May 2018 St. Luke UMC Newsletter

The Monthly Newsletter of St. Luke United Methodist Church · May 2018

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St. Luke

LINE THIS MONTH

UMW MULTICULTURAL SPECIAL EVENT

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

2. Announcements 3. Wednesday Night Summer Classes 4. Coming Back to the Heart of Worship 6. An Alternate Chronology 10. St. Luke University May Update 12. Goodbye from the Bush Family 13. From the Pantry Shelf 14. Blue Barrel Sunday 14. The Ten Commandments 15. Vacation Bible School 16. Giving Matters 17. Stewardship Update 18. Stephen Ministry 20. Kroger Community Rewards Ma y2018 | 1

ANNOUNCEMENTS Hiring Youth Pastors!

St. Luke United Methodist Church is seeking persons to direct the youth ministry. The successful applicants (at least two) should have a calling to work with youth from 6th grade through 12th grade, a passion to engage youth and their families in the ministries of the church, skill in working with and building a vital Youth Leadership team, and a heart for ministry in a large church setting. We anticipate that the total number of staff hours needed will be 35-40, with the distribution of those hours among staff persons and salary determined based on giftedness and experience. If you are interested in receiving a position description or applying, please go to http://stlukeumc.org/now-hiring-youthministry-staff/ or contact Rev. Mark Girard at: mgirard@stlukeumc.org for more information.

Applications will be received until position is filled but no later than May 4. Position will start on or before July 1.

Join the Worship Production Team We are seeking a few volunteers to assist in worship at St. Luke by running the projection or sound equipment during services once per month. You will receive training and your commitment would be 3-4 hours per month. If you feel called to be part of the growing worship ministry, please email Mariann Reinke at mreinke@stlukeumc.org Calling All 2018 High School and College/University Graduates St. Luke will recognize College/University and other Higher Education Graduates on May 6 and we will recognize high school graduates on May 20. We need the following information: the graduate's name, high school or college of graduation, the graduate's plans following graduation, a photo, and whether or not you plan to attend the St. Luke Service on the date you are to be recognized. Please send these details to mwalz@stlukeumc.org no later than May 1 for college/university graduates and no later than May 15 for high school graduates. You may also sign up at the Connection Center.

Looking for Scouts!

We want to identify all the Scouts in the congregation to assist with Memorial Weekend Sunday, May 27th. Please sign up in the Connection Center or email Mariann Reinke: mreinke@stlukeumc.org.

2 | May 2018

wednesday night

SUMMER CLASSES Have you ever wished that Wednesday.comm classes were offered during the summer?

The Grow and Equip team is glad to announce that St. Luke will be offering two classes through the month of June on Wednesday nights this summer! Summer is not a time to "take a break" from learning and discipleship. Come join us as we grow deeper in our love for God and one another through study and fellowship.

LIFE TOGETHER

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Four-week Exploration of Christian Community led by Mike Powers in Room 127 God, who is always doing ‘a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19), calls the church to discern, celebrate, and participate in God’s mission afresh and anew in every time and place. The church, therefore, is called to bring the good news of the kingdom into engagement with the deep yearnings and concrete challenges of its worldly context.

But to engage today’s context with the good news requires the formation of a disciple community – the faithful body of Jesus Christ – that not only proclaims but also embodies the Good News. Life Together offers a fresh and faithful vision for the life of discipleship in community. A key question for this study is “What would this vision and practice of Christian discipleship in community look like here if we took seriously the call of the Gospel in our context today?”

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN A Four-week Exploration of John’s account of Jesus’ life led by Jim Eastburn in Room 128 John’s Gospel invites us to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God in order that we might have eternal life in him. John does this by showing us the many signs and wonders that Jesus performs, as well as giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the final hours of Jesus’ life and time with his disciples.

Join Jim Eastburn’s class on a four-week journey as we walk together through chapters 1, 13-17 and 21 of the Gospel of John, to help us understand the message the Messiah.

Both classes will be held for four weeks on Wednesday nights from June 6 through 27 at 6:00 p.m.

