It is hard to believe that I am entering my second year as your Choir Director. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed leading and directing this fine community of singers. It all started for me when we held our very first Greet, Meet and Treat one year ago. It was a chance to hear people’s thoughts on the role of the choir, how singing can enhance worship and their music preferences. The event also gave me a chance to spell out my vision and expectations for the choir and walk through what a typical rehearsal would look like.

Well, last year’s gathering went so well, we have decided to do it again. The congregation of St. Luke’s, returning choir members and prospective singers are all invited to attend the Greet, Meet and Treats session on Wednesday, September 4th at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Here is what you can expect to hear, do, sing and eat:
·        Review what was discussed at last year’s event.
·        Hear the highlights of what the choir accomplished in the 2023-2024 program year.
·        Complete a survey asking for your preferences and opinions to help the choir and the Worship and Music Committee plan for the upcoming year.
·        Sing through the ELW Setting Two which we will begin using in worship this year.
·        Listen to the goals and expectations of the choir for the 2024-2025 program year.
·        Eat delicious treats prepared by my wife Mary and others.

I cannot stress enough how this event is NOT just for returning choir members. It truly is a chance for the congregation to be a part of what the choir is, what it does and how it operates. And, it is an opportunity for anyone considering joining choir to learn more about this non-auditioned, volunteer, joy-filled, fun group.

Here’s hoping to see you on September 4th. Blessings to all!

Patrick Lair
St. Luke’s Choir Director

Sunday, August 25th
The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalm 24:1
A new school year is right around the corner, and what better way to prepare than having Blessing of the Backpacks and Animals. Join us on Sunday, August 25th for our outdoor worship at 10am (weather permitting). Bring your fury friend and/or your backpack to receive a blessing.

The fall is full of new opportunities, like starting a new school, or having a new teacher, or maybe starting a new job or settling into new routines after summer. Whatever this new season of life brings you know that God is always with you. I saw a saying recently that says you can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. Meaning that you can’t control everything that happens in life, but you can control how you react to those events.

God of all wisdom and knowledge bless and guide us through this new season of life.  

Join us Sunday, August 25 as we offering blessings for the start of the school year, for our pets and all creation.

8:30 AM – Worship in the Sanctuary
10:00 AM Worship outside welcoming our pets to join and receive a blessing.

Let us extend our blessings to our neighbors by supporting VEAP, the Twin Cities’ largest food pantry, providing access to healthy foods (for both humans and pets), social services, and financial assistance. They also do a collection every year for school supplies. See the list below and prayerfully consider bringing a donation to share. 

Food Pantries list of most needed items:

• Dog and cat food (particularly wet food, treats, litter, etc.)
• Whole grain rice (1-2 pound bags)
• Whole grain pasta
• Hearty soups (high protein, low sodium)
• Whole grain cereal (like Shredded Wheat, Kashi, bran cereals, Chex, etc.)
• Canned proteins (meat and beans)
• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Diapers (all sizes) and baby wipes
• Cooking oil
• Coffee
• Baking essentials (flour, sugar, spices, baking soda/powder)
• Laundry detergent
• Dish soap
• Personal care items (shampoo, toothpaste, hand soap, shaving cream, toiletries, etc.)
• Gluten-free products (whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, cornmeal; nut flours and butters; rice crackers, GF snacks, etc. Check for gluten-free product label.)
• Birthday candles, cake frosting, birthday-themed napkins/plates, cake mix, small birthday party favors like chalk, bubbles or bags of balloons
• Paper bags and re-usable, cloth totes (We’ll always take your extra paper grocery bags. We are not accepting plastic bag or totes donations).

​School supplies most needed: (Please make sure all items are new.)

• Backpacks
• Scientific calculators
• Wireless headphones/earbuds

(These three are high-demand items and the most impactful as they’re the most expensive for families to purchase on their own.)

Traditional supplies requested:

• Spiral notebooks
• Crayons
• Washable markers


For more information go to: VEAP.ORG

Have you ever wondered what it takes to run a successful Sunday worship at St. Luke’s, or any church for that matter? Well, there are many moving parts to that answer, and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that we could honestly be here all day if we discussed them all. So, for the sake of this blog, I’m only going to talk about one. Luckily for all of you, I think it just so happens to be one of the most important elements. The volunteers.

First, we must realize that a church, while many things, is a community. A place of worship that is, by and large, run and organized by the people who attend it and call it their “home church”. Whether it’s an official staff job or a volunteer position, St. Luke’s and many other churches rely on people stepping forward to fill the positions and do the jobs that need to be done. On any given Sunday, all it would take is a quick glance around for you to see these people at work. Whether it’s the ushers, camera, sound, or video tech, communion assistants, or any of the other dozens of people volunteering their time to the church, they are all around you. These people are the backbone of the church, unified in one coherent goal: Make this Sunday morning run as smooth as possible.

