July 2025
St. Luke United Methodist Church
Message from the Pastor
Here we are in the high heat of summer where the forecast is always "it's gonna be a hot one!" I am currently on the beach with the girls and every day they are drawn to the water (from before the sun is up until after it goes down). They want to play in the ocean, splash in the pool, and chase the waves as if each one hides the possibility of a new adventure. They want to hunt for seashells and find tiny crabs (and then Adalyn likes to throw them on me and watch me squirm and run away). She delights in mischief and my laughter. I get lost in the wide expanse of the horizon, the patterns in the water, and the melody of the sea. I am reminded of my smallness. There is a beautiful liturgy by Douglas McElvey for Arriving at the Ocean that reflects this. Allow me to share a portion of it with you.
"In this place may we recall our blessed smallness.
May we on this lovely shore lay down our pretensions of power,
shedding the burdensome dreams of our own grandeur,
and may we find instead contentment in our creatureliness.
May we grasp the grace that is here so evident.
May we know solace and calm and wonder and delight, reveling here in a rightful place as those who are not, and never will be, God, but who are yet your beloved image-bearers...
May the stresses of obligation, reputation, and deadlines here dissolve.
May we find rest in the renewed certainty that we need not be feared or respected or popular or successful or somehow perfect, to be loved by you...
In the ocean of your presence let us taste anew the freedom of children on holiday. Let us ride upon these waves of endless grace, unselfconsciously delighting in the scale of a creation, and of a creator, and of a redemption, so much grander than ourselves."
As I consider this blessing and watch children and adults alike wade into the waters, I think of how we are drawn to that which refreshes us. You may not be by the ocean this summer, but how are you being drawn to what refreshes you? Is there a part of your routine each day that has a way of grounding your spirit? Do you love taking walks, going to the farmers’ market, staring at a Delta sunset, jumping into a pool, or listening to live music? What is it that draws you in and reminds you that you are held, seen, and loved by God? Right now, it is so tempting (for me at least) to be drawn into that which angers me and deeply saddens me. My heart aches when I see brothers and sisters in Christ harmed, threatened, cast aside, or treated as less than. I long for so much more and want to cry out "how long O Lord?" Then I remember that the same waters that hold all of our sorrows are the same waters that restore our souls. In the expanse of God's grace, there is room for it all and room for all of us.
We are drawn to that which refreshes us and strengthens us. If any of us are going to have strength to keep proclaiming and standing for what is good and right and holy, we must keep returning to the source of our strength. We must return again and again to endless grace, to a redemption much grander than ourselves. Like the waters of our baptism, may we be immersed in remembrance of what it means to be a beloved child of God. May the Spirit of God draw us near, bind us together, and meet us not with a reminder of impossible standards but an ocean of our own belovedness.
So may you be drawn into the refreshment of God. In the high heat of summer, may you find your way back, again and again, to who and whose you are.
Wading into the grace of God with you,
Rev. Hannah
Lectionary Readings for July
Sunday, July 6 — Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20Sunday, July 13 — Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 7:7-17
Psalm 82
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37Sunday, July 20 — Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 8:1-12
Psalm 52 or Psalm 82
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42Sunday, July 27 — Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Hosea 1:2-10
Psalm 85
Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
Luke 11:1-13
The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG
United Women in Faith Lunch Bunch will meet in July. Date and place to be determined. All women are invited to join us!
United Women in Faith Grace Circle will not meet in July. Next scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, August 5, at 10:00 a.m. in the St Luke Library.
OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE
St. Luke Sunday School has gone on summer vacation, except for the Coleman Class. Sunday morning services remain the same, however, so enjoy a little more shut-eye or an extra cup of coffee and then join your church family at 10:30 for worship. See you all in Sunday School in early September!
OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES
The Christmas in July tree will soon be up in the narthex! This is our opportunity to purchase school supplies for families in need. We are helping several foster children from our community with supplies and the Methodist Children’s Home with monetary donations so they can purchase school supplies for the children in their care. When you see the tree, please take as many paper ornaments as you can, purchase the specified supplies, attach the paper ornament to the supplies (preferably in a plastic shopping bag), and place them under the tree at any time or bring them to worship service on Sunday, July 27, at which time we will have a special “blessing of the school supplies”. We hope you can join us for worship that morning!
In the summer months, the DSU Wesley does not have their weekly worship service. Instead, they will be meeting students downtown at the Delta Dairy for a time of fun and fellowship. They are looking for sponsors for these meetings. The cost to sponsor one week is $100, and they are looking for 15 sponsors for the summer. If you’d like to help with one week, please let them know or donate by using one of these methods… donate by cash/check at 904 S. Court St, Cleveland; Venmo: @DSU-Wesley; or Cash App: $DSUWesley2.
Don’t forget that on the second Sunday of every month we collect bags of apples, jars of peanut butter, and also canned goods for the Helping Hands Ministry. That day is also our Dollar Sunday, when you are invited to drop a dollar or two into the basket in the narthex to help support our Compassion Fund, which the pastor uses at their discretion to help those in need.
The Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board in the hallway across from the choir room. If you would like to help provide an altar arrangement sometime during the year, please look over the calendar, choose a date or two, and sign up. Your arrangement doesn’t have to be fresh flowers, it could be a lovely silk arrangements, or even a nice plant. If you sign up for two consecutive Sundays, we have a “flower fridge” where we can store your floral arrangement during the week and re-use them the second Sunday. If ordering fresh flowers from a flower shop, please specify you would like them to last for two Sundays. Please contact Sandi Melton (Flower Steward) or the church office to sign up or for more info.
