FROM THE PASTOR

On the Road Again

Early in October Judy and I took our Miata on a 16-day, 3200-mile road trip we referred to as the “Southwest Tour.” Our route included stops in Hamilton, Missouri, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Corrales, New Mexico, and McKinney, Texas.

There were a lot of wonderful things about this vacation. We found some fun runs like the Great River Road along the Mississippi and the canyon roads through northern New Mexico. On the more boring interstate highway stretches (like the full day across Kansas) we listen to two books on USB. We saw so many interesting and entertaining sites: the Missouri Quilt Museum in Hamilton, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the Springs, the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Corrales, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, the historic stockyards in Fort Worth. We found ourselves driving parts of Route 66 in several states.

However, the most important part of our road trip and the reason we planned this route was the people we saw. We went to Colorado Springs to see our niece and her husband whom we had not seen in seven years, to Corrales to see friends we hadn’t seen in five years, and to McKinney to see friends we hadn’t seen in more than a decade. We made this road trip to reconnect with people.

The heart of St. Luke’s Strategic Plan, created in response to over one hundred interviews made here during our “listening season,” is the goal of creating and encouraging opportunities for us to connect with one another. In this season we are continuing with one Sunday Service so that we can make the most important reconnection with one another around Word and Sacrament. But there are countless other opportunities for reconnection: Sunday School, Adult Forum, Choir, Bell Choir, Coffee Hour, Quilt Workshop, Men’s Bible Study, Green Team activities, Men’s Breakfast, Spirit Matters, Cabinet meetings…. this weekend’s family-friendly Halloween Party.

It isn’t necessary to travel 16-days and 3200 miles to reconnect with one another as the community gathered under the name of St. Luke. It’s happening right here at the intersection of Cedar and Prospect in Park Ridge. Come and join us.

Pastor John Schumacher, BCC