August 2019

  From Your Rector:

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Jesus said “Feed My Lambs . . . . Tend My Sheep . . . . . .Feed My Sheep!  Our Lord on many occasions tells us of our responsibilities for our neighbors, including the sick, the lonely, the hungry, the thirsty, and the prisoner.  St. Luke’s Parish has taken our Lord’s commands to heart.  St. Luke’s has been active in meeting the needs of the hungry and the sick, through our food pantry and the Shepherd’s Hands Free Clinic.  It is important that we understand just what the impact of our ministries are and why they are so important to our community. 

Over 50% of the families in Suwannee County fall at or below a category called ALICE (Asset Limited, Income constrained, Employed) hard working families up against high costs and factors often beyond their control.  In looking at demographics and challenges of Suwannee County families, we find that the minimum survival budget for a family of four in Suwannee County (2 adults, 1 infant and 1 preschooler) is $51,612 as computed by the United Way of Florida. This is based on average housing rental costs, utilities, food, child care, healthcare, and taxes.  If both parents of this family of four were working full time at or near the minimum wage of $8.46 per hour, they would only earn only around $34,000, almost $18,000 short of what is needed.  Many of the people who visit the Shepherd’s Hands Clinic and the food pantry fall into this category.  Senior citizens are also significantly over-represented in this grouping.  The organization “Feeding America” estimates that 18% of the residents of Suwannee County do not know where the next days meals are coming from.

The St. Luke’s Food Pantry served over 150 families in May, 141 families in June and 170 families so far during the month of July.  The Shepherd’s Hands Clinic served over 155 patients during the last 12 months, providing over $56,000 in free medical care.  This past Sunday, July 28^th, St. Luke’s Parish conducted a very successful food collection to restock pantry shelves.  All of this is what our Lord Jesus Christ called us to do.  Thanks be to God and to each member of this parish.  “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful!” Matthew 25:21

May God continue to bless each of you in the coming year!

In Christ,

   George+

 

DEACONS CORNER

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Look! We have new pages: SUNDAY BULLETINS & Homilies are great resources to catch up  happenings, lectionary and weekly message .

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SHEPHERD'S HANDS FREE CLINIC DATE



www.Shepherdshandsclinic.org

St. Luke's - August  13th

St. James - August 15th

St. Mary's- August 27th

5:30pm - 7:30pm

 

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                                   VESTRY

                  The vestry will meet Thursday, August 8th @5:30pm



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BUSY HANDS

 DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

Womens Dinner

August 6th, 6:00 - The Daughters welcome you to come and join us for a Salad Bar supper and an opportunity to relax and share our stories with one another. No need to bring anything and all women are welcome to attend.  Call Maureen with inquiries. 386-776-1817

 

      MEN"S NIGHT OUT

Tues. Aug 27th at 6pm.

  Bring your favorite thing to grill and drink. All men are invited for good food and fellowship! 

GODLY GAZETTE NOW AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL

If you would like to receive your gazette by email, please notify the church office and we will remove your name from the snail mail list and add it to the email list. Thanks for your help in helping manage our budget. Don’t forget to visit our website. Most, if not all, of the newsletter is posted online. You may let Jasmine know @ jasmine@stlukesliveoak.org or go to  http://www.stlukesliveoak.org.