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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
Parish Staff
The Rev. John T. Smith, Rector
The Rev. Charles E. Wilkerson, Deacon
Mr. Adam S. Graham, Director of Music & Organist
Kathy Kotowski, Secretary
Services
8:00 am Sunday: Holy Eucharist, Rite II
9:45 am Sunday: Children's School
10:00 am Sunday: Holy Eucharist, Rite II
10:00 am 3rd Sunday of Month:
Holy Eucharist, Rite II with Healing Rite
Senior Warden
Jay Munnikhuysen
Junior Warden
Mark Talbott
Treasurer
David Forslind
Assistant Treasurers
James Victor, Margaret Eder, Jeanette Delgado
Registrar
Helen Leitch
Ministry Contacts
Altar Guild: Jackie Walden (443-482-9665)
Communications: David Dent (410-956-8839)
Education: The Rev. Charles Wilkerson (410-721-2073)
Gardening & Grounds: Jackie Walden (443-482-9665)
Lay Ministries, Acolytes, Lay Readers: The Rev. Charles Wilkerson (410-721-2073)
Lighthouse Lunches: Mary Beth Dent (410-267-9394)
Music: Adam S. Graham (240-464-5319)
Nursing Home: Helen Leitch (410-263-2783)
Thrift Shop: Dawn Moorhead (410-268-2445)
Usher/Greeter: Jay Munnikhuysen (410-263-1984)
Office Open:
Tue - Fri: 9 am - Noon
Food Bank:
Tue & Thurs: 10 am - Noon
Thrift Shop: Friday, 10 am - 3 pm
Saturday, 10 am - Noon |
Visit Our Sponsor |
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Festival of Hymns
Something very special happened at St. Luke's on Sunday, July 8th--a wonderful Festival of Hymns! The choirs of St. Luke's, St. Phillip's, and Jubilate combined for a musical presentation of hymns. Sue Riley explained the background of some of the hymns with her wonderful humor, as only she can do. At the end, Deacon Charles Wilkerson and Music Director, Adam Graham, played a piano/organ duet of Amazing Grace, which just about "took down the house." It was truly an Amazing Event!
Helen Leitch
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Special Kudos
Kudos to Mary Beth Dent and David Dent for leading MORNING PRAYER, including a homily, on Sunday, June 24th at the 8 o'clock service, while I was officiating at my nephew's wedding on the Eastern Shore. David Dent also led Morning Prayer at the early service on July 15th, while I was officiating at St. Thomas' Parish in Hancock, MD.
Kudos to Mary Ellen Brooks for her leadership in establishing a Prayer Circle for those who are in immediate need of intercessory prayers for healing, strength, and comfort.
This ministry is in addition to prayer requests that appear in our weekly bulletins, but the names are kept confidential. Kudos to the following parishioners who have volunteered to serve on this special prayer team: Jean Paterson, Dianne Crews, Jack Wheeler+, and Shannon Talbott. If you would like to add your name to be lifted up in prayer, please contact Mary Ellen or any member of her team.
Kudos to Jackie Walden who: serves as the Director of the Altar Guild; organizes the Coffee Hour sign-up sheet; delivers the good will bags from the Thrift Shop to Good Will every week; serves as "kitchen coordinator"; pre-counts the Lighthouse lunch ingredients and gets them out for Mary Ellen's team; tidies the furnace room (making sure we are not in violation of fire codes); and still finds the time to maintain the gardens on the church grounds.