May 2018 | 3

Coming back to

by Amanda Draughn

W

4 | May 2018

hen I walked into one of my first Chapel services at Asbury Theological Seminary, I admit I was a little disappointed to see the organ out. I had never liked the traditional style of worship music; it just didn’t speak to me the way that a more contemporary style could. I fought the urge to walk out and come back on another day when Asbury would be doing a contemporary style service, and I am glad that I stayed. In my opinion, before coming to Asbury, hymns were dull and lifeless. I found the exact opposite at Asbury. In fact, there have been numerous times when the community has suddenly burst out in thunderous applause and

cheers in the middle of a hymn, something that I didn’t think could happen. I have seen the love and appreciation for the hymns that the community has and how engaging and wonderful they can be. God has been working to renew my understanding of worship to the point where I now welcome the change in worship style the organ brings.

Worship is an encounter with God that celebrates the relationship between us and God. It is not about the style of music, the feeling that we get from being there, or something that we do just because it is what we’re supposed to do. It is a celebration of the presence of the Living God among us and in us.

To me, it’s like spending a day with

a good friend or a loved one. You may not be particularly interested in what you are doing, but you are doing it with the person you love because they love it, and that makes it all worthwhile. You learn to see the world through their eyes and just enjoy being with them.

That is what true worship is to me: learning to see the world with God’s eyes, and enjoying being in His presence.

We best experience worship in full when we worship in community.

Someone else may see some insight that I have not seen, and vice versa. We are all a part of the body of Christ, but all do not have the same abilities and gifts (1 Corinthians 12 NIV ). We need to help others see the things they cannot just as they will help us see the things we cannot, so that we can all start to see the full picture of a God who is beyond all human thought and words.

We worship God for who He is by worshipping Him in ways that are true to who we are, no matter what others might think about it. We are reminded of this in the story of King David celebrating in the streets for bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6. Michal despises David for how he had worshipped, but David replies: “It was before the Lord, who chose me, rather than

your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:2122 NIV). David freely worshipped God in a way that made sense to him. It didn’t matter that Michal was not happy about it because David’s worship wasn’t for Michal.

In worship, we should be free to express our love of God to God in whatever ways make sense to us.

Worship should be at the very heart of all that we do. Hebrews 13:15 says “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (NIV). Worship isn’t something that stops once the service is concluded and everyone goes about the rest of their day. Worship is simply living a life that glorifies God in any and every situation in which we find ourselves.

“Because God is the subject who acts upon me in worship, my participation is not reduced to verbal responses or to singing, but it is living in the pattern of the one who is revealed in worship.”

Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming

and Enacting God's Narrative by Robert E. Webber

May 2018 | 5

AN ALTERNATIVE CHRONOLOGY Waiting and Learning in Liturgical Time

by Mark D. Walz, Jr.

O

ur world is so impatient.

If you are like me, you may find yourself always rushing to the next thing. Waiting for anything is no fun! It’s boring and even annoying.

I walk fast most of the time because I cannot stand wasting time on my way to a destination (even if it is my office) because I know exactly all of the things that need to be accomplished. I am easily angered when sitting in traffic because it’s boring and I am unhappy with the way things are.

It’s frustrating! I just want to get 6 | May 2018

on with it. I mean, who likes sitting in traffic? I become uncentered in traffic because I realize that I cannot control time, not even what I think is my own time. When a difficult or unsettling situation arises, or I encounter some evil in the world, I want Jesus to come soon. I say, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

The church is not so impatient.

As Christians, we are called to live in an alternative chronology.

In the church, time has shape and it has meaning. We follow a liturgical calendar, a calendar that outlines our schedule of worship, rest, and celebration. Our church calendar does not and should not always align with the calendar

of the world.

We see the impatience of our culture so easily in our superstores and shopping malls. The Halloween stuff is up in the summer, the Christmas stuff is up before Thanksgiving, The Valentine’s Day stuff is out before Christmas, and the Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs are out before Ash Wednesday! By contrast, in Christian liturgical time, we delight in waiting.

James K. A. Smith says that “the liturgical calendar is a great rhythm that resists the Hallmark calendar of the mall". He goes on to say, “the distinct marking of time that is integral to historic Christian worship establishes a sense that the church is a ‘peculiar people,’ and the liturgical calendar already constitutes a formative matrix that functions as a counter-formation to the incessant 24/7-ness of our frenetic commercial culture” (Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview,

and Cultural Formation).

