St. Luke's monthly Celebrates Newsletter helps St. Lukers connect to one another as we navigate life together.
We wish a very Happy Birthday to all our St. Lukers! Join us in celebrating everyone who has a birthday this month.
Happy 91st Birthday to Jaki Apetz
Jaki Apetz was born in Newport, R.I. where her father was in the Navy. Jaki's family was in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was bombed and she remembers traveling with her mother and younger brother by ship, with no lights to avoid detection, back to safety in California. She married Robert Tutas in 1953 and together they had four sons, Greg, Bryant, Kevin, and Kinn. She has two granddaughters, Courtney and Kristen. While living in South Carolina, Jaki earned a BS degree from USC Coastal Carolina and taught voice lessons there and at the SC School of the Arts. In 1980, she and her two youngest sons moved to Florida where she began a very active career in real estate. She held positions in Pompano Beach and Orlando as the sales manager of the Orange Lake Country Club. In 1988, Jaki married Henry (Hank) Apetz and shared a wonderful life until he died in 2008. Around that time she joined her youngest son in what became the family business, "Garden Views Realty and Resales DVC." She remained active in the company until her mid-eighties. Jaki became an active member of St. Luke's UMC in 2002 and was a proud member of the Sanctuary Choir for many years. Jaki celebrated her 91st birthday on September 27. Happy birthday, Jaki!
Happy 95th Birthday to Jim Arnold
Jim Arnold was born and raised in Lagrange, Georgia. He served in the Navy for several years then had a long career with Lockheed Martin (formerly Martin Marietta) starting in Marietta, Georgia, and then moving to Orlando. While working at Martin Marietta, Jim spent three years in Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands where he loved to scuba dive, and became a Chief Dive Master when off duty making over 500 dives. He has a beautiful shell collection from his time spent there. Also while working at Martin Marietta, he met and married Audrey in 1980. They both retired to Franklin, N.C., and spent many years traveling together. Jim and Audrey eventually returned to Orlando and joined St. Luke's in 2009. One of their most memorable trips came in 2018 when they had the opportunity, along with 20 other church members, to fly to Israel and walk where Jesus walked. Jim, and many others, were baptized in the Jordan River by Pastor Bill Barnes. Jim enjoys spending time in his backyard looking at the wildlife, including two deer, four sandhill cranes, raccoons, and birds. He says this is his time to get closer to the Lord. Jim celebrated his 95th birthday on September 30. Happy birthday, Jim!
Happy 70th Birthday to Connie Lefebvre!
Scenic volunteer Connie Lefebvre recently celebrated her 70th birthday with a surprise party on campus, organized by her daughter! You may have seen Connie with her welding equipment working on the Building C Welcome Hall renovation. If you haven't seen her...look up! She may be welding cross beams! We are grateful to Connie for being a dedicated member of the team. Happy birthday, Connie!
Jim Hayes turns 100!
Jim Hayes served in the Army during WW2 and earned a Bronze Star. He worked a lifetime in the food industry, specializing in the Citrus industry. Jim retired in 1996 as President and General Manager of the Winter Garden Citrus Cooperative. He and his wife, Mary, lived in Windermere, raised four children, and are blessed with 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He and Mary are enjoying their retirement in the Harbor Chase retirement community in Dr. Phillips. Happy 100th birthday, Jim!
Welcome to the family!
St. Luke's celebrated one baptism during the month of September. We promise to surround this child with love, support, and care, and look forward to seeing him grow into a faithful disciple of Jesus in the coming years.
Luca Graham Stange was baptized on September 1 during the Traditional worship service. Luca is the son of Heidi and Rob Stange and younger brother to Lila. Luca turned four years old on August 30. It was a special birthday and baptism weekend for him and the family as grandparents from South Dakota and Missouri traveled to Orlando to celebrate!
We appreciate the faithful commitment St. Lukers make to the church's ministries. Join us in celebrating everyone who has a church Partnership anniversary this month.
Thank you for Serving with Sleep in Heavenly Peace!
Thank you to the 180 volunteers who helped build 57 beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace on Saturday, September 28. Your commitment helps ensure that "No Kids Sleep on the Floor in Our Town." Thank you for making a difference and helping Restore Hope for kids in our community!
New Record for Donations! Thank YOU!
On behalf of St. Luke's Care Ministry and the OneBlood team, we want to thank all who helped make our recent blood drive a resounding success! Together, we collected 20 pints of blood (a new record for us), helping to save up to 60 lives! Thank you so much for your life-giving gift to help those in need.
Our next Blood Drive is coming up on Sunday, January 26 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and registration is open now - click here to sign up.
St. Luke's Shout Outs!
The September featured Staff Shout Out goes to our St. Luke's Membership Administrator, Shannon Harrison!
I'm so thankful for Shannon, and many others, who swung into action to save my office from the "Great Toilet Flood of 2024!" Thank you for doing your best to rescue my belongings, clean up the mess, and cheer me up. Thanks also to Tim and James for repairing the ceiling, and to Luky for cleaning the carpet, leaving my office even better than it was before. Y'all are the BEST!
