Message from the Pastor

If we want to, we can read bad news all day. There are almost 8 billion people living on the earth, so there are numerous tragedies vying for our attention. Television “news” stations know that we are captivated by bad news, so they feed it to us 24 hours a day.

So we have a choice: Do we pay any attention to the good news? In other words, do we actually trust that God is doing anything in the world? Or are we faithless?

Let me share a story from our United Methodist News Service, by the Rev. Donald E. Messer:

After her parents died from AIDS five years ago, Jackeline, then 12, had no choice but to live with her impoverished, elderly grandmother, Martha. Together they struggled to survive, living in a crumbling, 8-feet-square, dirt-floor shack in the rural outskirts of Maua, Kenya. With only the food supplied by neighbors and no opportunity for education, life looked bleak and the future hopeless.

“Then a miracle happened,” Jackeline, now 17, said. The staff of Maua Methodist Hospital informed her grandmother that someone would build them a small home, provide fees for schooling and ensure both had health insurance.

This past June, Jackeline and Martha tearfully accepted the keys to their new home. Neighbors and international guests danced and sang as Stanley Gitari, Maua Methodist Hospital administrator, led speeches and prayers of dedication.

The excited clamor of celebration fell to near silence when Chin Keong Tan, a center volunteer from Denver, sang with his deep basso profundo voice: “Bless this house … make it safe by night and day.” Villagers touched their hearts or raised their hands to the heavens as his voice echoed throughout the lush jungle valley.

This home was but the first of 12 houses that donors to the Center for Health and Hope, based in Centennial, Colorado, plan to sponsor this year. The center is a faith-based organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS around the world.

Since 2004, Gitari and his Maua Methodist Hospital team have built about 360 homes. A careful process ensures the most needy and vulnerable children receive homes. Social workers are assigned to the families to make sure children stay healthy and attend school.

“God has, indeed, worked a miracle,” declared Gitari, a 1991 graduate of United Methodist-related Oklahoma City University. “Never did we think that we would be able to assist so many families when we received that first seed money from the United Methodist Texas Annual Conference.

“Good health care requires safe living facilities,” he continued. “Families living with HIV are especially desperate because they have lost wage earners and the children are often missing an education.”

A gift of $3,000 (U.S.) ensures construction of a two-room house and pays the salaries of a Kenyan team of four building subcontractors; all construction materials, including a small water tank and four windows; a year’s health insurance for the family; school fees, uniforms and shoes; and mattresses, blankets, and other essentials. The hospital arranges legal protection so no one can take the home away from the children.

At the dedication, grandmother Martha declared, “My granddaughter has a room to study, invite friends over and relax like other kids. I never believed I would be able to sweep a nice floor in my own house. God has given me my dream.”

In these photos, a symbolic wooden key to their new home in Maua, Kenya, is handed to Jackeline (second from left) and her grandmother, Martha. In the second photo, Stanley Gitari (left), Maua Methodist Hospital supervisor, celebrates the construction of a new home for Jackeline and her grandmother. In the third photo, the dedication of the new home for Jackeline and her grandmother, Martha, prompts neighborhood women in Maua, Kenya, to sing and dance, praising donors and God.

How should any reasonable person—especially any reasonable Christian—respond to such a story? We should respond with gratitude, recognizing that good is being done in the world that will build upon itself. The work of Jesus Christ, begun two thousand years ago, has not ceased. Jesus is alive in the Body of Christ, the community of believers, and the Spirit of God is at work, never ceasing. As Methodists, we should be especially grateful for a connected denomination that pools its resources to transform the lives of people in greatest need.

Jesus preached Good News and he lived it out. You are invited to do the same: Speak words of hope, tell stories of hope, and make that hope a reality.

Subscribe to the United Methodist weekly newsletter here: https://www.umnews.org/subscription-pages/umnews-weekly-digest-subscribe

Peace and hope be with us,
Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for November

Sermon Series: Revival: The Birth of Methodism

Sunday, November 6 — All Saints Sunday
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Daniel has a Dream
Sunday, November 13 — Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 65:17-25
The Lord is About to Create New Heavens and a New Earth
Sunday, November 20 — Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 23:1-6
The Lord Will Raise Up a Righteous Branch to Reign as King
Sunday, November 27 — First Sunday of Advent

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

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

The Finance Committee will meet Sunday, November 6, at 11:35 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. If you can help us teach stewardship and promote generosity, please come.

United Methodist Men will meet Tuesday, November 8, at 6:00 p.m. at First UMC.

Everyone is welcome and invited to a Community Thanksgiving Service at Skeen Baptist Church on Sunday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m. Pastor Brad Corban will be preaching the service.

