Message from the Pastor

Do you know what percentage of your income you save?

It’s often said you need to save at least 10% of your income for retirement, but for years, the personal saving rate in the United States has been less than 10%, hitting a recent low of 6.4% in December of 2016. (November and December are usually the lowest months, because people are shopping for Christmas presents.) We generally don’t save enough for college, for retirement, or for emergencies.

But I learned something fascinating this week: In April 2020, the household saving rate skyrocketed to a record 33.8%. Why? Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people stayed home, didn’t eat out, didn’t take unnecessary trips, and didn’t make unnecessary purchases. Much of this was done out of necessity and caution. (The nation-wide stimulus funding surely helped.)

Over the course of 2020, the savings rate dropped back down, with November reaching 13%. In 2021, it went up and down until settling back below 10% this summer. Presumably, with the pandemic waning in the United States, this saving rate anomaly will disappear.

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What this tells me is that we can save money if we really need to. At the risk of over-generalizing, most Americans spend money on a lot of stuff we don’t need. (I’m as guilty as anyone.) We are attracted to getting something new and better. Shopping gives us a temporary chemical high. Spending money makes us feel powerful and in control. And let’s admit it: Sometimes we’re lazy and don’t want to cook dinner and wash dishes, so we eat out. We make purchases on credit cards and pay interest, instead of saving up ahead of time. Some of this is due to low wages and income-inequality that has increased over the past 40 years. Some of this is due to our flawed human nature.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, taught his parishioners to “Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” You earn all you can by doing ethical work. (Wesley would never endorse sinful ways of making money or exploiting the poor.) You save all you can by avoiding needless purchases. When you’ve worked and saved, you have plenty of money to give.

In a stewardship campaign, a pastor asks congregants to commit to giving a certain amount of money to the church. But this is only possible if congregants have the money to give, and we can only have the money to give if we do ongoing, serious self-examination of how we spend and save.

I’m proud of how St. Luke UMC spends its money, so I’m proud to support our church with 10% of my income. The gospel of Jesus Christ must be spread. I don’t want the gospel to fade from the earth. Jesus saves us. A relationship with him transforms our lives for the better. I’m happy to do my part to help. It’s a worthwhile use of my money, and I invite you to join me in supporting the spreading of the gospel.

Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for October

Sermon Series: The Core Message of the Early Church

Sunday, October 3 - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
Sunday, October 10 - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 4:12-16
Sunday, October 17 - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 5:1-10
Sunday, October 24 - Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 7:23-28
Sunday, October 31 - Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 9:11-14; 9:24-28

The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

St. Luke’s Charge Conference with the District Superintendent will take place Sunday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. Charge Conference is the meeting where we elect our church leaders, present our budget, and discuss with our DS our goals for the coming year. The Fellowship Hall will be set up for Zoom viewing if you would like to attend. Members of the Church Council are especially encouraged to attend, but all are welcome. Please let Pastor Brad know if you need help participating via Zoom video-conferencing from home.

Both St. Luke Reading Groups are up and running after the summer break and have chosen books for the next several months. The schedules follow:
Afternoon Group—
Tuesday, October 5 How Lucky, Will Leitch
Tuesday, November 2 West with Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge
December (TBA) Hannah’s Dream, Diane Hammond
Evening Group—
Sunday, October 3, 4:00 Golden Girl, Elin Hilderbrand
Tuesday, November 2 Dune, Frank Herbert
December (TBA) Mornings with Rosemary, Libby Page

Both groups meet at Frances Tims’ house, 209 N. Leflore, at 2:00 and 6:00, and new members are welcome. Call Frances or any member of the groups for more information.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

UMW Grace Circle will meet October 5, 2021, 10 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Someone recently asked me what you had to do to be part of Grace Circle. My answer was “just show up.” The next question was what does it cost. United Methodist Women is a mission organization and most of us do pledge a certain amount per year to support our budget of local, Mississippi Conference, National and International mission projects. However, a pledge is not required for membership. If you do pledge, there is no required amount. If you are unemployed or have a flexible work schedule, you are welcome to attend.

