I am a firm believer in the old adage “‘tis better to give than to receive”, so when I was asked to serve on the St. Luke’s Foundation—essentially being a part of the Board whose job it was to consider requests for funds of charitably gifted money to share with other causes that support St. Luke’s ministry—I was in! Now, like any good Lutheran volunteer, I didn’t EXACTLY know what I was getting into when I said yes. That was about two and a half years ago and I am now writing to you as the President of the Foundation. (I guess this is where I recall another poignant adage: time flies when you’re having fun!)

In the spirit of continuing to have fun and be a good Lutheran volunteer, I am still learning what I am doing and working hard toward filling my predecessor, Patrick Lair’s, proverbial big shoes as President of the Foundation. I have the honor to serve with a great group of St. Luke’s Lutherans. We meet via Zoom and I always leave our meetings with a smile on my face. Our Foundation Board members include:

Paul Kopnik, Vice President
Al Buss, Treasurer
Helen Schatzlein, Secretary
Jana Cinnamon, Member-at-Large

The St. Luke’s Foundation was originally set up to establish and administer an endowment fund for the benefit of St. Luke’s and its congregation. We have two separate funds from which we are able to pull, one of which is specifically designated for requests for youth in middle and high school-aged their related requests. This fund (known as the PHASE fund) was generously set up by a St. Luke’s family in honor of a loved one.

The Foundation operates on 4% of the total funds’ value at the end of each calendar year. Funds can and have been carried over for use in future years. More information about the funds can be found on the St. Luke’s website.

In my relatively short time serving on the Foundation, we have funded a variety of requests ranging from lighting and computer upgrades at the church to funding scholarships for trips to summer camp, and even a food truck feeding the families of those who attended Vacation Bible School! We have been able to support the choir, the quilters, the staff, the youth and the building itself.

At a recent meeting, the Foundation was joined by our Regional Gift Planner from the ELCA Foundation, Joe Sullivan. Our time with Mr. Sullivan gave the St. Luke’s Foundation some insight into some greater opportunities for us to share our charitable giving beyond the scope in which we are currently doing. We also learned that Mr. Sullivan can provide guidance for the congregation and partner with individual members in different aspects of gift planning services. Look for more information about that in the future.

For now, know that we are grateful to those of you who have donated to the Foundation in the past, and those who continue to do so. We appreciate your generosity! Gifts to the donation often come from memorials, but must be designated to go specifically to the Foundation. We are also grateful to those who have submitted requests for funds. The Foundation application can be found on the church website or in the office.

As I finish writing to you on the eve of my first-born’s tenth birthday, I’m thinking of a bright future ahead, and not only for him, but for St. Luke’s and its ministry. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the St. Luke’s congregation as the President of the Foundation. I look forward to continuing to serve and the opportunity to be a good steward of the funds gifted to the St. Luke’s Foundation to support St. Luke’s ministry.

Jodi Murphy
​St. Luke's Foundation President

Joyce Jacobson made a confession to me one Sunday morning, “Rob, I like your sermons, but I really like watching all the children in the Prayground.”
 
My friend and collegue Pastor Heather Roth Johnson asked on Facebook,
 
“What are the best reasons for children, youth, and families to be in worship?”
 
She received about 40 answers. Here is how she summed up them up:

1. Train them up! “If you want to raise an adult, who doesn’t worship, raise a child who doesn’t worship. You can’t come back to a place you’ve never been.” – Rich Melheim. We do meet people who enter the church as adults. But I find that the people who return to church after a leave of absence went as a young children. In fact, the last funeral I did was for a woman who stepped away from the faith for 50 years. When she found out she was dying, a pastor was called in to speak God’s promises to her. “Train up a child in the way in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. ” (Proverbs 22:6)
   
2. Body of Christ! “Children of God come in all ages.” – Betsy Hoium. Precisely right, and how quick we are to forget this. We are all children of God, and we are faithfully formed to love God and to love others. IMO, there is no such things as a “mature Christian” if we really believe we have everything we need to love God and love others. Plus, kids give “honest feedback!” – Jay Gamelin.
3. Not the Future! “Children aren’t “the future” of the church.  They are precisely the present.” – Natalie Hall. Kids are not miny adults. They are the church of today, but they learn differently through muscle memory, repetition, and movement. Adults make a promise when a baby is baptized to love them and be in faith with them. This means the congregation needs to learn as children do. “Because kids learn best by doing…” – Heather Hanson, or “Faith is caught, not taught!” – Janet Blake.
4. Kids will be kids. “Jesus said, ‘Let the children come!'” – Julie Miller. If kids belong to the kingdom of God, then they belong to the church. “The kingdom of God will be filled with wiggles, squiggles, and squirms.” – Beka Forst. Doesn’t this give the best image of the kingdom of God? We get to see this in our worship spaces, too. Kids giggle and poke, squirm and need room to move. Make sure you are paying attention to #5. Read below.
   
5. Space Matters.“Belong, behave, believe in that order.” – Rob Norris-Weber. First, we all want to belong, even kids, to something bigger than ourselves. Second, most people will love the kiddos in worship, but crying babies or tantrums are hard on the hearing. Create spaces inside and outside the sanctuary for parents to bring kiddos and can still be part of the service. Third, belief comes to us by the spirit and that happens when we gather. It’s full circle!
   
