June & July 2022 Cross Connection Newsletter
A Letter from Pastor Frye
Dear Family and Friends of St. Luke,
If you have been a participant in any kind of revival or renewal, have you sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit? I realize it is challenging, perhaps, to identify or recognize the Holy Spirit as it acts in our lives. Yet, our inability to perceive that the Holy Spirit is active doesn’t mean it isn’t so.
The Day of Pentecost is at hand (Sunday, June 5). It is the day that we remember the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus. It is the action of God that inaugurates the Church. As the flames of the Spirit dance upon us, we are given the life-force to fulfill the demands and promises of our call as fellow Christ-followers, as co-laborers with Christ in the mission of the Church.
We tend to get preoccupied with the things we see, rather than setting our hearts and minds on that which we cannot see. The way in which the Church has become encumbered with expectations of the market and models of success has been a distraction from the marrow that lies at the center of our primary purpose.
So, this annual observance and celebration of Pentecost – far from being only a birthday party for the Church – can be our time of revival, repentance, renewal, and reformation! Do not let your hearts be troubled, and neither let them be afraid!
Many of us have grown discouraged and burdened with the state of our world and the atmosphere of anxiety that permeates our days. Let’s be honest and name it! However, lift up your hearts in gratitude for all that we have received, for every gift entrusted to us. God is not finished making all things new! As a congregation, we have been blessed in many ways. I am optimistic that the congregations of St. Luke and St. Paul can work together as neighbors and partners in mission. I sense God calling us together to collaborate as a Parish to serve the people of the territory in which we live.
May God send forth upon us the promised gift of the Holy Spirit! May it revive us and drive us together to renew the face of the earth.
In Christ’s love for you,
Pastor Christopher Frye
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Worship
Sundays and Special Days in June & July
June 5, Pentecost
On Pentecost, we celebrate that we have been given an Advocate to accompany us.
June 12, The Holy Trinity
We celebrate the gracious One-in-Three, eternal Three-in-One, as we worship in community; as we share water and word, bread and wine; and as we bring God’s love and hope to our neighbors.
June 19, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
It is a dramatic declaration of “how much God has done for you.”
June 26, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
We have no good apart from God. That makes Jesus’ call to follow him an invitation to freedom.
July 3, 4th Sunday after Pentecost
God is the source of our nourishment. Jesus’ invitation to “take and eat . . . take and drink” is a repeated one.
July 10, 5th Sunday after Pentecost
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to reflect God’s mercy in responding to one’s neighbor.
July 17, 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Perhaps the church, at its best, is “all ears.” God urges the faithful, again and again, to “listen up!”—to heed the word that gives life.
July 24, 7th Sunday after Pentecost
The life of the baptized—to be rooted and built up in Christ Jesus—is to be nurtured with prayer.
July 31, 8th Sunday after Pentecost
We who have died with Christ in holy baptism have also been raised with him and are encouraged to elevate our thinking, seeking the “things that are above.”
Sunday Worship Services
- 10 a.m. every Sunday, In-person and online
- Congregational singing
- Communion with bread and common cup / indiv. glasses
- COVID restrictions are completely lifted
Wednesday Healing Services
We have a weekly service of Prayer, Healing, and Holy Communion every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer Service
Prayer & Share via Zoom meets Wednesday evenings at 5:00 p.m. Please check weekly announcements for
connection information.
Support
Parish Records
Deaths
Wayne Crisswell, April 15
Carolyn Heintzelman, April 24
Philip Yasovsky, May 8
Jean Mccullogh, May 16
Baptism
Jayden Mull, May 15
Wedding
Staci Grimes and David McCoy Saturday, May 14
Funerals Services
Wayne Criswell Thursday, April 28
Graveside in Arendtsville Wednesday, May 4
Philip Yasovsky Friday, May 13
The Rev. Howard Hinkledey Saturday, May 21
Jean McCullough Wednesday, May 25
Carolyn Heintzelman Saturday, May 28
Support Group Update
Luther Ridge AA Meetings are held on Mondays at noon in Fellowship Hall.
Pastoral visits
If you or a loved one desire a pastoral visit for any reason, please contact Pastor Frye (717-253-0322).
Also, please notify the Church office if you are hospitalized or are anticipating surgery (717-261-1213).
Card Showers
If you’d like to request a special card shower for a special someone, please reach out to the office at St. Luke!
Education
Youth
Summer Camp “Camperships” Available
Are you interested in going to summer camp? Camp
Nawakwa and Camp Kirchenwald have plenty of opportunities for children finishing Kindergarten-Grade 12. Science, sports, art, outdoors, etc.-there is something for everyone! Check out the website at lutherancamping.org for specifics. If you decide to go, ‘camperships’ (scholarships) are available from St. Luke. Let us know if you’d like to attend!
