Pentecost II Cross Connection
Dear Family and Friends of St. Luke,
As you will have heard during the announcements at the beginning of worship a few weeks ago, my family has some news to share. I shared the basics, but here is what our future holds, in more detail, as we know it.
We have made the tough decision to move to Canada and will be leaving St. Luke sometime in the next few months. We feel this is the right decision for many reasons.
· Charles’ dad is aging and is needing more consistent help. He will be moving in with us.
· The opportunities for employment, housing, and health care, are great.
· We’ve lived in my home country, but never in Charles’ and have spoken about the possibility for years.
· Our one child already lives in Canada and the other is excited at the possibilities.
· I’ve wanted to live near water again ever since we left Mercy Ships, so we are making that a priority this time around!
I say ‘tough decision’ for two reasons: there are two things I will miss the most about Chambersburg. One is my parents and the other is St. Luke. The family that is St. Luke has been one of the best communities I’ve ever been a part of. You welcomed us straight into the church family, which was soon followed by the opportunity of employment which I’ve been so grateful for. The ministry St. Luke does in this community and world-wide is inspiring. I pray that it will continue to grow.
At this time we don’t have an exact move date, but are working on getting all the pieces together to make it happen in the next few months. The plan at this point is for Charles to go up to Prince Edward Island (north of Maine) in September to go to a few job interviews, talk to a realtor, and familiarize himself with the province. I will remain here and work on packing, getting the house on the market, and continuing to work. If all goes as planned we hope to move and be reunited by late fall sometime.
We are so grateful to have been a part of this community and plan to stay in touch! Feel free to ask questions if you have them. We are happy to continue to share our lives with you.
In His love,
Shelly (& Charles, Sean, & Luke) Davies
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Worship
Sundays and Special Days
¨ August 3 *8th Sunday after Pentecost: Today’s texts offer instruction and encouragement for all who are occasionally overwhelmed by the “unhappy business” of life.
¨ August 10 *9th Sunday after Pentecost: Jesus says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
¨ August 16 *Vespers in the Park; Greene Township pavilion #3 @ 6pm
¨ August 17 *10th Sunday after Pentecost: The word of God is a refining fire.
¨ August 24 *11th Sunday after Pentecost: Remember the sabbath day.
¨ August 31 *12th Sunday after Pentecost: Invited and inviting—that is the nature of the church.
¨ September 7 *13th Sunday after Pentecost: Called to contemplate the cost of discipleship, we might be helped by translating Paul’s request to Philemon into our prayer of the day: Refresh my heart in Christ.
¨ September 14 *14th Sunday after Pentecost: The grumbling of the religious leaders in today’s gospel is actually our holy hope: This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them.
¨ September 21 *15th Sunday after Pentecost: As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recognize that we are bought with a price.
¨ September 28 *16th Sunday after Pentecost: Consideration of and care for those in need (especially those “at our gate,” visible to us, of whom we are aware) is an essential component of good stewardship.
Weekly Worship & Study Opportunities
Sunday
8:45 a.m. Faith Formation classes (on hiatus for the summer)
10 a.m. In-person and online worship
Tuesday
1 p.m. (1st Tuesday) @ Luther Ridge; worship
Wednesday
11 a.m. In-person worship
7 p.m. Zoom Prayer & Share online
Thursday
1p.m. (3rd Thursday) @Menno Haven; worship
Stewardship Report
Thank you! We are grateful for your generous giving to support St. Luke’s ministries & mission. Your contributions continue to grow our community.
| May 2025 | YTD 2025 | |
| Total Income | $40,823.77 | $165,832.11 |
| Total Expenditures | $39,551.04 | $145,370.37 |
| Net Income | +$1,272.73 | +$20,461.74 |
Ministry Spotlight
During the months of June & July, your offerings have gone beyond the church walls to support ministries and organizations including: Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran World Relief, World Hunger, St. Seraphim Center, our local PowerPacks program, LWR-School Kits, WIN Ministries, Little Daisy’s Closet, & the St. Paul Sharing Box. Thank you for affecting the lives of so many this month!
New Bishops
The LSS has elected Rev. Steve Herr who will be installed as the new bishop in October. The ELCA also had an election this year as well. Rev. Yehiel Curry of Chicago was elected as the bishop for the next 6 years for the ELCA. Find out more about each of them here.
Steve Herr –https://www.lss-elca.org/lower-susquehanna-synod-2025-bishops-election/
Yehiel Curry—https://www.elca.org/news-and-events/yehiel-curry-elected-presiding-bishop-of-the-elca
Get to Know Your Neighbors’ Luncheon
On Wednesday, July 30, the neighbors luncheon was held at St. Luke. It was attended by close to 50 people and a great time was had at our garden party-themed event. Thank you to all who attended and help make the event successful!
Education
Faith Formation
Get ready for the fall line up for Faith Formation classes! Join us for our Kick-Off (all ages) in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, September 7 at 8:45am followed by classes for adults and classes for children.
UPCOMING Adult Faith formation
Classes
Martin Luther—the Educator
We usually think of Martin Luther as a church reformer, a pastor, a theologian, but not as an important educator. We will learn about his contributions to the field of education (not just the small catechism) as well as his concrete methods of implementing his educational goals.
