A Note from Pastor Melissa-January 30, 2025

Hello, St. Lukers! How is it going with your practice of BEing? Being Guided, Being Ready, Being Loved, and Being Bold have been our invitations so far this year, and this Sunday we begin a new worship series where we will spend the next five weeks talking about what it means to BELONG. I wonder when you might have found yourself experiencing belonging? When you think across the chapters of your life, when have you felt most like you belonged? Why did you feel so included or loved? What were the characteristics of a community of belonging? On Sunday we begin exploring the United Methodist vows of belonging – prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. These five words comprise the membership, or, as we call it, Partnership, vows of the United Methodist Church. We’ll look each week at how these promises invite us to practice our faith individually, but also how they draw us together as ways of being, spiritual disciplines, and embodying what it means to be a church community. This Sunday, we begin with our commitment to prayers. While prayer is a commonly-referenced spiritual discipline and an assumed practice of Christians, I have found that for many of us, it’s still a challenge – both in how to, and how to be consistent with prayer life. I hope you’ve had the chance to listen to my friend the Rev. Dr. Brett Opalinski on this week’s podcast, where he does a great overview of what prayer is and isn’t, and some ways for you to incorporate prayer even more deeply in your regular faith walk. Also coming up in just a couple of weeks will be our Estimate of Giving campaign. On Sunday, February 9, we will be sharing some exciting updates with you from our Vision Team who has been working diligently to bring to life the goals you set in our 24 & More Vision. If you have never submitted an Estimate of Giving, more commonly referred to as a “pledge,” this will be a chance for you to look ahead at the year to come and ensure that your financial support of St. Luke’s ministries is not an afterthought, but a part of your weekly or monthly spiritual discipline. You’ll hear more about it soon, but now is the time to begin to be in prayerful consideration of what your financial stewardship will look like for 2025 so that we can go from visioning MORE in 24, and begin to THRIVE in 25! Looking forward to seeing you Sunday and sharing in prayers, praise, and worship together. Blessings, Pastor Melissa

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The Rev. Melissa Cooper Minister of Adult Formation and Leadership

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