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The monthly "St. Luke's Celebrates" newsletter helps St. Lukers connect to one another as we navigate life together.
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We wish a very Happy Birthday to all our St. Lukers! Click the button below to help us celebrate the next few months of birthdays.
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We appreciate the faithful commitment St. Lukers make to our church ministries. Click the button below to help us celebrate the next few months of church partnership anniversaries.
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On September 20, Mackenzie May Thompson was baptized in the sanctuary. Mackenzie was born on August 11, 2019. Pictured above is Mackenzie in the arms of Pastor Jenn along with her proud parents Sarah and Brandon Thompson and big sister Emily. It was a very special day for the family!
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Congratulations to Deedy Crossland. She retired on September 1 after 42 years with Delta Airlines as a flight attendant. Deedy is the wife of Rick Crossland.
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Dorothy "Dolly" Crossland died peacefully on July 31 at her home in South Hadley, MA at the age of 90. A graveside service was held in Evergreen Cemetery on August 10. Dorothy is the mother of St. Luker Richard Crossland. Memorial gifts to honor Dorothy may be made to the South Hadley Council on Aging, 45 Dayton Street, South Hadley, MA 01075. Click here to read her full obituary.
Photo courtesy of Curran-Jones Funeral Home - West Springfield."
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Joy Renee Taylor passed away on September 9 at her home surrounded by her children, sisters, and husband. She was 57 years old. Joy graduated from Washington University School of Law in 1988. She was a partner in the St. Louis law firm of Evans and Dixon where she worked in the civil litigation group on civil rights and constitutional cases. While practicing law, Joy met her husband, Tony Taylor, and they had three children: Georgi, Tommie, and Joseph. Her family and her dog, Hemi, were her focus and she enjoyed spending time with them most of all. Joy was always fascinated with words and language and served as a volunteer instructor with the Orlando Adult Literacy League. She always saw the good things in the world and in people. To read more about Joy’s life, click here.
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Robert Brian Collins transitioned to his heavenly home on October 8, 2020, at the age of 61. He is survived by his husband, Mark Puig, his mother Lois Collins, and his siblings Colleen Rollins, Karen Steinmetz, Chris Collins, Linda Greenwood, Janine Collins, and Tammy Collins.
Robert worked in urban planning before joining the Walt Disney World Resort as a Construction Project Manager. During his tenure at Disney, he worked on various projects including the opening of Disney’s MGM Studios (known now as Hollywood Studios) and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park.
In 2002, Robert started a new construction business specializing in custom luxury homes and served as CEO until his passing. He traveled extensively visiting cities in every continent except Antarctica. Robert firmly believed in the guiding principles of the John Wesley Methodist creed; “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” To read more about Robert’s amazing life, click here.
A funeral service for invited family and friends was held at St. Luke’s on October 17 at 11:00 a.m. Guests were able to visit memorial table displays provided by the family prior to entering the service. Virtual memorial exhibits are available online at www.acommunityfuneralhome.com. Memorial gifts may be made to St. Luke’s Theatre Ministry in Robert’s honor.
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St. Luke's Child Development Center (CDC) Celebrates a New School Year
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With fewer children in a classroom, extra time built in for hand washing, and wearing face coverings, the Child Development Center is open for our families. In addition to the new safety guidelines, learning is in full force. Our toddlers are getting used to the classroom setting and our 3’s preschool children are learning social skills and practicing fine motor skills. Our VPK classes are already into their letters and math skills.
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All of our children are enjoying Creative Movement with Miss Crystal. The creation dance was a big hit!
St. Luke's CDC has openings for families. Parents can email the school at cdc@st.lukes.org.
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Scenic Volunteers - Behind the Scenes
Scenic Team working to repair and prepare St. Luke's facility for future use.
Behind the scenes work is a quiet service role but so vital to St. Luke’s vision and mission. Over the past two months, the scenic volunteers have been diligent and active.
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Ben Adams, St. Luke's Director of Visual Arts and Set Design is so grateful for the time and patience of Tim Hartwig, Chris Brown, and John Cole working with the facilities team on the scenic shop redesign.
George and Diane Huxhold have been weekly organizing all of the facility’s tools and hardware with George repairing altars, chairs, and props.
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Bob Horner, Jim Johnson, and John Cole claimed ownership of the stage wall in Founder’s Hall to repair and repaint it for future theatrical and worship events.
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Elan Aumen and Tim Hartwig helped install the large print artwork in the Sanctuary for the September and October sermon series; Love Matters More.
It is a blessing to get to work with these amazing and committed St. Luke’s volunteers. If you want to help out with scenic, organizing, or construction projects, feel free to contact Ben Adams, Director of Visual Arts and Set Design at badams@st.lukes.org as St. Luke's continues to work on organizing and preparing our facility with a hopeful eye on its future use.
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Restoring Hope Through Food Distribution
Since April, St. Luke’s has partnered with the Society of St. Andrew and community partners to distribute food to over 33,000 people affected by wage reduction and job loss due to the COVID-19 virus. Currently, we distribute a truckload of 1,215, 32-lb boxes of dairy, protein, fruits & vegetables feeding nearly 5,000 people each week. We are grateful for our dedicated volunteers as well as the Community Hope Center in Kissimmee, the Islamic Center of Orlando, Cuidad De Dios Church, Agape Source, Poverty Solutions Group, the ESOL team of Maxey Elementary School, Circles Winter Garden, Cheers Sports Bar, and the Restoring Hope Family Advocate team. Thanks also go out to Lonnie Woods and Sunbelt Rentals for providing the forklift which has moved nearly 200 palettes of food to date!
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Meet Mac and Moe!
Macarri James and his brother Montavious are our first two Grow Orlando student farmers helping us to get our Grow It Forward micro-farm thriving. Under the tutelage of Grow Orlando’s Executive Director, Frank Bailey, Mac and Moe along with all of our St. Luke’s volunteers are learning how to grow healthy food as a model of community-based food production which leads to food and economic sovereignty. The first seeds were planted Sept. 19 and we look forward to showing a bountiful harvest in November when we Grow It Forward to other houses of faith in the Spring.
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St. Luke's Staff Shout Outs!
Share notes of affirmation for St. Luke's staff members who are going above and beyond. These "St. Luke's Staff Shout Outs" will be used to select a featured staff member who will be highlighted in an upcoming issue of the St. Luke's Celebrates newsletter!
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Share Your News!
Send in your milestones and photos and you may be featured in an upcoming issue of St. Luke's Celebrates!
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