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.