309 East Baltimore St. • Jackson, TN 38301 (731) 424-0556 • (731) 423-3688, fax

www.estlukes.org stlukes@estlukes.org

Parish Offices Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.– 5:00 p.m.

Mr. Cody Blue Miller, Organist/Choirmaster Chuck Humphrey, Youth Minister

VESTRY Lee Sparks, Senior Warden

Susan Francisco, Junior Warden Jim Craig, Treasurer

DJ Plunk, Clerk Claire Dempsey, John Garrard, Berta Garrity, Ben Guyer, Abbie Hinton, Cindy Kost, Hamilton Moore, Sr., Roger Stanfield, Preston Turner, Liz Wallis, Todd Wilhite.

♦

309 East Baltimore Street ♦ Jackson, Tennessee 38301 ♦ 731-424-0556 ♦ www.estlukes.org

Staff Email Addresses

Cody Blue Miller, Organist/Choirmaster - cody@estlukes.org

Chuck Humphrey Youth Minister - chumphr4@gmail.com

A Message from our Senior Warden By Lee Sparks

As I’m writing this, it is a week before Thanksgiving, and a little over a week before the beginning of Advent. The Season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year on the church calendar. I think it appropriate that we end the year in thanks, for what has gone before, for the bless-ings received. It’s good to take time to reflect on the previous year, and in that spirit, I would like to offer my thanks to the many good people that continue the hard work here. I want to thank the office volunteers that have pitched in and kept our office running while we seek to fill the Parish Administrator position. I want to thank Cody Blue Miller for the myriad services he has performed for St. Luke’s. I want to thank Gary Wake and Jason Cole for keeping our electronic communications up to date. I want to thank Lisa Sullivan for getting our Parish Life together. I want to thank the Rev. Canon Chip Davis for arranging supply priests. I want to thank Susan Francisco and the rest of the vestry for their hard work and dedication. Finally, I want to thank the Rev. Gayle McCarty for her work in our midst over the past four and a half years.

Frankly, there are too many folks to list here individually, but I’m thank-ful for you all. Together, we do the work we have been given to do at St. Luke’s, and it is for that that I’m most thankful.

It is also appropriate that our church year begins with the Season of Ad-vent, a season of expectation and preparation. We make ready for the coming of the Christ child and look forward to the hope that he brings for our future, together and individually. As we go into Advent, a new year, I look forward to the work still to do. And make no mistake, we certainly have work to do! We are rebuilding our staff. We are currently wrapping up a stewardship campaign (hopefully). We will soon start the search for a new priest. The one thing we can absolutely count on is this: things will change.

I believe that this is perhaps the lesson of Advent. The coming of Christ into the world was a monumental change, in everything. Advent teaches us to meet those changes, with preparation, with hopeful expectation. Yes, puny creatures that we are, we also have anxieties and fear. But it is a foundation of our faith that we can meet the challenges that lie ahead with Christ at our side. If Paul can sing in a dungeon, then we can get the bulletins printed and find a priest!

So, as we move forward together, set aside your fears. Tamp down your anxieties. Let’s meet the future confident in the knowledge that Christ is pulling us along.

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Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church The Parish Life - December 2019

Recycling News

Please bring your paper, alumi-num cans, and plastics to the church on the last Sunday of each month for the Jerry Holt Memorial Re-cycling Drive. Our next recycling date will be December 29th.

Vestry Meetings The Vestry will have meet on

Sunday, December 15 at noon.

Adult Christian Education By Mary Beth Seltzer With November and December coming soon every-one's calendars will fill up quickly. Here is our Adult Christian Ed schedule for these months to help you plan ahead. Gary Wake's Reflections Class is in the library for discussion of the Sunday lectionary. In addition, we continue our study of Minor Prophets in the Com-mons. December 1 No Christian Education classes December 8 Advent Breakfast in the Parish Hall with Rachel and Ben Guyer. No Christian Education classes. December 15 Malachi with Mary Beth Seltzer December 22 Reflections Class Everyone come ex-perience this sharing and fellowship December 29 No Christian Education

Stewardship By Lee Sparks

We are currently wrapping up our 2019 Stew-ardship campaign. Our final in-gathering is Sunday, December 1, which also happens to be the first Sun-day of Advent, the beginning of a new church year. I wrote elsewhere in this newsletter about Advent and new beginnings, so I won’t rehash those themes here. What I will do, however, is urge you to prayer-fully consider your pledge to St. Luke’s and return your pledge card as quickly as possible. Our theme this year has been about the chal-lenges St. Luke’s has overcome in its over 175 year history. Our church was established when West Tennessee was a frontier hacked from the wilderness. It survived the ravages of war. It survived economic calamities. It survived the destructive forces of tor-nadoes and schisms. Through it all, St. Luke’s has stood as the bright light of Christ in a world that des-perately needs it. And we will survive what, in the view of history, will be seen as little more than a bump in the road. But to do so requires your pledge. St. Luke’s operates on the pledges of its members. So I urge you, once again, to prayerfully consider your pledge to St. Luke’s, and to make that pledge today.

Carl Perkins Center Gifts for the Christ Child Tree by Jonathan Kendrick

This year’s Gift for the Christ Child Tree Drive will once again benefit the children served by the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. The Center provides support to families in preventing and dealing with child abuse in West Tennessee and helps both parents and children meet the practical needs of preserving and improving the quality of family life. Starting December 1st, the Christmas Gift for the Christ Child Tree will be located in the Commons with names and information about children who you can help have a brighter Christmas! Think about selecting a child from the tree, gather items for the child and return them UNWRAPPED (you can place items in large gift bags or the store bags that they came in) to the church by Sunday, December 15th.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact Johnathan Kendrick (731) 427-8989.

