in the religious life of Eastport.
Yes, St. Luke's has come a long way since its days as a mission of St. Anne's. My experience is limited to the past six years as your rector. Look what we have accomplished together. We grew in numbers attending Sunday services and are slowly but surely growing in membership. The Church School established Godly Play as the foundation for a professional church school. A new accounting system was set up to watch and control finances more efficiently. We acquired and paid fully for a new Allen Q 325 digital organ. We made major improvements from a maintenance standpoint, including a new porch and drainage for the rectory, new roofs for the rectory and church, a new parking lot. And, bathrooms were refurbished, a new kitchen refrigerator was donated along with new carpets and painting portions of the inside of the church. Meanwhile, your vestry has investigated and determined what options we really have for stewardship of our land resources, especially the wooded area behind the rectory.
More importantly, we strived to achieve the goals set forth in our mission statement: To Know God in Christ; to make Him known; And, to serve in His name. Our outreach efforts "to serve in His name" that included the Thrift Shop, the Food Bank and weekly preparation of Light House lunches contributed to our receiving the Bishop's Award for Outstanding Congregation in 2006.
While we make preparations for celebrating our 25th year as an independent church, we need to think in terms of each and every member as being important to the success of our future. There is a place for all at God's table. And, that includes new members with new ideas as well as existing members whose past efforts have kept St. Luke's alive.
After 25 years, it is apparent that St. Luke's has been blessed and that St. Luke's has a place in Eastport. Our future depends upon each and every one of us to strive to make St. Luke's a place To Know God in Christ; to make Him known; And, to serve in His name.
To Know God in Christ is to understand his words, I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). To make Him known is to remember the great commission, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation (Luke 16:15). And, to serve in His name is to remember his reply to, When did we feed you -- clothe you -- give you drink. Jesus said, Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me (Matthew 25:35-41).
We are on the threshold of an exciting new life at St. Luke's. May God continue to bless us as we prepare for the future.
John+
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FROM THE DEACON
To the Rector, Wardens, Vestry and Parishioners of St. Luke's Eastport:
As you know, deacon assignments in local parishes normally last from two to three years. I have served as your deacon for almost three years now; four years, counting my senior year prior to ordination.
After much discernment and prayer, I feel that it is time for me to move on to another assignment. I believe that I have accomplished the goals of my diaconal ministry as outlined by John+ when I arrived at St. Luke's in September of 2004. In addition to my liturgical responsibilities, my ministries as your deacon have included a reorganization of the Food Pantry and the training and scheduling of lay ministers; i.e., Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Intercessors, and Acolytes. I have also served as the clergy liaison to the Altar Guild, the Thrift Shop and the Sunday School. Currently, I am in the process of training parishioners for a Pastoral Care Team to serve as a support group for the Rector. The PCT will meet in April and another time in May.
With that said, I met with John+ to share my need to move on to another assignment. He agreed and gave me his support to that end. I then requested a new assignment from Kerry Smith+, Archdeacon for Deployment. As a result, both he and +Bishop Rabb approved my request. The Archdeacon has asked me to select a Sunday in May to be my last Sunday at St. Luke's. (May 11th will be my last Sunday.) The Archdeacon has also given me permission to take the summer months for self-care and discernment for my next assignment. I plan to explore the diaconal needs of other parishes to discern whether or not my gifts will be a match for their needs. God willing, my next parish assignment will begin in September.
Personally it saddens me to leave the good people at St. Luke's. I am most appreciative of the support, hospitality, friendship, and love that I have received from the Rector, the Vestry and the parishioners since my arrival in 2004. I can say, without any hesitation, that I have been richly blessed to have had the honor to serve among you. I will truly miss you all, but especially your hospitality and love to those who enter the doors of this parish. You are truly a welcoming parish to a diverse community. No wonder you won the 2006 award for outstanding parish in the Diocese of Maryland.
It would be remiss of me not to give special appreciation to Fr. John+ for his support of my ministry as a deacon during my years with you. I will never forget his respect and understanding of the diaconate and for his philosophy that a rector and a deacon should work as a team, not as a separate entity within our respective orders.
There is so much more I could say; but, for now, I will save it for another time and place. I ask that each of you to continue to keep me in your prayers as I discern God's call for my next assignment.
In love and peace always,
Charles+ |
VESTRY MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
The vestry gathered at St. Philip's Church on Saturday, April 12, 2008 to convene its monthly meeting during which the following items of note were transacted:
New vestry members including Richard Smith and David Dent were welcomed as was George Patterson who has volunteered to fill the last of three slots left open by members departing the vestry after completing their three year term. David Dent has agreed to continue his work on the vestry for another three-year term. Thank you David! George's confirmation is subject to approval by the congregation after a general election which will be held in the near future. Additional candidates for this slot are welcome to run.