Summer Picnic Recipe Swap
It has been lovely to swap recipes with you during our Summer Picnic Series. This Sunday, July 6th, you are invited to bring and share a recipe that for you has been a real crowd pleaser. What are your fan favorite recipes that everyone always wants you to bring?
In the spirit of recipe swapping, a friend and colleague of mine recently shared this humorous piece about making a tomato sandwich. Perhaps we all make it a bit differently, but this gave me a good laugh. I hope you will enjoy reading and perhaps even be tempted to give his version a try. See you soon dear friends.
Rev. Hannah
“High-Summer Sacrament”
by Sam Parkes
The tomatoes should be beefy,
just beyond ripe,
bursting with tart fluid,
effulgently red,
perhaps even purple to black,
never been in anyone's ice box,
sliced no thinner than a half inch.
The tomatoes should be from Slocomb, Alabama.
(Second-rate fruit may be accepted with a grudge.)
The bread should be white.
The bread should be lightly toasted,
and spread with at least a quarter cup of mayonnaise.
(BOTH slices, honey.)
The mayonnaise should be Duke's.
(Inferior spreads may be used,
but, hell's bells, why?)
Enough tomatoes should be used to cover one face of the lightly toasted bread.
Then,
the alchemy,
the crucial step that will render Real Presence
from the material plane:
Sprinkle the tomatoes with a good bit of salt
and a few grinds of black pepper.
(Already ground black pepper may be used,
but, godamighty, why on earth?)
Close the sandwich.
Tenderly press down with love a little less than chaste.
Step back.
Silence, mortal.
Behold. The Ark of the Tomato Covenant.
It might strike you dead with beauty.
This is your culinary Niagara,
a redwood forest,
Mount Everest –
a simple element of truth,
an exemplar of the few things really good in a jaded and cynical age.
The sandwich should pass the lips
with the salted side of the tomatoes facing the tongue.
You'll see why.
And you'll argue with me about that.
But you will come around to our point of view on this seemingly petty issue.
Here, at the end of all things,
after all the precise care you have taken, why?
Why would you take the holy grail to your lips
with less than full religion, entire faith?
Piquant, the pepper.
Savory, the salt.
Unctuous, the mayonnaise.
Acerbic, the red blessings of high summer
consecrated on fair linen of yellow chintz,
held aloft in a golden-brown chalice of toasted light bread.
Drink, beloved, the vintage of summer, seeds and all.
Ring the bells.
This is flesh.
This is wine.
Mural Project
Our Mural Design Committee is in the process of reaching out and receiving designs from local artists. Hopefully they will soon be able to move on to the next step of the project. If you’d like to help with a monetary donation for our Mural Project, checks and/or cash (earmarked “Mural Project”) can be placed in the offering plate, dropped off at the church office, or mailed to St. Luke UMC, 1227 Deering St, Cleveland MS 38732. You can also scan the QR code to make an electronic donation (click on the donation button under Other Designated Gifts, fill in your info, and be sure to note “Mural Project”).
Employment Opportunities
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee is searching for an employee to fill our Music Director position and would welcome help from the congregation in spreading the word.
As you know, Beverly Jacks has served as interim Director for the past year or so. She does a lovely job and has been happy to serve our church with her gifts, but she would like a break if a suitable person can be found to lead the choir. Previous experience in a church setting is preferred but not required. Salary will be negotiable.
Please share this information with any suitable candidates you know who might be interested in working at St. Luke. Any further questions may be directed to Rev. Hannah or to Lisa in the church office.
The St. Luke Scene
n/a
Events in July
July 3-4, Thursday & Friday
— Office Closed for the 4th of July Holiday
July 8-11, Tuesday-Friday
— Youth Retreat to Lake Junaluska
July 10, Thursday
— Trustees Meeting, 5:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
July 13, Sunday
— Second Sunday Mission for Helping Hands
— Mural Design Committee Meeting, 11:35 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
July 26, Saturday
— Fellowship Hall Reserved by Brittany Runnels
July 27, Sunday
— Christmas in July: Blessing of the School Supplies, 10:30 am service
Memorials and Honorariums
By:
By:
Kay Daughtery Horton
Memorials for:
n/a
Honorarium for:
Jim Tims
Attendance and Offering Report
June 1
June 8
June 15
June 22
June 29
Monthly Total
Monthly Budget
General Fund
$ 12,286
$ 2,037
$ 912
$ 1,709
$ 962
$ 17,906
$ 20,854
Special
Fund
$ 0
$ 822
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
Sunday
School
10
10
9
8
10
Worship
49
46
44
39
33
Online
n/a
196
149
177
149
Special Offerings:
Peace with Justice Ministries
$ 150
July Birthdays
7/01
7/03
7/05
7/07
7/09
7/12
7/15
7/16
7/17
7/22
7/26
7/27
7/29
7/31
Anna Melton
Elaine Lambert
Kelsey Smith
Trapper Bolden
Molly Bassie
Kolby Horton
Frances Tims
Glynn Neal
Debra Cole
Melanie Williams
Megan Armstrong
Loretta Burdine
Larry Lambert
Bob Card
Rani Richard
Woody Earls
Kenley Shempert
July Anniversaries
7/20
Hart & Jonathan Weaver