St. Luke's UMC SermonsStay up-to-date with News and Events from St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Orlando, FLhttp://www.st.lukes.orgNEW Donate Online : You can now make a one time donation or set up a reoccurring weekly or monthly giving schedule over the web using your checking or savings account. Click on the more information link below to make a donation.

If you're interested in Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) please visit the Finance Ministry page. https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/specialwebapp.vps?appid=40a27221f816144b21e9f2e0d81891b8a68820b814b79fc6caf83c6a4fcf06b22f288aa4a34fa442a76b20a4eb1041b06f3e44330a5263ee3dde921b47eb75d2 http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=132No 5:30 Contemporary 8/31 : There will be no 5:30 p.m. Contemporary service on August 31st due to the gym floors being refinished. 9:30 Contemporary worship will still be held in the gym on 8/31 and both services will resume at normal times on the following Sunday, September 7th. http://www.st.lukes.org/Worship http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=135Volunteer at Reception Desk : Servant minister opportunity at reception desk- volunteers are needed to work a few hours a week sitting at the Reception desk and answering phone calls. This is a great way to see the inside workings of St. Luke's. If you are interested contact Dede Duncan at 407-876-4991 ext. 296. http://www.st.lukes.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=114June 8 Town Hall Meetings : If you attended either of the town hall meetings on Sunday, June 8th you were told the budget documents would be available on the website. You may download them here:

All three files in one Excel File:
2008/2009 Budget + 3-year Budget + Budget Changes (Excel file)

Each File as Individual PDFs:
2008/2009 Budget (PDF file)
3-year Budget Projects (PDF file)
Changes to 2008/2009 Budget (PDF file) http://www.st.lukes.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=131Blood Drive June 29 : Florida's Blood Centers will be at St. Luke's Sunday, June 29th from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for blood donations.

All donors receive a free T-Shirt, 2-for-1 Admission to Arabian Nights and enrollment into Club Red (which after just two donations you'll receive a $10 Darden Gift Card).

1-888-9-DONATE
http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/outreach/local/blooddrive/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=134St. Luke's Town Hall Mtg 6/8 : St. Luke’s Church Council Leadership will be holding town hall meetings to discuss the enhanced vision of St. Luke’s and all its ministry areas due to the change in economics we are experiencing as well as our community. If you have an interest in how St. Luke’s plans to be of assistance to our church family and our community and how this affects our 2008-2009 budget and beyond please plan to attend. There will be two town hall meetings; one at the HopeSpring Campus at 11:00 a.m. and a second meeting at the St. Luke’s Central Campus in Fellowship Hall at noon. For directions to the HopeSpring Campus please visit www.HopeSpringFL.org or call the church office at 407-876-4991. http://www.hopespringfl.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=130NexGen Fall Information Meeting : The NexGen (Student) Ministries will be holding a Fall Information Meeting on Thursday, June 5th to inform Middle School parents of the new and upcoming changes facing NexGen Ministries in the Fall. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in room C201/203, upstairs in Building C. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/nexgen http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=129Serve on Sundays : Serve before, during or after worship: Give one hour on Sunday as a servant minister. St. Luke's needs saints to usher or greet at all services in the Sanctuary and Gymnasium. If you can serve or are already serving and need to make changes to your current schedule, please contact Sue Powers at 407-876-4991 ext. 234. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/reach.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=113Choir and Orchestra Concert 5/31 : The St. Luke's Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra will be presenting a concert entitled "Around the World in Eighty Minutes" on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. The concert is a musical journey around the globe. The choir will be singing songs from the hills of Appalachia, the opera houses of Italy, the beaches of the Caribbean, the outback of Australia, the green hills of Ireland to the tango halls of Brazil. No matter what your musical preference, there's a song for you. Addmittance is free but a love offering will be taken for St. Luke's School of the Arts Community Outreach. Following the concert you may attend an international food fare and eat your way around the world. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/music/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=125Responses to Recent Disasters : MYANMAR: CYCLONE NARGIS RESPONSE
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is responding to the widespread need in Myanmar. Working through partners such as Church World Service, one of the few agencies with permits to work in Myanmar, allows UMCOR to respond to disasters in some of the world's most remote places. The international community is working to open up relationships between the US and Myanmar so that more assistance can be provided to survivors.

US: TORNADO RESPONSES
UMCOR is helping the Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia Annual Conferences respond to several tornados that whipped through the southern states on May 1 and 2. The deadly storms damaged or destroyed several hundred homes and knocked out electrical power. An estimated 200 people were injured in Virginia and seven people were killed in Arkansas. UMCOR is in contact with the respective conference directors to assess the damage, help with the long-term recovery plans, and is providing assistance to help meet emergency needs.

TO DONATE
Write a check to St. Luke’s and mark for either US or Myanmar disaster if you want it to go to a specific disaster area. Otherwise just mark disaster response and we will split it up between the two.

