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Larry Anderson, Senior Pastor pastor@stluke-umc.org Don Abrams, Associate Pastor don@stluke-umc.org

The FLAME, May 2018 Greetings in the Name of Our Lord,

What do you think of when you think of Memorial Day—the beginning of summer vacation, barbecues in the back yard, family get-togethers? In most churches Memorial Day is ignored because it is not one of the holy days on the church calendar. But I believe that it would be good for us to consider what Memorial Day really represents, for its very name calls us to remember.

The ability to remember is a wonderful gift God has given us. In a flash we can be a child again, skipping rocks across a pond, or walking in a meadow. Through memory we can fall in love, get married, and enjoy our children all over again. All this is possible through the blessing of memory.

Some of our memories are happy as we recall wonderful experiences. But some are sad, and we may weep as we remember them. Memories are also very practical. If we couldn’t remember that a red light means “stop,” we’d be in trouble. If you weren’t able to remember what day it is, or your anniversary or wife’s birthday – you’d be in big trouble. So memories are practical. The prob-lem, though, is that sometimes memory fails us. Sometimes we forget. There are events that we should never forget. And Memorial Day commemorates some of them. But people tend to be forget-ful, and we seem to need help to jog our memories.

2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” In America, we observe a day called “Memorial Day” or “Decoration Day.” It is marked by parades, speeches; flags and flowers are placed on the graves of many servicemen. It was first observed on May 30, 1868, for the purpose of decorating the graves of the Civil War Dead. Then, after WW1 it became a national holiday dedicated to remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy. Now, it remembers all of those who died in the wars our nation have fought. And it is also a day upon which we remember our loved ones who have gone on before. I think as well, we would be wise to remember the “good soldiers of Jesus Christ,” who paved the way for you and me in our Christian lives. Thank God for the good soldiers of Jesus Christ who have fought well, such as those who are mentioned in Hebrews 11.

What are some marks of a good soldier? Let me share a few.

He/She Is A Follower. See Mark 8:34. No one can be a good leader who cannot first be a good follower. In the military there is almost always someone in rank above you, whose orders you must follow. Following Jesus is no option, it is a command. In the military refusal to obey an order is not allowed. Court martial will follow; yet we take obedience to God so very lightly in our daily lives.

(Continued on page 2)

From Our Pastors

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From Our Pastors (continued)

She/He Is A Fighter. They are trained and

taught to be aggressive when necessary. They

will not cower or retreat in the face of the enemy.

They will defend their own honor and that of their

country. The Bible tells us to “Fight the good fight

of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). The verb “fight” in the

Greek N.T. is present tense (suggesting not let-

ting up) and is in the imperative mode (which

means it is a command and not a suggestion).

He/She Is Familiar. First, a soldier is familiar

with the strategy of the enemy (compare 2

Cor.2:11). Secondly, they are familiar with the

skills concerning weaponry (Eph.6:10-18).

Thirdly, they are familiar with the shadows of their

friends (Heb.10:25). The good soldier is not only

looking out for theirself, but also for their friends–

there is a mutual need for being close to other

soldiers as you fight the

She/He Is Faithful. A soldier remains true

even when they must “endure hardness” as a

good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim.2:3). That

expression means, “to take one’s share of rough

treatment; to suffer or endure affliction together.”

It actually means to “suffer hardship in company

with”—the good soldier is always true and loyal.

How will you remember?

Take time throughout the month of May and

REMEMBER!

Sign-up for St. Luke “e-News” e-mail,

at www.stluke-umc.org

“UNITY”

“Making every effort to keep the unity of

the Spirit through the bond of peace….”

Ephesians 4:3

Please join us for the

67th Annual Observance of

the National Day of Prayer

Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018

Time: 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Location: St. Luke Sanctuary

~ Light Lunch to follow in the Connect Center ~

National Day of Prayer is “A time when

people around the country join together

in prayer for our nation, especially in the

areas of government, media, education,

military, church, business and family.”

Main Pensacola site for the

National Day of Prayer on

Thursday, May 3, 2018:

City Hall, downtown Pensacola,

from 12:10 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

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Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 13

May this be a time when we remember our

families and pray for each family member.

“I Thank God for You” “Thank you, our church family, for your thoughts and prayers on the passing of our son, Storm McNeil.”

Lovingly, Judy and Howard Brockett.

