Itās Fall Yāall!
As a kid, I always longed for the fall experience that as a Floridan I only saw on tv. Leaves changing colors. Feeling a cool, crisp breeze as I ran to jump into a pile of those leaves. Hints of fall setting in are just a little different here. However, I still love so many things about it. The start of the NBA basketball season when thereās a game on just about every night. The evening air does eventually start to get just a little cooler. Oh, and I canāt forget the best thingā¦ Pumpkin Spiced Everything!Ā
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Notice I didnāt say anything about the beginning of the school year. Every year as I returned to school I was asked by every teacher, āHow was your summer break?ā This is the one part of the fall that I didnāt love as a kid. I would hear all about different vacations and trips all my friends hadĀ taken with family, but what I was most envious of were the stories about a week at summer camp. That was another experience that I always long to have, andĀ tell an epic story about. Think about those times when you were a teenager that you spent on a weekend trip or retreat with your friends. Those week-long camp experiences. Sadly, I can only name a few, but those few were life-giving. I didnāt have many opportunities because they were always ājust too expensiveā as my mom would say with pain behind her eyes. She wanted those experiences for me too. The ones I can recall and tell the best stories about were only made possible by those that helped. People like you!Ā
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Every year a part of our campus here at St. Lukeās is transformed into a festive, fall Pumpkin Patch for our families and community to enjoy. Year after year we have seen the joy that it brings to kids and adults alike as they pick out the perfect pumpkin and take a fall family picture. Itās all so exciting to witness and be part of, but itās so much more than just a pumpkin patch. This annual event and its proceeds help us create unique experiences for our youth.Ā
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The Pumpkin Patch at St. Lukeās is a community outreach as well as a Youth Ministries-sponsored fundraiser and will be located on the St. Lukeās Campus in the picnic area, outside the Gym (Building C). It features a variety of fair-trade pumpkins and gourds from a partnered Navajo Reservation in Farmington, NM. Our Patch is the perfect place to find a pumpkin for theĀ season and the ideal backdrop for your seasonal family photo. Visiting the Patch is a sure way to get you and your family in the mood for fall! It is also a way to do your part in helping our youth have those life-giving experiences on discipleship retreats and at summer camp as they grow in their faith.
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However, before we get to that point we need your help.
Pumpkins arrive this Sunday, October 17... wear your comfy clothes to church, go grab a quick bite, then head back to St. Luke's to help unload pumpkins into the patch at noon. There will be a full truckload, but many hands make light work! Itās always a fun time, and the whole family can participate. We also will need to sellĀ pumpkins, and you can help with that too! The Pumpkin Patch opens Monday, October 18 and many patch shifts need to be filled to get all those pumpkins sold. Sign up online now to let us know youāll be there to help unload, and/or work a pumpkin patch shift! Scroll down for pumpkin patch info and links to sign up. Email me with questions at bsangster@st.lukes.org
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In addition, The Grow Team would like to invite all our St. Lukeās families to our Fall Family Fun Night in The Patch on Wednesday, October 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Come and enjoy crafts and games for kids, yard games for all ages, bonfire and s'mores, pumpkin activities, food available for purchase from Natez BBQ, prize drawings, music, and more! Registration requested but not required.