I’ve had the privilege of volunteering as video tech at St. Luke’s for the past seven years, and I can say from experience that we could always use “an extra set of hands”, or many, for that matter. Now, I am admittedly a little biased. We definitely need more video techs, but we also need more sound techs, more camera techs, more ushers, and more volunteers in general.

Stewardship is a core value of Christianity, and it’s a lot more than just tithing, which is still important, don’t get me wrong. Stewardship, however, is also the giving of time and talent. God calls us all to be good stewards, each in our own way. For me, and hopefully a few of you out there reading this, it is volunteering as a video tech. For others it could be communion, it could be as an usher, maybe the choir, or something else entirely.

I’m almost positive I’m not the first person to say something like this, and I know the emotions that can come with being asked to devote time to volunteering. It’s easy to say, “I just don’t have the time”, or “I wouldn’t even know where to start”, or “too much responsibility”. Which are all perfectly understandable responses to such an upfront proposal. But I urge all of you to consider what “being a good steward” looks like for you. Ask yourself, what has God called me to do here? What role has he set aside for me here? Maybe it’s in a volunteer position, maybe it’s not. But It’s important to note that it’s never a lifetime commitment, and no matter how much time you spend here, the value is immeasurable.

So, whether you join as volunteer at St. Luke’s or not, (which I really hope you do), praying and asking yourself questions like these, in situations like these, can be helpful anywhere. Not just exclusively at St. Luke’s, but in any avenue in life. 

“Whenever I’m afraid I will trust in God.” – Psalm 56:3

God is good! Joy and Laughter, Singing and Dancing, Sharing stories of God’s guidance, wisdom, and peace are making memories and building faith not only in the children we are serving, but the St. Luke’s Students, Adults, and friends who are leading.

Advent Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran on the Upper West Side of Manhattan are enjoying their first Vacation Bible Schools in years. Advent’s last vacation Bible school was when St. Luke’s and Prince of Peace in Roseville came to New York in 2019. Due to COVID they were unable to do it the following year, nor the years after. They are so excited to have us back this year.

We are sleeping at Advent where we lead vacation Bible school. The mornings come early with the students waking up at 7:15 AM, packing away all their personal items and the air sleeping mattresses that members of both churches shared with us. That is followed by a continental breakfast and preview of the day. The children start arriving at 8:30 AM with VBS kicking off with opening worship at 9 AM. This is followed by a rotation of Art, Science, Bible Story, Games, and Snack. We end VBS with a closing worship with the final prayer being a prayer of thanks for a good day and saying a table grace as we end the day with a community lunch.

After the children go home, the students and adult leaders review the day and plan the following day, including singing the songs for the next day. Thanks to the Cokesbury Music Videos we enjoy the worship songs karaoke style, including movements with all the songs. Then we can walk 9 blocks to Trinity Lutheran where we are able to take showers between 2-6 pm. The time constraint is due to the church hosting, Trinity Place Shelter, where the homeless can get a meal, shower, and a place to sleep for the night. We will be serving with them on Thursday after VBS, preparing the meal and joining them at their table. On Friday we will be serving with Advent’s Food program. They rotate a food pantry with a hot meal every other Saturday. This coming Saturday we will be serving the meal before we go out for our last evening adventure. 

Yes, we are working hard, but we are also playing hard exploring the city. We’ve enjoyed the subways, which took us to Brooklyn going under the East River, so we could walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. Yesterday we went to The EDGE, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere. One of the students in a statement of fear and trust said, “If this building were to collapse my first question to God would be, “Why did you make me fall so far, when I was already so close to you.”

Thank you, St. Luke’s and the St. Luke’s Foundation, for helping make this mission trip a possibility. Students and friends are already excited for the future summer mission trip rotations, as we will continue with Good Neighbors, a habitat organization in Kentucky that former member Jason Benedict leads. I understand that was a long-time tradition for St. Luke’s. Although geared toward youth, adults are invited to join us.

As for VBS in NYC five years from now, 2029, we hope we will have to find some new churches. The leaders of Advent and Trinity are making plans to have a vacation Bible school next summer. If so, mission accomplished, as we live out the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” These churches will be doing likewise, knowing that - Whenever their afraid, they just need to put their trust in God. Look forward to more stories of our mission and adventure, later this fall. Thank you for your prayers, know that you are in ours.