St. Luke’s 2021 Annual Meeting
11:15 AM, Sunday, January 30, 2022
February 18, 1923, St. Luke’s church was born. There was no building. There was no council. There was no mission team, worship and music team, evangelism, community life, stewardship, or faith formation team. There were 9 families who following worship signed the original charter to become St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. A few more families joined and by June 1923 charter membership stood at 25 people.
The Reverend R.H. Gerberding, Field Missionary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the Northwest, who helped form St. Luke’s wrote at the time of our 50th anniversary celebration that “a distinguishing mark of this young congregation was solidarity and unity of purpose.” 
Those people made a church. The current 595 baptized members are the church today. It is important to remember this truth as Worship Leader Jay Beech wrote in The Church Song ©1988.

REFRAIN
We are the Church, the body of our Lord;
We are all God's children, we have been restored.

The Church is not a building where people go to pray;
It's not made out of sticks and stones, it's not made out of clay. REFRAIN

You can go to worship but you cannot go to Church;
You can't find a building that's alive no matter how you search. REFRAIN

The Church is not a business, a committee, or a board;
It's not a corporation for the business of the Lord. REFRAIN

The Church, it is the people, living out their lives
Called, enlightened, sanctified for the work of Jesus Christ. REFRAIN

Let me repeat that last verse, “The Church it is the people, living out their lives; called, enlightened, sanctified for the work of Jesus Christ.”

From the very beginning being the Church is all about doing the work of Jesus Christ, in this time and this place, as we are commissioned, just like the disciples were…

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:19-20
On Sunday, three people will join us being church together. They have experienced our mission, “We are a welcoming and growing community of faith, busy making Christ known to the word.” They have witnessed us live out our core values – Service, Worship, Evangelism, Community, Stewardship, and Discipleship. Simply What Every Christian Should Do.
Following the 10 AM Worship this Sunday, join us in the sanctuary or online for our Annual Meeting. Prior to attending I encourage you to read the 2021 Annual Report. The report was emailed to all members. If you didn't receive one and would like it emailed to you, please email the office before 4 PM on Thursday, January 27th.
This is a time to celebrate the highlights of St. Luke’s Mission, Worship and Music, Community Life, Stewardship, and Faith Formation Teams. We will support our staff and council leadership. And most importantly we will commit our lives to one another as Church doing the work of Jesus Christ in the year ahead – A Beloved Community in solidarity and unity of purpose starting our 99th year and counting…
Let’s trust the promises that keep us going. God always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, worshipping together, spurring each other on, especially as we see the promises fulfilled as we faithfully follow Jesus. – Hebrews 10:23-25 MSG paraphrased
Ongoing prayers and blessings, Rob
rob@stlukesbloomington.org / 952-881-5801 ext. 103

“Spend less than you earn” or “Earn more than you spend.”
Congrats to anyone continuing to read after seeing the headline. Few people like to talk about budgets. Often people who hear the first quote above feel ashamed, guilty, or embarrassed. It is the people who resonate with the second quote that feel motivated, determined, and have a sense of pride.
Why the difference? One is focused on what you cannot have while the other is focused on what you can have – the Have nots and the Haves. “I can’t have that.” verses “I can have this.”
Do you know what helps transform a person from a “Have not” to a “Have?”
Living the promise, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35c
There was a time in our life when we were living beyond our means, due to a number of unforeseen circumstances that unfolded. Nancy and I were newly married. We bought our first home, thankfully only taking out a mortgage that, if necessary, one of us could pay for if needed. What caught us off guard was that the home had some unknown necessary repairs. If you ever saw the movie “Money Pit”, that is what we were living. Roof, pipes, carpenter and mouse infestation, to name a few. The extent of the repairs were not fully known for a number of years. As they kept appearing, I asked Nancy if I should quit seminary until we were in a better financial situation. Instead Nancy took on a second job, of all things doing bill collections. When a client said they didn’t have the money, she would reply, “Then get a second job; that’s why I’m calling you.” More came to light after things had settled down, Nancy finally told me that her mom was purchasing diapers and other necessities for us.
Fast forward to today. Nancy is only working one job. I will be celebrating my 24th anniversary of my seminary graduation. We have a child in college. And most recently we now have four drivers.
We are debt free, except for our mortgage - that is our greatest expense. The second largest payment we make is my tithe and our offerings. As a pastor I am called to tithe, giving a tenth of what I receive from the church (Numbers 18:26). I had grown to a tithe of my income, but upon arriving at St. Luke’s it was pointed out that my entire compensation including benefits comes from the church, so a full tithe is to also give 10% of all I receive.
I’ve been asked, “How do you do that?” It’s Budgeting 101. Nancy and I are grateful for our blessings we receive and in turn joyfully give them with thanks to God.
Each year when doing our taxes I recalculate what we anticipate to receive and adjust our giving accordingly, starting with a tithe and then determining our additional offerings. This includes gifts to other organizations including supporting two children overseas, the least we could do with God blessing us with two of our own children. 
Church Budgeting 101
How does the church budget?
Pledges + History of Giving = Guestimation of Income
Building + Programming + Mission + Staff = Planned Expenses
St. Luke’s is required to propose a balanced budget to be voted on at the annual meeting. It comes down to Budgeting 101, “Spend less than we will receive.” or “Receive more than we spend.” Here’s the difficulty in doing so, we can at best guestimate how much St. Luke’s will receive. Everything is dependent on what members give and keeping expenses below that number.
You are invited to come and learn more about St. Luke’s finances.
St. Luke’s holds two budget meetings the two Sundays prior to our annual meeting. The second budget meeting is this coming Sunday, January 23 at 9:30 AM. The Annual Meeting with be Sunday, January 30 at 11:15 AM. Please make plans to join either or both.
You are also invited to learn more about Budgeting 101 in your personal life. I love helping people forgive their debt, first and foremost spiritually, but also financially. Please contact me if interested.
​Ongoing prayers and blessings, Rob
rob@stlukesbloomington.org / 952-881-5801 ext. 103

Greetings from your COVID Taskforce Members -
We wanted to let you know that we are still monitoring the COVID situation on a daily basis as it pertains to our church activities. In 2020, we chose to close down the building. Following the summer months, we reopened. We followed a very strict protocol of using a sign-in sheets for all meetings and activities, mandatory mask wearing, along with physical distancing between individuals of different households. We sanitized the Sanctuary between worship services. Many group gatherings were cancelled or held using Zoom and the internet. As a church, we adjusted.
Once vaccines became more widely available, along with additional scientific studies on the virus itself, some governmental requirements were relaxed. We removed distancing tape from the pews and the hall way floors. In church meetings returned and wearing of masks was no longer required.
We now have Variants of COVID that have developed. Initial indications are that the symptoms may not be that severe. Our position at St. Luke's is to continue to follow governmental (CDC-Center for Disease Control and MDH-Minnesota Department of Health) as well as community standards and recommendations.
We urge you not to become lax in your preventative precautions. Stay safe, wear masks properly, routinely wash your hands, use sanitizing solutions, stay distanced. If you are feeling ill, stay home.
Blessings for a Healthy New Year!
Al Buss, Mary Lair, Diane LaFontaine, Andy Hayden, Pat Cavanaugh and Rob Norris-Weber