A Note from Pastor Bill

Dear Saints,

Our journey through the Mission Essentials this Sunday brings us to NURTURE.

At its root, the word nurture means to provide nourishment, support, and encouragement through the stages of growth. Our key verse, I John 4:7, reminds us that nurture is born from love.

I have been thinking this week about all the persons who nurtured me in my “stages of growth.”

• The preschool and kindergarten teachers in Greystone Presbyterian Church in Coraopolis, PA. (I was so small that I only remember their shoes and the toys on the shelves.)
• Mrs. Huntley at Sharon Presbyterian Church in Moon Twp, PA who taught us about devotional time, prayer, and the support of missionaries when I was in 6th grade.
• Fred Harrison, Director of Music at Pasadena Community Church in St. Pete, who talked to me about the ministry when I was helping him paint the choir room when I was 19.
• The Rev. Ken Jones at Trinity United Methodist Church in Atlanta, who with his wife Bette, welcomed me into their family and loved me into ministry.
• Miss Minnie Brown Finney of Haddock United Methodist Church in Haddock, GA, who always set a Sunday dinner place at her table for me when I was a student pastor there.
• Bill and Phil Kelsey, who matched me up with Kim at Christ Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL. (I was engaged to her 8 weeks later!)
• The congregation of the United Methodist Church in Chestertown, MD, who surrounded my family with love and care when my grandmother died in 1985
• The congregation of First United Methodist Church in Miami who did the same thing when my father died in 1991.
• My own St. Luke’s Saints, who in fulfillment of their vows, surrounded my family with “love and forgiveness” as my children grew to adulthood and Kim and I got our AARP cards!

This was not a hard list to make. The hard thing was deciding what to leave out. I could go on and on listing the seemingly countless ways the churches of my life have nourished, supported, and encouraged me and those I love through all the stages of life. I have no doubt you could do the same.

Taking its name from the physician who traveled with the Apostle Paul (Dr. Luke) St. Luke’s has from the beginning understood its ministry to be one of healing and hope in the name of the Savior. The mission of NURTURE is one of our identifying fingerprints in our community at large as well as within the family of faith. Join us again this weekend to stake your claim on the necessity for nurture and to be reminded again of the wonderful things we do in love.

Bill

BIG NEWS      BIG GOAL      BIG OPPORTUNITY

Many of you were here when we challenged ourselves with “50K in a DAY” to build a Habitat for Humanity home. We built momentum through our worship services for many weeks and then sought to raise the entire $50,000 in one day through special offerings at what were then 4 services. When all was said and done we had raised so much money and had received commitments for in-kind construction that we built three houses! We have a NEW and EXCITING Challenge for 2007. It is called, “7-0 in 0-7 for Water, Shade, and Healing”

On October 7th, as we conclude our “What Are We Made Of?” sermon series, St. Luke’s is celebrating in typical St. Luke’s style by thinking big. We plan to raise $70,000 in one day for three mission projects related to our mission partners. The Water Project will be in Duverge, Dominican Republic. We will be working with Rollins College to provide education and 50 water filters for 50 homes as a pilot project in bringing fresh water to our brothers and sister in the D.R. The Shade Project will provide much needed covered play space for children in Florida City, Florida (at the entrance to the Keys). The Healing Project will be a year long health clinic in Lauriston, Jamaica. This project takes the Shepherd’s Hope concept abroad as we work alongside volunteer Jamaican doctors and nurses as they staff their own free clinic.

The weeks to come in worship will bring more specific information about 70 in 07, so as always, don’t miss a week!