July 2020
St. Luke United Methodist Church
Message from the Pastor
We are all monks now, but most of us didn’t choose this vocation. The coronavirus pandemic has severely limited our usual lives, whether we left our homes multiple times a day, in a hustle and bustle of activity, or whether we left our homes only a couple of times a week, for haircuts, groceries, and church. We weren’t planning on these restrictions. Most of us weren’t prepared. Many are struggling as a result.
What can we learn from those Christians who were most prepared for the pandemic? These are the monks and nuns, who already live structured lives, often away from a hectic world, in much solitude and silence. Not all monastic communities are closed off, but Benedictine monks of the Cistercian orders, particularly the Trappists, are the most strict in their communal discipline. Allow me to share selections from a recent reflection by Gregory Hillis, a professor of theology, who interviewed a variety of Cistercian monks for their perspective:
Covid-19 cannot but remind us of our mortality and fragility, and so it can help us to rethink our priorities. “All life is lived in the shadow of death,” said Brother Quenon, “and we forget that.”
In a talk he gave to novices at Gethsemani in 1965, the Trappist writer Thomas Merton said that life in this world is designed to distract us from thinking about questions of ultimate importance and particularly from thinking about our mortality. Forced isolation, on the other hand, “is making us face our own thoughts, deal with our own feelings,” said Father Casagram. “We can run from these or we can learn from what they are telling us, both good and bad.”
Quarantine can thus lead us inward if we allow it. Brother Quenon described quarantine as “a chance to get over the fear of solitude and find the actual comfort in being with something that transcends a life scurrying from this to that. You must return to yourself to find that which transcends yourself, however you name it.”
Father Casagram suggested that the spiritual discipline of lectio divina is worth cultivating during this time of quarantine. Lectio divina is a form of contemplative reading mandated in the Rule of St. Benedict that involves spending time in silence, away from all distractions, meditatively reading a short passage from Scripture or a classic of Christian spirituality. Finding the time for such discipline is difficult when we are preoccupied with our regular duties, and although we are not moving about physically as much during quarantine, we still find ourselves distracted in seemingly innumerable ways.
“So much depends on persons simply taking the time to read,” said Father Casagram. “I feel God is speaking to us through all kinds of circumstances if we are present, attentive with our heart to his loving presence.” And it is through being present to our thoughts and feelings as well as to God’s loving presence that we can become more fully present to those with whom we are living in isolation.
Those of us spending our quarantine with other people are especially aware of the complexities involved in being in the same space with the same people for weeks on end. These complexities revolve in no small part around our individualistic propensity to elevate ourselves above others. We are, according to Father Casagram, “alienated from ourselves in the world of today because of the pursuit of self-interests, caring only for what pleases me instead of being open and responsive to the needs of others.”
“Awareness of how we are one, especially one in our fragility,” said Brother Quenon, “is the ground from which we build community.” If we can imitate monastic life by being present and attentive to one another in our temporary cloisters during quarantine, we can emerge from this time more attentive to the needs of those in our society.
The monks have a great deal to teach us about living in community in our temporary enclosures, but it is admittedly difficult to focus on the spiritual life in the midst of the anxiety so many of us feel right now. The monks I spoke with acknowledged this, but at the same time they suggested that we can use this moment to live into and be freed by the realization that there is much we cannot control. So much of our anxiety revolves around wanting to control the uncontrollable, and the pandemic can teach us the futility of this.
According to Father Mark, we need to be attentive to the present moment and so focus on that which we can control: “If I can concentrate on being in control of that very small circle of reality that is entrusted to me and in some sense depends on me—how I use my time, how I take care of myself, how I care for my family and friends, how I daily and hourly turn my concerns over to God—then my anxiety diminishes.”
