Oct2017spireforweb by St. Luke's UMC

IN THIS ISSUE

AFTER THE STORM by Dr. Tom Pace

SEEING THE FACE OF JESUS by Reverend Bill Denham

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND by Suzi Pitts

RECOVERY MODE by Shelby Olive

THE POWER OF FELLOWSHIP by Louise McEvoy

HELPING THE HELPERS by Christy Parsons

About the Cover: Many thanks to Chrissie Vandevere, St. Luke’s Outreach Commission Chairperson for 2017-18. Chrissie leapt into action and played an integral part in designing and implementing procedures for St. Luke's donation and distribution center and mucking operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Her home church, First Baptist in Chipley, FL sent the first truckload of deliveries which arrived Thursday, August 31. Chrissie is a true example of putting faith to work in love.

Spire (USPS 7190) is published monthly by St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77027-5334. Periodicals postage paid at Houson, TX and additional mailing offices.

Welcome to St. Luke's special IMPACT issue!

This month's ST. LUKE'S LIFE events can be viewed online at StLukesMethodist.org/periodicals. The November issue of the Spire will include this month's BAPTISMS, NEW MEMBERS, CARING AND SHARING and CELEBRATING LIVES.

The Waters of Baptism by Dr. Tom Pace, Sr. Pastor

Mumford and Sons have a song called After the Storm. It spoke to me as I listened to it today. Here is just a part…

The storm caused me to get on my knees, and look up. I hope you did as well. The sense of helplessness in the face of that which is completely out of our control causes us to look to that power and love far greater than ourselves.

And after the storm, I run and run as the rains come And I look up, I look up, on my knees and out of luck, I look up….

The storm led me to reach out and take the hand of the people around me. We have responded not by crumbling, but by “standing tall,” together, remembering that re-building is what we live for. We have always been in this business of building... building spirits, families, God’s kingdom.

And I took you by the hand And we stood tall, And remembered our own land, What we lived for.

The storm forced me to cling to what I know, even when the world causes doubts to rise and my spirit to falter. I hold… hold on with all I have.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there, With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

One day, there will be no more storms, no more tears, no more heartbreak. We hold fast to that Christian hope. Maybe no flowers in our hair, but always grace in our hearts.

And now I cling to what I knew I saw exactly what was true But oh no more. That's why I hold, That's why I hold with all I have.

Sermon Series | October 1-22 It is the work of the Holy Spirt to change us, grow us, move us forward on our pathways. God loves us and accepts us just the way we are, but nonetheless is at work in us to change us. This is the process of sanctification. We must ask ourselves honestly if we are changing, growing, becoming... How are we opening ourselves up to allow that change? How can we move forward in faith and love and service? The inside-out habits are important ways to do that. Seeker

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Believer

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Belonger

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Disciple

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Apostle 3

Seeing the Face of Jesus by Reverend Bill Denham

n the Sunday after Hurricane Harvey hit our city, all the church services at St. Luke’s were cancelled. The following Sunday our schedule was back to normal. But everything wasn’t really normal. There was a tangible sense of joy to be together, as a church family, back in God’s house. My participation in the three traditional services included receiving the collection plates from the ushers, usually filled with paper — paper bills and paper checks. However, in one service, in one plate, there was an anomaly. Sitting atop the plate was a zipped-up plastic sandwich bag. It was full of copper pennies, a sprinkling of nickels, and a couple of dimes. The weight of the plate was evident to me and to the usher from whose hands I took it. I had a lump in my throat. Calls from our church to aid in flood relief had gone out regularly over the past days. I could just see a child, collecting these coins, and giving them to help the victims of Harvey. It had been a full week for me. It had been a full week for everyone on the staff. Much of our days had been spent on the phone, calling people to see if and how they had been affected by the relentless rain and rising waters. We listened as people told us how lucky they felt that the water had come up in the yard but hadn’t gotten in the house. But there were so many in our church, from all over the city, whose homes had one inch, two inches, three inches, a foot, two feet, four or five feet of water in the home. Many had to be evacuated by boat or helicopter. Almost all were in disbelief at the enormity of the damage.