Vacation Bible School -“The Jesus Way” -Summer 2022
Mark your calendars now for VBS this summer. We will hold VBS for children in preschool – Grade 5 (2021-2022 grade level), July 25-29 from 6:30-8:30pm. More information to follow. We need volunteers to make it happen. Please let Shelly know if you can help with assistant teaching, snacks, crafts, sports, music, theater or more!
Summer Adult Faith Formation
The Hidden Hand of God-Wisdom Stories from Ruth, Daniel, and Esther
Sundays in June & July at 8:45 AM; A nine-part series taught by Charles Davies
Hesed is a Hebrew word defined as loving loyalty, faithfulness, or loving kindness. It refers to loving loyalty that goes beyond the expected to unanticipated depths. Exploring how hesed works in the books of Ruth, Daniel, and Esther, will help us to examine how God may be calling us to express hesed in our daily lives. Join us!
Contact Shelly Davies [email protected] 717-372-9579 with questions.
Outreach
Sock it to Me Sundays!
During the end of June and beginning of July, we will be collecting socks, or money for socks, to donate to 1st Lutheran as part of our partnership with them for the Back-to-School event in August. Please bring children and adult size NEW socks to drop off in the Gathering Area ‘shoe’ box, or you can donate via check made out to St. Luke with the memo ‘Socks’ and we will purchase socks.
St. Seraphim Center
As you know, each month we serve at the St. Seraphim Center in downtown Chambersburg. The center was set up many years ago by St. Mary’s Orthodox, to meet the need of the food insecure in our community. The center is open Thursdays and Saturdays, the two days a week when the Salvation Army kitchen is not open. We provide lunch for approximately 30-40 people each day in a restaurant-type setting, serving sandwiches and soups, as well as home baked treats, chips and additional goodies. We always need volunteers to help. It requires you giving up your Saturday morning from 9am-1pm. That’s all! If you can’t physically help, we’d love to have fresh homemade soups, cookies and sandwich ingredients. Speak with Shelly Davies for more information.
Pentecost Projects
Social Ministry asks you to consider supporting one or more of the following projects during Pentecost.
• Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits
• Aid to Ukrainian refugees through Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR).
• Swing Project for the Kandete Parish in Tanzania
See announcements for more details
Refugee Update & Assistance Needed
Our new Syrian refugee family is doing great adjusting to life in the US. The father has a job and is working on his driver’s license. The mother is also working towards getting her drivers license and a job. The three children are doing well in school. We have two needs that you may be able to help with. If you are interested, please contact Shelly Davies for more information.
Luther Ridge Benevolent Care
$500 of your benevolence contributions have been designated for Benevolent Care at Luther Ridge. Benevolent Care is for residents or hospice clients who through no fault of their own have outlived their financial resources or cannot afford the services they need such as medical expenses and housing.
Contact Shelly Davies [email protected] 717-372-9579 with questions.
Congregation, Council, Committees
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS April 2022
• Choir Director candidate to be interviewed May 10
• Upcoming Council breakfast with St. Paul April 30
• Giving down 5.02% from 2021
• Druis Ag Construction will do the walkway from Memorial Garden to exit door in Sanctuary at a cost of $10,479. Payment to come from the Furry Fund.
Summer Vespers in the Park
Join us for a relaxed time of worship and fellowship at Greene Township Park this summer. What a great place to invite friends and family to join us in worship. On the third Saturday of each month, June 18, July 16, and August 20th, we will meet at Pavillion #3 for evening vespers and fellowship. Our first meeting on June 18 will also be our 2nd Annual Dips for Dads event. An ice cream sundaes bar will be set up for us to enjoy following worship. Bring all the dads in your life to enjoy this special time celebrating them!
St. Luke 2022 Graduates
Sean Davies
Sean attended online school for 9th grade at NorthStar Academy and then was homeschooled at the Davies Academy for 10th-12th grade. Sean will graduate from high school in June 2022. During high school, Sean participated in extracurricular activities including figure skating, the St. Luke Outreach Committee, and Art classes. Sean plans to pursue further education and study. Sean’s interests include art, marine biology, OR nursing, and the culinary arts.
Congratulations Sean – we look forward to seeing what path God leads you on in your future!
Carson Forrester
Carson graduated in May 2022 from CASHS. While in high school, Carson has been a member of the Varsity Lacrosse Team where he does Face off and plays midfield. He is a member and co-founder of the CASHS fishing team. Carson plans to fish in the Bassmaster Opens and the Major League Fishing Toyota Series in the hopes of fishing professionally, while working at his family’s dealership. Outside of lacrosse and fishing, Carson also enjoys training and hunting with his lab TE.
Congratulations Carson – we look forward to seeing some big fish in your future!
Calendar
Visit our online calendar for the most current updates to meetings, events, and services.
Connect
2695 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17202
717-261-1213
[email protected]