United Methodist Women

The United Methodist Women say "Thank you, St. Luke." Thank you for your support of our fund-raising projects for our

mission commitments. Our annual Palm Sunday Luncheon was held a week early due the early spring break at the schools, but we had a wonderful response. Our Bake\plant\gift sale was also early due to the need to get our plants out for spring planting. Despite the rain, we did very well. Our UMW circle helps support ten local missions, two national missions and contributes to special needs which come up during the year.

This month we are collecting combs for hygiene kits and erasers for school kits for the Pensacola District to contribute to UMCOR emergency kits. The erasers should be 2 inches or longer and the combs need to be sturdy and longer than six inches. (No pocket combs or picks, please). We will have a box in the Narthex where you can leave any contributions you wish to make to the effort.

We invite all interested St. Luke ladies to join us on the third Thursday of the month at 12:30 PM for study, fellowship and planning how to better serve Christ. Once again, thank you for your support and prayers.

Yours in Christ, Donna Jackson. Get Involved in UMW!

Contact Donna Jackson: President, at dlmjackson@yahoo.com for more information on

Senior Adult Game Day will meet the 2

nd Thursday of the

month, May 10, 9:30 AM -12:00 Noon in the Connect

Center. If you have any questions, please contact

Janice Taylor at kjtay57@cox.net.

In Memory of Theta Redman

-Debt Reduction Fund

Given by Mike and Kaye Angus

St. Luke United Methodist Church Mission Statement:

“We exist to continue the work of Jesus Christ by connecting people to God, nurturing one

another in love, and serving Him both near and far through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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Director of Children’s Ministry, Esther Felt esther@stluke-umc.org

Summer Camp

Registration is Open!

ENERGIZE! * June 18 - 22*

Completed Grades 3 – 5

Join us for a very exciting five day and

four night Blue Lake Summer Camp

experience! St. Luke will provide trans-

portation to and from camp and Esther

Felt & Rick VanGilder will chaperone.

Cost is $295 and Blue Lake will accept

registrations until June 1 or until the

camp is full. For more information and

to register, go to

www.bluelakecamp.com.

St. Luke VBS: SHIPWRECKED!

July 16 - 20 Registration is now open for St. Luke VBS,

SHIPWRECKED: RESCUED BY JESUS,

July 16 - 20, 2018, for both kids and volun-

teers! We hope you will plan to join us this

year! Go to https://vbspro.events/p/

events/stluke toregister. (Even if you have

already spoken with our VBS director, San-

dra Taylor, about a volunteer position we

need you to go online and register.)

Director of Children’s Ministry, Esther Felt esther@stluke-umc.org

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Middle School Summer Trip

We will be going canoeing June 11-16. Blue Lake Camp will be leading the trip. The cost is

$320. Registration on the Blue Lake Camp Website is open now!

Please sign up by clicking here.

Sign up for Text Message Alerts!

Text @stlukemin To 81010 to sign up for our text message alerts. Leave anytime by replying to

a message with @leave.

Questions about Youth Ministry?

Contact Philip Brooks at philip@stluke-umc.org

Congratulations to the following students

who were Confirmed and Received into

the membership of St. Luke on 4/29/2018

Jade McKenzie Abrams

Caitlin Carolyn Cool

Micayla Reneé Jesse

Adrienne Morgan Jett

Austin Michael Jett

Lindsay Shay Samojedny

Grace Catherine Williams

God Bless Each of You!

Honoring our High School Graduates

Senior Sunday May 20

Senior Sunday Senior Sunday is approaching us

fast! We will be honoring the High School Graduating Seniors on May 20

th at all three

services. I would like to invite any Graduating Senior and their families to celebrate with us during those services with a lunch following. Also, in order to help us create a meaningful environment for your graduate, your family, and yourself, we need your help. I am asking for you to do two things. First, could you please e-mail me around 8-10 photos. In these photos, we would like to have at least one photo from when your graduate was a young child, toddler or baby and a senior photo. Secondly, I would ask that you work through a worksheet with your teen. This document will help us gather the most accurate information for the bulletin and the service. Please have the photos and the document turned into to me by Sunday, May 6

th. You can get the document from Philip.

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Focus on Missions Recent activities

We visited Willowbrooke at Azalea Trace to hand out treats to all of the residents and staff. We would like to visit a different facility each month. We need Sunday School classes and life groups to help us. Please contact any member of the Missions Committee.

We donated cards to the Santa Rosa Correctional Facility for the inmates to send to friends and family. Communication with those outside the walls is often difficult, so a card on a special day is very important.

We donated over 450 pounds of food and $100 to Manna Food Bank as a result of our Souper Bowl Sunday event.

We have donated clothing and casseroles to My Father’s Arrows for families who received foster children. They often come with only the clothing on their backs and at dinner time.

The Ensley dance program finished another successful year with a performance at the school in April.

On April 8th, we were treated to presentations from the Peru and Ecuador Mission Teams, highlighting their plans for this summer.

Upcoming Events

May 3rd – National Day of Prayer St. Luke is the host site again this year for the National Day of Prayer. The service starts at 12:15 and there is a light lunch afterward. Please come if you are able.

May 6th – Fountain of Love The communion rail offering will go to the United Methodist Homes who provide senior living. There are three facilities in the Pensacola area serving the elderly population.

May 13th – Baby Bottle Boomerang Starting on Mother’s Day, grab a baby bottle and fill it with change! Bring it back to the church and we will donate the proceeds to Safe Harbor. There will be someone outside each service until Father’s Day. To learn what Safe Harbor does, see below.

May 28th – Ensley Teacher Appreciation We are going to provide breakfast for the teachers and staff at Ensley at the start of their last few days of school. The kids will be gone so they will have time to enjoy themselves. If you would like to help, call Carla Mitrovich at 512-5014.

Featured Organization for May: Safe Harbor

The Missions Committee, at the April meeting, decided that we will feature some of the organizations that are supported by the church and its members. Since we are starting the Baby Bottle Boomerang this month, we decid-ed to feature Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor Pregnancy Medical Center provides pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds and abortion education in the Northwest Florida area. All of their services are free and confidential. Safe Harbor Pregnancy Medical Center offers abortion clinic alternative services and pregnancy help services in Pensacola, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida.

Classes are offered to both new mothers and fathers and counselling is available for women who are pregnant. All options are discussed and all information is kept confidential. Safe Harbor is also able to refer women to other organizations in the community for additional help.

You can find out more about Safe Harbor by visiting their website at www.916safe.org, calling them at 439-2511 or going to their offices at 2280 North 9th Avenue Monday-Thursday.

Jerry Mitrovich (Missions Committee Chairperson) mitrovichfamily@hotmail.com

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Methodist Homes Fountain of Love Special Offering, Sunday, May 6*

Methodist Homes of Alabama and Northwest Florida “The Fountain of Love Fund provides financial assistance to

older adults living in a Methodist Home retirement community who find that they can no longer pay for their entire care. Because of the support of the North Alabama

and the Alabama West-Florida Conferences and their churches, no resident has ever been asked to leave a Methodist Home due to their inability to pay.”

http://methodisthomes.org/

*On Sunday, May 6, our communion rail offering will be designated for the Foundation of Love. A Fountain of Love insert with more information will also be provided in your worship bulletin that day.

Trustees Work Day "Give Jim a Break Day!"

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, May 19

For the "Give Jim a Break Day!" Trustees Work Day

8 AM – 12 Noon

Working on grounds and facility maintenance, volunteer Jim Williamson is a St. Luke treas-

ure. So, why don’t we show him our apprecia-tion by giving him a break? Join members of your church family as we take on several pro-jects that would be left for Jim to deal with if

we don’t. Give Jim a break! SATURDAY, MAY 19th, 8AM – NOON

RSVP: Charlotte Sweeney, 476-0368

Congratulations to proud parents Sam and Megan Pement on the birth of their son, Ezra. Baby Ezra was born on Friday, April 13, 2018. Grandparents are: Jeff & Mary Lee Pement and Mike & Teresa Atwood. Congratulations to Chris McGee and Tiffany Bodie on the birth of their son, Lincoln McGee! Baby Lincoln was born Monday, April 23, 2018, weighing in at 7 lbs., 11 oz. Lincoln was welcomed home by proud siblings: Carley and Charley!