UW in FAITH Grace Circle will meet on Tuesday, November 1, 10:00 a.m. in the church library. Jackie Pennington will lead the World Thank Offering service and the Pledge service. World Thank Offering is undesignated giving and helps support mission projects around the world that help women, children and youth. Remember all that we have to be thankful for and give as generously as you can.

UW in Faith Lunch Bunch will meet on Wednesday, November 16, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Bring your own lunch and drink, dessert will be provided. We’ll have lunch, fellowship, and a short devotional.

United Women in Faith invite all women of St. Luke to a celebration of Christmas on Tuesday, December 6, at 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Brad will have our program, and I’m sure it will be as meaningful and fun as the one he did in 2019. Members of Lunch Bunch and Grace Circle are asked to bring finger foods. We will provide childcare for both nursery age and elementary age children.

We are not asking you to commit to being members of UW in Faith (though that would be wonderful). We just want to celebrate this wonderful season of the year with all women in our church family. You may think that you don’t want to add one more thing to what is probably already a busy December, but I promise that you will feel better when you go home than when you came. There is just something about a supportive community of women that lifts our spirits. Put the date on your calendar now! December 6, 5:00 p.m.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

Stories of angels abound in the Bible but it’s at Christmas time that our imaginations conjure up white-robed beings with gossamer wings, strumming lyres and singing heavenly songs. For a different perspective, please consider attending the Young Adult Sunday School class Advent study “The Angels of Christmas: Hearing God’s Voice in Advent.” You are welcome whether or not you are a class member.

The 4-week study will be on November 13 & 20 and December 11 & 18. We will meet during the regular Sunday School period, 9:30-10:15 a.m., in the Young Adult room in the west educational wing. (If the volunteer mission workers are using our room, we will meet in the Fellowship Hall.)

The book is by Susan Robb and is available at Cokesbury and on Amazon, but you need not purchase or read the book to attend. Just join us!

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

St. Luke will host a Relief Workers Mission Group for several weeks in November. They will be using the kitchen, Fellowship Hall, and rooms in the west Education wing. We will provide dinner for them on Wednesday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. Please come if you can help and so you can meet and visit with them.

United Women in Faith is so grateful for the support provided by St. Luke members for the No-Bake Sale. We’re almost to our goal of at least $1,000, so I feel sure that we will reach that by November 5. The White Christmas/Christmas in July fund receives half and UW in Faith half. THANK YOU!!

It will be “all hands on deck” when we decorate the church for Christmas. Please plan to stay after church on November 20 to help us put the trees up, hang the greenery, and make our facility look beautiful for the season. It’s fun and it won’t take long if everyone pitches in!

Soon it will be time to carry out our White Christmas project. If you know of a family with school aged children who are struggling financially and might be in need of help with a few Christmas gifts, please consider acting as a sponsor for that family. Contact Lisa at the church office or Deb Cole. November 7 is the deadline to recommend a family. The Christmas tree loaded with paper ornaments will be in the narthex on Sunday, November 13. When you see it, take as many ornaments as you can, purchase those items listed, and help make this a special Christmas for those families in need.

The months of November and December have been designated for the Methodist Children’s Home “This Little Light of Mine” special offering. 100% of the offering will fund programs helping children and families of MCH. Let’s help bring hope and a little light of love into the lives of those children who have been abused and neglected. Deadline to give is December 11.

United Women in Faith along with the EPHFIC Woman’s Club is asking members of St. Luke to bring breakfast/snack items for children of our school district. The goal is to get enough items to share with schools in the district so that children will not go hungry. Some children, even though eligible for free breakfast, do not get to school in time for breakfast. We all know that hungry kids do not learn as well as those with full stomachs. The following items or similar items are needed: Apple sauce squeeze packs, juice boxes/pouches, Nutrigrain bars, Pop Tarts, Granola Bars, Cereal bars, Mini Muffin packs, cereal cups, chewy bars. All items must be packaged for individual servings. Bring food items to church and place in the bin in the narthex or take to the church office. If you have questions, contact Megan Armstrong, Julianne Bailey or Jackie Pennington.

Don’t forget that on the second Sunday of every month we collect bags of apples, jars of peanut butter, and also canned goods for the Helping Hands Ministry. That day is also our Dollar Sunday, when you are invited to drop a dollar or two into the basket in the narthex to help support our Compassion Fund, which the pastor uses at his discretion to help those in need.

It’s time to order Christmas Poinsettias for the Chancel Area at St Luke. If you would like to purchase a Poinsettia in memory or in honor of a loved one, forms are available in the narthex. Please fill one out and place it along with your check (made payable to St Luke, earmarked “Poinsettia”) in the offering plate, drop off at the church office, or mail to St Luke UMC, 1227 Deering St, Cleveland MS 38732. If you don’t have a form, you can include a note with the persons name you would like the poinsettia dedicated to with your check. Deadline to turn in orders is Sunday, November 27.