Still others, who had been flooded, asked if they could do anything to help others in need. Requests for prayer were frequent. On some calls prayers were given right then as part of this St. Luke’s ministry. The church office was full of members who showed up and asked, “What can I do to help?” A number of them sat at desks for hours, phoning people whose zip codes were most likely affected by the flooding rains. Our church members gave what they could, when they could, and they are committed to continuing to give relief and encouragement far into the future.

Sitting atop the plate was a zipped-up plastic sandwich bag. It was full of copper pennies, a sprinkling of nickels, and a couple of dimes.

What struck me the most in these calls was that I heard repeatedly, “We’ve been flooded, but we are so lucky compared to so many others in our city.” Time after time persons were thanking God for not having lost their lives or the lives of loved ones. It was people who mattered the most. In one of my calls I learned that a member of our congregation, who suffers from some dementia and who lives alone, had disappeared. A widower, he was last seen boarding a dump truck and being evacuated from his flooding home. Frantic calls to neighbors and friends produced nothing. By an extraordinary chance, a photographer had taken a picture of him and others as they were being rescued. The photo was published in a New York City paper, where some friend of the family recognized him, reported to the family and, within hours, he was located in a rescue shelter. 4

In another call, a member said this was the second time he had been flooded out. He knew the emotional beating that comes from losing precious photographs and mementos. He volunteered his name and personal cell phone number for us to give out to anyone who wanted to call him, day or night, for emotional support.

Mucking houses isn’t glamourous. Phone calls aren’t glitzy. Collecting flood relief items in the Blanton Building isn’t headline-making work. But, as the Sunday morning collection plate revealed, each person gave and is giving what he or she can. It may be a sandwich bag full of pennies, letting displaced people stay in our homes, loaning a car, preparing a meal, or making a simple phone call.

Now, about that bag of coins in the collection plate. When six year old Ava Wood heard the call for help on TV she wanted to go rescue people. She was sad that her family did not have a boat. When her mother told her that she could pray Ava dropped to her knees and asked God “to save all the people.” Then Ava told her mother it was her turn to pray. Mother and daughter got down on their knees and prayed together. On Sunday morning Ava came out of her room with the coins. She had completely emptied her piggy bank. When the offering plate came down her aisle she was excited and ready. The faces of presidents and great Americans are on our nation’s coins — pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. The face of Jesus is in tHis (His) work.

Harvey Relief: Making an Impact

550+ FINANCIAL GIFTS TOTALING $300,000+

5,047+ VOLUNTEER HOURS

74+ HOUSES MUCKED

1,077 VOLUNTEERS

4,750+ PHONE CALLS TO CONGREGATION

1,215+ ORDERS RECEIVED FROM AMAZON WISH LIST

Flood Relief Funds Thank you so much to all who have been so generous with financial donations for flood relief. As of September 20, we have received over $300,000 in contributions specifically for this effort. Our intention is that those funds will go to provide direct assistance to those impacted by the storm, and will not be used to offset out of pocket expenses the church has incurred. A team of staff and laity have developed a specific process for identifying and assessing families in need, based on referrals from members and others connected to our ministries on both campuses, and interviews with those families. The priority is to help people, both inside and outside our congregation, who do not have the resources to respond to the hardship presented by the storm, and to couple financial assistance with other resources, including volunteer labor, expertise provided by church members, mental health resources, and good follow up care.

Additionally, we want to be a part of community wide efforts at rebuilding in the days ahead, and are in conversation with others in our city’s faith community as those plans are developed. One of the names of God is “Yahweh Yireh,” the God who provides. Through this generous congregation God has provided resources to make a difference. Our commitment is to be good stewards of that generosity, and use it to help the people who need it the most. Let us “help those in trouble… that we might be a rebuilder of walls and restorer of homes in which to live.” (Isaiah 58: 10, 12 NLT)

To make a donation or learn about volunteer opportunities, visit StLukesMethodist.org/houston-flood-relief