Deacon Charles
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August Anniversaries
4 Jim and Mary
Frances Coleman
August Birthdays
5 Chuck Suhr
7 Meg Kenton
15 Mary Metcalf
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Lessons for August's Wednesday Night Bible Study
August 1st:
Hosea 11: 1-11
Psalm 107: 1-9, 43
Colossians 3: 1-11
Luke 12: 13-21
August 8th:
Isaiah 1: 1, 10-20
Psalm 50: 1-8, 23-24
Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16
Luke 12: 32-40
August 15th:
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80: 1-2, 8-18
Hebrews 11: 29-12:2
Luke 12: 49-56
August 22nd:
Jeremiah 1: 4-10
Psalm 71: 1-6
Hebrews 12: 18-29
Luke 13: 10-17
August 29th:
Jeremiah 2: 4-13
Psalm 81: 1, 10-16
Hebrews 13: 1-8,
15-16
Luke 14: 1, 7-14
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| Special Organ Concert with Jay Parrotta
Sunday, August 5th
at 4 pm
St. Luke's Church
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Prayer List
Joey Stone; Connie Harold; Margaret Eder and her sister, Iona Oglivie; Mary Ellen Brooks; Mary VanHorn; Alice Hall; Ned Hall; Nicole Lewis; Sunny Mayhew; Samuel Davidson Hall; Bob; and Annamarie.
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A Prayer for Discernment for Fr. John and St. Luke's
Holy God: Empower, sustain, and transform us with your grace in the holy work of discernment. Help us to listen, reflect, and respond in ways that build up your church, so that all your people may live more fully into the baptismal covenant. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen. | |
I hope everyone's summer has been enjoyable thus far and continues to be a time for some vacation from the office or school, as well as time for getting together with family and friends -- a different break from the routines of work or school. It is hard to believe that within three weeks or so schools will re-open for the fall term. How time flies by, indeed! Nevertheless, it is my hope that each of you will be able to follow the advice of the psalmist, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46: 10). Take time out with family and friends to enjoy what God, the giver of all good gifts, has bestowed upon us in his creation of the world. Take the Psalmist's message with you whether at the beach, on the bay, in the mountains, or in your own backyard: Be still and be thankful for the gift of our natural surroundings given to us by our Creator.
I am happy to say that our summer attendance has been pretty good. July's church attendance has been between 45 and 55, not bad at all, given the summertime and given our regular average attendance of 60-65 during the rest of the year. It is quite gratifying to see the faithful at St. Luke's attending church each Sunday morning.
I am proposing to the Vestry that we hold a Welcoming Back Reception party for John+ and Barbara when they return from his sabbatical. John+ is scheduled to return to St. Luke's on Sunday, September the 2nd. I encourage you to mark your calendar and plan to attend church on that Sunday. Let's make it a "full house" on that Sunday! You will receive more information after the August Vestry meeting. If you have any creative ideas for the reception, please let us know.
On another note, our Food Bank is running low on finances to keep the Food Pantry up and going. We need monetary contributions to purchase food for the pantry. The food for our community is stored at Eastport UMC, across the street, because they have the facilities to keep the canned goods on hand. They, too, contribute to the Food Bank. We would rather have monetary donations rather than the actual canned goods at this time. Shannon Talbott uses the money to purchase the required canned goods, which we distribute to the Eastport community from our Food Pantry at St. Luke's. I have been in contact with Mt. Zion UMC and John Wesley UMC pastors for volunteers from their churches to serve as volunteers to prepare the food bags each Monday at Eastport UMC and bring them to St. Luke's for distribution on Tuesdays. We also need volunteers from St. Luke's as well. Please see Shannon Talbott or me if you can volunteer one hour each month in this vital ministry to the poor in our community. We need volunteers now.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me in supervising the worship services while John+ is on sabbatical. Whenever I have asked for your support -- whether it has been from the organist, choir members, or lay ministers -- I have always gotten it, and for this I am very grateful. Please keep in mind that whenever you need me, I am only a phone call away.
My wish for you and your family is to enjoy the rest of the summer and always make time for our loving God by worshipping in his Church, wherever your summer journey takes you.
