Message from the Pastor

In the second half of 2018, I had to make a decision, whether to request a new appointment or to stay in Hattiesburg. Kathleen’s father had died earlier that year, and that (among other factors) was bringing the issue to the forefront of my mind. He had died at age 70, and I would soon turn 35. If I was potentially entering my second half of life, what did I want it to look like? I entered a time of spiritual discernment.

I was in a coffee shop one day, reading the 4th chapter of Luke’s gospel, in which Jesus is healing many people. Crowds are bringing loads of people to Jesus for him to heal in the evening, and the next morning, Jesus went to a deserted place by himself. The crowds were looking for him, and when they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s kingdom in other cities too, for this is why I was sent.” That scripture tipped the scales for me.

Now, when we read the bible, we often hear what we want to hear. It’s not necessarily what God wants from us. Decisions still takes thoughtful discernment—listening to the Holy Spirit in you, spending time in prayer, having conversations with your mentors—but in this case, that simple declaration by Jesus stuck in my head, and it helped me take a leap of faith into the unknown. I told my District Superintendent, and she put me on “the move list.” That determines which pastors will almost certainly get moved.

Months went by. The week of Christmas 2018, I did a funeral for a 2-year-old little girl who had died in an electrical house fire—their Christmas lights had caused the fire—on the same day as the funeral, I visited a church member with a brain tumor, whose own funeral would end up being the next week. My calendar says I applied for some teaching job, though I don’t recall much about that particular application. I was exhausted—absolutely drained.

More months went by, and I finally got a call from my district superintendent in March: “Brad, you can expect a call from Rusty Keen, the Greenwood superintendent. You’ll be going to the Delta!” My wide-eyed response: “Okay…”

I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been to the Mississippi Delta: A drive to Helena with my parents. A wedding in Leland. And a trip to see my buddy who was a pastor in Greenville for a couple of years. I didn’t have a real understanding of the place. It’s reputation was “You can ignore this place.”

When I got the call from Rusty, he told me about Boyle UMC and St. Luke UMC. He made them sound like good churches! (But sometimes a superintendent has the job of making the best of a mediocre situation.) I had to do some independent investigation. That’s when I called Tricia Walker. Tricia Walker has been in my family longer than I have. She’s best friends with my aunt, and she might as well be another aunt. “Tricia, this has to be the most secret phone call you’ve ever had.” I arranged to drive up here the next week for an undercover mission, to spend the night at her house, cruise around town, and eat at Backdraft. On the way, I stopped in Jackson to see Susannah Grubbs Carr, a pastor whose father, Carl Grubbs was the pastor at St. Luke when she was a child. She grew up in the parsonage, and upon hearing the news, she was excited for me, for my daughter, and for St. Luke.

The official visit wasn’t until three and a half weeks later. We sat in St. Luke’s “Alpha Classroom” with its decorative plates on the wall, and we shared our common dreams. I walked through the parsonage with Pastor Jonathan Speegle, who was very warm and open with me, and Rusty took us out to dinner at Papa Roc’s. I had breakfast the next day with Jamie Dahman, the music minister at St. Luke. Everyone was welcoming and kind. I could give my wife Kathleen a good report.

When we drove up from Hattiesburg on June 26th, I can still remember when we came down over the giant bridge north of Yazoo City, and I started hearing something—many things—hitting my windshield. Thp. Thp-thp-thp. It wasn’t rain. It was mosquitoes. They weren’t out when I visited in April! Edith and I stopped at the Belzoni Double Quick for gummy bears. Kathleen was close behind, and God bless her, she’d never been to the Delta until we showed up late that evening.

We were wide-eyed and a bit nervous, because change is stressful. Any change. Everyone knows that bad changes are stressful, but even good changes are stressful: New babies, a marriage, a promotion into a new job, moving into a nicer house. All require adjustment, unlearning, re-learning, getting a sense of your new life.

As the time comes for another change, as we pack up to move to Tupelo this summer, I’m filled with gratitude for the good people we’ve met here in Cleveland and Boyle. I will grieve the loss of time spent together. You’ve really sold me on the benefits of a small college town.

My four years in the Delta have been years of growth and maturation, and I needed it. The symbol of the delta—a triangle (from the Greek alphabet)—denotes change. I told my wife I should finally get a tattoo of a stylized triangle to signify the changes I’ve experienced here. But then I remember tattoos require needles… and I’m a bit of a fainter when it comes to needles. Besides, wouldn’t a permanent tattoo be a rather ironic symbol for change? Maybe I’ll get a nice stamp.

I sometimes wonder if God is the source of change—the forces that push us onward, never keeping us in the concrete past, giving us new opportunities to serve, love, and grow. It’s overwhelming—as the fullness of God should surely be—but it abounds with grace. Change is a great gift. Maybe we embrace its opportunities to do more and more good.