For more information about how your United Methodist Church is responding to the recent disasters go to: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/newsroom/hotline/. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/outreach http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=127Children's Choir Performs 5/18 : The Children's Choir musical presentation Rock Solid ("God's Promises for the Trail of Life") will be performed Sunday, May 18th at the 11:00 a.m. Traditional service. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/music http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=124Rummage Sale May 17 : St. Luke's Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, May 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We hope you'll stop by and shop for a while.

Donations will be taken starting Thursday and continuing through Friday. You can bring your donations tot he gym and St. Luke's can schedule furniture/appliance pick-up for Thursday and Friday if you contact Jenna at 407-876-4991 ext. or nexgen@st.lukes.org. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/nexgen/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=128Kingdom Camp Student Counselor : Kingdom Camp Counselors needed for two weeks; July 14th-18th and July 21st-25th. Mandatory training is scheduled for June 26th from 6-8pm. Must be 16 years of age to apply. Applications are due into the church office by Wednesday, May 21st. and can be found by clicking the link below. Applicants will be notified for an interview. Contact Carolyn Green cgreen@st.lukes.org if you have any questions http://www.st.lukes.org/jobs/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=1212008 General Conference Update : The 2008 United Methodist Church General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas begins April 23rd and runs for two weeks. For the latest news from the conference click on the more information link below. You will be directed to UMC.org's coverage of the conference. http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2336161/k.1E1C/General_Conference_2008.htm http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=122Finding Yourself Class Sign-Up : Join us for our upcoming sermon series: "Find Yourself Again... at St. Luke’s" beginning Sunday, March 30th. We know it’s not easy when life pulls us in so many different directions to discover and claim our identity as people who are worthy, children of God with the resources to make a positive impact on the world. This series about St. Luke’s core values includes understanding Christ-centered: Acceptance, Hospitality, Community, Discipleship and Service and how these can help us embrace the best parts of ourselves and others for the Glory of God. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/spiritform/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=120Summer Camps Reg. March 3rd : St. Luke's Summer Camps are just around the corner, and registration begins Monday, March 3rd at 12:00 noon and ends April 30th. Registration is only available online by clicking the More Information link below. You can view the camp information and age requirements on the summer camps page as well. Please note that some camps fill up quickly and camps are on a first-come first-serve basis. http://www.st.lukes.org/summercamps/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=111Church Offices Closed - Mar 24 : St. Luke's will be closed Monday, March 24, 2008 in observation of Easter. Please note that all classes, meetings, etc. are canceled and all buildings will be closed and locked. http://www.st.lukes.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=116No Child. or Student Min. 3/23 : The normal Children and Student Ministries activities will not meet on Palm or Easter Sunday. This includes Sunday School, Catalyst and other gatherings.

Normal schedule will resume Sunday, March 30th. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/children/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=119No Child or Student Min. 3/16 : The normal Children and Student Ministries activities will not meet on Palm or Easter Sunday. This includes Sunday School, Catalyst and other gatherings.

Normal schedule will resume Sunday, March 30th. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/children/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=118Day Light Savings March 9th : Don't forget to spring your clocks forward an hour this weekend as Day Light Savings Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9th. We don't want you to be an hour late for worship on Sunday! http://www.st.lukes.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=117Before You Wed Class : A Before You Wed Class, led by Dr. Joanne MacPherson, LMHC and Director of St. Luke's Counseling Center, will be held on Tuesday, March 4th and 11th from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. in room C200/202, Building C. Please pre-register at 407-876-4991 ext. 250. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/counseling/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=115School of the Arts Reg Open : School of the Arts Spring Registration is currently open. The school offers weekly classes in dance, music, art, photography, theater and etiquette along with a brand new 50+ dance class. Classes are open to all members of the community. The class schedules are available by clicking the link below. http://www.st.lukes.org/ministries/sofa/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=112Lent Sign-up : During Lent we want to grow in our relationship with God. We feel we can accomplish this growth in four ways: Prayers, Presence, Gifts & Service. St. Luke's is providing several options for your personal growth in each of these categories.

We ask that you sign-up for your presence and services as space is limited. Click the link below to learn more about our Lent offering and to sign up. http://www.st.lukes.org/worship/lent/default.asp http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=110Campus Closed Feb. 18th : The St. Luke's campus will be closed, Monday, February 18th in observance of President's Day. The campus will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, February 19th.

All regular occurring events on the 18th will be canceled. http://www.st.lukes.org/ http://www.st.lukes.org/events/news.asp?id=108Attainable Resolutions : Are New Year’s Resolutions Attainable?

Welcome to the New Year. With its hopes for prosperity and happiness it is going to be a great year. Almost everyone resolves to be a better person – for the whole year. Everyone wants to lose weight, always be kind and considerate, and stop smoking and other bad habits, except perhaps caffeine...

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