St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Missions/Outreach
The primary responsibility for coordinating Missions and Outreach at St. Luke’s lies with the Missions Committee of the Parish Life Guild.
The Missions Committee organizes the church’s support for over 15 selected charitable service organizations local, national, and international. The Fall Fair and the Spring Auction are the main fundraising events for missions. In addition to financial support, the Missions Committee helps to organize and encourage hands-on involvement in mission activities by parishioners.

2007 Missions Beneficiaries included:
• Morristown Soup Kitchen
• P/G First Aid Squad
• P/G Fire Company
• St. Luke's Village
• Somerset Jail Chaplaincy
• Morristown Memorial Chaplaincy
• Episcopal Preaching Foundation
• The General Theological Seminary
• Youth Mission Trip
• Upper Raritan Watershed
• Somerset Home for Displaced Children
• Green Faith
• Seaman's Institute
• St. Philip's Academy
• Soup Kitchen funding
• Sharing Villiage
• St. Paul's Discretionary Fund
• St. Bernards fire repair
• College Scholarships
• Tanzanian Children's fund
• Orphan Concern
• Somerset Chaplaincy to the Elderly

For more information on Missions at St. Luke’s please contact the parish office.

Pastoral Care

Prayer Chain – Parishioners praying for parishioners, and those in the wider community.
The concerns of members for the sick and those with other needs are raised in daily prayer by our Prayer Chain members. Regular meetings are held after church services to pray together and update members about new situations. This quiet ministry is faithful in intercession and thanksgiving to God.

Lay Eucharistic Members – Parishioners sharing the sacramental work of the Church.
Holy communion is taken from Sunday worship to those sick and homebound, uniting them to the rest of the congregation, making us, indeed, “ One Body.” Our LEV program is being expanded to include regular visits with these members, for conversation and prayer.

Parish Life Line – Parishioners helping parishioners in times of need.
Meals, transportation and emergency baby sitting are some of the ways this generous ministry assists in times of sickness or other crises. The circle of care surrounds our members when a helping hand is needed.

Parish Nurses – “The mission of the Parish Nurse Team of St. Luke’s Church is based on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. We seek to support the physical wellness and spiritual wholeness of our faith community through education and consultation.”
We serve as referral sources, health counselors, educators, facilitators, advocates, and integrators of faith and health. The Parish Nurses may be reached by contacting the parish administrator or any member of the clergy.

Missionary Fund – St. Luke's Church is committed to Christ’s command to spread the gospel. Mindful of this command a Missionary Fund has been established to support missionary students and missionaries working at home and abroad.

Sharing Our Abundance – “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Luke 12:34
Our Lord has asked us to love one another as ourselves. In practical terms, this means giving of ourselves as well as of our money, in the form of time and talent. St. Luke’s is rich in this area. One only need look at the past year’s giving opportunities in our Sunday schools, Soup Kitchen, Youth Group activities, fund-raising dinners, as well as our outreach in time of disaster both here and abroad. Our bulletin is always full of opportunities to help our neighbors. Our yearly Fair and Auction are ways we work together to raise money for missionary efforts around the globe.
In order to provide our present level of programming, maintain the current talented staff that makes our programs possible, and to maintain our handsome buildings and beautiful grounds, we rely on our parishioners to support the yearly stewardship campaign as generously as possible. We are committed to moving St. Luke’s forward and sharing our abundance with others.

Welcome Ministry – Most new members tell us they feel the warmth and hospitality of our church the minute they entered St. Luke’s. Our gift of sharing our church community with strangers is surely a ministry to which we as Christians are all called. 25 members of the congregation have agreed to greet and engage, inform and introduce those new to the church on Sunday mornings.

Your Personal Calling – A Welcome Ministry isn’t just for newcomers. Our church will feel more welcoming if we all make it a point to talk with those we don’t know well, whether we have seen them in the hallway many times or never. Take a moment every Sunday to extend God’s love to others by reaching out with warmth and hospitality, as if they were guests in your home.

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Heb 13: 1-2