For our meeting on October 5, Pastor Brad will be facilitating the United Methodist Women in practicing “spiritual friendship,” in which Christians in groups of two practice sharing and listening to where God is for us. As an ancient form of spiritual formation, we’ll share concerns, questions, and musings: “Where did you meet God in the past couple of days? What gave you energy? What depleted you?” There is no fixing, as in certain forms of therapy, but we’re learning to simply bear witness to the activity of the Holy Spirit and our own spirits, in our personal lives and in the lives of others. Being a spiritual friend is one of the greatest gifts a Christian can give to another person.

As a mission project, we will also sign cards for the staff at Parks Elementary School and pray for the staff by name. Everyone is welcome and invited to participate!

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

UMW No-Bake Sale - Letters are in the mail for the fall no-bake sale. Funds raised are divided equally between UMW and the St. Luke special fund for White Christmas/Christmas in July for extra needs of those two special mission projects. In your letter you will find a stamped, self-addressed envelope to make your donation of any amount easy. Checks should be made payable to United Methodist Women. The No-Bake Sale will end on October 31.

The United Methodist Men’s Catfish Dinner Fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, October 12, from 5-7:00 p.m. in the 1st UMC Fellowship Hall. Tickets are $15 each and carry-outs will be available. Proceeds will fund community organizations. Contact Jim Tims or the St. Luke office if you would like to purchase a ticket..

St. Luke will provide supper for the students of the Wesley Foundation on October 27. Please contact Kay Daves if you would like to help.

Our annual Fall Fest & Trunk-or-Treat will be on Sunday, October 31, from 3-5:00. Our youth will lead the children in games on the church yard and then they will be invited to collect candy from church members in the parking lot. Please plan to decorate a spooky car trunk or tailgate and help us to make this a fun activity for all.

Tricia Walker wins Chamber Award

The Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation’s Annual Banquet was held Monday, September 20, at the GRAMMY Museum. There were three major awards given that evening, plus the Lucy Janoush Award that is given by the city of Cleveland. “There is the Chamber Award,” said Laura Bowman, CEO of the Chamber, “the President’s Award and the Kossman Award. The Chamber Award is presented annually to someone who may or may not be a Chamber Committee Chair, but has contributed outstanding service to the community during the year.” This year’s Chamber Award went to Tricia Walker.

“Tricia Walker has worked tirelessly to make Cleveland a music destination and her unwavering support for our city and county’s tourism arm is undeniable,” said Bowman.

Upcoming DSU Wesley Events

Upcoming Dates for your Calendar

October 3—Church Council meeting 11:35 a.m., Fellowship Hall
—Evening Reading Group 4:00 p.m., home of Frances Tims

October 4—Eagle Scout Ceremony for Patrick Wessel 6:00 p.m., FH & Courtyard

October 5—UMW Grace Circle 10:00 a.m., Fellowship Hall
—Afternoon Reading Group 2:00 p.m., home of Frances Tims

October 12—UMM Catfish Dinner Fundraiser 5-7:00 p.m., First UMC

October 24—Worship Team Meeting 11:35 a.m., Church Library
—Charge Conference 6:30 p.m. via Zoom, Fellowship Hall

October 27—Supper for the Wesley Students 6:30 p.m., Wesley Foundation

October 31—Outdoor Family Fall Fest and Trunk-or-Treat, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Memorials and Honorariums

By:
Frankie Brewer, Jim & Loretta Burdine, Kay Daves, Lyndell Dilly, Diane Elliott & Family, Jo Hermes, Lisa & Shaun Horton, Louise Hutchinson, Sherry Jones, Elaine & Larry Lambert, Sue Pearson, Linda Smith, Elizabeth Stanga, Frances & Jim Tims, Melba Washington

In Memory Of:
Beulah Lewis

Attendance and Offering Report

UM Senior Services Special Offering $ 120

October Birthdays

Beverly Gressett
Libby Bassie
Will Dean
Susannah Wessel
Bertha Neal
Robert Norton

10/16
10/18
10/25
10/26
10/28
10/31

October Anniversaries

Allyson & DD Hardy

10/22

Contact Us

Newsletter Blog

October 2021

September 30, 2021St. Luke United Methodist Church

Message from the Pastor

Lectionary Readings for October