Message from the Pastor

Dear friends,

As I stand in the space of reflecting on October and preparing for November, I find myself on the threshold of thankfulness for what has been and what is yet to be. As we enter into the month of Thanksgiving, how might this time reorient our spirits towards gratitude? Is there a way we can actively choose to practice giving thanks as a means of forming our spirits? Throughout this month, I invite you to join me in practicing gratitude. Maybe it is something big or small, ordinary or funny. How you keep up with this is up to you. You might choose to journal, post, draw, or even take a picture each day to highlight what you are thankful for. The Jesuits have an evening practice called examen that involves five steps to center ourselves around gratitude.

1) Become aware of God's presence
2) Review the day with gratitude
3) Pay attention to your emotions
4) Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5) Look toward tomorrow

In her book Grateful, Diana Butler Bass talks about intentional practices of gratitude that have a way of shaping us into people who are marked by thanksgiving which lends itself to joy. Diana keeps a list of gratitude prayers by her bed as a way of framing her days in gratitude. She shares this prayer from John Phillip Newell focused on greeting the day:

"For the freshness of this new day
thanks be to you, O God
For morning's gift of clarity
it's light like the first day's dawn
thanks be to you.
In this newborn light, let us see afresh.
In this gateway onto what has never been before
let our soul breathe hope
for the earth
for the creatures
for the human family.
Let our soul breathe hope."

Diana then wrote her own prayer of morning thanksgiving which says:
"With the morning birdsong,
My heart echoes thank you.
With the rustling sounds in the kitchen,
My heart echoes thank you.
With the early noise of the suburbs,
My heart echoes thank you.
With the awakening words of the day,
I add my voice and say thank you."

What might your own prayer of gratitude look like? As I greet the day today, I am mindful that it is All Saints' Day (which we will celebrate together in worship this coming Sunday). It is a day in which we give thanks for and remember the lives of all the saints who have gone before us and who are now part of the great cloud of witnesses. In marking the beginning of November this way, I begin the month by giving thanks for all the people who have been part of my life in a unique and special way. I especially give thanks for those saints who embodied the love of God for me, regularly extended grace, and lived their lives with humility and faithfulness. I invite you to join me in giving thanks for the saints in your life and if you would like, bring their photo with you this Sunday so we can place it around the altar during worship.

Another way we practice gratitude and express our thanksgiving to God is through our tithes and offerings. During the last 3 weeks in November, we will begin a stewardship series called Our Money Story. As Jesus often talked about money, we will consider how Christ calls us to remember, reimagine, and restore our money stories so that God can write one we hadn't even imagined. Since beginning my time as pastor here last year, I have been thankful for the money story of St. Luke and all the ways your generosity (of both money and loving service) has been directed towards our community. I am proud to serve a church who has generosity woven throughout their budget and who seeks to give from a place rooted in joy. Over the next few weeks, you will be hearing from St. Luke members about how the practice of gratitude and stewardship has influenced their faith. You will be receiving a pledge card over the next couple of weeks where you will have an opportunity to pledge your prayers, presence, gifts, and loving service for the 2025 year. I hope you will prayerfully consider how God might be leading you to respond in gratitude this next year. On the last Sunday in November, we will all bring our pledges forward as an offering of thanksgiving. As Paul reminds us in Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Hannah

Sermon Series Scripture Lessons:
“The Wesley Prayer Challenge”

Sunday, November 3 — All Saints Sunday
Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44
Sunday, November 10 — Surrender and Suffering
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Sunday, November 17 — Honor and Humility
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Sunday, November 24 — Community and Commitment
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Lectionary Readings for November

Sunday, November 3 — All Saints Sunday
Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34
Sunday, November 10 — Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Psalm 127 or Psalm 42
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
Sunday, November 17 — Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Samuel 1:4-20
1 Samuel 2:1-10 or Psalm 113
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
Mark 13:1-8
Sunday, November 24 — Christ the King Sunday
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Psalm 132:1-12 (13-18)
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37

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

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

UWFaith Grace Circle will meet on Wednesday, November 6, in the church library. We will have our World Thank Program and offering. The World Thank offering is extra-mile giving to show thanks for our many blessings. The program will highlight a few of the many ways that the National Organization uses mission giving to better the lives of women, children and youth. We will also have a brief Pledge Service program and make our 2025 pledges for mission giving.

