Dear church,
This Sunday, we are celebrating a Backpack* Blessing, and the asterisk is intentional.
For many of our children and young people, the backpack marks the beginning of a new school year, filled with books and folders, lunches and Chromebooks, and all the hopes and anxieties that come with heading back to the classroom. So we will bless those backpacks, and especially the students who carry them.
But the blessing does not stop there.
Baptism isn’t a one-time event. Rather, throughout our lives we return to baptism as a source for renewal, forgiveness, sustenance, and mission. As St. Luke welcomes a new baptismal font, come explore deeper meanings of baptism from theological, liturgical, and practical perspectives. Led by Craig Mueller, lead pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chicago and auxiliary professor of spirituality at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
On Sunday, August 19, as the school year begins, bring your backpack, or laptop bag, or suitcase, or other bag to the Sunday service for a special blessing.
Dear church,
We are delighted to welcome Vicar Hannah as they begins their year of internship ministry among us. We look forward to a year of learning, growing, serving, and sharing in the excitement of ministry together.
We also offer a heartfelt thank you to Ethan, who has provided such steady, creative, and beautiful musical leadership through this season of transition. His gifts have helped carry our worship with grace and joy, and we are deeply grateful for all he has shared with us!
As one season gives way to another, we give thanks for the people God sends to walk with us along the way. I hope we can step into what’s next with gratitude for what has been, openness to what is emerging, and trust that the Spirit is still leading us forward together.
See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle
I hope you have had a chance to read the recent message about the reorganization of our church staffing and ministry priorities. If not, I encourage you to take a few moments to do so.
These recommendations grew out of prayerful reflection and a deep hope for the future of St. Luke’s. We are excited to build on the momentum of recent years, deepen our life of faith together, and create a staffing structure that supports both vibrant ministry and long-term sustainability.
Dear church,
August is arriving with an abundance of activity at St. Luke’s. We are welcoming new staff, beginning new ministries, preparing for a full program year, and feeling a wonderful sense of excitement and momentum. At the same time, even good change can bring some uncertainty. When much is happening at once, we may wonder how everything will come together or where we will find our place.
Dear church,
I am delighted to share an unexpected and exciting development in the life of our congregation. Beginning August 12, 2026, St. Luke’s will welcome Hannah Peterson as a full-time pastoral intern. She will serve and learn among us through August 8, 2027.
This opportunity came to us quite suddenly. When the Rev. Erik Christensen was elected bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod in June, one of the first questions that came to his mind was what his transition would mean for Hannah’s internship. Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston, where Bishop-elect Christensen has served as pastor, had been preparing to host Hannah during the coming year. With his election, a new internship setting needed to be found.
School backpacks and monetary donations are once again needed for Lutheran Social Services foster children!
Thank you to everyone who already supported this ministry by donating backpacks or making a monetary contribution.
St. Luke’s is proud to support Lutheran Social Services with school backpacks. Please consider donating regular sized backpacks by July 26. If you wish to monetarily donate to defray the cost of supplies to fill the backpacks, please contact the church office or go HERE and put “LSSI Backpacks” in the memo line. Questions? Contact the church office at 847 825-6659 or Katie Knapowski.
Dear church,
The ELCA describes its approach to global mission with one important word: accompaniment.
To accompany someone is to walk beside them, not arriving with all the answers, but listening, learning and sharing the gifts God has given each of us. It recognizes that mission is not something we do for others. It is something God calls us to do together, trusting that everyone has wisdom to offer and that everyone may be changed along the way.
This Sunday we welcome ELCA missionary Pastor Sandy Jones. In addition to preaching, she will give a short presentation after worship about her work in Costa Rica. I hope you will join us as we listen to her experiences and learn more about the relationships through which God’s mission is unfolding.
See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle
Dear church,
We are looking forward to a wonderful morning of outdoor worship this Sunday! We will welcome missionary guests from the ELCA, receive a special offering for the food pantry [bring a ‘meal in a can!’], celebrate those with July birthdays and anniversaries, and enjoy ice cream treats together following worship. We are also glad to welcome Pastor Mike Busbey as our guest preacher. It should be a joyful celebration!
See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle