St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Offering a unique and fulfilling experience of worship through an Anglo-Catholic mass.

14 Nov Newsletter

When you are praying this week, remember to ask for protection from the upcoming storm, Sara. Pray that it fizzles out or goes away or something other than roaring out of the Gulf and up the Caloosahatchee.

SERVICE - Fr Jeff Hanson from St. Luke’s has finally been properly licensed in our Diocese and will conduct the service on Nov 17. Unfortunately, no further information about any of the services, feast days (St. Hilda’s Feast on Monday!) or homilies / sermons was available at time of publication. For the rest of the year, we will have a variety of other supply priests, depending on their availability

Remember our Wednesday morning Healing service conducted by Canon Bill Lester @ 10:00 am in the chapel. (James 5:16)

ST. LUKE’S OUTREACH – We are proud to list the following programs where the people of St. Luke’s reach out to the less fortunate in our community to help in their hour of need. Especially during the holidays, where many of us face no worse problems than overweight and where to find a parking space, it is easy to forget that there are others of God’s children facing hunger, homelessness and the effects of crime. Following are 4 programs where we, the people of St. Luke’s, reach out, in Christian love, to help.

FOOD BANK – Thanksgiving is Nov 28 and some more festive foods are in order. Please consider canned cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes or yams, pumpkin, boxes or bags of stuffing, rice mixes, smaller bags of rice, sugar or flour.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD - Boxes for Samaritan Purse/ Operation Christmas Child will be collected this Sunday, November 17th. Please see Suzanne Jager, DOK chairperson for project, to return your boxes. Don’t forget to include $10 in an envelope & place inside box, or pay online at Samaritan Purse.org. If you do it online you can print a label & track your box. Otherwise, see Suzanne for a label to mark age & gender of child.

ANGEL TREE CHARITY - This is an extension of our prison ministry sponsored by prisonfellowship.org to provide wrapped presents for the children of incarcerated parents. There is a “tree” in Haynes-Burgess hall decorated with “Angels” identifying the needy children. Some have been picked but there is still an opportunity to get yours and bring Christmas joy to an unfortunate child. Please pick one or more, noting your choices on the sign-up sheet near the tree so we can keep track of our progress. The fellowship suggests a $25 value for the gifts.

Please bring your wrapped present back to St. Luke’s by Dec. 15 for distribution on Dec 21. If you would like to share in the joy of delivering the gifts to the “Caretaker” families, volunteers are welcome. Please contact BARBARA FLYNN (bflynn1073@aol.com) or DONNA WILLIAMS (donnawilliams211@comcast.net) to sign up.

FRIENDS OF ANNA CHARITY - Once again, as has happened every year at recent Christmastides, we have been asked to help out ANNA’S FRIENDS (Formerly “Guardian ad Litem”) a non-profit group started to help children who have become wards of the 20th District Court which has expanded to help all foster children.

Some of these children, ranging in age from infancy through the teen years, have been removed from their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Anna’s Friends maintain a “Comfort Closet” to provide the things needed for day-to-day life. This is where we come in. Suggested gift items include clothing (esp. socks, underwear and pajamas), diapers (esp. larger sizes), “onesies” for infants, wipes, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes and paste, toys, books (appropriate for the age group), bed linens or blankets (twin size), or $5 - $10 gift cards for the teens.

Gifts should NOT be wrapped or labelled. Decorated collection box have been placed in Haynes-Burgess Hall to collect the gifts. They will be picked up by Anna’s Friends between Christmas and Epiphany. Mark 10: 13 - 16

MUSIC - Year B, Pentecost 26 - Proper 28 Today we are reminded to enter the sanctuary with boldness and full assurance in God's power and grace. The opening voluntary is based on a Latin Antiphon: "How Fair and Pleasant Thou Art" by French composer Marcel Dupre (1886 – 1971). The opening hymn is number 598: Lord Christ, When First Thou Camest to Earth and celebrates his passion and sacrifice. The Gospel speaks of nation rising against nation, so our Gradual hymn (607) reflects this text - O God of Every Nation. The choir will sing an offertory anthem based on Mary's Song of Praise - Magnificat in C Major by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Caroline Gordon will bless our service by singing French composer Cesar Frank's (1822 – 1890) ever-popular Panis angelicus. Our service ends with hymn 665. Herbert Howells (1892 – 1983), who was the musician to the English Royal Family, set the text by Robert Bridges (English Poet Laureate 1844 - 1930) in memory of his 11 year old son Michael, who died unexpectedly - "All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew, me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true....." The Service ends with music by another "royal" composer - March in D Major from Occasional Oratorio by Handel ( German/English 1685 – 1759). Join us for this meaningful service!