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If you are a St. Luke member and do not see your (or a family member) MAY birthday listed, please contact the

1 Ralph Cox

1 MaryAnn McCoy

2 Peggy Woodard

2 Rebecca Scherer

3 Jeff Thrasher

3 Michael Menah

3 Hannah Brown

4 Don Abrams

4 Scott Tait

5 Dee Allmon

5 Jill Hale

5 Ashley Strength

6 Mary Lou Boleen

6 William Palermo

6 David Perrich

6 Lauren Meiss

7 Gerald Jones

7 Evan Dennis

8 Ramona Williams

9 Greg Prevatte

9 Joshua Ball

9 Brandi Foxworth

10 Patty Carlisle

10 Bill Corkill

11 Krista Stanford

12 Jeanne Gambino 13 Fletcher Atkins

13 Alex Felt

13 Myron Smith 14 Todd Shaw

15 Jaxon Stanford

15 Haley Shaw

16 Dylan Roy

18 Anthony Burkett

18 Matt Felling

18 Pam Perrich

18 Katie McCall

19 Benjamin Shaffer 20 Ellen Thrasher 21 Nathan Marshall 22 Delaney McCall

23 Susan Hall

23 Delores Maxwell

23 Patty Dennis

24 Erin Dennis

24 Travis Shaw

24 Gail Walker

25 Mary Tidwell

26 John Tria

26 Jennifer Brown

26 Woody Thompson

26 Matthew Hale

26 Paige Manderscheid

30 Tori Alvarez

31 Charles Edgar

31 Pat King

31 Allison McCrory

31 Eli Lawson

Calendar Highlights

-MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

Wednesdays, May 2 & 9, 9 AM., Connect Center

-Library Guild

May 3, 10:30 a.m., Library

-Son Seekers Emmaus Meeting:

May 3, 6:30 p.m., Room 7

-United Methodist Men’s Fellowship Breakfast:

May 6, 7:30 a.m., Connect Center

-Strategic Visioning Committee Meeting

May 7, 5:30 p.m., meet @ STAR Complex

-Trustees Meeting

May 8, 6:30 p.m. Room 7

-Senior Adult Game Day:

May 10, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. , Connect Center

-Lay Leadership Committee Meeting

May 10, 6:30 p.m., Room 7

-Altar Guild Meeting

May 14, 9:00 a.m., Sanctuary

-Azalea Trace Worship

May 15, 4 PM, Azalea Trace

-United Methodist Women May 17, Room 5

12 Noon Sack Lunch / 12:30 p.m. Meeting Start Time

-Finance Committee

May 17, 6:30 p.m., Room 3

-Pentecost Sunday May 20 (wear red!)

-Senior Sunday/High School Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 20 (Senior Lunch Banquet to follow last

service in Connect Center)

NO MISSION LUNCH on May 20!

-Church Council Meeting, May 20 @ 1 PM Council Meeting will start at 1 PM

David Frantz Choir Suite

-Missions Committee Meeting

May 21, 6:30 p.m. , Room 5

-Office Closed - Memorial Day Observance

Monday, May 28

-Prayer Shawl Ministry:

May 31 10:00 a.m., Library

Watch your e-news for any schedule

updates, changes or additions!

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“Making god known” SerMon SerieS Focusing on our Stained Glass Windows

Our next sermon series, starting May 6, will focus on the beautiful stained glass windows in our Sanctuary and the story they tell in “Making God Known” to us. Each of the six

windows adorning our Sanctuary represent a different event in the life of Jesus.

Sunday, May 6: The Birth of Jesus

Sunday, May 13: The Ascension

Sunday, May 20: The Good Shepherd

Sunday, May 27: Baptism

Sunday, June 3: Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane

Sunday, June 10: Knocking at the Door

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St. Luke United Methodist Church

1394 East Nine Mile Road

Pensacola, Florida 32514-5720

-From Our Pastors: page 1 & 2 -National Day of Prayer: page 2 -Mother’s Day, Thank You, Memorial, Senior Adult Game Day, UMW: page 3 -Children’s Ministry: page 4 -Youth Ministry: page 5 -Focus on Missions: page 6

-Fountain of Love, Trustees Work Day, New Babies: page 7 -May Birthdays, May Calendar Highlights: page 8 -New Sermon Series, “Making God Known” focusing on our stained glass windows: page 9

The FLAME, May 2018

-Monday, May 28 - Memorial Day Church Office Closed

Memorial Day Prayer “We remember, O Lord, all those men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice for our coun-try. Do not let us breathe the air of freedom or claim the right to

justice or enjoy the privilege of worship without remembering with great gratitude those who gave the last full measure of devotion - their very lives - for our benefit. May they now know the peace of eternity and the joy of

your presence. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

(As published The NEWSLETTER Newsletter, May 1998)