I pray that we at St. Luke United Methodist Church might do our best to embrace our lives as students of Jesus Christ, monks in his disciplined community. Jesus wants us to practice spiritual exercises like meditative solitude—as he did in the desert—so that we might love ourselves and love God while alone, and so that we might receive God’s love, even when we cannot be around as many people as we’d prefer and receive the interpersonal love we’d like to receive. We are all alone, and that’s okay. For we are also all one in Christ, in God. Sometimes, with practice, our solitude is our path to full, reconciled communion with God, the saints, and all of creation. May such communion bring you peace and resolution to love.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Brad
Lectionary Readings for July
Sermon Series: Sinners and Saints in Christian History
Sunday, July 5 — Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 11:16-30
Sermon Series: The First Parables of Jesus
Sunday, July 12 — Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 119:105-112; Matthew 13:1-23Sunday, July 19 — Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43Sunday, July 26 — Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 13:31-35, 44-52
The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG
UMW Grace Circle will meet on Tuesday, July 7, in the Fellowship Hall at 10 a.m. We will continue with our study Women United for Change: 150 Years in Mission. Session two titled “God’s Call to Mission” looks at the emergence of international work with the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century context in the areas of healing, education, social change, peace, and international relations.
We will be able to spread out in the fellowship hall, but please plan to wear your mask. It will be good to be together again.
UMW Lunch Bunch is still on hold until further notification.
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE
The 2020 Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board outside the choir room. Please sign up to provide altar arrangements throughout the year. You may choose to have a fresh arrangement from a florist, flowers from your garden, artificial flowers or greenery, or a potted plant. You may join with another person or family to help manage the expenses. Many arrangements will last for a week if stored in the "flower refrigerator" in the old kitchen, so please consider signing up for two Sundays in a row and plan to recycle!
OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES
The Christmas in July tree is up in the narthex! This is our opportunity to purchase school supplies for families in need. Please take several ornaments off the tree, purchase the supplies specified, attach the ornament to the supplies (preferably in a plastic shopping bag), and place them under the tree. If you don’t want to get out and shop, monetary donations will be accepted. All items need to be turned in by Sunday, July 26. Please join us at worship service that morning for a special blessing of the school supplies!
For many of us, the stay-at-home routine has included cleaning out closets and drawers. If your efforts yielded gently used items that you no longer use, please remember that you have an opportunity to support your church. If you take unwanted items to Consign for a Cause, located on South Street next to South Street Pharmacy, you can designate that a portion of the proceeds from their sale go to St. Luke.
Previous newsletters have highlighted the UMW Frances Perry Scholarship, Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi Children’s Homes and the Mississippi Choctaw United Methodist Mission which are included in the UMW budget and funded in part with proceeds from the No-Bake Sales. The highlight for July is Wesley House in Meridian.
Wesley House Community Center, Inc. is a 113-year old non-profit organization begun in 1904 when Mrs. Elizabeth Cochran, Mrs. J.R. Whittaker and some ladies of the Central Methodist Church in Meridian, Mississippi felt a calling to “…minister to the least of these…” These Methodist women sought to bring families in a cotton-mill community on the Eastern boundary of Meridian, into the sphere of Christianity. Today, Wesley House is a National Missions Institute and is in a covenant relationship with the United Methodist Women. It is also a recognized mission of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. We provide a hand-up approach of assistance to our clients through four separate and distinct mission areas:
Victim Services
East Mississippi Child Advocacy Center
East Mississippi Sexual Assault Crisis Center
Educational Services
Christian Relief
Connectional Ministries
The purpose of Wesley House is to provide a holistic approach in providing resources to those in need. A “hand up” is offered rather than a “hand out” so that people are able to retain their dignity and regain their independence. The services are offered to people from all walks of life who find themselves in need of support. These services, other than the preschool, are free of charge to everyone.
Read more about each of the mission areas of Wesley House on their website wesleyhouse.squarespace.com. Their work in collaboration with law enforcement, social workers and others through the Sexual Assault Crisis Center and Child Advocacy Center serves a number of counties in east central Mississippi. We can be proud to support this United Methodist institution.
St. Luke Welcomes Four New Members
Sunday, June 28, we were pleased to receive four persons into our St. Luke family. New professing members are Steve Lewis, Kathleen Shaffer Corban, and Zane Hardy, who was also confirmed. New preparatory member is Edith Corban. If you would like to send them a note of welcome, their mailing addresses follow:
Steve Lewis—327 Lampard Road, Cleveland
Zane Hardy—322 Laughlin Road, Cleveland
Kathleen Shaffer Corban—1219 Deering Street, Cleveland
Edith Ashby Corban—1219 Deering Street, Cleveland
Thanks to Bev Card for the candid photos posted below.