The Christian calendar is the counter-cultural response of “the The Christian year refers to Advent, holy catholic [universal] church” Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, to the world’s meaningless cyclical and Pentecost. This allows us as a calendar of the mundane, the church to live our calendar by using materialistic, chaos, and death.

Jesus as metronome. The season Christians all throughout time and of Advent, just before Christmas, all throughout the world observe which is marked by the royal colors this liturgical calendar. The basic of purple to signify the coming structure of the church year was the birth of supernatural royalty, is the creation of the ancient churches beginning of the church year and in the varied cultures surrounding begins our year by marking time the Mediterranean Sea that were with the birth of Christ. His birth embraced in the Roman Empire. is the renewal of all things.

“The church calendar aims at nothing less than to change the

CHRIST THE KING

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY

way we experience time and perceive reality” (Mark Galli, Beyond Smells and Bells). We find meaning in each Christian season as a way to find deeper meaning in the “holidays” and to see past the secularism or philosophy of the world, to satisfy our hunger and thirst for God. In the church calendar, we seek to find rest, a time for feasting, a time for joy, a time for meaning, a time for mourning and grief, a time for waiting, and a time for the celebration of life. At St. Luke, we celebrate monthly the death and resurrection of Christ

ADVENT CHRISTMAS EPIPHANY

LENT PENTECOST EASTER

HOLY WEEK

ascension, and then the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.”

through an act of a holy feast called Holy Communion.

In her book, Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Warren writes: “In the church calendar, we learn the rhythm of life through narrative.

Every week we reenact God’s creative work and rest. Every year we retell the story of Jesus. Advent, Christmas, Epiphany: the story of God’s people longing for Messiah, Christ’s birth, and then, slowly, his revelation as a King to all the world. Lent, Easter, Pentecost: the story of Christ’s temptation, life in a fallen world, suffering, death, resurrection, and

8 | May 2018

There are six distinct periods of Christian observances in the United Methodist Church. Each one of these seasons focuses on a different aspect of Christian tradition. Most of these seasons do not occur on the same date each year, rather they are determined by the dates of the two biggest celebrations of the Christian calendar: Christmas and Easter.

Advent is the four Sundays preceding Christmas, focusing on the coming King and the virtues He brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. The Christmas season includes twelve days of Christmas (“five golden riiiiiings!”) that begin on Christmas Day, December 25, and run through Epiphany on January 6. The season of “ordinary time” (a season of waiting) begins immediately after on January 7.

Ordinary time lasts until we mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday, which is always 40 days (not including Sundays) before Easter. The dates of Ash Wednesday and Easter are always changing, year to year. That is because Easter

has been defined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21. The Easter season is always fifty days long and lasts until the day of Pentecost (the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit).

The Season After Pentecost begins immediately after Pentecost Sunday and continues until the beginning of Advent. This season, again, is known as Ordinary Time.

As for the colors, the colors of each season have meaning and can be seen Sunday in our visual graphics but particularly in the Sanctuary upon the altar with the altar cloths. Each color has a different meaning corresponding to the church’s liturgical calendar.

Purple, representing both royalty and penitence, is traditionally used

during Advent and Lent. Blue symbolizes hope and may also be used during Advent. White and gold are used at Christmas and Easter to symbolize joy and festivities. Red symbolizes fire to represent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and times when the work of the Holy Spirit is emphasized. During Holy Week (on Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday) it represents the blood of Christ. Red is also used for church celebrations and for All Saints Day. On Good Friday, the altar is stripped and no colors or cloths at all are used. Green represents growth and is used during Ordinary Time, the season after Epiphany and the season after Pentecost, (The United Methodist Book of Worship, 1992).

The purpose of the liturgical Christian calendar is powerful. It

aims to produce a habit of waiting and patience in us that is so infused with the gospel that our hearts, minds, desires, wills and bodies long more and more for the coming of the Kingdom of God. We are a people that live by a different timeline, a different story, than the world does. This is God’s timeline.

The one in which He redeems all things: our lives, our years, our months, our weeks, our days, even our seemingly wasted minutes. For as the Scripture tells us, “but if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it with patience...And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:25,28) Time is a gift from God, a means of worship.