What Goes Around Comes Around by Suzi Pitts Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Hurricanes have a unique wind field. The primary circulation is the rotational part of the flow; it is purely circular. Harvey’s wide swath of destruction arrived as rain bands lashed around and around and deluged Texas for days. The resulting floods left Houstonians reeling, and many out of their homes. In August of 2016, Baton Rouge experienced flooding rains described as “an historic, unprecedented flooding event.” St. Luke’s responded immediately and sent truckloads of flood buckets and supplies to help equip Broadmoor UMC to help with those affected by the disaster. And here we sit — almost exactly a year later, Harvey has hit and it is we who are needing help and supplies. After the rains stopped, Broadmoor loaded up trucks with supplies, along with a visit from their Pastor, Outreach Director and other folks. They encouraged us, instructed us in best practices to help the maximum amount of people. Days later, they sent more. Meanwhile, volunteers at the Blanton Building greeted and unloaded trucks from Chipley First Baptist (panhandle of Florida) and communities from Shreveport, Louisiana to Detroit, Michigan. Through it all, tireless volunteers manned

the Operations Center and distributed to all who had need. Blanton has already filled and emptied six times as St. Luke’s and The Story Houston sent out mucking teams, filled pickup trucks with donations, resupplied Christian community Service Center (CCSC) and the Gethsemane efforts as well as many sister churches in nearby communities. On Saturday, Sepember 9, an 18-wheeler arrived with donations from a coalition in Shreveport, LA organized by former St. Luke’s staff member Benny Vaughn. Shreveport also knows what it is to have their neighbors under water. So they came alongside to resource St. Luke’s who in turn shared it forward. The Story learned of a desperate need of supplies in Beaumont and Port Arthur through SETX (South East Texas) Harvey relief. Between The Story and Blanton, six pallets were loaded and sent to where the need was greatest. And teams of volunteers came to muck out flooded homes. Students, adults, friends of friends all converged at St. Luke’s to be sent out to work. One team came from New Orleans. Their memory is green and know all too well what floods do to communities. The cycle of blessing continues. 7

Recovery Mode by Shelby Olive

hen disaster strikes, the church responds, and when your church is located in the heart of some of the most diverse communities in one of the nation’s largest cities, it responds quickly. Gethsemane and their neighbors in Sharpstown and Gulfton are on higher ground, so flooding was not their main concern. But they did have another problem. Many of their congregation depends on hourly wages to make ends meet, and they couldn’t get to work. Add to that HISD shutting down for an additional week, and you see a pretty difficult financial situation. The Christian Community Service Center houses its southwest location at St. Luke’s Gethsemane Campus and already operates five days a week. Even weeks after the storm had passed, they saw a quadrupling in clientele. From food assistance to a special relief session of Summer Clubhouse for children, Gethsemane was filled to the brim with people receiving aid, giving aid and even people who needed help but also chose to volunteer.

Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” Acts 3:6 This is a verse that strikes a chord for David Horton, pastor at Gethsemane. “There are a lot of things that Gethsemane doesn’t have. We don’t have the fanciest facilities. We don’t have the best technology. We don’t have all the resources,” David said, “but what we do have is a whole bunch of volunteers through St. Luke’s. And we do have a vision of being this epicenter of resurrection for the greater Sharpstown and Gulfton neighborhoods. And we do have some incredible staff. If we have volunteers, staff, and a vision, what else do you need? On that, we can build a church. That, we offer freely.”

We talk about "Houston Strong. Well, I’ve seen Jesus strong, too.

Radical hospitality is not something that is new to Gethsemane. They are a community that knows how to maximize resources even when they’re not available. If people needed food, they could go to the church for a free lunch and free grocery items. While adults were receiving aid, the church threw an impromptu dance lesson and party for their kids. If parents needed a place to bring their kids while they went back to work, the church's Summer Clubhouse program was available. As soon as there was a need, Gethsemane was ready to put their faith to work in love. “At Gethsemane, we are ready for anything,” said Amy Kelley, Director of Family Ministries and whose daughter led the dance lesson. “Our camp framework is set up in a way that allows us 8

to go into action at a moments notice. Staff and volunteers so ready and willing to step in and be camp counselors, teachers, volunteer recruiters and more, made it happen seamlessly.”

The Gethsemane congregation takes their vision to serve and uses willing hands to carry it out—even young teens who were in detention facilities and mentored by reVsion—wanted to do something. This is the church in action. This is what the people of St. Luke’s Gethsemane do best.

“I think Gethsemane and St. Luke’s as a whole really have displayed the best of Houston since Harvey hit,” David said. “We talk about Houston Strong. Well, I’ve seen Jesus strong, too. When you’re a pastor in disaster recovery mode, you have this special place of seeing church people at their very best. If you look at the churches around Houston, you’ll see the strongest people—those who are being helped and those who are helping. And it’s been a privilege to see that.”

