September 2021
St. Luke United Methodist Church
Message from the Pastor
As I write this column, today is the birthday of two special people: My close friend Alex Allain and my niece Belle Kath.
I can’t help but give thanks for them.
Alex was once my fraternity brother at Millsaps College. This is how I first met him, but because he was a few years younger than me, we only overlapped for a year. We were kindred spirits, but we were in different phases of our lives. I graduated in 2006 and we went about our lives, both going to seminary but on opposite sides of the country.
Cut to 2016, when I get a message from Alex. He’s moving to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where I’m serving as a pastor. He’ll be the new associate rector—a curate, they call it—at a nearby Episcopal church in town. I’m excited, because I instinctively trust Alex. Fraternity brotherhood bonds you together, and to have a close pastoral colleague is a wonderful gift. I could see his church steeple from my front porch. We soon began spending more and more time together, and because my daughter Edith was born in the summer of 2016, from infancy she grew up knowing Alex as a dependable “uncle” in her life.
Alex is a spiritual man. He sees through the social performances of church life and looks at each person as a spiritual being. He reads books on prayer, holiness, and pastoral care, ignoring the latest flashy trends in “Executive Leadership” that promise quick results for little work. He embodies the wisdom in the biblical book of James to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” He is light-hearted in every sense of the word: He takes joy in silly humor, he is unattached to material possessions, and he is a role model—a guiding light—because of the love in his heart that manifests itself in selfless action.
Today, he serves as a hospice chaplain near Washington DC. I can’t think of anyone more thoughtful and caring to tend to me in my dying days. Whether he will like this or not, his gifts make me want to die first, so we can joke, pray, talk, listen, and meditate together in my final days in this body.
We all have a limited amount of days together. Might as well start joking, praying, talking, listening, and meditating together now! In October, I’ll go visit Alex for the first time in two years. He was scheduled to visit us in New York during our travels this summer, but his flight got cancelled in a colossal mess—he was stuck at an airport in South Carolina, I believe—so now we’re finally making it work, albeit without Kathleen and Edith. I look forward to some spiritual direction and silly conversation over tasty vegan dishes.
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Belle came into our lives in 2009. With my sister having a child, Belle was the first person in our immediately family of the next generation. I loved playing with her—we all did—and the joy it brought my sister made it all the more obvious that I would want a child of my own. Belle’s sister Millie Jo arrived a couple of years later—two wonderful daughters with distinct personalities. When my own daughter Edith arrived, I was so excited to have a daughter of my own. In Belle and Millie Jo, Edith has two bold and strong role models. My parents have seen Belle’s sports games, but whenever I’m with her, I notice that between socializing she’s eagerly reading through a book, which I admire. I look forward to Edith spending more time with both of her cousins in the future.
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So who can you give thanks for this month? Whose lives can you celebrate? Who have been sources of light in your life?
I believe these people—these sources of light—are ways that God has blessed us. God comes to us in the flesh—not just in Jesus—but in everyone. Tell your friends and family what they mean to you. They are gifts—an incarnate act of grace, something so good that you couldn’t have possibly earned them. They were given to you—unearned gifts—from the source of all good things, whom we might call God. When we realize that we live in a world full of gifts—a world full of grace—our perspective shifts. We realize that we can become part of a movement of generous giving—loving others as God has loved us.
Peace to you,
Pastor Brad
Lectionary Readings for September
Sermon Series: The Core Message of the Early Church
Sunday, September 5 - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17Sunday, September 12 - Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
James 3:1-12Sunday, September 19 - Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8aSunday, September 26 - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
James 5:13-20
The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG
The Nominations and Lay Leadership Committee will meet Sunday, September 5, at 11:35 in the Sanctuary. Committee members are Brad Corban, Jim Tims, Bev Card, Kay Daves, Claire Rogers, Billy Boswell, Chris Bailey, and Sally Rogers.
The Finance Committee will meet Sunday, September 12, at 11:35 in the Fellowship Hall. Committee members are Sean Wessel, Kay Daves, Sandi Melton, Jim Tims, Brent Rogers, Adam Williams, Chris Bailey, Jackie Pennington, and Brad Corban.
The Young Adult Sunday School class will meet in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, September 12, at 9:30 a.m. for a social hour. Coffee and juice will be provided and you are invited to bring a breakfast snack to share. If you’re currently not attending Sunday School, this is your chance to meet some more St. Luke folks and see what it’s all about.