Let us allow the church and the colors of liturgical calendar to remind us that time is not something that we can control, time is not ours. Let us

be reminded that our time and our waiting revolves around God and what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do.

Practice waiting, of being in the in-between, practice the holy cycle of expectation, hoping, and celebration. Live in and live out the alternative chronology. Practice patience when you are stuck in traffic or in boring, frustrating, or suffering situations that you cannot control. “Because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

Preparation & Penitence

Sacrifice & Holy Spirit

Anticipation

Hope, Life, & Growth

Joy & Festivities

Used during Advent and Lent

Used on the day of Pentecost and during Holy Week. Also used for ordinations, church anniversaries and civil observances such as Memorial Day and Thanksgiving.

Used on the third Sunday in Advent

Used throughout Ordinary Time

Used during Easter and Christmas

May 2018 | 9

MAY UPDATE!

by Jonathan Berry

H

ello, my name is Jonathan Berry and I am involved in St. Luke's college aged ministry, St. Luke University. St. Luke University has played a pivotal role in shaping my walk in faith with the Lord over the last two years.

It has been a blessing to be part of the group, and I have seen both myself and others grow in their faith. College can be a stressful time, and St. Luke University has 10 | May 2018

given me a place where I can come and worship the Lord and talk about the struggles and successes I have as a college student.

St. Luke University meets every Monday evening at 7:00 PM. For about two hours, we spend time in worship through music and praise, a devotional, communion, and in a covenant group. A cool part of St. Luke University is when we go through glory sightings.

This is when we see Jesus Christ working through our lives. It's

really cool to see all the amazing things happening in everyone's lives and we write down all the glory sightings on a whiteboard.

Usually, it covers up the entire board, so Jesus is definitely at work in our group. Praise be to God! Another awesome part of St. Luke University is covenant. Each year, we create a covenant for the group. This includes us being considerate and listening to each member of the group when they talk. In a smaller group of 3 to 4 students, we share about our daily

walk with the Lord. We do this through asking if we have been in the means of grace, if we are struggling with anything from the past week, and if there are other ways to pray for us. We keep accountability and confidentiality at the focus of these conversations.

The theme for this semester is to keep Jesus Christ at the Center.

This means to keep Jesus at the forefront of our lives always, no matter what we are doing. We do this when we attend classes, study, work, stay in community, and when we hang out. Another great aspect we have done this semester is having multiple people lead the weekly devotional. We have been using the book "Campus Gods"

for our talks this spring. It's really encouraging to see not only upperclassmen but even freshmen take the initiative to lead.

Besides spending time together on Monday evenings, we also find time to be together in both service and community. Last fall, the group had the opportunity to help an elderly lady in the church with yard work outside as well as help clean up a park. This spring, the group got to make dinner for the youth group, SLUMY. We also had the opportunity to interact with the high school students, sharing from our college experience and offering advice about college. Through community, we spend a lot of

time getting food and eating out together. That has been beneficial for the group because we can hang out and enjoy a nice meal together.

We went on the first college retreat at the Red River Gorge last fall. St. Luke University continues to grow and we look forward to find ways to serve the church through a Christ-centered way.

May 2018 | 11

Goodbye from the Bush Family from Stephanie Bush

W

e must say goodbye to Kentucky and to St. Luke. It is bitter-sweet.

This time six years ago we moved from Maine to Kentucky and were looking for a church and a place to call home forever. After Austin met youth pastor Jeremy Arnold and was excited about the youth group, we knew St. Luke was to be our church home.

Stephanie,Austin, (left to right)

St. Luke has embraced our family in so many ways there are too many to list.

For our family, this has always been a and Greg Bush greater challenge with Austin’s Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. I want to thank everyone for accepting him with open arms and always being there for him. He has made more friends here than anywhere.

They really aren’t just friends, they have become family! It is so hard for us to leave. I hope they will be friends for life.