In love and peace,
Deacon Charles+ |
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| From Your Senior Warden
It seems that this summer has flown by as we prepare to send out our August House Call. The Vestry continues to be busy preparing for our Rector's return from Sabbatical the first week in September. Our goal is to identify and minimize those day-to-day tasks of running our church that seem to take up so much of his time and, thereby, prevent him from doing those things that God has called him to do for us here at St. Luke's. Key to this is to ensure that we have volunteers in place to head-up and run the many groups, gatherings, and facilities. The Vestry will be identifying these jobs and where we need help from you to run them. To make a small church successful, everyone must be involved in one form or another.
We must not forget to give Deacon Charles our special thanks for the tremendous job he has done this summer filling in for Father John. He has worked tirelessly to make this time without our Rector as "normal" as possible. He has taken on the challenge of running all of the liturgical aspects of our church while Father John has been gone. His summer has been dedicated to St. Luke's! Please do not forget to thank him for all of his efforts.
Yours in Christ,
Jay Munnikhuysen
Senior Warden |
| From the Director of Music
August Organ Concert!
Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 5th! Organist Justus (Jay) Parrotta, a student at The Catholic University of America, will perform at 4:00 pm on the church's new 3 manual Allen Quantum Organ. After hearing Jay practice, I am sure everyone will enjoy his performance! A donation of $10 per person is suggested. Students (with student ID) and children (ages 12 and under) are free. I highly encourage every person to attend. Reception will follow.
Choir
The choir will be taking a break from July 31st to September 4th. During this time, there will be no choral anthems during the service. This break will allow the choir to reflect on the purpose of choral anthems in the service, strengthen sight-reading abilities, and work on new anthems.
Adam S. Graham
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Highlights from the July 17th Vestry Meeting
Short term goals for the summer were determined in May at our Vestry retreat and were reviewed for status.
1. Increase efforts to communicate with the congregation via House Call; this is being done with the House Call in an e-mail format as well as the standard printed version.
2. Posting budget information in House Call, which is included in this edition.
3. Sending out congregation survey and getting tabulated results; this is a work in progress. (Note: 56 surveys were returned and the results should be returned by the third week in August. The Vestry will review and interpret the results and report them to the congregation.)
Vacation schedules are temporarily delaying the rectory roof replacement, but the prep work is being completed by Dan Arnold on the church windows at ground level. We hope the rectory roof will be completed prior to John and Barbara's return.
According to the Treasurer's report, St. Luke is currently facing a $16,000 shortfall in our income. The Vestry is concerned, and we urge everyone to whom this applies to meet their pledges made for 2007. All of us are urged to reconsider our pledge for this year to determine if we are in a position to increase our giving.
This data is being conveyed to Yvette Munnikhuysen, our Every Member Canvas chair, for review and action.
Lack of volunteers to keep the Thrift Shop open two days a week adversely affects our income. Without volunteers to handle sales, the usual $1,000 monthly income is not being generated. More importantly, this longstanding outreach to the community is not being afforded to our brothers and sisters.
Katherine Dowell and Mary Beth Dent attended the Vestry meeting in their roles as Co-Chairs for Christian Formation for Youth. We agree on the need for open and frequent communication between the Vestry and Christian Formation for Youth. There was some brainstorming that created ideas that will be reviewed with the Rector upon his return in the fall.
Dianne Crews informed us Churches Without Boundaries is now identified as Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network (GAIN). The Vestry granted approval for Dianne to represent St. Luke's within this organization. GAIN will be sponsoring a festival October 28 at the Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis. Watch for additional publicity on this.
Financial research continues by Shannon Talbot and Sheila Mackertich on gift envelopes and a new sign for the front yard, respectively. If you know of sign resources or have ideas, see Sheila!
We are disappointed and concerned about receiving 56 surveys out of 100+ mailed. Since our retreat in May, members of the Vestry had looked forward with anticipation to receiving ideas and preferences from the congregation. Each Vestry member will contact those members of the congregation who did not return the survey.