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Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church The Parish Life - December 2019

The Lectionary: Year C

December 1, 1st Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24: 36-44

December 8, 2nd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12

December 15, 3rd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 35:1-10 Psalm 146:4-9 James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

December 22, 4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-16

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

December 24, Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96

Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20

December 25, Christmas Day

Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98

Hebrews 1:1-12 John 1:1-14

December 29, First Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Psalm 147:13-21

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 John 1:1-18

January 5, Second Sunday after Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14

Psalm 84:1-8 Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

Feast of St. Nicholas Feast of St. Nicholas will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall.

We will be serving dinner once again!

The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children 10 and under, and free for children 3 and under.

Please make reservations. There is a signup sheet in the Narthex, or you may contact the church office 731-424-0556 by Tuesday, Dec. 3.

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Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church The Parish Life –December2019

Christmas Collection Room in the Inn

St. Luke’s is collecting the following items to give as gifts to our RITI participants to spread a lit-tle holiday warmth and cheer. We aim to have 25 gift packages (including 1 of each item) together by Friday December 13th. Please donate any of the following:

Scarves Warm socks

Boxers/briefs Long-sleeve shirts

NOTE: Excess donations will be given to Area Relief Ministries to distribute to homeless men in the Jackson community.

A Thank You. By Mary Anne Gucker Many thanks to everyone who contributed to another successful Room in the Inn in November! It’s clear how much St. Luke’s involvement in Room in the Inn means to our parishioners. It is, after all, a beautiful opportuni-ty to translate our beliefs into action - helping those less fortunate and loving our neighbors- living our faith! I understand that volunteering overnight requires a different type of commitment. There are various complica-tions for these volunteers, including getting to work Monday morning, trying to sleep in a different environment, etc. And I wish we could spread that responsibly to include female volunteers and increase our volunteer pool, but we can’t. We have to rely on you gentlemen. As I said in my announcement, we just can’t expect three or four men to shoulder the entire responsibility for overnighting - it’s not a fair or sustainable solution. As I said, if we could get commitments from eight gentlemen it would work out to each person serving just three nights a year. Please consider making that commitment. We need you to keep Room in the Inn alive at St. Luke’s. Please contact Rachel Guyer or Mary Anne Gucker with any questions. Thank you!

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6

If we have missed your anniversary or birthday please contact the church office.

In Memory of Edwin “Ed” Wallis, Jr. - Milton Smylie In Memory of John McCutchen & Susan Hays -Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Exum -Dr. & Mrs. Alan Pechacek

In Memory of G. G. Bray -Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Exum

In Memory of Alice Bacon Blanton -Dr. & Mrs. James Spruill

In Honor of the Rev. Gayle McCarty to Downtown Dogs Group -Mr. & Mrs. Clay Canada -Jacqueline Foxx -Ben & Rachel Guyer -Angela Parker -Beth Parnell -Martha Peddy -D. J. Plunk -Barbara Salinas -Mary Beth Salinas -Roger & Rebecca Stanfield -Anonymous

Memorials & Honorariums

2019 Altar Candle, Flower and Supplies Calendars

Please check the calendars on the bulletin board across from the elevator for openings in each of these categories. This is a meaningful way by which you can honor or remember your loved ones.

December Birthdays

Dec. 2 Jackie Foxx Dec. 4 Hamilton M. Moore Dec. 4 Lindsay Wilhite Dec. 5 Mary Beth Seltzer Dec. 5 Maggie Shelton Dec. 6 Mike Booher Dec. 6 Lina Bowyer Dec. 6 Gioia Carp Dec. 6 Clayton Williams Dec. 9 Hunter Thompson Dec. 10 Madeline Flynt Dec. 11 Harry Ecoff Dec. 11 Jack Wilhite Dec. 12 Jovi Humphrey Dec. 14 Emma Cruse Dec. 16 Bruce Hamilton Dec. 16 Joseph Kendrick Dec. 18 Romona Garner Dec. 19 Mary Timmerman Dec. 20 Johnny Sullivan Dec. 22 Leila Frankland Dec. 22 Glen Rognstad Dec. 25 Philip Dunn Dec. 27 Lucy Butler Dec. 27 Gary Wake Dec. 29 Edward Hazlehurst Dec. 29 Iain Jackson Dec. 29 Meredith Simmons

December Anniversaries

Dec. 18 Mr. & Mrs. Carter Stainback Dec. 21 Alan & Nancy Pechacek

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Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church The Parish Life - December 2019

Journeying with Books The next meeting of the St. Luke’s Book Club, Journeying with Books, will be held in January 2020 (date to be an-nounced), at Tacos 4 Life Meeting Room. We will be discussing the book, Dog On It, by Spencer Quinn, published in 2008. Amazon Prime has availability for this book. All are welcome! Sign up sheet is in the Narthex!

December Pet Supplies Drive for Downtown Dogs Group For the month of December, we will collect

Milk Bone—plain dog biscuits

Please place your donations at in the Narthex.

Thanks!

SAINT LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 309 East Baltimore Street Jackson, Tennessee 38301

www.estlukes.org stlukes@estlukes.org

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Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church ♦ Welcoming All To Worship the Risen Christ and Live As His Disciples

Christmas Flowers

I/We wish to contribute toward the Christmas Flowers in memory of ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I/We wish to contribute toward the Christmas Flowers in honor of ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I/We wish to contribute toward the Christmas Flowers in thanksgiving for

______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I/We enclose a contribution in the amount of $_____________________ Memorial/Honorarium/Thanksgiving Offering is from:__________________________________________

Deadline – Sunday, December 15, 2019 Sign Up Sheets are in the Narthex