LOVE IS THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN HERE | |
STANDING FOR JUSTICE, LIVING IN GRACE
We believe worship and justice go hand in hand.
Find your voice and your place at St. Luke’s.
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Cheering on Our Vision & Mission Team
Last week, a dedicated team of parish members met to faithfully and prayerfully reexamine and create a proposal for updating St. Luke’s Vision & Mission Statements. Their task is both exciting and demanding. It’s one that calls for deep listening to God’s Holy Spirit, to one another, and to the story of St. Luke’s itself.
Crafting new statements of vision and mission is never just a writing exercise. It’s an act of prayerful discernment, an invitation to ask ourselves questions, such as: Who are we now? What do we value? What is God calling our church to become? This is a process that takes prayer, honest conversation, courage, and a great deal of patience.
There is a difference between vision and mission. Vision statements paint a picture that points to the future God is drawing the church to live into. The Mission statement grounds us in how we live into that call each day.
This kind of work is holy and challenging work. It honors St. Luke’s remarkable past and helps us imagine how, in our changing Logan neighborhood and beyond, we can continue to embody the love, justice, and welcome of Christ for generations to come.
THANK YOU, to the members of the discernment team, Bennie Mundy, June Lendore, Audrey Thurman, and Paula Singleton. We are grateful for your leadership. You are helping us name and claim the very heart of who we are as a church, our values, and who we hope to become in the days ahead. May your conversations and leadership continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit, rooted in prayer and love for St. Luke’s, and be filled with God's abiding love and grace.
Faithfully,
John +
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Tending Our Soil (TOS) Recap
& Next Steps: Year 2025-2026
For the last two years, members from our St. Luke's family, (George Nicol, Jr, Brenda Robles, Susan McKenzie, Jacquelyn Jackson, and Audrey Thurman), have been participating in the diocesan-led program, Tending Our Tending Our Soil.
The diocese chose St. Luke's to participate with four other church families in the Diocese of Washington to take this journey together.
We are now entering our third and final year of the program, and we have collected lots of data from experts we will use to help our church to move into the future. We have asked ourselves questions on topics such as: Who are our neighbors? What is the need in the community? What is needed from our parishioners to continue to thrive and serve the community? What will be our legacy?
While the process has been challenging and sometimes felt overwhelming, we believe we have a better understanding of the steps we can take and the information and tools we need to help move us forward and make St. Luke's a community church for all.
To kick off this new season, we have been given our first task. Teams from the churches assigned to our cohort will meet together in labs and help each other take what we have learned through our work over the last two years, and apply it to our ministry. Each host church will present a case study on a real issue their church needs to address, and together, we will explore possible ways to respond to it. Our collective goal this year is to support one another in our efforts to build churches that thrive and become more vital forces for good in our respective communities.
We value your input! Contact any of the members of our Tending Our Soil team with your questions or comments.
George Nicol, Jr.
(george.nicol@gmail.com)
Brenda Robles
(malone60@hotmail.com)
Susan McKenzie (susansaunders10@yahoo.com)
Jackie Jackson
(jrjackson3337@gmail.com)
Audrey Thurman
(athurman35@gmail.com)
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PLEASE REMEMBER THESE MEMEBERS & FRIENDS OF ST. LUKE'S IN YOUR DAILY PRAYERS
It is important to keep the prayer list updated to keep it current and meaningful.
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Help us keep our prayer list up to date & relevant. Call or email the parish office (parishofficeadmin@stlukesdc.org), 202-667-4394, with any name you wish to add or remain on the prayer list. Names will be placed on the list for one month. If you are submitting a name and there is a reason you would like it to remain on the list for a longer time, please let us know.
Thank you for being a faithful, compassionate, and praying people, always centered in love.
Leon Allong, Tre’ Alexander, Kim Turner Baker, Sylvia Benoit, Loretta Berry, Harold Cupid, Hilda DeGounge, Robert Dunkley, Sr., Marguerite Ellis, Frances Garcia, Gladys Dean, Brianna Washington, Clarence Gilkes, Cyril French, William and Kimberly Hall, Audrey Hayden, Jacquelyn Jackson, Ralph Jackson, Gavin Johnson, Gwendolyn Johnson, Joan Johnson, Velma Long, Dorothy L.B. McRae, Ruth Khelseau, Elizabeth Liburd, Jean Maddox, Agnes Nicol, Mildred Pearson, Florence Pritchett, Cheng Ping, Olive Pope, Suzanne Pope, Darlene Simmons, Cheryl Strange, Evelyn Tuckson, Jean Parran, Dianne Tyrance-Neal, Marian Tyrance, Phyllis Valentine, Ruby Van Croft, and Earlene Wadsworth, Marie Washington & all who are out of work during the government shut down.
We want to be sure our homebound members remain connected with St. Luke’s ministry through regularly scheduled visits by the Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Father John. Help us stay connected to our homebound members by contacting the church office at parishofficeadmin@stlukesdc.org. or 202-667-4394.