The Power of Fellowship by Louise McEvoy

obert and I are active members of the Fellowship Class. It is our Sunday morning home. Our class consists of families with children of all ages. We, like many other families at St. Luke's, are very involved in our children's activities and it makes non-Sunday gatherings quite a challenge at times. That is, until Harvey. As the roads dried up and the reality of the destruction set in, we all had one goal —to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Immediately. In addition, there are only so many days of cabin fever you can take when you see your neighboring communities get destroyed. The members of our class who live in Meyerland were already hard at work. It was not their first rodeo. Those of us who were not in Meyerland got together and would meet at a given address. Whoever could make it would just show up, with or without tools, eager to help... to do SOMETHING. We moved furniture, removed very wet carpet and mucked out strangers' homes. Some of us even got our kids involved. Yet the takeaway was not the physical labor; it was the emotional work that touched our hearts and will not be forgotten. The fellowship, the conversations and the laughter are what I will remember the most. The power of fellowship and camaraderie was organic and unified. We saw it all over the city, all over social media. In my own experience, we worked on one house with a small group from Second Baptist. On another day, we mucked the house of a non-believer who was referred from another church. We helped a Westbury UMC family on another day. Discrimination was nowhere in sight. Classmate Jake Decker shared that what struck him was “the vital role that leadership plays in a crisis.” From Dr. Pace on down to the crew leaders, from St. Luke's to Westbury UMC, and many other churches across Texas, these leaders continue

to work around clock to organize volunteers and supplies for all the families affected by the flood. We could not have done it without this superb organization and leadership, and we are grateful for the leaders' time and energy. The most important lesson I learned during that first week of clean up really moved me to tears. It involved going into strangers' homes and seeing firsthand the stages of grief. Classmate Greg Young talked about the emotional phases a family goes through when their home floods. Shock and denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. We witnessed them all in some form or fashion. Greg believes that one of our greatest achievements was helping families transition closer to the acceptance stage. He states, “It was truly humbling to see how appreciative the recipients were of our collective efforts. With acceptance came relief, and the realization that they were not alone. A healthy dose of relief was the thing they probably needed the most.” Classmate Kevin Labban recalls that everyone is at a different place in their faith journey but serving together as a group helped us all enrich our walk with Christ. We can “see His work being done all around us... in the faces and actions of everyone there.” I will probably never name any pet, plant, stuffed animal, or car “Harvey” after this disaster, but I will remember that this experience helped us all dig down deep and open up our souls so the Holy Spirit could get to work on the Texas Gulf Coast. All the things I mentioned in this article, it wasn't me... or my Sunday School classmates... or even Dr. Pace and the leadership.... “It” was all Him. What an honor to be the vessels that show the world what The Holy Spirit can do through us. Thanks be to God.

elpers came in many forms to rescue Texans in Harvey’s wake. In the beginning, they were Texans helping Texans, however, with the arrival of the Cajun REd Cross Navy we quickly transitioned into Americans helping Americans. We all sat in horror as we watched our friends being rescued from their rooftops by Coast Guard helicopters and wept tears of joy as we watched caravans of police cars from across the country come in to relieve our exhausted first responders. It was a different type of caravan that descended on St Luke’s UMC. Red Cross volunteers from almost every state, including Alaska, met at the Texas state line in their ERVs (Emergency Response Vehicle) to hand out water, hot meals and other supplies to Texans who had lost everything. Friday night, September 1, St. Luke’s welcomed 113 ERV drivers who had driven for days to help us. These men and women were tired, dirty and hungry when they arrived. Members of our staff and congregation met them at the door with a smile, a shower and shelter. The one ingredient missing was a warm meal, however, within minutes two members of our congregation came through the door asking how they could help. When they discovered there was not a hot meal for the Red Cross volunteers they left and quickly returned with 20 pizzas and snacks to feed our guests. It was not long before we saw Christ at work again when the stack of towels provided by the Red Cross ran out with dozens of volunteers still in need of a shower, within minutes a text came over from a member of The Story Houston asking how she could help. Before the next guest headed to the showers, cars pulled up to the Fellowship Hall dropping off stacks of towels. Tom would tell us there are no coincidences and Christ’s presence was obvious at every turn.

