Signing Off

Sometimes life presents us with undeniable opportunities...

This has recently been my experience. I am a strong advocate of higher education and believe that everyone should have the chance to better themselves through academics. For this reason I am returning to OCU to finish my master's degree. Already 1/2 way in and finding it harder and harder to manage full-time work and full-time school, I've made the difficult decision to leave St. Luke's.

My time at St. Luke's as Director of Welcoming Ministries, connection coordinator, marketing guru, and all of my other unofficial capacities has truly been a wonderful experience. I will still be worshipping in LifeLight each and every Sunday morning. I will still be attending Wednesday Night Alive book series, as I feel that these are the "stuff" that life is made of. My friends, my coworkers and truly my family of faith are such an important part of my life, I would still like to invite you to "come and see." Come and see what God is doing in the life of St. Luke's.

When the weight of the world is falling down on us through, rising gas prices, rising food prices and political turmoil, what a great time to claim a church home.

If you are interested in joining the family of faith through membership, please contact Lindsey Coombes - 232-1371 or LCoombes@StLukesOKC.org

a path of life

"You show me the path of life.
in Your presence there is fullness of joy
in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16:11

Pathways, highways and byways. This month we're exploring a new path of life. It's based on the book, "3 Simple Rules, A Wesleyan Way of Living," by Bishop Reuben Job. The August sermon series at St. Luke's kinda hits you right between the eyes. The rules are as follows:

1. Do no harm
2. Do good
3. Stay in love with God

Easy enough...or is it? After the introduction of the sermon series yesterday, Afterglow, my small group was discussing this question. This seems like it should be a no-brainer, but why is it so hard to live out? The first two seem almost overlapping or intertwining. Isn't not harming another, doing good? And by doing good, aren't we choosing to not harm another?

And what we decided is that if we can stay IN LOVE with God the other two will come naturally. "In love" with God is not merely loving God. "In love" is more intimate, more personal...

The world is bigger than we are, but if we can handle all of the situations we encounter with unending love what a different place this world would be.

Change

I'm sure we've all heard the saying, "The only constant thing in life is change." The first time I heard this phrase I was a little confused. "Really? The only thing we can count on is that once we think we have it figured out, it'll change," I thought. And so far, that's been about the best advice I've ever received.

Fall Kickoff 2006, St. Luke's brought in a special speaker that gave a talk on the Blueprints of Life. His advice was simple. If you've drawn the blueprints for your life...tear them up. God has something bigger and better for your life than you can even imagine. How many times do we try and put our plans in cement and the eathquake comes along and shakes things up? I know these are the times I become disappointed, and possibly frustrated that things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. The good news is, the big guy's in our corner and he knows what we need in life. This seems so simple when put in writing, the hardest thing is, there's alot of meat here. If this was easy in application then I wouldn't be writing about it right now. Faith, trust, understanding, patience are all abstract concepts. I can't objectify faith. I can't objectify trust or understanding. And I definitely can't objectify patience. This is why it's so hard. We all have to practice patience, understanding, trust and have faith in the things we cannot see, in order for this to work. WOW! That's alot! Right? But it's not impossible.

Take a leap of faith this week, and see what's in store for you.

Commitment

What does it mean to be committed? I have plenty of friends that are dealing with this issue as they look at the relationships in their lives. From friendships, to dating relationships, to marriage...what does it mean to be committed? CP's philosophy on commitment is simple, maybe over-simplified, but pretty black and white (with shades of grey).

The commitments in our lives should be ones that bring out the best in us. A commitment to your family is one of pride, of lineage, of support and unfailing love. A commitment in a relationship should be one that continually lifts you up and moves you forward in your life's journey. And that's how I view a commitment to your family of faith. Unfailing love, support in good times and the bad and growing ever closer to God by being surrounded by His followers, these are only a few of the privileges offered by being committed to your house of worship.

This Sunday is membership Sunday. It's the culmination of our Summer Sermon Series on "The Tie that Binds." We've looked at what it means to be a part of the Methodist church through prayers, presence, gifts, service and this week we'll talk about witness. I would encourage you to prayerfully consider coming forward this week and joining St. Luke's in it's mission to Share God's love, Grow in our faith and Serve the community.

Email me with questions or comments! CPerrier@StLukesOKC.org

Welcome Tour

Interested in visiting St. Luke's for the first time? Or maybe you just haven't had the opportunity to venture around the space...watch our quick video to get an idea of the St. Luke's campus.

Relationships: Part 2

I rather like the statements that use deductive reasoning. "IF THIS, THEN THAT." In certain situations it's the only way to bring logic into the equation. Relationships fall into this category. Emotions are lovely, and have incredible value in enjoying this life we've been given; however, emotions are meant to be felt and not reasoned. At least that's how I 'feel' about that.

Rob Bell's, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality, is an exploration of relationships, using the "if this, then that"...or "this is about that" model. I haven't began reading my copy of the book...yet. However, I've been doing research and reading summaries over the book in order to get ready to read this book in a small group setting. Rob Bell is an incredibly talented man. You can read more about him all over the internet, if he has your interest piqued!