We will choose up to five persons to receive a Special Mission Recognition pin and certificate and allocate any extra funds that we may have in our account.

NO-BAKE Sale for UWFaith and the Christmas in July/White Christmas account – The No-Bake Sale officially ended October 27 with a total of $1,275. THANK YOU for your generosity. Mission projects receive such great support from St. Luke members. If you intended to give, but haven’t; it’s not too late.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

We were so happy to welcome Sara Flores and her husband Dakin Cook to St. Luke the last Sunday in October. Sara is a missionary in Quito, Ecuador, under the Board of Global Ministry of the UMC, and St. Luke has had a Covenant Relationship with her for the past several years. As her covenant partner, we help to support her ministry, which currently consists of helping former evangelical churches to mature and grow as new members of the UM Church. She works specifically with leadership and educational ministries. Thank you, Sara, for all that you do to advance God’s kingdom in Ecuador, and for coming to share your story with us.

What a wonderful Sunday service was led by our children on October 27! We loved seeing them in the chancel and at the lectern, waving their scarves and reading and claiming their spot as an integral part of St. Luke. Thank you, kids, for participating so willingly. And many thanks to Claire Rogers and her helpers who practiced with the kids to make the Children’s Sabbath a reality. Cute pics are included in The St. Luke Scene below.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

The White Christmas mission project plans are still in process, but will be announced soon. Please watch the bulletin for updates.

It will be “all hands on deck” when we decorate the church for Christmas. Please plan to stay after church on November 24 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!

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 8.

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 would like to sign up, a signup sheet is available in the narthex or you may sign up by contacting Al Williams or the church office.

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 their discretion to help those in need.

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 Wednesday or Friday mornings between 9:00 am and noon.

The 2025 Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board in the hallway 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. Your arrangement doesn’t have to be fresh flowers, it could be a lovely silk arrangements, or even a nice plant. If you sign up for two consecutive Sundays, we have a “flower fridge” where we can store your floral arrangement during the week and re-use them the second Sunday. If ordering fresh flowers from a flower shop, please specify you would like them to last for two Sundays. Please contact Sandi Melton (Flower Steward) or the church office to sign up or for more info.

More Opportunities to Help

Disaster Relief

We have all likely witnessed the recent devastation from Hurricane Helene, particularly in Western North Carolina. They are certainly in need of our prayers. Additionally, if you would like to contribute directly to the Western North Carolina Conference of the UMC, you may click here. To donate to the United Methodist Committee on Relief in which 100% of your donations go towards relief efforts, you may click here.

Parks Elementary Partnership

1) PBIS Closet- Parks keeps a closet filled with goodies for students who do well with their positive behavior system. This includes items such as fidget toys, slime, and other small prizes. When the children meet their goals, they are able to shop this closet as a treat and means of positive reinforcement. You may contribute to this cause or purchase items and bring them to the office.

2) Feminine Hygiene supplies- Parks has an area in the office dedicated to storing feminine hygiene supplies for girls who need them. Specifically, they try to keep a current stock of pads (no tampons please) and girls underwear in all sizes. You may bring these items to the church office as well.

3) Reading with students- Do you like to help students with their reading? If you had 1-2 hours a week to give during school hours, the students at Parks could use your help. Reading with students is a proven way to help raise their AR scores while also providing quality time with these children. If you are interested in this, please let Rev. Hannah know.

Homes for Rolling Fork

In last month’s newsletter we shared some good news that our church recently helped make possible. We purchased a permanent trailer for a Rolling Fork family whose home was lost in the tornado of March 2023.