There have been no volunteers to assist with the Tuesday and Thursday Food Bank outreach. Our plea in the last House Call did not result in any congregational contacts to Vestry members or Deacon Charles. (As of this printing, one parishioner volunteered.)
We have prayerful hearts over our mid-year financial outlook; disappointing survey response, and our lack of lay ministers to help with outreach programs.
Reminders. . . . . .
Representing you on the Vestry: Bill Jabine, Dianne Crews, David Dent, Dawn Morehead, Sue Riley, Peter Gavian, Shannon Talbot, Jay Munnikhuysen, and Sheila Mackertich. We are eager for your feedback and ideas.
The Vestry meets at 7:30 p.m. every third Tuesday. All are welcome.
Church committees and their chairs are listed on the back of the weekly Sunday bulletin. Where do your ministries fit?
Lay ministry opportunities are numerous with urgent needs for the Thrift Shop and for the Food Bank. Jesus specifically calls us to clothe and feed our neighbors. More of us are needed to "just do it."
Join all of us and call upon God to help keep before us our larger goals.
Sue Riley
Vestry Member |
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Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network (GAIN)
For many years, St. Luke's has been a part of Churches Without Boundaries, an interfaith organization founded to work for equity and justice for all in the Greater Annapolis community. Several years ago, church leaders from Asbury United Methodist, St. Martin's Lutheran, and St. Mary's Catholic Churches came together in an attempt to increase effectiveness in addressing the many challenges facing our community through interfaith cooperation and communication. Today, 16 faith-based communities make up this organization.
In recognition of its expansion to include religious communities that do not refer to their places of worship as "churches," the former Churches Without Boundaries has changed its name to the Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network (GAIN). The focus of GAIN has been to facilitate interfaith awareness and cooperation to increase the effectiveness of the vital role religious groups play in the community with a focus on root causes of inequities. Areas identified as key challenges include: affordable housing, drug prevention and treatment, education, health care, and youth recreation. As an inclusive group, GAIN welcomes all faith group members and citizen advocates to participate in a collaborative dialogue and advocacy ministry to improve the quality of life for all in our community and to bring about just opportunities for all children of God. As we seek to "do justice" in the Annapolis region, we are called to proclaim the Good News in a variety of "languages" and foster deeper respect for the "origins" of others.
To increase community awareness of its activities and to provide a community-wide forum for faith communities and community organizations to share information about activities, GAIN is sponsoring a community celebration in October. The goal is to create networking and partnerships to increase the impact of each faith community's activities, by bringing together members of the Annapolis-area faith communities, other community organizations, and the general public. The Festival of Faith and Good Works will be held at the Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis on Sunday, October 28th from 2 to 5 pm. More information will be forthcoming as the planning committee finalizes details.
Dianne Crews is our GAIN representative. She needs your help to proclaim the "Good Works at St. Luke's" at this festival. Please call her and offer assistance. |
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August Book Review
Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World:
Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life, by Joanna Weaver
There certainly is no other parable from Our Lord that speaks more clearly to us in today's world than does the story of Mary and Martha. Stress, multitasking, demands on us that modern telecommunications make global; how can we NOT be "careful and troubled," as Jesus' gentle rebuke to Martha is expressed in the King James translation. We do, indeed, live in a very Martha world where distractions of many things make choosing the better part of communicating with Christ ever more difficult.
Then, as the pressures increase, so does our need for Mary time with Christ. Joanna Weaver, in this book, writes vividly and well of the translations of Mary and Martha's world to our own with its dichotomy, particularly for the Christian, of its call to serve actively while still heading the call to "be still and know that I am God."
This is a call to put Christ in the forefront of our lives, and let our service flow from there. That Mrs. Weaver writes from the Evangelical perspective (her previous writings have been for Focus on the Family, Guide Posts, and related publications) makes her countless personal reminiscences tend to drag on somewhat, although her biblical references are faultless.
