FROM THE PASTOR

Let the Good Times Roll

Two weeks ago, on the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, Judy and I hosted the Sunday Coffee Hour as a celebration of Mardi Gras. It is a favorite holiday, not only for the food, music, and memories of New Orleans, but also for its place as prequel to Ash Wednesday and the observance of Lent.

In hosting Coffee Hour (for the first time since COVID), I learned three things:

Yes, it is a lot of work – shopping and transporting food, making coffee, organizing the serving table, making sure everything needed is in place (cups, plates, napkins, utensils, creamer, sugar…), and cleaning up.

People are eager to help. Unsolicited, volunteers cut the King Cakes, made coffee, baked and brought additional sweets, and filled and ran the dishwasher.

St. Luke’s wants opportunities to celebrate. As hosts Judy and I felt deeply appreciated. I can’t begin to count the number of times we were thanked for creating a special opportunity to be together.

Through the Listening Sessions Pastor Bouman organized at the beginning of the pastoral interim, we identified “connecting” or “reconnecting” as one of our primary congregational goals. It feels like we have made healthy progress toward that goal over the past two years, but there is still opportunity for growth. The Coffee Hour, the act of extending hospitality within the gathered Sunday community, is an effective way to foster connection.

I would love to see Coffee Hour claimed as an opportunity for celebration. Do you have a favorite holiday – be it Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day or St. Nicholas Day? Share your traditions and celebrate at Coffee Hour with the people of St. Luke’s. Are you marking a milestone anniversary or birthday? Allow the Coffee Hour to be a celebration of that milestone. Is there a special event in your life you would like to share – a graduation or birth of a grandchild? Share the good news with St Luke’s through a Coffee Hour.

Coffee Hour is about regular and decaf, bakery and fruit, but it is much more than food and drink. Coffee Hour is a time for connecting. It can be a time for opening our lives a bit more to one another. It can be an opportunity to invite others to help you celebrate the good in your life.

There is plenty of room on the sign-up board in the Atrium. I hope you will pick a Sunday to host and allow us to celebrate with you. Together, we’ll let the good times roll.

Pastor John Schumacher, BCC
Interim Visitation Pastor