Pastor Hannah mentioned this past Sunday a lovely video of the family being handed their keys - and being congratulated over the phone by Mississippi native, Archie Manning. We have enclosed that link below. We knew the congregation would be interested.

St. Luke’s Mission Outreach Coordinators, with the blessings of our Finance Committee, were able to move quickly to cover this expense using a portion of the Outreach committee’s operating budget. Paired with a matching donation - and working alongside the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi - St. Luke was able to provide this much needed home to the family by the move-in deadline.

We encourage the congregation to consider making a specific contribution toward this mission project. Any gifts that our membership makes toward this effort will replenish our Outreach account and enable future local mission projects.

If you would like to support these efforts, please mark your contribution “Rolling Fork Trailer.” Thank you to those who’ve already done so.

We are grateful for the compassion of St. Luke and our work in the community to share God’s love.

Sandi Melton, Finance Committee

You can watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/cDBO62P-ieQ?si=ItBQY-i-JEaJ0V9a

Employment Opportunities

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee is searching for employees to fill two positions and would welcome help from the congregation in spreading the word.

The first position is that of Nursery Caregiver to share the responsibility of supervising our children with Danita. This is a part-time position and is open to those 18 years old with at least a high school diploma or equivalent. A background check will be required and it is preferred that the person have previous work experience in a childcare setting and CPR/First Aid training. The pay is $17.50/hour.

The second position is that of Music Director. As you know, Beverly Jacks has served as interim Director for the past year or so. She does a lovely job and has been happy to serve our church with her gifts, but she would like a break if a suitable person can be found to lead the choir. Previous experience in a church setting is preferred but not required. Salary will be negotiable.

Please share this information with any suitable candidates you know who might be interested in working at St. Luke. Any further questions may be directed to Rev. Hannah or to Lisa in the church office.

BBQ Fundraiser to Support
The Well Teen Ministry

Tickets are available downtown at Delta Christian.

Veterans Day Program

An Evening with Zoe

Women’s Resource Center:
Celebrate Life Banquet

The St. Luke Scene

Parks AR Party, October 9

Bull Bottom Farm, October 19

Blessing of the Animals, October 21

Children’s Sabbath, October 27

“United” We Boo Trunk-or-Treat, October 27

Upcoming Events

November 3, Sunday
— All Saints Service & Remembrance, 10:30 a.m.
— Youth, 5:00 p.m.

November 4, Monday
— Prayer & Communion Service, 6:00 p.m.

November 6, Wednesday
— UW in Faith Grace Circle, 10:00 a.m. (St Luke Library)

November 10, Sunday
— Second Sunday Mission Project for Helping Hands
— BBQ Fundraiser for The Well, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
(pick up at the Wesley Foundation)
— Finance Meeting, 11:35 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
— Charge Conference, 3:00 p.m. (First UMC)
— Youth, 5:00 p.m.

November 12, Tuesday
— United Methodist Men, 6:00 p.m. (First UMC)

November 17, Sunday
— Youth, 5:00 p.m.

November 24, Sunday
— Decorate St. Luke for Christmas, 11:35 a.m.

November 27-29, Wednesday-Friday
— Church Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

December 8, Sunday
— Second Sunday Mission Project for Helping Hands
— Blue Christmas Service, 6:00 p.m.

December 10, Tuesday
— United Methodist Men, 6:00 p.m. (First UMC)

December 15, Sunday
— Joint Cantata Service w/First UMC, 11:00 a.m. (First UMC)
(no morning worship service will be held at St Luke)
— White Christmas Potluck, 5:00 p.m., w/program after

December 18, Wednesday
— Christmas Caroling, 5:00 p.m.

December 24, Tuesday
— Christmas Eve Service, 5:00 p.m.

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Attendance and Offering Report

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Newsletter Blog

November 2024

November 1, 2024St. Luke United Methodist Church

Message from the Pastor

Sermon Series Scripture Lessons:
“The Wesley Prayer Challenge”

Lectionary Readings for November