Mark your calendars to join us on Sunday, September 12, at 6:00 p.m. for a Cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, and homemade ice cream! We have enough folks signed up to make homemade ice cream, but if you’d like to bring a batch of cookies or brownies, you’re more than welcome!
United Methodist Men will meet Tuesday, September 14, at 6:30 p.m. at 1st UMC.
St. Luke Reading Groups will resume meeting after a long hiatus on Tuesday, September 14, at 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. at the Tims’ house, 209 N. Leflore. Members are asked to submit their list of recommended books to Frances Tims before the meeting. New members are welcome! We meet once a month to discuss books of general interest, chosen by each group.
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE
Grace Circle, United Methodist Women, will meet on Tuesday, September 7, in the Fellowship Hall at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Brad will present a slideshow presentation on the History of Rome, covering the heyday of the Roman Empire, the growth of the Catholic Church, the evolution of the city as a destination for religious pilgrims, the inquisition of Giordano Bruno, and the Italian Renaissance, featuring paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Most of the photos are from the 2018 trip Brad and Kathleen took to Rome, so you might see a photo or two of some espresso, and you’ll learn about the history of Methodists in Rome as well!
All women of the church who are free on Tuesday morning are invited to attend. Bring a friend. The program comes before our business session. Any guests are welcome to stay or leave before the business.
We are in need of a Worship Greeter for the months of October and December. If you can help welcome people to the worship service, pass out bulletins, help people in and out of cars when needed, direct visitors to pews and various areas of the church, please contact the church office to volunteer.
OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES
It is always hard to believe summer has come to an end, but this year, if you are a teacher/student in the public schools, the end really came quickly. Back in July the principal of Parks Elementary asked Pastor Brad if our church could provide lunch for the teachers at Parks once a month. Although it was tempting to tell her yes, we honestly did not think we could commit to monthly lunches. However, we knew we could provide at least one. The principal thought it would be nice if we could provide lunch during the week the teachers were preparing their classrooms for students.
We had lots of help with the luncheon to make it possible. Desserts were provided by Lyndell Dilly, Sally Rogers, and Claire Rogers. They were a huge hit! We got help from the Cleveland Country Club to provide the rest of the meal, which consisted of turkey melt sandwiches, club sandwiches, homemade potato chips, and pasta salad. Many of the teachers came back for seconds, and we even had leftovers we put in the teacher's lounge so some could enjoy the lunch the following day. We could not have done this without the help from Gloria Cranford and Kay Daves to help serve. Pastor Brad would have been there, also, but his flight home from Colorado was cancelled. We had little rose bushes decorating the tables, and we held a drawing for four lucky teachers to take them home. The teachers could not have been more gracious, and it was nice to see that our lunch truly brightened their day. They are all so deserving.
Stay tuned for more activities on the horizon with our neighbors at Parks Elementary. We are going to get involved with Elaine Lambert and other master gardeners to enhance the garden they have started at the school.
If anyone has other ideas for projects we can help with in the community (much like what we have done at Parks and for the Park Commission), please let Susannah Wessel know.
Welcome to Our New Members
The St. Luke Scene
Upcoming Dates for your Calendar
October 3—-Church Council meeting 11:35 a.m., Fellowship Hall
October 24—Charge Conference 6:30 p.m. via Zoom, Fellowship Hall
October 31—Outdoor Family Fall Fest and Trunk-or-Treat, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Memorials and Honorariums
By:
Don Conger
Sara Griffin
In Honor Of:
Rani Richard
Olivia Rose Armstrong
Attendance and Offering Report
Aug. 1
Aug. 8
Aug. 15
Aug. 22
Aug. 29
Monthly Total
Monthly Budget
General Fund
$ 14,896
$ 1,927
$ 1,968
$ 2,245
$ 996
$ 22,032
$ 19,911
Special
Fund
$ 50
$ 1,225
$ 25
$ 25
$
Sunday
School
8
8
29
30
34
Worship
25
45
79
57
58
Online
138
134
141
131
106
Peace with Justice Special Offering $ 50
September Birthdays
Jackie Pennington
Meredith Wessel
Patrick Wessel
Jim Burdine
Mark Cummins
Beau Bailey
Beverly Jacks
Michael Neal
Zane Hardy
Michael Burdine
Brent Rogers
Sherry Jones
Sue Pearson
9/01
9/08
9/11
9/13
9/14
9/16
9/19
9/24
9/27
9/28
September Anniversaries
Brent & Claire Rogers
Sean & Susannah Wessel
9/16
9/28