Worship Greeters are needed for next year! A Greeter is a very important part of welcoming people to our worship service and helps by passing out bulletins, helping people in and out of cars (when needed), directing visitors to pews or various areas of the church, and helps in other capacities of the service. If you feel called to volunteer and want to sign up, please contact Bobby Horton or the church office.

If you would like to help deliver our “Second Sunday” mission project food items to Helping Hands next year, please contact Lisa in the church office to sign up. Drop off times for Helping Hands are Wednesdays or Fridays between 9:00 am and noon.

The 2023 Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board across from the choir room. If you would like to help provide an altar arrangement sometime during the year, please look over the calendar, choose a date or two, and sign up. We also have a “flower fridge” so you can sign up for two consecutive Sunday, store your arrangement in the fridge during the week and re-use them the second Sunday. You can contact Sandi Melton (Flower Steward) or the church office to sign up or for more info.

Parks Playground Mission Project Completed

The old saying goes, “Many hands make light the work,” but many hands plus hands that operate a front loader made this all happen! We had perfect weather and a great showing for our Parks School Playground project on Saturday, October 15th. We were able to lay pea gravel in a large gym area as well as two swing set areas of the Parks playground. We got all three areas spread with pea gravel in 3 hours, which has to be a record. We could not have done this without our front loaders and the help from members of First Baptist Church. We had a lot of St Luke members spreading pea gravel as well as our own Trevor Runnels and Bobby Horton working 2 of the four front loaders. It was wonderful to see two church groups come together, all with the common goal of giving these sweet students a safer playground that should drain much better after rain. We also had leftover pea gravel, and after calling some of the other elementary schools we learned that Pearman Elementary could use additional pea gravel in an area of their playground where it has gotten thin. Ron McNeer of First Baptist church transported the pea gravel to Pearman for them to use, so it was an extra blessing that we could pay it forward with our excess. Many, many thanks to everyone who gave of their time and energy that morning to do the Lord’s work!

The St. Luke Scene

Christmas Photo Pop-Up Sponsored by the DSU Wesley

Women’s Resource Center’s 25th Annual ”Celebrate Life Banquet”

Zoe Ministries 5th Annual
“An Evening with Zoe”

Dates for your Calendar

November 1, Tuesday
—UW in Faith Grace Circle, 10:00 a.m. (Church Library)
—Bible Study, 12:00 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
—Bible Study, 7:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)

November 6, Sunday
—All Saints Remembrance during worship service, 10:30 a.m.
—Finance Meeting, 11:35 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
—Evangelical Covenant Mission Group arrives (SS Wing & Fellowship Hall)

November 8, Tuesday
—Bible Study, 12:00 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
—United Methodist Men, 6:00 p.m. (First United Methodist Church)
—Bible Study, 7:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)

November 9, Wednesday
—Dinner for Mission Group, 6:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)

November 13, Sunday
—2nd Sunday Mission for Helping Hands, 10:30 a.m.

November 16, Wednesday
—UW in Faith Lunch Bunch, 12:00 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
(bring your lunch & drink, dessert will be provided)

November 20, Sunday
—Decorate St Luke for Christmas, 11:35 a.m.
—Evangelical Covenant Mission Group departs
—Community Thanksgiving Service, 6:00 p.m. (Skeen Baptist Church)

November 23-25, Friday
—Church Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

December 4, Sunday
—White Christmas Potluck, 5:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
—White Christmas Program, immediately following Potluck (Sanctuary)

December 6, Tuesday
—UW in Faith Christmas Party, 5:00 pm (Fellowship Hall)

December 11, Sunday
—Lessons & Carols Service w/Cantata, 10:30 a.m.

December 12, Monday
—Coleman SS Christmas Party, 6:oo p.m. (home of The Cards)

December 18, Sunday
—Christmas Caroling, 2:00 p.m. (Indywood)
—Christmas Caroling, 3:00 p.m. (Azalea Commons -formerly Providence)

December 24, Saturday
—Christmas Eve Service w/Communion, 5:00 p.m.

Memorials and Honorariums

By:

Melba Washington

In Memory Of:

Charles Dalton

Doug Washington

Attendance and Offering Report

November Birthdays

Al Williams
Sonya Anderson
Ashley Vickers
Dillon Vickers
Faulkner Bailey
William Wessel
Kay Campbell
Sue Givens
Josh Sheets
Chris Bailey

11/02
11/05
11/06
11/08
11/12

11/17
11/19
11/21
11/23

November Anniversaries

n/a

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November 2022

November 3, 2022St. Luke United Methodist Church

Message from the Pastor

Lectionary Readings for November