Peace be with us,
Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for May

Sermon Series: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Your Life & Relationships

Sunday, May 7 — Fifth Sunday of Easter
Romans 8:22-25; James 5:7-11 — Patience
Sunday, May 14 — Sixth Sunday of Easter
Hosea 11:3-4; Luke 6:33-36 — Kindness
Sunday, May 21 — Seventh Sunday of Easter
Ephesians 5:8-11; Matthew 12:33, 35 — Goodness/Generosity
Sunday, May 28 — Day of Pentecost
Luke 8:15; Hebrews 10:23 — Faithfulness

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

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

We have one St. Luke high school graduate this year, Dyllon Martin (One of our newest members!). All graduates (college and high school) will be recognized during the worship service on May 7. If you have a child or grandchild who will be graduating this year, please contact the church office with their name, school, degree (if applicable), and future plans (for high school graduates). Please turn in names by Tuesday, May 2.

One of our newly baptized members, Landon Steele, is celebrating his 3rd birthday on Sunday May 7 with a birthday party at 3:00 pm on the St. Luke church playground. Everyone is welcome to come, especially families with children. Shelly, Amber, and Marilyn wanted everyone in the congregation to know they are invited.

UWFaith Grace Circle will NOT meet on Tuesday, May 2. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, June 6.

The Finance Committee will meet next Sunday, May 7 at 11:35 am in the Fellowship Hall. If you can help us teach stewardship and promote generosity, please come. You are invited and welcome. Those obligated to attend are: Sean Wessel (Chair), Kay Daves (Financial Secretary), Sandi Melton (Treasurer), Jim Tims (Lay Leader), Brent Rogers (Chair of SPRC), Adam Williams (Chair of Trustees), Chris Bailey (Chair of Church Council), Jackie Pennington (Lay Member of Annual Conference), Brad Corban (Pastor), and Rani Richard

UWFaith Grace Circle will hold a special meeting on Monday, May 8, at 5:30 in the fellowship hall. This meeting is for women of St. Luke and their friends who may want to know more about United Women in Faith and be involved in making plans for new times/styles of meeting. Do you have ideas about ways to help women, children, and youth? COME, SHARE ON MAY 8. We need your input!!

UWFaith Lunch Bunch will meet at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, in the Fellowship Hall. All women are invited! Please bring your own lunch and drink, dessert will be provided. We will have a short devotion and wonderful fellowship!

On Saturday morning, May 20th, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., we’ll have a “Work and Pray” Retreat to observe morning prayer and spend a few hours doing projects around the church. We need to replace ceiling tiles, clean out gutters, replace light bulbs outside, and repair some lattice, among other projects. Whether you’re able to climb a ladder or hold a ladder for someone else, please come! If you have a pressure washer, bring it. Our goal is about 12 workers. Lunch will be provided at noon. These retreats have been a lot of fun in the past, so we look forward to another good day of tending to our sacred space. To sign up, text Pastor Brad at 601-467-5032 or Adam Williams at 662-402-0718, and let us know you’re planning on coming.

A Potluck has been planned for Sunday, May 21 immediately following worship services. Please bring your favorite dish to share and join us to celebrate the special birthday of a member of our St Luke Family!

Our custom at St. Luke is to recognize new births within our church family with a rose or other flower placed in the chancel. The Worship Committee invites you to let us know of the birth of a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild. Please call the church office with the information so we can commemorate the happy event and share the news with our whole church family.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

We are blessed at St. Luke to have many dedicated Sunday School teachers who consistently take time to prepare lessons and come ready to teach on their appointed Sundays. As is our custom, we will be putting Sunday School on “pause” for the summer months, to give our teachers a break and in recognition that attendance is historically low during that time. The last Sunday School classes for children, youth, and the Young Adult class will be May 21. The Coleman Class will determine whether or not they will continue to meet. Sunday School will resume around September 10.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

UWFaith NO-BAKE SALE is scheduled to end on May 7. If you have buried that self-addressed, stamped return envelope on your desk, please dig it out and consider making a donation of any amount to support the mission work of United Women in Faith on behalf of women, children and youth. The earnings from this bake sale support work in Cleveland and Mississippi such as United Methodist Community Centers and DSU Wesley Foundation.

The Women's Resource Center of Cleveland is holding their annual Walk for Life on May 20 at 8:00 a.m. and asked St. Luke to spread the word. We have several registration packets in the church office if you'd like to participate or support the Center. For more information about the organization, you may visit https://wrcdelta.org/

We will have a special offering this month for Native American Ministries. This fund allows the United Methodist Church to collaborate with existing Native American ministries and create programs on behalf of Native Americans. Money collected also supports seminary scholarships for UM Native Americans. You may give a donation, earmarked “Native American Ministries”, any time during the month of May.