6. Church is Intergenerational. “Where do you gather regularly with people from all walks of life? Church! How rare is that in this time?” – Bonnie Wilcox. What a gift to the church to have 4-5 generations in the pews together. Use this gift, and let kids lead. “They ask the best questions.” -Michelle Basner-Ketepa, and “they interpret the stories in such different, and beautiful ways.” – Melissa Lee. 
7. Open to the Creative Process. People come to worship and expect it to be a certain way. But there is a creative process that can change things like music, storytelling, preaching, and the prayers. Kids being themselves remind adults how creative worship can be. – Katie Rode. When we let kids take ownership in worship, “they become leaders, and they become our teachers, and we learn so much from them.” – Kaydee Kirk.
   
8. Brain Development and Biblical Literacy: Worship is good for their brains! – Dawn Rundman. If you have never heard Dawn speak about baby brains, go to one of her workshops. She will teach you how music, conversation, tasting communion, and interacting with others will teach them about worship. It’s what sticks with them as the grow! “So they’ll start to “play church” at home, and you’ll hear how our rote words sound in their ears!” – Amy Truhe.
   
9. Feeling Welcomed. When you have kids and youth in worship and a new family shows up to visit, they can see themselves there. “The story it tells new families makes all the difference.” – Jared Randell. “Kids, when they know they are welcomed and valued as part of the community of faith, they learn that they belong. Church has a place for them.” – Beth Tobin.
   
10. Faith is Contagious. “They spontaneously clap at the organ (and other things)!” – Amy Truhe. Their spirits allow them to respond in ways adults believe are (sometimes) unacceptably. I grew up in an anti-clapping church, but we know that clapping can be a form of praised. So kids clap you hands, twirl and dance, and tap your feet. “Children and youth are just as much of the Holy Spirit as everybody else and they don’t squash it.” – Pam Marolla.

 
Would love to hear your answer:  Comment on the blog

“What are the best reasons for children, youth, and families to be in worship?”
 
 Much thanks to
heatherrothjohnson (sTORYBOARDINGCHURCH.COM)
September 7, 2023/ 

Love your Neighbor! St. Luke’s 2nd Annual Block Party
Saturday, September 20 from 4 – 7 PM.

Come have some fun, enjoy some good food and greet the neighbors. One of most asked questions I get is, “Why don’t more people come to church?”

Do you know what the number one reason a person attends a church for the first time – Because they were invited!

Read the Blog from September 2nd Click here to learn more...​

Love God and Yourself! Wednesday Church Nights begin on September 24.

Come get a mid-week Spiritual Recharge.

We have dinner ready for you, and you don’t have to do the dishes.

There are activities for all ages on Wednesday evenings; preschoolers to adults.

For those interested in Bells and Choir, no rushing home to make dinner, simply come and enjoy. For Choir it can be dinner, Bible study, and rehearsal.

Here’s the Timeline –

5:30 pm: Dinner-$3 each (suggested donation) Kids under 5 are free!
We invite entire families for $10/household

5:45 pm: Bells of Praise Rehearsal

6:00 pm: Preschooler and Parent, Children's Ministry, Confirmation (with high school peer leaders) and Adult Bible Study

7:00 pm: Choir Rehearsal

Block Party + Sunday Worship + Wednesday Church Night = A Great Week!

The early Church met frequently-often daily-for fellowship and teaching (Acts 2:42-47). By the modern period, many churches adopted Wednesday evenings as a practical, culturally recognized midweek time slot. This tradition is rooted in the broader biblical directive to “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews 10:25).

St. Luke’s Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices Learning Cohort will be hosting a Neighborhood Block Party on Saturday, September 20th. We are excited to invite all neighbors and members of St Luke’s to gather for food, fellowship, and fun for all ages!

The goal of the event is getting to know our neighbors! Some ways to do that include:

1. Asking Questions: How long have you lived in the neighborhood? What’s your favorite thing about the neighborhood? What is a skill you know so well you could teach others?

2. Practice listening more than talking.
​
3. Find the people you know the least!

You can learn more about ways to engage with neighbors before the Neighborhood Block Party by joining the Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices members this Sunday, September 7 during God’s Work Our Hands. They will be in the Youth Room following both worships.
​
Whether or not you can attend, you can still support the Block Party by signing up to bring any of the following…

• Single serve chips (perhaps 2 sets of ~60 bags)
• Lemonade mix
• Marshmallows (4 bags)
• Chocolate Bars (100 bars)
• Graham Crackers (10 boxes)
• Plates, cups, napkins (150 total)
• Hot dogs (4 sets of 30)
• Buns (perhaps 4 sets of 30)
• Raffle Containers and content (3 glass or plastic jars filled with fall candy)
• Facepaint sets (2)
• Donations for Susana’s Incredible Mexican Corn on the Cob​

If you have any questions reach out the Leah DeSchepper at [email protected]

Sun Current Readers’ Choice Awards
Voting ends on September 13 at 10 PM.
You can vote once per day. Vote Now!

Follow LINK: https://apgecm.secondstreetapp.com/Bloomington-2026-RCA/

Scroll to “Religion” and Vote for St. Luke’s as Best…

• Choir/Music Program
• Place of Worship
• Vacation Bible School

​Thank you to all who are voting for St. Luke’s. It is a wonderful recognition letting the community know how much our members and friends appreciate St. Luke’s; we’ve won awards 5 out of the last 7 years, including last year!