Officers were elected as follows:
Fred Sandford Junior Warden
Shannon Talbott Treasurer
Helen Lietch Registrar
The senior warden position remains vacant for the time being with Jay Munnikhuysen electing not to continue in this capacity since he has served in it for the last three years.
The 2008 budget was unanimously approved having been balanced as a result of the generous contributions from the congregation and friends of St. Luke's over the last several weeks. It was noted that, in addition to the balanced budget, many St. Lukers have pledged over $3,000.00 in support to the 1956 Club (the date the current church was built) by donating $19.56 per month to the Building Fund.
The new Parish Directory has been completed and ready for distribution. The list of names, addresses and phone numbers will be available at no cost. A picture directory has been created to help guests and new members identify St. Lukers. The picture directory is also available to those who want one for a nominal donation of $5.00 each to cover costs of color printing. If you would like a color directory, please sign up in the office.
Deacon Charles made the vestry aware of his pending transfer to a new assignment. His last Sunday at St. Luke's will be May 11th. The vestry wishes to thank Charles for all the many wonderful things he has brought to St. Luke's throughout the four years he has been with us. He will be sincerely missed and we ask God's blessing on his future.
The vestry will be having its annual Mutual Ministry Review on Saturday, April 19, 2008 headed by the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool. We will be assessing our successes and failures of the past year and making plans for the future.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jay Munnikhuysen
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TIPS FROM DIANNE
Remember the old adage "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Well, perhaps that should be updated to, "a banana a day." Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. Compared to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorous, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals while being rich in potassium. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Two bananas provide enough energy for a 90-minute strenuous workout.
Bananas can help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions.
DEPRESSION: Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax and improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
ANEMIA: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood.
BLOOD PRESSURE: This unique tropical fruit is high in potassium yet low in salt, making it a perfect food to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and strokes.
BRAIN POWER: Research has shown that the potassium packed fruit can assist learning by making children more alert.
CONSTIPATION: High in fiber, bananas can help restore normal bowel action without resorting to laxatives.
HANGOVERS: A banana milk shake, sweetened with honey, will calm the stomach and help build up the depleted sugar levels while soothing and re-hydrating your system.
HEARTBURN: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body.
MOSQUITO BITES: Try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana peel to reduce swelling and irritation.
NERVES: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
OVEREATING AT WORK: Studies indicate pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and snacks and can lead to obesity. To avoid panic induced food cravings and to control blood sugar levels, try a banana.
ULCERS: The soft texture and smoothness of a banana makes it the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress. It neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
SMOKING AND TOBACCO USE: Bananas can help those trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12, potassium and magnesium help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
STRESS: Potassium helps normalize the heart rate, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates water balance. Stress increases our metabolic rate, thereby reducing our potassium levels. A high potassium banana snack can prevent that.
STROKES: The New England Journal of Medicine reports eating bananas regularly can prevent stokes by as much as 40%.
WARTS: Take a piece of banana peel and place it on the wart with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the peel in place with adhesive or other surgical tape. Works with plantar warts, too. Apply every night until wart disappears.
Dianne Crews
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BIOGRAPHY OF THE MONTH, DAVID GRAHAM
David Graham was born in Eastport on September 14, 1925. He served in the U.S. Army and retired as the main Sales manager of the Midshipman's Store at the U.S. Naval Academy after 34 years and 4 months.
David remembers St. Luke's Church on Chesapeake Avenue fondly as a real family church in the village setting of that time. The members knew and respected each other. A widow in the congregation was paid to clean the buildings. The congregation lived within its means and cared for one another. There was one policeman in Eastport, Lester Jones. David's grandfather paid for the first stoplight in Eastport, which was at the end of the old Spa Creek Bridge where the policeman helped school children cross the street. His grandfather, Harry Lewis, and many relatives have been active in local politics (including "Pip" Moyer), as well as being business and land owners.
When St. Luke's opened at the present site, David liked coming here. He has made a pledge to the church all his adult life after using Mite Boxes as a child for missionary offerings. "My pledge is my responsibility to god," he told me. He also collects donations from a Safeway store regularly for which he drives nearly to Crownsville for the pick-up items for our Food Pantry and other charitable use here. He often donates money to special appeals, such as the organ fund, flowers, and a variety of other requests. He assisted at the Spaghetti Dinners and Pancake Suppers until his health prevented his doing so.
