Giving to Others
As Christians one of our baptismal promises is to seek and serve Christ in others. One way we as a parish fulfill this promise is by directing our resources to those in need: the homeless, the hungry, the terminally ill. We also know that donations are incomplete without personal involvement, so we try and find opportunities for participation.
Pastoral Care
One of the major functions of our church is pastoral care. The clergy are primarily responsible for working with parishioners to help with life events such as birth, marriage, divorce, sickness or death. The clergy are available for appointments during regular office hours and at any time for emergencies. Please contact the parish office if you wish to make an appointment with one of the clergy or have an emergency requiring pastoral assistance.
Pastoral Care Visitors
This is a group of parishioners who agree to keep contact with shut-ins in the parish to provide continuity of pastoral care.
Flower Delivery Ministry
These devoted ministers deliver the altar flowers each Sunday to those who are either in the hospital, in a nursing home, or homebound. As a recipient it is very uplifting and rewarding to know that St. Luke's is thinking of you and praying for you.
Reaching Out to the Community and the World
In recent years, St. Luke’s has sought to give 10% of the total parish budget to Outreach activities, and strives to devote approximately one-third of our outreach budget to each of the following categories: local (Montgomery County); regional (Washington DC Metropolitan area); and worldwide.
Outreach Committee
The Outreach Committee meets periodically to coordinate parish involvement in organizations both in our community and the world, and to provide support to parishioners who represent St. Luke’s in those organizations. The Committee also advises the Vestry on the allocation of the outreach portion of the parish budget. Membership on the Outreach Committee is open to all, and all are encouraged to recommend other organizations St. Luke’s might support.
If you are involved with another deserving activity and would like St. Luke’s to join with you, if you want to bring another ministry to the parish’s attention, or if you would like to get involved in Outreach generally, contact the chair of the Outreach Committee. St. Luke’s is presently involved in more than a dozen outreach activities, as described in the following paragraphs.
These include Bethesda Cares, Bethesda Help, Episcopal Center for Children, Episcopal Senior Ministries, Interfaith Works, Life Skills Workshop, Loaves and Fishes, Partner Arms, Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, St. Luke's House, and United Thank Offering.
Bethesda Cares
Bethesda Cares is a nonprofit corporation formed in 1988 by more than 15 area congregations to address the needs of homeless people within Bethesda . St. Luke’s is one of the founding congregations of this ecumenical group. Our parish prepares a dinner once a month for the Men’s Shelter.
For more information on Bethesda Cares, visit its website: http://www.bethesdacares.com/
Bethesda Help
Bethesda Help is a volunteer organization that provides emergency food, transportation and financial assistance to local needy residents. Volunteers are recruited from religious organizations in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area. People who call Bethesda Help generally have exhausted their usual sources of help and are frustrated and discouraged. They may need food, clothing, financial assistance, or transportation to medical appointments. St. Luke’s collects food on a weekly basis to donate to the Bethesda Help food closet.
Interfaith Works formerly Community Ministry of Montgomery County
Interfaith Works is an inter-congregational, ecumenical, inter-congregational union of over 130 Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and other faith and ethical communities that serves the poor, the homeless, and the dispossessed in Montgomery County through service, education and advocacy activities. St. Luke’s has been an active supporter since Interfaith Works was organized in 1972. Each year, Interfaith Works helps over 27,000 Montgomery County residents by providing food, clothing, shelter, and supportive services to enable persons to get out of poverty.
Interfaith Works runs the Community Based Shelter (CBS), which St. Luke’s participates in by providing meals to the residents for one week each year, and Sophia House in Rockville , which together provide temporary housing for over 60 men and women. Interfaith Works two Clothing Centers provide gently used clothing, housewares, school supplies, and children’s toys and books free to needy families and individuals. Other programs of Interfaith Works include Emergency Assistance, the Friends in Action mentoring program, Hand to Hand Project Safety Net to provide loans to prevent eviction, and Thanksgiving in February.
For more information on Interfaith Works , visit its website: http://www.iworksmc.org
Episcopal Center for Children (ECC)
ECC is a private, nonprofit, 5-day residential and day program offering a therapeutic living experience for up to 63 emotionally disturbed young boys and girls and their families. It also provides outpatient testing and evaluation programs. Parishioners participate by nominating ECC for receipt of their special savings and awards (Bonus Points) and the Campbell ’s food labels donated by parishioners during the year provide computers and other equipment to the Center. February is St. Luke’s month to provide cookies for the children. These activities are organized and managed by ECC’s Auxiliary Board. The group is composed of representatives from Episcopal Churches in Maryland , Virginia and the District, including several active members from St. Luke’s. In addition, several members of St. Luke’s serve on ECC’s Board of Directors.
For more information on ECC, visit its website: http://www.eccofdc.org
Episcopal Senior Ministries (ESM)
ESM provides consultation and/or direct assistance in the field of elder care, drawing on the expertise and practical knowledge it has developed through long experience in the field. The organization has skills that none of us acting alone could possibly approach.
For more information on ESM, visit its website: http://www.esm.org/
Loaves and Fishes
Since 1982, on the third Sunday of each month, volunteers from St. Luke’s have joined the members of the Church of St. Stephen and the Incarnation in Washington in preparing and serving hot meals on average to 300 persons. The youth of St. Luke’s joined the effort in 2005, donating their time and energy to serve persons in need. Volunteers travel to and from St. Stephen’s in a car pool, which leaves St. Luke’s around 10:15 am and returns around 1 pm.
For more information on Loaves and Fishes, please visit St. Stephen’s website at http://www.saintstephensdc.org/landf.html
Partner Arms
PARTNER ARMS is a group of transitional housing units in Washington DC. About once a year, St. Luke's completely furnishes one of the apartments with gently used items. A new family in need moves in and lives in the furnished apartment, then when they move out on their own they are given the furnishings to take with them.
Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington (SMGW)
SMGW is a partnership of over 40 Episcopal churches, both city and suburban, from the Dioceses of Washington and Virginia. Through its Next Step Program, SMGW helps people move from dependency to independence. St. Luke’s is one of the founding parish members of this organization which began operations in 1986. The staff of SMGW includes salaried and unsalaried professionals, stipend and unpaid volunteers, students in field placements, and consultants. A Board of Directors and a Parish Counsel composed of representatives of the partner parishes oversees the operations.
For more information on SMGW, visit its website: http://www.samaritanministry.com
St. Luke’s House
St. Luke’s House, Inc. is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization that provides living arrangements and rehabilitation to adults who need assisted group living to cope with their emotional problems. Members of St. Luke’s Church recognized the need for this type of mental health facility in Montgomery County and provided the impetus and financial assistance to establish the program in 1971. The facility, built on land leased by St. Luke’s Church on our church grounds, opened its doors in July of 1992, and initially served 150 people, including 87 residents, with various life skills, back-to-work and basic programs. It now serves well over 800 people.
For more information on St. Luke’s House, visit its website: http://www.stlukeshouse.org
United Thank Offering (UTO)
St. Luke’s participates in the United Thank Offering with an ingathering in the spring and the fall. Families are encouraged to participate by dropping coins daily in a blue box and offering a prayer of thanksgiving for blessings received. The funds collected are sent to the Washington Diocese and then on to the National UTO Committee, which grants awards annually.
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