Trustee Report
The Trustees elected a new chair to succeed Brent Rogers, who has done more than a yeoman’s job at getting things done to improve our capital assets, make virtual church possible, and add new capital assets. Adam Williams was unanimously chosen by the Trustees to serve in the position of chair. Adam has been instrumental in organizing and participating in the work that has taken place over the past year or two, plus he has served during the recent church upgrades. He has an understanding of the process and will make a great Chair. If you know of needs for the church physical plant, please let Adam or another member of Trustees know so consideration can be given to the issue.
During this unprecedented time it has been difficult to continue with business as usual but Trustees have still been doing some work on the church and parsonage. Here is a list of projects completed and in process:
Fellowship Hall audio/ video system is completed.
Library audio/video system is still in the works but will be completed shortly.
Removed parsonage west fence, created new drainage, and put up new fence.
Created sound system for drive-in service.
New construction completed on porte cochere over Fellowship Hall entrance.
Church signage was repainted and put back in place.
Let the contract to prune and clean out the trees that line the circumference of the church lot.
Let the contract to have the two large oak trees in the back yard of parsonage pruned and cleaned out.
Hung new screen and repaired rotten wood on parsonage patio.
Planted some new shrubbery at the parsonage and began preparing beds for more when the appropriate planting time returns.
Welcome to Our New Pianist
St. Luke is pleased to welcome O’Hara Koerber as church pianist. She will begin her service July 12. When asked to provide some biographical information, she shared the following:
“I began taking private piano lessons in the first grade and continued instruction throughout my high school years. At the age of twelve, I began serving as pianist at First Baptist Church of Hazlehurst, MS, and continued until I graduated from high school in 1974.
For 52 years I have served as pianist in various churches in central Mississippi, to include First Baptist Church, Jackson, MS, where I was a worship service pianist and accompanied ensembles; Christ United Methodist Church, Jackson, MS, where I served as a worship service pianist, accompanied adult choir and children’s choir; Pelahatchie Baptist Church, where I served as church pianist in all capacities; Hazlehurst United Methodist Church, served as church pianist; Crystal Springs United Methodist Church, where I served as Minister of Music for one year prior to moving to Cleveland in June of 2015. I began serving as pianist at Benoit Union Church in July 2015 until the present time. In addition, I have served as revival pianist in churches throughout central Mississippi.
I believe that music is not the focal point of worship, but music enhances the worship service and works in harmony with the sermon and Scripture. All musicians serve an important role in corporate worship, drawing us into the worship of our Lord.
I have three adult children: Nick Ivy (Brandon, MS), Mary Katherine DeWeese (Cleveland, MS) and Sims Koerber (Starkville, MS), and six grandchildren. I am a Senior Secretary at Delta State University, College of Business. I enjoy most of all spending time with my family, listening to all types of music, and sports.
I had the privilege of recording a CD that I recorded at DMI that is available, ‘Hymn Meditations for Piano’. These are timeless hymn arrangements in a meditative setting. “
O’Hara Koerber
The St Luke Scene
St. Luke Youth and youth-at-heart zip-lining in Winona
“Virtual” Easter Lilies
Back in early March, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we took orders for “Virtual” Easter Lilies in lieu of real lilies to decorate our chancel area for Easter Sunday. Proceeds from the orders went to support Camp Lake Stephens, a United Methodist Camp and Retreat Center located in Oxford, MS, who is committed to being a place where children, youth, and adults can encounter God and respond in faith to God’s call to transform the world. Thank you to those who contributed to this sacred and transformative place!
In Memory Of. . .
Christopher Shaffer by Bob & Florence Jo Corban
David Shaffer by Bob & Florence Jo Corban
David Shaffer by Brad, Kathleen Shaffer Corban
Eddie Daves by Kay Daves
Bill Hackney by Margie Hackney
Jean & Troyce Taylor by Lisa & Shaun Horton
Dorothy Melton by Dillard & Sandi Melton
Bill Pennington by Jackie Pennington
In Honor Of. . .
Brad, Kathleen, & Edith Corban by Bob & Florence Jo Corban
Frankie Brewer by Gloria Cranford
Kay Daves & The Kitchen Team by Lisa & Shaun Horton
The Lunch Bunch by Sue Pearson
Brad, Kathleen, & Edith Corban by Jackie Pennington
Memorials
Attendance and Offering Report
July Birthdays
July Anniversaries
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