Looking ahead to our Christmas in July project, we’re asking you to help in identifying a child or family that may need assistance with school supplies. It could be a family in your neighborhood, your child’s classmate, or if you’re a teacher, you may have a student in your class (or your school) where you know the family is struggling to provide and could use some help. Please consider acting as a sponsor for that family. You can contact the church office to add a family to the list or for more information. Let's help these children get the 2023-2024 school year off to a successful start with a back-pack full of supplies!

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.

Worship Greeters are needed for July and October. 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, a sign-up sheet is available in the narthex, or you can contact Bobby Horton or the church office.

Please consider signing up to help provide altar arrangements for our chancel area. Only one arrangement is needed, and 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 fridge" in the old kitchen, so please consider signing up for two Sundays in a row and plan to recycle! The Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board across from the choir room. Please look it over and choose a date. You can contact Sandi Melton, Flower Steward, or the church office for more information.

More Mission Outreach Projects

The last Friday in March St. Luke provided popsicles to the students at Parks Elementary who completed their Accelerated Reading goal. We had hoped they could also have some extra time on the playground, but with inclement weather on the way, they had to stay indoors. The students seemed excited for their reward. We had fun conversations about the books they read, their preferred method of eating a popsicle (quickly bite it or slowly lick it), as well as how red their lips were and how blue their tongues were. Many thanks to Megan Armstrong, Pastor Brad, and Gloria Cranford for their help with this. St. Luke loves our neighbors at Parks Elementary!

We also had a crew to help by handing out water to the participants in the Zoe Run, raising awareness and funds for village water projects in Africa. Thanks to Cade and Wade for organizing and Susannah and Sean for showing up!

MS Tornado Relief

The tornadoes that rolled through Mississippi in March weekend caused an unprecedented amount of damage. The Mississippi Conference is working in partnership with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, UMCOR, and local agencies to provide immediate relief as needed. They are also organizing ERT teams and assessing long term needs of these communities. They will be asking for the assistance of the connection (UMVIM teams, equipment, etc.) in the coming weeks and months. Below you will find ways you can help immediately.

How You Can Help:

     1. Make a check payable to St. Luke UMC
          drop in the offering plate, drop off at the church office, or mail to
          St. Luke UMC
          1227 Deering St
          Cleveland, MS 38732

     2. Make a check payable to MS Conference Mission Shares and mail to
          MS Conference Mission Shares
          P.O. Box 1603
          Jackson, MS 39215-1603

Make a note that the check is in reference to “MS Tornadoes”.

3. Give online at
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/2411283

As a united connection we have an opportunity to come together as people of God and help our brothers and sisters recover and heal utilizing the gifts of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School will be hosted by and held at First United Methodist Church the week of June 19-22, from 4:00-6:00 pm. If you would like to volunteer to help with VBS, please contact Allyson Hardy.

To register your child/children entering 4K - 6th grade, please click this link…2023 VBS Registration — First United Methodist Church

The St. Luke Scene

Palm Sunday Fellowship Lunch and Easter Egg Hunt

Bluegrass Mass and Parish Picnic with Calvary Episcopal

Extracurricular Activities

World Champion Cornhole Team (Small).JPG

Dates for your Calendar

May 2, Tuesday
—Deadline to turn in High School/College Graduate Names

May 7, Sunday
—Finance Meeting, 11:35 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)

May 7, Sunday
—Landon Steele’s 3rd Birthday Party, 3:00 p.m. (St Luke Playground)

May 8, Tuesday
—UWFaith Grace Circle Special Meeting, 5:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)

May 9, Wednesday
—United Methodist Men, 6:00 p.m. (First UMC)

May 14, Sunday
—Mother’s Day

May 17, Wednesday
—UWFaith Lunch Bunch, 12:00 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)

May 20, Saturday
—Walk for Life, 8-10:00 a.m. (Downtown Walking Trail)
sponsored by The Women’s Resource Center

May 20, Saturday
—Work & Pray Retreat 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (St Luke)

May 21, Sunday
—Potluck, 11:35 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)

May 29, Monday
—Church Office Closed for Memorial Day

Memorials and Honorariums

By:

Jackie Pennington, Carol Tatum

Lisa & Shaun Horton, Jackie Pennington,
Frances & Jim Tims

In Memory Of:

I.N. Hart

Victor Gressett

Attendance and Offering Report

May Birthdays

Kelly Horton
Abby Bassie
Hart Rogers
Mary Jayson Rogers
Landon Steele
Wyatt Williams
Kolter Hough
Amber Steele
Sheryl Stump
Brad Corban
Bette Simpson
Candy Vickers
Eliza Hardy
Sara Huff Cepeda

5/02
5/06

5/07

5/10
5/13
5/16
5/21

5/29
5/31

May Anniversaries

Beverly & Roy Jacks
Lindsey & Mae Givens
Shana & Trapper Bolden

5/10
5/14
5/22

Contact Us

Newsletter Blog

May 2023

May 2, 2023St. Luke United Methodist Church

Message from the Pastor

Lectionary Readings for May