Blue Jeans Weekend – rain or shine

April 20th (9:00 AM) and 21st (after both worships)
“Many hands make light work.” – John Heywood

There is some heavy lifting to do at St. Luke’s when it comes to caring for the property – both inside and out. St. Luke’s is blessed with very generous members sharing their time and resources. We are being asked to do so again this coming weekend.

St. Luke’s Spring Clean Up’s primary focus is yard care. Please join us on Saturday, and/or Sunday.
There is dead foliage to clean up around the irises, daylilies, and other plants. The weeds are already growing (do they ever stop?) and the mulch can be stirred. The Rain Garden needs several of the grasses and plants cut back. 

Please bring the tools you are comfortable using as well as gloves. 

Our property will never save a soul, and it will never disciple someone, however – our property has a direct impact on the church’s mission – specifically stating, “St. Luke’s is a Welcoming…”

Someone visiting a church for the first time that is not cared for will be asking, “If they can’t take care of their building, how will they take care of me?”

A first impression is just that, it will determine whether or not there will be a second one where they can be part of a “… and Growing faith Community, busy making Christ known to the World.” 

Beyond Blue Jean Weekend there are a number of other opportunities. What follows is a portion of Former Council Representative for Property, Marc Dunham’s 2023 Annual Report. It has been updated thanks to those who have stepped up to take on one of the many projects that need to be accomplished throughout the year - some are short term or one-time tasks. The greatest commitment is having the Holy Spirit stir within a member of our congregation to be the 2024-25 Council Representative for Property. Know that it is not a position carried out in isolation. There is a good crew of people already helping out. Also, I am grateful for Marc Dunham’s dedication and his willingness to mentor the person who accepts this position.

Please see any one of the Council Members if you want to learn more…

Property Report 2023 – Marc Dunham
The Property Chair position is ideally suited to someone who is newly retired or those who have become empty nesters. There are situations that will come up where people of this vintage will be able to draw on life experiences to help problem solve. You also have the knowledge of past property chairs to solicit for help. They have been a great resource for me. The administrative side of the position is to attend the monthly council meetings and report on activities from the list below that may or not have happened. Arranging for entry into the building for contractors that are performing inspection or service. Soliciting pricing for projects that may arise or confirm/approve pricing for current vendors. There are no major infrastructure projects on the near horizon.  St. Luke’s is in overall good shape. I believe the main focus will be continuing to do some of the maintenance that we use to contract out or did on our own.

This includes:

1. Twice a year, changing air filters in the HVAC equipment and pumping grease into a few bearings on the air handlers and (1) rooftop unit (approximately 4 to 5 hours per time). Ian and Neal have volunteered to help. Thank you!
2. Spring through fall, the condensing coils on the air conditioning equipment need to be checked for blockage due to cottonwood and dandelion seeds (approximately ½ hour). Cleaning the coils is done using a garden hose and spray nozzle on a gentle setting (approximately 3 to 4 hours). Ian and Neal have volunteered to help. Thank you!
3. St. Luke’s has (8) ECOBEE thermostats for all the rooftop units as well as the furnaces in the usher’s closet. They allow us to custom program our heating and cooling requirements in many areas depending on the activities scheduled. I spend about 15 minutes every Monday morning at home adding and removing events per the church calendar while having coffee. On a few occasions the building automation schedules need to alter as well. However, these are easier to do because they can be entered as a 1-time exception. Looking for a volunteer.
4. During the heating months, there are several gauges on the boiler that need to be read and recorded. This needs to be done by someone with a boiler license. Mark Haglin has agreed to do this task. Thank you!
5. Taking care of interior lights. This includes replacing burned out interior lights. Testing emergency lights and replacing batteries as needed. Replacing batteries in touch free water faucets. Purchasing replacement lights and batteries. Andy Hayden has agreed to do this task. Thank you!
6. AED Maintenance. The AED needs to be tested once a month and verify the expiration date on both the battery and contact pads. Janet Lyson has agreed to do this task. Thank you!
7. Snow Shoveling – This is one of the most important volunteer tasks performed at St. Luke’s. It allows for safe passage on the sidewalks, to and from the doors and parking lot. Be it the congregation on Sunday’s, Preschool and Learning Tree or any of the multiple meetings that take place during the week. Thank you to the dedicated members, there is always room for more. This one really fulfills the statement, “Many hands make light work.” Know that St. Luke’s owns a snowblower to assist in removing the snow. Looking for a volunteer.
8. Yard Care Group – This group is instrumental in the care and upkeep of our green spaces, spring through fall. Greg Hornicke, Mark Bergherr, Tammy Fawver, and I (Marc Dunham) will continue being active in this group. However, once the spring cleanup is complete, we will be cutting our time back to once a week. We welcom additional help as it is a large task keeping "Our House" looking nice. 

As you can see, there are a few people that have already volunteered to help fill some of the tasks listed above. If you see anything on the list that you may be thinking “I can do that,” or have questions, please contact the office. 952-881-5801 ext. 103 / [email protected]

Once again Larry Nelson, Julie Klein and others outdid themselves preparing and taking care of their garden areas last summer.

Though it was said property committee worked hard to make St. Luke’s look nice for the 100th Anniversary, that is not entirely true. I think St. Luke’s should look like this all the time. When I was approached to take the Property Chair position, I knew from the beginning that what I wanted to accomplish most, was the improvement of St. Luke’s curb appeal. The timing was simply in God’s hands. The most rewarding time that I’ve spent as Property Chair has been starting and working with the Yard Care Group. The first year Greg Hornicke (75) showed up on many occasions. The second year Mark Bergherr (71) joined the group and Tammy Fawver (66) joined last year. This core group puts in a combined 50-60 hours per month during the growing season. The maintenance on the new rain garden alone is about 50 hours per season.
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Look forward to working alongside other members who love St. Luke’s and are willing and able to get a little dirty to spruce up our grounds – and light work it will be.