OUR ONGOING MISSION AND MINISTRY

The mission of St. Luke Lutheran church is to live as a community of faith active in love in response to the gospel, by caring for each other, serving all in need, and witnessing to Christ in all we do.

WORSHIP and MUSIC . . .

Worship is the heartbeat of our community rooted in the love of Christ. Our weekly celebration of Holy Communion follows the traditional liturgy of the Church, made alive with diverse forms of words and music to make our worship a genuine encounter with God's love in Christ. We also gather for special services at other times throughout the year.

Sundays: 9:30 am

Special Services through the year:

• Epiphany, January 6, 4:30 - 7:30 pm. This evening is marked with a barbeque supper, bonfire, and service in the barn at the farm of Pastor Seraphine near Sycamore, IL. Contact the church for details.
• Service of Prayer for Christian Unity held with neighboring churches in mid January.
• Lent
  • Ash Wednesday -- Eucharist with imposition of ashes, 12:10 and 7:30 pm.
  • Lenten Services: The five Wednesdays between Ash Wednesday and Holy Week, services (without Eucharist), 7:30 pm, predeeded by simple suppers at 6:00 pm. (During Holy Week, only on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday -- see below.)
• Holy Week
  • Palm Sunday. Palm procession and Eucharist at the 9:30 service.
  • Maundy Thursday, Eucharist at 12:10 pm, and 7:30 pm
  • Good Friday, Service of the Word, 7:30 pm
• Thanksgiving Eve, 7:30 pm, offered in partnership with Southminster Presbyterian Church in Glen Ellyn.
• Advent/Christmas Lessons and Carols - early December

Music: Adult Choir and Chime Choir, as well as a number of member instrumentalists and vocalists, enrich our worship and fellowship times. These two choirs rehearse on Thursday evenings.
Young people enjoy the StLukeYouth Chorus which rehearses Sunday mornings.

EDUCATION . . .

Education is the lifeblood of our community. We seek to be life-long learners who work to put the Word of God to work in our lives in actions of caring and justice.

• Sunday School for all ages, including adults is offered from September to May at the 11:00 am hour.
• Confirmation Classes on Sunday mornings and once per month on Sunday evenings help youth in grades 7 through 9 seek to deepen their faith and identity with the community.
• Instruction of young people for First Communion is given during Sundays School on several Sundays prior to Holy Week. St. Luke has no set age for First Communion, but parents, child and pastor together decide when a young person is ready.
• Adult Bible Study is offered monthly, each their Tuesday, 7:30 pm
• Small Group Studies lasting six to eight weeks are formed each spring.
• Adult Education Seminars are offered each Tuesday evening in January, in partnership with Grace Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn. Some of the area's top teachers are brought in to offer lectures and discussion.
• Vacation Bible School is offered for a week in the summer. Non-members are welcome to join as students or youth or leaders as we enjoy games, crafts, music and Bible stories together.

CARING AND FELLOWSHIP . . .

Relationships rather than programming is what sustains our community. We seek to nurture genuine and enduring relationships through many means.

• Care Group Ministry. Members regularly check on other members and inform them when someone is in a time of need through a phone tree.
• Men's Lunch Group. Men of St. Luke, and their friends, meet for lunch at Butterfield's Pancake House in Danada East Shopping Center, 2nd Thursdays, 11:30 am.
• Community Night. Various community nights with intergenerational activities are offered in our fellowship hall throughout the year, as well as a number of fun and educational outings..
• Eucharistic Ministers to the Homebound are laypersons who help the pastor to take Holy Communion to those who are permanently or temporarily homebound.
• Youth Activities. St. Luke offers regular opportunities for junion high and senior high school youth to have fun, learn and serve together. This includes periodic major servant or adventure events.
• Sojourners is a monthly gathering, the third Tuesdays at noon, offering opportunities for retired members, other members, and guests to enjoy time together over brown bag lunch, coffee & dessert, with an entertaining program; sometimes outings, so call church for details.
• Prayer Shawl Ministry. Handmade shawls are sent with prayers for healing to those who need our support.
• Sunday Fellowship Hour follows our 9:30 worship service and is a wonderful informal time to catch up with what is happening with our friends in Christ.
• Landscape Committee meets regularly to care for the landscaping at St. Luke.
• Annual Garage Sale. This event is held in early June to support our Good Samaritan Fund which goes to assist members who are facing harsh financial difficulties.

SERVICE AND JUSTICE . . .

As a community of faith active in love we seek to witness to Christ in reaching out to those in need and working for peace and justice.

• Hosting. We offer ongoing hospitality to four groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and two Alanon groups and a Boy Scout troop.
• Immigrant Support. St. Luke now hosts a satellite office of IRIM (Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries, Chicago) to specifically provide support to seniors in immigrant families of the western suburbs.
• Transitional Housing. We host two months of Transitonal Housing seminars each year in partnership with Catholic Charities. We provide child care, refreshments and hospitality to families learning how to rise from homelessness.
• Community Service Programs. We partner with DuPage County Pastoral Counseling Center, Glen Ellyn Walk-in-Ministry (emergency aid), Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, and Sharing Connections (offering many recycled essential articles to the needy), and other agencies.
• CROP Walk. St. Luke members participate in the annual CROP anti-hunger walk.
• Coat Drive/Christmas. Near Christmas we have a winter-coat drive and partner with Bethel New Life ministry in urban chicago to provide gifts and food for needy families.
• Agency Support. We support Lutheran World Relief and other agencies with offerings.
• Broad-based Community Organizing. Members work with a number of other denominations, faith communities and organizations in the development of a new organization working for the common good in DuPage County.
• Christian Citizenship. We encourage and equip our members to be active Christian citizens.
• Global Mission Sponsorship. St. Luke is a sponsor of a missionary couple and their work bringing the Good News of God's love in word and deed to the people of Guatemala.
• Talking Together. St. Luke has worked to train a number of laypersons in a process of moral deliberation whereby members can talk together constructively about difficult and controversial subjects regarding church and society. The congregation is committed to offering discussion series that utilize this method.