Sex God...an attention getting title no doubt. If you're as curious as I am, contact LCoombes@StLukesOKC.org to sign up for the class...July 9, 6:30pm-8pm with a follow-up (after reading the material) about two weeks down the road.

love is in the air

Relationships are such an important part of life. Whether it's a significant other, a best friend or the undeniable connection of family; relationships are something we encounter everyday. How hard do you work on the relationships in your life? I've heard it said before that if you only gave 50% in a relationship, or were only truly there for the other person, half of the time in a relationship, it probably wouldn't last that long. This concept really makes sense to me. Especially when I was doing the inventory of my spiritual relationship. How much are you dedicating to your spiritual relationship? Are you only putting in half-time, or are you fully dedicated to growing in your faith? Things to consider as we fill our agendas full on a day to day basis....

BIG Steps

Have you been considering taking a BIG step in your life? Sometimes we just need a little encouragement from friends, from peers or others that are making the same steps in their lives. This group mentality is comfortable and even encouraged in our society. We use words like being a team player, family and working together.

This Sunday is BIG STEP Sunday. If you have been considering taking the next step in your journey of faith with us at St. Luke's then there's no better time to join our mission than this Sunday.

Email for more information: CPerrier@StLukesokc.org

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAE

So here's the dealio...The Open Door is putting on a little event called Dessert with Bob. We'll be serving sundaes, so you can fill your bellies while filling up on some good ole fashioned knowledge. Learn what it means to share, grow, serve, and what it means to become a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Write this down...
THIS Sunday, June 1
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Mansion Library

The Mansion at St. Luke's is located on the corner of 14th and Robinson.

Hope you can make it!

For more info hit me up at CPerrier@StLukesOKC.org

Hungry?

What does it mean to hunger? To long for something...something fulfilling...something that will fill you up. How many of us are walking around filling our lives with empty stuff, and then wondering why we're not fulfilled? I'm sure the answer would be staggering. God is longing to fill our lives with joy, with a lifelong companionship full of love and understanding. So I pose my original question again...

Are you hungry? Are you looking for a deeper connection that only something so radical from the world could fulfill? Come worship with us at St. Luke's this Sunday. I'll be there...

8:30 and 10:50 Traditional Services
9:40 LifeLight: A Contemporary Gathering

St. Luke's is located at the corner of 15th and Robinson. www.StLukesOKC.org

Celebrate Community

May 18th is the perfect day to celebrate community. Deemed "Heritage Sunday" by the United Methodist faith, St. Luke's will be celebrating not only the history of the church and St. Luke's, but emphasizing the need to be in community and fellowship with one another. And guess how? By a good old fashioned picnic! We'll be serving hot dogs in the Gardens of St. Luke's. Everyone is invited to be in community with one another following the 9:40 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. services. Mountain Smoke will be plucking out tunes, and there will be more hot dogs than you can imagine. Plan to join us on this Sunday.

Newcomer Coffee

THIS SUNDAY! Come and go from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Due to our progress we will be hosting the coffee just outside of the library in the main building. It's a mobile bistro, and it should be a wheely good time! I know it's really cheesy, but join me at the coffee cart to learn all about the opportunities St. Luke's has to offer. Look for the smiling faces serving up a cup of hospitality just outside of the Narthex and Library.

Holy Week

St. Luke's offers many opportunities to deepen your faith in preparation for Easter. Join us tonight for The Marriage: A Celebration of Holy Communion. Service starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Christian Life Center (enter off 14th street).

Good Friday is only 2 days away. Plan to be with your family of faith for a moving service on Friday night. Service will be held in the Sanctuary at 7:30 p.m.

Special Worship Times!! Easter is such an amazing time to be a believer. We hope you will invite neighbors, friends and family to worship with you at St. Luke's this Easter. Service times are altered to accomodate a fourth service.

8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Traditional services in the Sanctuary
9 & 11 a.m. LifeLight: A Contemporary Gathering in the Christian Life Center

See you there!

Dessert with Bob

Join us this Sunday for an exciting opportunity. Dessert with Bob is our quarterly event that allows guests and visitors a chance to interact with the St. Luke's staff in a casual setting.

If you are searching for a deeper understanding of what it means to belong to a church, this is the perfect event for you. Dessert is served at 2p.m. in the Mansion Library. The program will last approximately an hour and a half. We would love for you to be our guest on this very special sundae. Please send RSVP's to CPerrier@StLukesOKC.org.

The Open Door

Welcome! I'm so excited you have found your way to St. Luke's.

God puts a calling in all of us to find a home. But, what is home? It could be that nice condo you've been eyeing, the perfect career or a network of friends, each one of these adds fulfillment to our lives in different ways.

But I've heard it said before that if you really want to feel at home...you have to find a church home. That's what St. Luke's has been to me, and so many others. So let us help you Open the Doors in your life, get ready for change and welcome to St. Luke's.