As for me, it has been a great joy gaining a church family that I love. I have enjoyed volunteering in different ways – Kids Café, Wednesday.comm, the 40th Anniversary Committee, SLUMY, Pumpkin Patch, etc. Most of all I have gained many life-long friends.

l l i w e W you! miss 12 | May 2018

Greg has truly enjoyed St. Luke and being part of the choir. Even though he has had to travel most of the time, he still calls St. Luke home. His job is taking us to San Antonio, Texas where he will open another new call center for a company called Tackus. It will be nice to finally have him home more and just to spend more time as a family.

To all the family at St. Luke, your kindness has made such a difference in our lives! We are truly the lucky ones!

May 6 will be our last Sunday. We would love to say good-bye to everyone! We will love and miss you all! God Bless!

From the Pantry Shelf

by Karen Hinkle

to receive and distribute baby food and formula to eligible clients.

These items by regulation cannot be distributed after their expiration date. Thus, they must be checked carefully when received, and there must be sufficient turnover of the inventory to ensure freshness.

T

he pantry has had several exciting changes during the past few months. We continue to receive refrigerated Little Caesar pizzas on Tuesdays and Fridays. Thanks to a grant obtained by God’s Pantry, we now also receive gallon jugs of milk one day each week.

On Good Friday, St. Luke received two large commercial refrigerators which give us the capacity to hold eggs, milk, pizzas and produce items. The move to

the commercial style appliances had been recommended by the Feeding America group for all the pantry sites to ensure appropriate

safe handling of foods requiring refrigeration. These replaced two home style refrigerators and required some creative rearranging of our limited space. The double door units provide much needed additional storage capacity.

During March, St. Luke’s pantry was designated by God’s Pantry to be the only site in Fayette County

Stop by to see our new appliances and to see work in process.

Between 9:30 and noon, Monday through Friday, a crew of volunteers are busy stocking the day’s delivery. Another team of 3-4 volunteers work between 12:30 and 3 p.m. serving clients. New volunteers are always needed either to fill an open regular slot or as substitutes. At this time we have openings for regular volunteers to serve clients on Monday afternoons and also on Friday afternoons. Interested? Contact our Volunteer Scheduler Kathy Gendreau at katgen452@twc.com or for general information about the pantry contact Karen Hinkle at kphinkle@twc.com.

May 2018 | 13

BLUE BARREL

SUNDAY

I

n March, St. Luke’s congregation provided 1200 lbs of food to fill in gaps in our supplies. General food contributions to the pantry slow after the holidays and follow no special pattern. We have been inundated with black beans, mac n cheese and green beans, but foods missing have included pastas, tomato products, soups and fruit. You have helped in April by bringing pastas and tomato products.

For May, we are asking for canned fruits of all types. Take your pick of peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail, or applesauce.

The Ten Commandments from the Back Side The KeenAgers Sunday School Class will be starting a new, ten-week study on May 20. We welcome you to come and be a part of a thriving and exciting class. Wendell Barnett will be leading our study of the Ten Commandments from the book The Ten Commandments from the Back Side, by Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas. This is a different look at what God’s laws mean. We meet in the Trinity Room at 9:45 a.m.

Come and see that God is good!

“While the Ten Commandments are known 14 | May 2018

throughout the world, it's not often that we are offered a fresh take on them. Popular and beloved author J. Ellsworth Kalas approaches the Ten Commandments through the "back side"–through a unique starting point, a creative retelling, a new "lens," or the eyes of a minor character.

Kalas explores how these "prohibitive" laws actually are our dear friends, intended to make life richer and more fulfilling. He uses contemporary illustrations and personal experience to show how these timeless laws give us an appetite for divine excellence.”

Register by May 31 for a chance to win a

$25 Starbucks gift card!

Register today at stlukeumc.org/VBS!

“Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20 Families will explore God’s word through stories, games, crafts, science, & songs!

June 19-21, 6-8:00 pm Dinner Included!

(Optional Gym Time from 8-8:30)

In addition to parents bringing their children, we would love for the grandparents to bring their grandchildren to our family VBS! Make some wonderful memories that will be cherished for years and come with your grandkids! Register today at stlukeumc.org/VBS May 2018 | 15

Giving MATTERS

Dear Church Family, I want to share an update with you, and I also want to encourage you to consider something. You have probably heard Pastor Mark share recently that our church’s finances are under a strain right now, primarily due to the pressure of carrying the full weight of our mortgage payments on the Life Center. The mortgage payments are, of course, not unexpected; in fact, we have been building mortgage payments into our Ministry and Vision budget over the last several years, as was the plan that the congregation approved before the Life Center was built.

