A Church with a Mission

Dear friends,

Pablo Picasso famously said, “the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” That’s not a bad paraphrase of the mission of the church. St. Luke’s exists to elevate human life, to bring us into a transformational relationship with God, and to help us see and serve Christ in all people. The Book of Common Prayer explains the Church’s purpose is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.”

As you read through this Annual Report consider not only the mission of the church, but also the role you have in this work. How are you called to help restore all people to unity with God and each other? How may you be called to help lead worship: as a lector, a chalice bearer, as a volunteer in our sound booth, or joining the Altar Guild? How may you be called to restore unity with all people in the year ahead: through our Honduras ministry, our partnership with Kramer Elementary, or by making sandwiches for Austin Street Center?

You are not called to be passive in this mission.

In this Annual Report, we will reflect on the past year; we will reflect on what St. Luke’s accomplished in 2021. We will also look to the year ahead: how we are called to worship, to study God’s word, and to serve our neighbors.

This is not only a time to gaze in the rear-view mirror, but a time to look at the road ahead. And, I invite you to remember that you – yes, you! – are a part of God’s strategic plan to advance the mission of the church. As the Book of Common Prayer explains: “The church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.”

In other words, the church carries out its mission through your ministry. Today, we are commissioning you to serve God in 2022 and beyond.

In Christ,
The Rev. Mark S. Anderson, Rector

Dear friends,

I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent this parish and serve as St. Luke’s Senior Warden (I’m also a tad grateful to be returning to my regular life!). There is so much that you – my fellow parishioners and our clergy and staff – have accomplished during my time as Senior Warden. However, I want to quickly address just five topics: our worship, our people, our outreach, our finances, and our campus.

First, our worship. As many of you know I regularly attend the 7:30 service on Sundays. It’s beautiful, quiet, and quick. However, when I attended the Christmas Eve service with my family, it was wonderful to be reminded of the quality of our music and the beauty of that service.

Second, our people. We may be tempted to think that our clergy and staff move the church forward, but as Father Mark regularly points out, the prayer book explains that “the ministers of the church are the lay people, Bishops, Priests and Deacons.” The lay people are listed first. So, thank you to the altar guild, the Plaid Door volunteers, the acolytes, the sound booth volunteers, ushers and greeters, and to every member of this church who looks for opportunities to serve.

Third, our outreach. In 2021 – even amidst a pandemic – we sent a 2,400 cubic foot container full of goods to help our partners in Honduras. We continued to support Kramer Elementary, even when volunteers couldn’t tutor students. Through this pandemic, we continued to serve in ministries that are tried and true: making sandwiches for Austin Street, bringing gifts for children through our Christmas Angel Tree, and quarterly making blessing bags for the homeless. We also found new and creative ways to bring joy to others through this pandemic such as our “Trunk or Treat” or our summer lunch ministry.

Fourth, our finances. As demonstrated by the amazingly successful capital campaign that has just come to a close, we are in a strong financial position. We are in this position because of your support and commitment. Thank you!

Fifth, our campus. I joined the Vestry three years ago. Since then, we were struck by a tornado that decimated our education building. We rebuilt it and are about to lay the foundation for a new parish hall. We have additionally made many substantive improvements around our campus: launching a community garden, building a new columbarium, and keeping our three-acre campus in good shape.

We have accomplished so much because of the faithful ministry of our clergy and staff. We have also accomplished so much because of your commitment and faithfulness. I am truly honored to have been given the opportunity to serve as your Senior Warden. While my term is over, I am not going away and will continue to play a supporting role in the construction of the new parish hall.

Thank you again!

Sincerely,
Gary Ulrich

Restoring all people to unity with God is done through worship, the study of God’s word, and service in his name to others. Dr. Susan De Kam joined the staff as organist/choirmaster immediately rebuilding the church’s choir and enhancing the musical worship experience. Traditional and contemporary services were combined into a single celebration of praise and love. And, a focused online ministry brought worship into the homes of those secluded by Covid and to those in communities near and far seeking a church home.

St. Luke’s celebrated the successful Parish Hall Capital Campaign at the Italian Dinner Gala on Sunday, October 17.

Community – getting together – has always been a core value of St. Luke’s. Despite Covid restrictions we were able to protect everyone’s safety, socially distance, and still enjoy the fellowship of being together. Among the many parish life opportunities, we met under a starry night in October, to toast our capital campaign victory with an Italian Dinner Gala of pasta, wine, and live entertainment; we celebrated the Holy Spirit at a Pentecost outdoor luncheon; we treated the kids with Halloween goodies; we greeted one another at our after-worship coffee bar in the south narthex, and we showed off our pets at the Blessing of Animals.

Outreach

St. Luke’s is involved in many Outreach ministries in which the love and compassion of Christ is spread throughout our community and literally around the world. We led a diocesan effort to fill an ocean-going container with critical supplies and medicines for our brothers and sisters in Honduras. The Plaid Door, despite the pandemic, continued to be a source of clothing, household items, and furniture for the community, the revenues from which helped fund church programs and local charities. St. Luke’s Blessing Bags, given to street-corner homeless, provide healthy food snacks and personal hygiene supplies; And, the continued support of Kramer Elementary teachers and faculty made sure they knew their value to our community.