The message is strictly feminine; there is no suggestion that the Mary/Martha contrast in personality is a human one, not female alone. Surely there are male Martha temperaments and more contemplative Mary types.
Mrs. Weaver is writing, however, specifically to address the problems and stress of modern women's busy lives, and this is a "how to" book, geared specifically to a 12-week Study Guide (printed in the appendix) and with helpful boxed instructions presented every few pages.
Frankly, I found the latter rather more distracting than anything else. That said, the author's insights are sound and her points generally well taken. She takes the story on to the family's reappearance in the Book of John to show that Martha, in her response to Our Lord at the time of her brother's death, had accepted and learned from her Lord's earlier rebuke.
She had changed and her faith in Him was certain, so she could give her brother to Jesus with complete trust. That Mrs. Weaver gives us one page of a quiz to ascertain whether or not we have teachable hearts is a mere annoyance at this late point in a well-considered and overall well-written study of the tension for the Christian woman between service and worship. If your tolerance for the insistence of the born-again Christian is low, you may miss some excellent material.
I recommend this book to all of my sister-struggling Marthas trying to obtain a balance between their busy lives and their time spent with the Lord.
Book Review by Mary Ellen Brooks |
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Traveling with Your Medications...tips from Dianne
Before you hit the road, consider AARP's top five tips for how to travel safely with your medicines.
1. Carry a Personal Medication Record with You. Keeping a list or record of all medications you take, including over-the-counter drugs and the conditions they treat, is especially important in the event you need medical attention while away from home. Also, it is important to carry this information with you in case your medications gets lost or stolen, and you need to replace them.
2. Pack Your Medications in Your Carry-On Bag. Getting separated from your luggage can turn into a matter of life or death when critical medications are in that lost suitcase. Also, it is a good idea to keep medications in the original containers and in a clear plastic bag. This makes it easier for customs officials to inspect. And, if you have a medical emergency, it is easier to determine what medications you have been taking. Diane's Note: for air travel, liquids, aerosols and gels of 3 oz. or less in volume must be together in a quart size zip-top clear plastic bag. All liquids, aerosols or gels exceeding 3 oz. must be declared separately to the Security Officer at the checkpoint for further inspection. It is helpful to have your physician's documentation for these. Check www.tsa.gov for further information and clarification.
3. Bring More Than You Need. In the event your travel arrangements change, it is a good idea to carry an extra week's supply of your medications.
4. Consider Storage. If your medications need to be stored and kept cool, take a small insulated container, such as a lunch pack, with you. Diane's Note: Frozen liquid or gel cooling packs exceeding 3 oz. in volume will have to be declared to the Security Officer at the checkpoint for further inspection.
5. Do Your Research. Be Prepared. Some countries have different regulations about the types of medications that can be brought in. Some over-the-counter drugs may be considered a controlled substance in other countries, e.g., medicines containing the painkiller codeine. Contact the appropriate embassy before you travel to check whether your medication is acceptable. If you take narcotic prescription drugs or travel with needles, ask your doctor to provide you with a letter explaining the reason why you have those drugs and paraphernalia. This is especially helpful with customs officials.