I want you to know that while we always strive to be the best stewards possible of the contributions made to the church, we are now in a stage where we are doing everything we can to try and cut expenditures, and there is no area that’s not involved.

We will do everything we can as we seek to continue to focus our 16 | May 2018

ministries and impact on bringing Jesus Christ into every life.

Here’s what I want to encourage you to consider. I ran some quick numbers last week, and I learned that if every person who is here on Sunday mornings increases their giving by just $5.00 a week, our contributions will increase by $92,000. $92,000! That was amazing to me. $92,000 more per year would more than meet our needs! Now, I know that $5.00 per week is a lot of money to some, and I don’t want to minimize that. But overall, as a congregation, it seems like this should be manageable.

While for some $5.00 is a lot, for others, it less than they spend on extras every day. Regardless of our financial situations, though, if every person who calls St. Luke their church home takes even a small step forward in their contributions, we would have no shortfall at all!

I ask that you prayerfully consider these things. God does not ask that any one of us or even a small group of us carry this load. Our call, as a part of the body of Christ, together, is that we each do our part, even if that part is a just a baby step forward.

There are many ways to give at St. Luke: • Your check or cash placed in the offering plate on Sunday mornings or dropped off during

the week, or your check mailed to the church.

• Online at www.stlukeumc.org (click “Give Online”).

• Through stock donations.

This is an easy way to make contributions, and like all contributions to the church, they are 100% tax deductible.

• Through foundations. This can be a good way to contribute for some people who have received sizeable funds through sale of a property, an inheritance, etc. Funds are placed with a charitable foundation, and then they are dispersed at your timing and direction.

• Through IRA distributions (for persons 70.5 years or older).

Have questions? Want to talk about any of these things? I’d love to sit down with you! Please know that I pray for each of us and for St. Luke during this time and always.

In Christ,

Associate Pastor & Director of Ministry and Stewardship

The information is a summary of our 2018 finances through March. Many thanks for your faithfulness and for the many ways you impact our church and the world for Jesus Christ.

May we continue to be good stewards of God’s gifts!

MARCH 2018

Budget needs

$116,043.20

Total income* Expenses

Expenses-to-Income difference

$95,965.48 $103,834.38 ($7,868.90)

Alms contributions for March 2018 Balloon Fund contributions for 2018 Total Balloon Fund contributions to date

$4,396.00 $28,387.54 $262,387.45

Life Center mortgage balance (as of 3-31-18)

$2,285,520.12

*Total income includes contributions, building use fees, and Kroger card receipts.

Questions? Please contact Nora Conner, Associate Pastor/Director of Ministry and Stewardship

May 2018 | 17

and theological depth. Topics covered include caring ministry, assertive relating, spiritual gifts discovery, grief support, spiritual growth, and more.

Stephen Ministry is a one-toone lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the

by Karen Hinkle Stephen Series system. A Stephen “A Stephen Ministry Congregation.” Ministry congregation equips and This line appears below the St. Luke empowers lay caregivers—called logo on our weekly bulletin. Do you Stephen Ministers—to provide know what that means and why it high-quality, confidential, Christmight matter to you? centered care to people who are hurting. The Care Receivers may be That simple description indicates struggling through a difficult time that St. Luke has joined with such as experiencing grief, divorce, thousands of congregations enrolled job loss, chronic or terminal illness in the Stephen Series. Founded in or other life crisis.

1975 as a not-for-profit Christian education organization, Stephen Stephen Ministry is designed to Ministries produces training and multiply blessings throughout resources known for excellence, the church and community. practicality, psychological integrity, Certainly congregations have 18 | May 2018

always cared for their members and others. Having a Stephen Ministry program enriches and builds on that aspect of ministry. A congregation makes a commitment to use a practical and powerful means to respond to Christ’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” ( John 15:12 RSV ). That is, they commit to being “A Stephen Ministry Congregation.” As a result, pastors have a team of trained and committed lay caregivers ready to minister to hurting people.