THE NAME of God
We invite you to consider ‘THE NAME’ of God as revealed to Moses and perhaps some other words the early Hebrews used to describe God and how that may or may not influence the way(s) you personally think of God today.
Hagerstown Baseball
Sign up by August 15 to join us for an evening of baseball and fellowship at the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Meet at the church parking lot on Saturday, August 30 at 4pm. We will carpool down to the stadium. Cost is $10-16, depending on the number who sign up. Please sign up on the bulletin board at St. Luke or by contacting Shelly.
Outreach
Pentecost Projects
Our two Pentecost projects for the 2025 season of Pentecost will be for WIN Victim Services (formerly Women in Need) and school kits for Lutheran World Relief. See the insert for all the details or pick up a information sheet in the Gathering Area at St. Luke!
Kandete Parish in Tanzania
Shelly returned from the synod trip to the Konde Diocese in Tanzania just over 1-month ago. Her time with the Kandete Parish was short, but very productive.
She learned about this congregation—the people, the support opportunities they participate in, and discussed how we can better communicate into the future. Each month, St. Luke will communicate with the Kandete Parish via What’s App? And share something about the congregation—a prayer request, photos of an event, local news, etc. Kandete Parish will do the same and we will continue to grow our partnership. If you have any ideas of a short paragraph and photos of something to share with them, please let the Social Ministry committee know.
Council Highlights
June/July 2025
-Walk-Fahnestock Scholarships were awarded to Luke Davies and Ella Jones.
– Church Wide Assembly – July 28-Aug 2
– It was reported, Whitney Waters should get a 3% raise.
– No Council meeting in August – next meeting September 15, 2025.
A Note from James
St. Luke Choir is Coming Back this Fall!
It has been quite the summer for us all, St. Luke. I went to California to see my college friend and oldest friend from childhood for two weeks, and then I came home and jumped in the car to visit new England for a week. In Vermont, I had the pleasure of rehearsing with my longtime pianist, collaborator, and friend while working on some songs by my composer friend, David Amram, who is 94! We will premiere a new work he has written for us on my September recital in NYC. I was then able to see my 83-year-old voice teacher up in Marlboro, VT, swing through MA and see my dancer friend from Juilliard, and finally come home to host my best friend Roberta from the Chicagoland area. …quite a summer!
Looking back, I am grateful to recognize the presence of God in all of it. The only thing I planned was the trip to California, and even that was surprising. The bonuses were that I got to hear the Verdi Requiem in San Francisco, Rigoletto in LA, and take a lesson in Palm Springs. All of these things I didn’t/couldn’t have planned or afforded, and yet they were there for me when I didn’t even know that I needed them. To see all my best friends, my soul mates who have known me throughout the course of my many lives, and my parents’ lives, was a cathartic, blessed sojourn and gift. To see my mother and father as reflected in their eyes and remembrances has been beautiful, moving, and healing. Ever present in the time of need, God is always.
And as the end of summer begins to appear, we welcome the fall and the beginning of a new school year AND…the return of choir to our corporate worship! CALLING ALL CHORISTERS, old and new! Choir will begin on Wednesday, September 3 at 6:30 in the chapel. Please join us, as all levels of experience or inexperience are welcome. We have a good time of fellowship, fun, and raising our voices to the glory and honor of Creation.
Faithfully Yours,
James Martin
2025 Pentecost Projects
This year two opportunities to make a difference are being lifted up to you during this Pentecost season and for ‘God’s Work. Our Hands.’ Sunday. The first project is for WIN Victim Services in our local community. The second is to assemble School Kits for Lutheran World Relief for distribution in our global community.
WIN Victim Services
WIN Victim Services provides services to domestic and sexual violence victims, and their significant others, and has done so in Franklin and Fulton counties for over three decades.
You can donate in two ways:
1. Physical items needed right now are shampoo, conditioner, hairbrushes, toothpaste, individually wrapped toothbrushes, hair ties, baby shampoo, and deodorant. Please place your items in the marked box next to the keypad door.
2. If you would like to give towards the ministries of WIN via the offering, write your check out to St. Luke and put “WIN” in the memo.
School Kits for Lutheran World Relief
Education is one of the best tools to raise people out of poverty. This is especially true for girls. Too often children cannot attend school simply because they do not have the supplies we take for granted—paper, pencils, rulers, and so on. You have the power to make a difference in a child’s future by (1) assembling a school kit, (2) purchasing some of the items needed for a kit, or (3) making a donation to the project. School Kits are distributed to wherever there is a need in the world.
You can donate any or all of the following items-
Each kit will contain:
Four 70-80 sheet SPIRAL notebooks (280-300 sheets total) of wide or college-ruled paper approximately 8” x 10 ½”; no loose-leaf paper
One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
One pencil sharpener
One pair of blunt scissors
Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; secure together with a rubber band
Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink); secure together with a rubber band
One box of 16 or 24 crayons
One 2½” eraser
All of these items will be packed into a backpack (will be provided) during our ‘Gods Work. Our Hands.’ event on Sunday, September 7 following worship. Join us! Please place your items in the marked box next to the keypad door.
If you would like to give towards the purchase of items for the school packs via the offering, write your check out to St. Luke and put “School Kit” in the memo.
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]