As the Red Cross volunteers returned from the showers, St. Luke’s volunteers offered to provide laundry service. Forty members of our congregation signed up to pick up laundry every morning and return it every afternoon. Our guests could not believe people would actually offer to do this. Members from the traditional service, Encounter and The Story Houston all volunteered to provide hot meals at both breakfast and dinner in addition to greeting our guests in the narthex of the Fellowship Hall before they left early each morning and when they returned each evening. As soon as I-10 opened up to Beaumont a significant number of our ERV drivers left to help our neighbors. On Sunday our Red Cross staff shelter was shuttered for a few hours before receiving the call we had a busload headed our way. Three young men from The Story Houston descended on the Fellowship Hall to refurnish with 100 sanitized cots. At that point, the St. Luke’s shelter transformed to accommodating more transient guests. Each evening as Red Cross volunteers landed at the airport they drove to St. Luke’s to spend the night and await their assignments. These folks ranged from shelter workers, IT professionals, operations managers, nurses and mental health care professionals, many of whom were 6 first time Red Cross volunteers. Every person who walked through the narthex door commented on St. Luke’s hospitality; the staff and congregation who worked together as the hands and feet of Christ. What a priviledge to help these helpers and thank them for coming to Houston to help serve our community.

If you’ve ever wondered about small groups, look no further than Jesus’ life and ministry, which are a ringing endorsement for them. Early in his ministry, Jesus gathered a group of people around him with whom he shared his life. Along with Jesus, the disciples learned, struggled, shared meals, prayed, and grew into apostles. The testimony below from LIFT group leader Michael Shook exemplifies how life-changing small groups can be. We hope that you will take advantage of new groups starting this fall and join in!

Being in a LIFT Group by Michael Shook 24

When I was asked to write a short statement on my experience of being in a LIFT group and studying Scripture+Shared with my group, I actually looked forward to telling the story. And then came Hurricane Harvey and the events of the last weeks have reinforced even more why small groups are so important at St. Luke’s. If you wanted the standard story, you would hear from me about theological learnings and the shaping of my own beliefs through studying and discussing the lessons with our group. You would hear from me about how, even as the “leader”, I learn more from my group than I could ever “teach” them. You would hear from me that our group has helped me grow closer to my Lord and our savior. You would also hear from me about the incredible things our group has learned together that has shaped our understanding of God and how important He is to each one of our everyday lives. But all of that would not begin to tell you why joining a LIFT group should be important to you. You see, what has been so important in our group has been the connections and relationships and the sharing of what is happening in each of our lives. Our cherished member, Boyd, lost his wife of 60 years earlier this year, and our greatest gift was to be able to be there for him. Some in our group have suffered through Hurricane Harvey and we treasure our time together, as faithful people, to heal and help one another by serving others. We keep track of one another, through the joyous births of multiple babies and one miracle baby, Julianna, born to a couple in our group who had previously lost twins years ago and were very afraid they would not have another chance. You see, we share each other’s blessings and pain, joys and sorrows and together give them to God. And now, after the hurricane, that has never been more true. Being in a LIFT group is about the Bible and our personal journeys with the Lord, but the unique reason we show up is to see God’s work and miracles in each other’s lives. To be His heart, hands and feet in other peoples’ lives, which so enriches our own lives. For me, the greatest gift I receive from our LIFT group is having a living experience of the Holy Spirit and reaching out through and with others in our LIFT group, to demonstrate God’s love to others… now who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Come and learn with us through the fall Scripture + Shared Bible study! Freedom: Life in the Spirit A study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians 8-week study will run from the week of October 1 through the week of November 19. Visit StLukesMethodist.org/bible to • Find a small group • Sign up as a Bible Buddy • Find study materials • Dowload the S+S app Do you ever get weary of “expectations?” Do you ever feel like every Sunday, you hear that God expects more and more out of you? Do you ever feel like the church just lays out more and more activities which you are expected to pursue? Does that even feel like gospel, like “good news,” to you? Paul’s letter to Galatians is focused on the freedom we have in Christ, freedom from jumping through hoops for Jesus, and on the transformation that happens inside-out when the Holy Spirit takes us over. 11