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ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS SUNDAY
REMEMBERING, CALLING FORTH & HONORING THE ANCESTORS
Bring photos of your beloved family members and friends who have died to display in the front of the church during the worship.
Submit names of the deceased to be lifted as we light candles in their memory. Sheets for listing deceased family members and friends' names will be available in the narthex.
You may also send names to the parish office by Wednesday, October 29 parishofficeadmin@stlukesdc.org
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COFFEE HOUR Signups - Posted in the Parish Hall: Coffee Hour is an important component of our Sunday worship/community experience and for becoming the Beloved Community God intends us to be. It’s often referred to as the 8th Sacrament of the Church.”
We are grateful for those who prepare and serve the coffee hours. Thank you!
October 12: Brenda Robles
October 19: The Pearson Family - "Mildred Pearson's Birthday 10/10"
October 26: Lilian Bernard
November 2: Joylyn Pearson & Grandsons
November 16: OPEN
November 23: Debbie Jackson
November 30: Susan Hardy
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A CHRISTIAN'S CALL
TO CONTEMPLATION & ACTION
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One of the dangers of writing sermons too far in advance, is I sometimes pick up the wrong one to deliver on a Sunday morning or post the summary of the wrong one on the website. That happened in last week's newsletter. What I posted is the one I preached yesterday (October 19). I have reposted that one here again, but I have also added the one I preached last Sunday, (October 12). Sorry for the confusion!
18th Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 23C
October 12, 2025
Sermon Summary
Theme: Faithfulness in Exile — Gratitude as Healing
Key Points:
- Grace Surrounds Us: God’s grace “precedes and follows” us, meeting us before we know we need it and sustaining us when we fall.
- Living in Exile: Like the exiles in Babylon, we’re called to build, plant, and seek the welfare of the city, to keep creating and caring even in uncertain times.
- The Word Is Not Chained: Paul reminds us that while we may face hardship, God’s truth and love can’t be imprisoned. We witness through humility, endurance, and compassion.
- Gratitude Heals: In the Gospel, one healed leper returns to give thanks. Gratitude doesn’t just acknowledge healing; it completes it. Seeing life through thankfulness transforms how we experience the world.
Questions Asked:
- What does it mean to live faithfully when life feels unsettled or divided?
- How might we build hope and goodness right where we are, rather than waiting for better times?
- What if gratitude became our way of seeing—our daily prayer?
Invitation to Action:
- Plant something (literally or figuratively)!
- Seek the welfare of your neighborhood.
- Offer thanks each day, even for small mercies.
- In a world of worry and conflict, let gratitude, compassion, and steadfast faith be your healing response.
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19th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 24C
October 19, 2025
Theme: Wrestling with God, Holding On to Hope
Key Points:
- Jacob’s nighttime struggle shows that faith often deepens in seasons of wrestling and uncertainty.
- Like the persistent widow in Jesus’s parable, we’re called to pray and not lose heart, to keep showing up even when answers are slow in coming.
- Our “limps” and scars are not signs of failure but reminders of transformational places where grace has met us.
- Faith matures through perseverance, patience, and the courage to hold on to God even when we don’t understand.
Questions for Reflection:
- What are you wrestling with in your life right now? Where might God be meeting you in that struggle?
- How do you recognize God’s blessing in the wounds or “limps” you carry?
- What helps you to “pray always and not lose heart”?
Invitation to Action:
- Take time this week to sit quietly with what you are wrestling with? Bring it honestly before God.
- Practice persistence in prayer: hold one person, cause, or situation in prayer daily, trusting God’s unseen work.
- Reach out to someone who is struggling, offering your presence and encouragement. Be a reminder that they are not alone.
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JOIN US FOR ST. LUKE'S ADULT DINNER FORUM SERIES
What: Bi-Weekly Adult Dinner Forums (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
In-Person: 6:00 pm, TUESDAY, Oct 28
Online by Zoom: 6:45 pm
CLICK HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK
This month's topic: An indepth Bible Study on ST PAUL'S LETTER TO PHILEMON, led by Father Tony Lewis, Ph.D., former professor of New Testament, retired from Virginia Theological Seminary.
Where: The Parish Hall (6:00 - 8:00 PM) Online by Zoom: (6:45 - 8:00 PM)
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HELPING OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED
We are continuing to collect food and other items needed to assist a family living at The Terrell.
In accordance with Terrell’s safety policy, food items in glass are not permitted. Items must be packed in plastic, paper, boxes or cans.
Suggested items include: Rice, beans, pasta, or canned tuna or meats, canned fruit or vegetables, Easy-to-prepare foods for children (fruit cups, granola bars, etc.), GROCERY STORE GIFT-CARDS ARE WELCOME, TOO.
Every contribution, large or small, will help feed this family during a very difficult time.
Collection boxes are available in the narthex at the church entrance.
Thank you for showing the love of Christ through your generosity and compassion.
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