Week of December 13

A smiling woman with long brown hair against a blue background.

Masks are required at all times.

If you do not bring a mask with you, one will be provided.

Depending on attendance, the pastor will make a weekly decision

as to whether there will be singing.

Next Sunday: December 20th, The Fourth Sunday of Advent

8:00am In-person

10:30am (Livestream)

10:30am In-person Service

COMMUNION For those who chose to continue with online worship, Pastor Jeff

is offering communion after the in-person service. It will be available from 11:45-

12:30. You can park in the front lot and either come to the Nave doors, or pull up

to the edge of the courtyard and I will come to your car.

ST. LUKE ANNUAL MEETING of the Congregation, Part One will be held

following the 10:30AM worship service. (Pandemic Permitting) A copy of the

agenda and 2021 budget is available in the back of the nave and for pick up outside

the church office door, in the glass foyer.

WORSHIP AND MUSIC Please join with the Worship & Music Ministry to

congratulate and share a very warm thank-you to Susan Horn for her generous

and very capable efforts as our organist while we searched for a permanent

organist for St. Luke.  We at St. Luke are very fortunate to have such a talented

and devoted member of our congregation and choir!  At the same time, we would

also ask you to join with us in welcoming our new organist, Mark Pall, to St. Luke,

he will be joining our staff on Monday, December 14th, and will assume organist

duties, and eventually will include choir director as soon as the Covid-19 situation

allows.

ADVENT MID-WEEK SERVICES will be held each week of Advent, that is,

Dec. 16 th at 7:00PM in the nave and on Facebook Livestream (Weather and

Pandemic Permitting)

FROM THE OFFICE Staff will be working in the office and from home. If you

need immediate assistance during our absence, please contact Pastor Jeff at 570-

220-3631 or Sarah Young 570-932-1753. We will respond to your emails and calls

as soon as possible, from the office and remotely. Thank you.

VISITING? If you’re not a member or regular attendee of St Luke Church but

have been “visiting” us during this time of online worship, we’d love to connect

with you! If you’ve been watching from afar or have just been using this time to

“check us out” online, please send us an email at info@stlukeweb.com !

ADVENT A joint project of Outreach and Service ministries have teamed up with

Jessie Young and KidsPeace! Our Advent Tree(s) will be graced with “gift tag”

ornaments this year. You are encouraged to take an ornament (see below). The

Advent Tree(s) will be available in two locations this year: 1. In the West Hall; 2.

in glass vestibule across from the office entrance.

Be a Christmas Angel for KidsPeace

Foster Families and Kids!

Our families and kids are AMAZING and have some wishes for

Christmas….Here is how you can help their wishes come true

1. An Amazon Wish List has been created with gift ideas and suggestions. Go

to: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/16Y4YNKDWNJ78?ref_=wl_share

Chose and purchase what you would like to donate.

Items will be directly shipped to our Williamsport KidsPeace office.

2. Christmas Angel Gift Tag – Each tag has a gift request. Please consider

taking a tag, purchase the gift and return it to the church by Friday December

18, 2020. Gifts can be dropped off during office or church hours. If you need

to make other arrangements, please call the church office at 570 -323-7309 or

contact Jessie Young. If you don’t have the time or ability to purchase a gift, I

would be happy to do that for you. Please make your donation to KidsPeace.

All gifts should be new and unwrapped please. I will deliver them to our

families the week of Christmas.

Please contact Jessie Young, with any questions.

Jessie.young@kidspeace.org , or 570-506-9546

About KidsPeace

KidsPeace is a private, non- profit organization dedicated to giving hope, help

and healing to children and adults who love them. We serve children overcoming

trauma, family disasters and other kinds of crisis. The KidsPeace office in

Williamsport serves foster children and families in Williamsport, Liberty,

Montgomery, Howard, Montoursville, Picture Rocks, Loganton, Jersey Shore and

Muncy Valley

CHRISTMAS EVE Our current plan is to hold at least one in-person Christmas

Eve service at 7:30 p.m. The service will be livestreamed, and 30 minutes after its

conclusion there will be an extended period (10-15 minutes) of outdoor carol

singing in the front parking lot/yard approximately 30 minutes after the service

concludes to which all are invited.

Originally it was thought that we might limit the in-person worship to certain

groups and require all others to participate in the livestream/outdoor caroling

option. However, after discussing the issue, the Worship and Music ministry felt it

best to find some balance between safety and inclusion.

So, in order to determine the desire for in-person attendance, we are asking

you to let us know by December 15 if you plan to attend on Christmas Eve.

Depending on the interest shown, we may add an additional service to

accommodate all.

You can call Sarah Young at the office 570 323-7309 or email

( info@stlukeweb.com ) with the number of people from your family who plan on

attending.

December 27 – Online Service of Lessons and Carols

The Sunday after Christmas is traditionally a service of lessons and carols, with no

sermon. Given that this service has been traditionally low attendance, and in order

to both recognize the current situation and provide an opportunity to increase

involvement, this service will be online only – but with a twist!

All members are invited to record yourself and/or members of your family to

record a reading or a carol (or both) at home. These will be compiled along with

liturgy from Pastor Jeff and other music into a recording that will be

broadcast online at 10:30 on the morning of December 27. Watch the bulletin

and the Facebook group for more information on how to participate!

2021 OFFERING ENVELOPES may be picked up in the “Bell Hall” glass

vestibule located, across from the office entrance. Please note, your offering

envelope may have changed. For pickup: boxes will NOT have your address

printed on them, first and last name only. If you have any questions, please contact

Sarah Young.

2021 SIMPLY GIVING If you would like to make changes to your Simply

Giving for the year to come, please contact Melissa Eshleman, Business Manager

at the church office. Simply Giving forms are also available outside the church

office door, in the glass foyer.

SHEPHERD OF THE STREETS Family sized hygiene items are always a

blessing and the Shepherd’s shelves are almost bare! A new collection basket is

now located in the Bell Hall glass vestibule (across from the office entrance)

for your donations, along with the basket in the West Hall. This continues to

be a necessary part of our Shepherd of the Streets ministry. The list follows:

Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Shaving Cream and Razors

Shampoo and Conditioner

Women’s Hygiene Products

Towels and Wash Cloths

Bedding and Blankets

Tissues and Toilet Paper and Paper

Towels

Soap, Deodorant, Combs

Adult Diapers (M, L and XL,especially M)

Baby Diapers and Pull-Ups (Sizes 1-

6, especially 3-6)

Baby Shampoo Baby Oil

Baby Wash

Baby Q-Tips Baby Wipes Baby

Powder

** PLEASE NOTE the Bell Hall glass vestibule (across from the office

entrance) doors are always open for your donations.

FOOD PANTRY Please read carefully as instructions have changed.

The St. Luke Service Ministry invites you to join your fellow members, family and

friends during these difficult times to fill “disposable” grocery bags with grocery

items for the Food Pantry. The food collection basket is now located in the Bell

Hall glass vestibule (across from the office entrance) for your donations.

Please do not use our St. Luke canvas bags, due to the COVID19. Thank you.

Trish Whelan and her son, Danny will check the basket and deliver the food to the

United Churches Food Pantry, as needed. The pantry can always use any kind

of: soup, ramen noodles, pasta, macaroni and cheese, granola bars, canned

chicken or tuna, tea bags, hot chocolate packet, coffee, pop tarts, saltines, oatmeal

packets, sugar, flour, ketchup, mustard, and all canned fruits and vegetables.