After a few years of neglect, significant maintenance work has already been done to bring our organ back to its full working order at a cost of about $6,500, with some fairly extensive, recently discovered termite damage yet to go. Several stops on the organ are once again playable and making music. Broken electric contacts have been restored and/or replaced. We are blessed to have such a fine organ and an exceptional organist/choirmaster to lead us in worship.. Let's all do our part to help pay for this work, for the glory of God. Make your check payable to St. Luke's/Friends of the Choir.

ST. LUKE’S CHOIR - If you are interested in singing with St. Luke’s Choir, please join us. Weekly rehearsals are held every Thursday at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room followed by a time of fellowship in the Library. The Choir reconvenes each Sunday at 9:00 am for a warm-up in preparation for the 10 am Service. ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN WITHOUT AUDITION! Come help us make a joyful noise unto our Lord! If you are interested, please contact our Director of Music Ministry, Dr. Ronald Doiron.

TENORS WANTED! – I have been asked to spread the word that our choir needs / wants tenor voices. If you sound like Pavarotti or Carreras in the shower – now is the time to step up!

FINANCE – The good news is that we paid the quarterly insurance bill and we still have our heads above water. The bad news is that, due to recent changes in code requirements (massive hurricane-proof foundations), the cost of the sign, to be placed in front of our church, has increased by $3,000.00. Please help us to meet this expense by giving a one-time gift designated to “Church Sign”. Thank you for your faithful support as we continue to rebuild our parish.

BUILDING – Work has been slowed down by Helene and Milton and we still have the skylights, gutters and downspouts, some outside electrical (lights) work, the main church doors (this is the “biggie” still remaining) and the carpet to go. BUT IT IS STILL COMING ALONG!

Speaking of doors, the existing wooden doors (12 individual panels I think) in the Sanctuary that are being replaced and, when removed, will be up for sale. If you want them, or know anyone who might, PLEASE contact our Jr. Warden Donna Williams.

When the handsome new, code-compliant doors are installed, we will need to replace the existing outside lights above the doors which not only do not meet code but are disintegrating with age. Once again, we could use donations for both lights and labor.

While we are talking building, in case it hasn’t been pointed out to you, we have no sexton, janitor or cleaning service – A*L*L the work recently has been done by our Priest, our Jr. Warden or various volunteers- vacuuming, dusting, polishing woodwork- cleaning bathrooms &c. Our vestry has recently gotten a quote for 2 cleanings a month for $440.00/mo. Checking with other churches in town, that would be a bargain BUT we don’t have $440.00/mo at the moment. PLEASE keep this in mind when you respond to our Stewardship drive. Vestry Member Linda Brown has all the details.

THEATRE NIGHT- As of publication time we have 8 intrepid theatre “Buffs” signed up to dine and see “A Christmas Carol” – musical version, at Broadway Palms on Dec 1. There are still seats available if YOU want to go. For help, ask BARBARA FLYNN.

COFFEE HOUR – We need volunteers to provide “goodies” for the coffee hour, Please sign up on the sheet in Haynes-Burgess Hall

CALENDAR
- Nov 18 – Serendipity Bible Study- (239) 560-4535, 7 PM
Dec 15 – Lessons & Carols
If you want more, less or different information, tell your vestry.

Contact Us

2635 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, Fl
Phone: (239)-334-2479
Office Email

Worship Schedule

Sundays: 10 AM
High Mass

Wednesdays: 10 AM
Unction Mass in Chapel

St. Luke's - 2024