Family is important to David. He is one of four children who grew up as very close friends, and he misses the two who have died. His former wife is still living, and he has a son and daughter, as well as two grandchildren. He enjoys meeting with friends for coffee at McDonalds.
In David's own words, "I was baptized at St. Luke's on Chesapeake Avenue in Eastport. At Christmas, my Dad played Santa and gave each child a box of hard candy and an orange."
"I would row a rowboat to the woods and cut wood for the church to make a fire on Saturday in the furnace for the big church and then in the small chapel for Sunday School. Dad polished the brass cross and two flower vases and got a severe infection. I think the cross and vases are now in the Sunday School. As a child, members of my family at St. Luke's included my grandmother, her 6 girls and 3 boys, 19 grandchildren, 3 daughters-in-law, and 6 son-in-laws.
"In the summer to cool off, we had hand-held fans made of paper with wood handles and an advertisement on the fan. Mrs. Wiggins played the piano. She had a son, my friend, who drowned in Spa Creek at the age of about 10 or 12. Mrs. Wiggins gave me a Bible for Christmas that I still have. The year was 1939." (David showed me the well-used Bible.) "My sister, Frances, on Sunday mornings would bring Rev. Smiley to church. One Christmas, she gave him a pair of wool gloves. His old ones had the ends of the fingers pinned together. (Mr. Smiley was blind in one eye from childhood when playing with sticks with a friend.)
"Every summer, we had a picnic at Bay Ridge Bowers House. That is where I broke my arm. Roland Elsie Como, relatives of Sharon Williams, are also my cousins. They were also great supporters of St. Luke's."
THANK YOU, DAVID. Do talk with David Graham to better know him and not just know about him. I'm glad we don't always have to wait for an obituary to learn of the life of a friend.
Submitted by Helen Wheeler |
CONFIDENTIALITY AND MY PLEDGE
In order to balance our budget this year, requests were made to increase pledges or underwrite specific ministries. Perhaps because of recognition of generous contributors, concerns regarding confidentiality have been expressed.
Let me review our procedure for handling contributions. First, pledges are given to the stewardship chair for overall record keeping. An assistant treasurer will input them into our program that will produce annual or quarterly statements for individuals.
On Sunday morning, when the ushers count the collection, they count only cash. Checks and envelopes are bundled together and given to an assistant treasurer for deposit. Lists of checks deposited are identified by an account number, not name, of each donor. That list of specific amounts given is how amounts are later entered into the program that produces statements.
Should there be an error on a mailed statement, it must be researched by an assistant treasurer who then must cross-reference an account number with a name. That would be the only time the donor and amounts given would be known to that assistant treasurer.
Thus, the stewardship chair, the assistant treasurer and the rector are the only ones who see pledges and statements. Yes, because of the size of our church, the rector reviews statements prior to mailing to see if there are any obvious errors in name or address. In addition, any obvious change in pledged amounts versus amounts given could indicate a problem that may need to be addressed in a pastoral way.
In counseling stewardship, I often note that I am not concerned with how much anyone gives to St. Luke's. That is the stewardship and vestry's concern. I am concerned that we give back apportion of what God has given us. If one decides to give to another charity rather than St. Luke's, that is between them and God. However, I might add that many other charities can survive without the individual pledge, but St. Luke's may not.
Should there still be a concern on your part regarding confidentiality, please contact me.
John+
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LAY MINISTRY SCHEDULE FOR MAY
May 4
LEMs Mary Beth Dent, Dawn Moorehead
Lector David Dent
Intercessor Martha Odell
May 11
LEMS Jim Fruengel, Jay Munnikhuysen
Lector Martha Odell
Intercessor MaryAnn Kushubar
May 18
LEMs Hutch Robbins, Sue Riley
Lector Richard Smith
Intercessor Martha Odell
May 25
LEMs Dawn Moorehead, Barbara Smith
Lector Shannon Talbott
Intercessor Mark Talbott |
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MAY 2008 CALENDAR
The May calendar is available online at our website, www.stlukeseastport.org, or paper copies are always available in the office.
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2008 APPROVED BUDGET
Copies of the 2008 Approved Budget are available in the office. Due to the spreadsheet format of the Budget (Excel ), we are unable to reproduce it in this e-mail version of House Call. | |
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NEXT ISSUE
The deadline for articles or announcements for the June 2008 House Call is Wednesday, May 21st. Your submission may be left at the office or e-mailed to Karen del Real at karen.delreal@verizon.net. | |
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