Bereavement Care
Ministry and pastoral care to members who have lost ones following the funeral. Prayers, calls, cards, visits, quarterly grief support material. Held grief groups in years past. Ongoing for years. Remembered on All Saint’s Day. It allows St. Luke’s to show God’s love and witness to bereaved members and the community.
Book Cart
The book cart has been in existence for many years thanks to a donation of the cart. It is the goal of the book cart to keep fresh new reading material available to the congregation. Most of the books donated are purchased from ChristianBook.com, although we have a variety of other donated books. Anyone is welcome to take books. About once a year the cart purged, and the older books are donated to the Saxonburg Library after they have first been offered for free to the members of the congregation.
On the reverse side of the cart is a jigsaw puzzle ministry. Anyone can donate puzzles or take them to do at home. There are a variety of Puzzles from 300 to 1,000 pieces.
Card Ministry
The card ministry was established to remember family and friends with cards in times of need and celebration. Over the years cards the following types of cards have been sent, All Saints Sunday Visitors, Anniversary, Baptism, Birthdays, Clergy Appreciation, Congratulations, Get Well, Sympathy, Good Bye Resignation, New Baby, Moving, Praying/Thinking of You, Wedding, etc.
This ministry is important because people need to know they are cared for and thought of during all phases (happiness, sadness, loss, hurt, etc.) of their lives.
College Care
College care packages are mailed to any student attending a post-secondary school to obtain a two or four-year degree. Care packages are mailed twice a year prior to the semester final exams. Students receive "goodies" of food, office supplies, toys, etc. along with notes of cheer and encouragement. This ministry connects our church family with the students at a time in their lives when they are branching out in independence. It reminds them that they are still part of our family and we care, pray, and remember them.
Donut Sunday
Once a month (September – May) a Donut Sunday fellowship happens in the Café after each worship service. In the café you will find delicious donuts, coffee and wonderful conversation. Donut Sunday began to encourage fellowship following worship. Fellowship is important to sustain relationships in the church among the believers of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Dinners
Throughout the years the church community has gathered together for many different reasons, including Rally Sunday and the Annual Meeting. When a gathering also includes a dinner the Parish Coordinator works with the office and congregation to make sure supplies are available, the hall is set up and cleaned up, church supplied food is ordered and delivered, etc.
These gatherings are important in order to provide fellowship. Fellowship is an important part of our faith. Coming together to support one another is an experience that allows us to learn, gain strength, and show the world exactly what God is.
Funeral Dinners
The Funeral Dinner Ministry seeks to serve those in the midst of their grief in a tangible way, by hosting grieving family members while providing an opportunity to celebrate a loved one’s life. Over the years this ministry has set-up, prepared, served and cleaned up the meals, but in the past few years, that approach has needed to change due to our aging population. We now provide families with the option for St. Luke’s to take care of providing a catered funeral dinner. We work with the family to develop a menu from a local caterer, then we provide the set-up, desserts, servers, and clean-up. We usually serve anywhere from 25 to 100 people. We generally have a 2-3 day notice before the dinner. This ministry can have such an impact on the grieving family. Through this ministry, the church expresses comfort to those who grieve the death of a loved one at their time of greatest emotional need. When those who sorrow are comforted spiritually, the outreach of the church is never forgotten.
Golden Milestone Ministries
Special recognition to those who turn 90 with an article in the Angel and a picture of the church as a gift. Significant anniversaries also are featured. There also are resources for other topics such as downsizing, retirement, generational concerns, etc. Not utilized. Ongoing for at least 10 years. It allows St. Luke’s to show God’s love to our elder members.
Prayer Ministry
The Prayer ministry has many different aspects, including weekly prayer circle, prayer chain, prayer list, prayer notes and prayer shawls.
During Prayer Circle, we pray the prayers and concerns list from Sunday while adding and deleting as necessary. We meet for approximately one and a half hours. The prayer chain uses email, text and phone to get the word out about a prayer need. We also look forward to rejoicing when a prayer need has been met. We work with the Sewing Ministry to supply Prayer Shawls to those who in need.
We provide this ministry because prayer is important. It can help us connect with God and receive His guidance and help in our work. Prayer can also help us to connect with other people and help us to be more compassionate and understanding.