Resource: www.aarp.org/health |
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Lay Ministry Schedule for August 2007
August 5
LEMs: 8 am, Phyllis Suhr; 10 am, Yvette and Jay
Munnikhuysen
Lector: 8 am, Karen del Real, 10 am, Mary Ann
Kushubar
Intercessor: Pat Forslind
August 12
LEMs: 8 am, Phyllis Suhr; 10 am, Hutch Robbins,
Mary Beth Dent
Lector: 8 am, Karen del Real; 10 am, David Dent
Intercessor: Dianne Crews
August 19
LEMs: 8 am, Phyllis Suhr; 10 am, Dawn
Moorehead, Sue Riley
Lector: 8 am, Karen del Real; 10 am, Martha Odell
Intercessor: Mark Talbott
August 26
LEMs: 8 am, Phyllis Suhr; 10 am, Hutch Robbins,
Andy Dowell
Lector: 8 am, Karen del Real; 10 am, Mary Beth
Dent
Intercessor: Richard Smith
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24th "Annual National Night Out"
America's Night Out Against Crime
Dear Reverends John Smith and Charles Wilkerson:
On Tuesday, August 7, numerous community members, businesses, and law enforcement agencies across the county will be participating in the 24th Annual "National Night Out" Against Crime. We are giving crime a going away party. I would like to take this time to personally invite you and your congregation to join us to kick-off a new year in Crime Prevention at the Annapolis City Dock from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
National Night Out is a symbolic nationwide Crime Prevention event that reflects the day in and day out cooperation of citizens and police. It is a unique opportunity for the citizens to meet their public safety workers in a relaxed setting. This great enhances citizen-police relations.
During this event we take the time to publicly recognize selected individuals for their outstanding contributions in Crime Prevention during the previous year. We also provide FREE demonstrations, and essential Crime Prevention information, literature and hand-outs. This year our main focus --- The Children. A child's voice and proactive actions are equally important, as an adult, in reducing the criminal element in their schools and communities. It will be today's child that will ensure that future generations continue to be educated on the importance of Crime Prevention.
We are looking forward to including you in our event and hope that you will be able to attend this momentous national event.
Most sincerely,
Stacey L. Bohn
National Night Out Coordinator
Annapolis Police Department Community Services Section
410-268-9000, ext. 7331
I hope to see you there!
Deacon Charles |
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August 2007 Calendar
1 Wednesday 7-8 pm Bible Study
2 Thursday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
7-9 pm Cub Scouts
3 Friday 10 am-3 pm Thrift Shop
4 Saturday 10 am-12 noon Thrift Shop
11-12 noon, Annapolis Convalescent
Center Service
5 Pentecost 10 8-9 am Holy Eucharist
10-11 am Holy Eucharist
4 pm Organ Concert, Jay Parrotta
6 Monday Office Closed
12-3:30 pm AARP
5-7 pm AA
7 Tuesday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
6-7:15 pm Choir Practice
5-7 pm 24th Annual National Night
Out at City Dock
7-9 pm Severn House Meeting
8 Wednesday 7-8 pm Bible Study
9 Thursday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
7-9 pm Cub Scouts
10 Friday 10 am-3 pm Thrift Shop
11 Saturday 10 am-12 noon Thrift Shop
12 Pentecost 11 8-9 am Holy Eucharist
10-11 am Holy Eucharist
13 Monday Office Closed
5-7 pm AA
14 Tuesday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
6-7:15 pm Choir Practice
15 Wednesday 11-12 noon Ginger Cove Service
7-8 pm Bible Study
16 Thursday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
7-9 pm Cub Scouts
17 Friday 10 am-3 pm Thrift Shop
18 Saturday 10 am-12 noon Thrift Shop
19 Pentecost 12 8-9 am Holy Eucharist
10-11 am Holy Eucharist
20 Monday Office Closed
5-7 pm AA
21 Tuesday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
6-7:15 pm Choir Practice
7:30-9:30 pm Vestry Meeting
22 Wednesday 7-8 pm Bible Study
23 Thursday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
7-9 pm Cub Scouts
24 Friday 10 am-3 pm Thrift Shop
25 Saturday 10 am-12 noon Thrift Shop
26 Pentecost 13 8-9 am Holy Eucharist
10-11 am Holy Eucharist
27 Monday Office Closed
5-7 pm AA
28 Tuesday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
6-7:15 pm Choir Practice
29 Wednesday 7-8 pm Bible Study
30 Thursday 10 am-12 noon Food Bank
7-9 pm Cub Scouts
31 Friday 10 am-3 pm Thrift Shop
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NEXT ISSUE
The deadline for articles or announcements for the September House Call is Tuesday, August 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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