9:30 a.m. every Sunday
Church School 9:30 a.m.
(Nursery School-High School)
St. Luke’s is a welcoming and inclusive community of faith, bound together by our common commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
News and occasional thoughts from our pastors and others
Spare Fruit, one of St. Luke’s local mission projects Pastor Laura initiated about three years ago, is being featured in the 2012 Yearbook for Mission and Prayer. The Mission Yearbook, published annually by the Presbyterian Church (USA), is a resource for congregations across the country to remain connected through prayer and be encouraged to reach out to make a difference in their communities and across the world.
Would you like to join us? We welcome anyone…
On Sunday, December 18, 2011, St. Luke’s Kirk Choir will be offering in the church service a presentation of the Four Choral Pieces for the Christmas Season by Francis Poulenc. Poulenc (1899-1963), a French composer who lived in the village of Noizay (Touraine) and in Paris, is considered a chief melodist of the twentieth century (a century not well known for its melodic prowess). Don’t expect to hear these four Christmas pieces on the subject of the Nativity at the local mall: they are high art, classical, and very French. Scored for unaccompanied mixed chorus, they are difficult for the singers! But the rewards are GREAT: the poignant settings of O Great Mystery (a heralding of the first witnesses to the birth of God: the Animals), Shepherds, Whom Did You See? (the interrogation of the shepherds), Seeing the Star (the Wise Men’s story), and Christ is Born Today (the ancient Christians’ jubilant shout responding to God being born into always the present time) are unforgettable, moving portraits of the Incarnation event.
The Dawn Unity Group will begin the eleventh year of its Interfaith Discovery Series at 7:30, Tuesday, November 8 at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2200 Via Rosa, in Palos Verdes Estates. The topic the panel will address is The Importance of Bread and Wine. Rev. Sarah Phelps, St. Francis, Rabbi Isaac Jeret, Congregation Ner Tamid, Rev. Reinhard Krauss, St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, and Fr. Tom Rausch S.J., Loyola Marymount University will explain how the simple concept of blessing bread and wine has different theological meanings and ritual observances for each of the four faiths. These differences will create an interesting discussion and an enlightening interfaith program. The 90-minute event is free to all and will conclude with cookies and a chance to socialize. Call (310) 833-7008 for further information.
“That was great. One girl hugged me three times,” announced Virginia C. after her first tutoring session. Virginia B. could not trust her ears, “I cannot believe it, after 30 years of being told I could not speak even a word of Spanish, I tutored in Spanish the whole time.” St. Luke’s Rolling Readers have just begun another year of tutoring on a new campus.
On the first and third Tuesday afternoons of each month, we are volunteering at Meyler Street Elementary School in Torrance. This LAUSD school faces many challenges and is hard at work to raise the low standard testing scores. Due to the economic hardships in Los Angeles, the school also has experienced a 25% decrease in student population Yet there is a thriving entrepreneurial spirit visible at Meyler Street Elementary. Last year. the school joined the global educational model of the International Baccalaureate system. The school also has dual language classrooms with instruction in both Spanish and English.
We welcome you to join us in partnering with Meyler Street Elementary in helping the students become better readers and encouraging a great little school. Become a Rolling Reader with us! Call Pastor Laura for more information at (310) 377-2825.
St. Luke’s fifth annual Trunk or Treat Halloween Party will be held on Sunday, October 30, from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. Members, friends, neighbors, and all members of the community are invited. Adults and children are welcome to come in costume!
We will begin with a potluck supper and will continue with games, crafts, and a costume parade. “Trunk or Treat” will follow. In our safe parking lot, attendees are encouraged to decorate their car and/or trunk in Halloween spirit and to provide treats for children, who will go from car to car. This is a wonderful, low-stress variation on trick or treating—no traffic, good visibility, and a group of people you’ve just had dinner with and gotten to know handing out the treats. Many families come up with great activities at their cars as well! Prizes will be given in a number of categories (attendees will get a sheet to vote on their preferences) such as Most Creative, Most Fun, Most Spooky, and Overall Favorite.
Please join us for this evening of family fun. For more information, please call the church office at (310) 377-2825 or Ellen Chase at (310) 326-7925.
Members and friends of St. Luke’s have been invited to join our parish exchange partners in Helensburgh, Scotland on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The dates will be the 20th – 29th of March 2012. The cost will be around $ 2,500 plus the airfare to Edinburgh/London from LAX. Please contact Pastor Laura via phone (310) 377-2825 or email (lkrauss@stlukespres.com) for more information.
St. Luke’s is a wonderful place! Ours is a plain sanctuary which helps us focus on God’s presence among us. Surrounding St. Luke’s is a beautiful garden, a peaceful space for rest and quiet reflection. Each Sunday, our sanctuary’s windows afford us a fresh view of this small slice of God’s magnificent creation. But above all else, St. Luke’s is a place of community.