This means that lay persons can nurture and use their gifts in meaningful ministry and grow spiritually as they serve others.

Most importantly people who are hurting have a compassionate companion—a caring Christian friend who provides emotional and spiritual support in a shelter of confidentiality.

A Stephen Ministry program is led by Stephen Leaders who have completed a Leader’s Training Course. Stephen Leaders then train lay persons as Stephen Ministers who are given tools to improve their ability to relate to and care for others, to grow in faith, and to journey through life crises. These caring relationships function under firm guidelines to protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister: • The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.

• Men are matched with men; women with women.

• When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource.

One can find Stephen Ministry in congregations from more than 170 Christian denominations, across the U.S. and Canada and in 29 other countries. Stephen Ministry is built to last—going strong for over 20 or even 30 years in hundreds of congregations.

St. Luke’s Stephen Ministry has been in place since 2001. That is 17 years! During this time 60 individuals have completed Stephen

Ministry training. The initial commitment is for two years. Some completed a caring assignment and then decided to "retire.” Others have accepted multiple caregiving assignments and have been part of the program for years. There are currently 14 individuals who are active Stephen Ministers.

Many who completed the training have noted that the training and their experience as Care Givers prepared them to be better listeners and more caring in a helpful way in their personal relationships.

Some of those who currently serve have grown spiritually and personally. Their comments: “I love being a Stephen Minister.

When I listen with my heart to those situations that burden my Care Receiver, I know that God has heard as well. When I pray for those concerns, I feel most like the hands and heart of Jesus. “ “ I became part of SM after interacting with several people who were hurting emotionally as well as physically.

The training helped me to be more considerate, loving, and wanting to help those in need more than I had before. I really see the need for others to become a Stephen Minister Care Giver to encourage and to listen wholeheartedly to someone who needs a Christian listening ear.”

“ It is good to be part of a "small group" of like-minded individuals who care for and pray for the needs of each other, as well as those of our Care Receivers.”

“Stephen Ministry provides tremendous opportunity to give, as well as to be blessed by our Care Receivers. I'm not a member of St. Luke's congregation, but have participated as part of the St. Luke Stephen Ministry program.

During this time, and with my church (another United Methodist congregation), I've seen many instances where Stephen Ministry might greatly help members of my church and would better support the stressed/overworked pastoral staff there. For example, we had a younger man who struggled with substance abuse, jail time, and accountability issues; a friend who recently received a kidney transplant after many months of dialysis treatments; another friend's husband unexpectedly passed away last fall; and a mother diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing extensive treatments. These are just a few of the instances where a Stephen Minister would be helpful.”

In a future article we will explore the impact of Stephen Ministry from the perspective of those on the receiving side of the program.

May 2018 | 19

St. Luke has Earned $18,600 of FREE MONEY from Kroger!

Since joining the Kroger Community Rewards program in 2014, we have received quarterly checks totaling $18,607.73! Simply by shopping at Kroger and swiping your Plus Card, you will help us earn even more for the ministries of the church!

If you are already a participant, THANK YOU! If you are not yet participating, please join us.

It’s so easy to sign up!

You will need a Kroger Plus card. If you do not have one, simply ask for one at a Kroger near you, then follow the steps on the right!

HOW TO SIGN UP

1. Go to www.kroger.com and create an account.

2. (If you already have a Kroger.com account, sign in.)

3. After you create your account and sign in, click on “community,” and select “community rewards.”

4. Select St. Luke UMC (organization number 12106).

5. Questions? Email Dawn Brodersen at dawnbrodersen@gmail.com or call 859-361-4461.

If you have trouble with the process or need someone to do it for you, forms are available to fill out in the church Connection and Welcome Centers. Simply fill out the form on the back and return it to the church office. Please note: ALL blanks must be filled in – no exceptions. The computer will not create the account without all the information.

This newsletter is also available online in full color at stlukeumc.org/newsletter.

2351 Alumni Dr., Lexington, KY 40517 · 859-269-4687

20 | May 2018

Worship Schedule: Sanctuary: 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m.

God’s Backyard (K - 5th grade): 11:00 a.m.

Swahili Worship: 12:30 p.m.

Multicultural Worship: 3:00 p.m.

Child care available at all services.