From the Pastor:

Last week I came across an article about a survey showing how clergy were increasingly thought of as irrelevant in helping people live their lives. I have shared the article on my Facebook page.

Why would anyone consider someone irrelevant? Yet we do. We often go about our daily lives oblivious to contributions people make so we can comfortably remain oblivious to most of life happening around us.

The truth is, nothing happens in our lives that doesn’t depend on something someone has been involved in. We tip the waitress that brings our lunch with little thought to the cook who prepared it, the truck driver that delivered the food, the restaurant owner who provided the space, the utility worker that made sure the stove was working, the bakery that made the buns, the processing plant that ground the wheat, or the farmer who grew it, not to mention the tractor company, the seed vendor, and finally God, who made the land, air, and rain.

No one is irrelevant to God. Scripture tells us that God knows the very number of hairs we have on our heads. It seems to me that God called certain people to keep reminding us of that fact. Ordinary broken people compelled to speak hope within a broken world. If we as clergy are being seen as irrelevant, then perhaps we have done our job very well and all of humanity is “woke” and actively living in divine symbiosis.

Except it doesn’t appear that way. Instead humanity appears to be heading more and more toward isolation from God and one another.

C.S. Lewis penned a wonderful book titled The Great Divorce. In that book the inhabitants of hell were people who chose to ignore their need to depend on one another and chose instead to hold on to stubborn independence. Once a year a bus would come to hell for any inhabitants who desired a tour of heaven. For one day they would see all the awesome splendor of that place, see the inhabitants as they lived and loved one another. There was nothing stopping them from getting off the bus and staying except the fear and distrust their independent spirit kept pointing out. At the end of the tour they returned to hell and moved a little further from its center until they reached eternal isolation.

Fear and distrust are epidemic in our world today. This is a direct result of the me-ism all of us are taught from birth. It’s all about me, what I want, what I am entitled to have because I am the most important person in the entire world. One of my favorite theologians and authors, Leonard Sweet made a comment that only in our current world do we spell Wi with an I.

I was asked recently by someone how to be happy in the midst of all the challenges they were going through. I directed them to an acronym I had heard somewhere around the word JOY.

It stands for Jesus, Others, You. True happiness is found when we take the focus off of ourselves and devote it to Jesus and others.

So, feel free to call me irrelevant as a clergyperson. If I am living my calling out well, then who you see when you look for me will be Jesus first, others second, and me last. I will be happy to live in that place and happy to invite you to join me there.

Saint Luke UMC

Saints=Ordinary people following Jesus

MINISTRY STAFF

Thomas Simpson, Pastor

Susan Johnson, Coordinator of Children’s Ministry

Bobbie McClure, Handbell Director

Julia McCall, Administrative Assistant

Mary Sandra Taylor, Nursery Coordinator

1501 Turnpike Road

Laurinburg, North Carolina 28352

Church Phone #: 276-6821; Fax 276-2932

THE SAINT LUKE SCROLL

AUGUST 2019 NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Edition 81

We will be collecting the following school supplies for needy children

through Saint Luke UMC’s school partnership with Sycamore Lane Primary

and Elementary Schools during the month of August. We will also have a

special prayer over the school supplies during the August 25th 11:00am

worship service.

Pencils Kleenex

Clorox Wipes Composition Notebooks

Wide Ruled Paper Erasers

Colored Pencils

Please place your supplies in the bin located in the Narthex. Thank you for

helping. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Brown at 910-384-3133.

HANDBELLS:

The Solo Ensemble will resume regular weekly rehearsals

on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30pm.

The Saint Luke Ringers will follow at 7pm

in the Fellowship Hall.

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

The Saint Luke Worship Committee gathered July

18, 2019. Plans are being made for our Lovefeast on

December 15th. We look forward to our Saint Luke

congregation and guests attending, enjoying and

having fellowship together at this Christmas time.

Thank you all and many Blessings.

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

The UMW will start meeting again Wednesday,

September 4th at 10am. Please pray about

joining the circle - we would love to have you!

UNITED METHODIST MEN

The men have obtained a booth permit for the John Blue Festival on

October 12th and will sell BBQ chicken plates as a fall fund raising

project.

The UMM will meet Sunday, August 18 at 7:30am. All men, including youth, are invited for

breakfast, fellowship and program.

YOUTH

BACK TO CHURCH NIGHT

and Parent Meeting for middle

grades and senior high youth

(parent meeting will not last that long)

Sunday, August 25 from

4:30 to 6:30pm

Please bring a t-shirt to tie-dye.

Middle School Youth - 5th to 7th grade

High School Youth - 8th to 12th grade

Come have fun and get ready for the

year. First official meeting is Sunday,

September 8th.

RELAY FOR LIFE

TEEN VALLEY

RANCH

July 8 - July 13, 2019

VACATION BIBLE

SCHOOL 2019

THANK YOU for the hard work done by all of

the volunteers.

Volunteers are

welcome and

needed!!!!!

JUNIOR FELLOWSHIP BEGINS

SEPTEMBER 8!!!!

Who? Ages Kindergarten -4th grade

When? Sunday 4:30-6:00pm

What are we studying? The Armor of God

AUGUST 2019

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

B - Birthday

A - Anniversary

1 2

B - Peggy

Alexander

3

B - Jean Humble

B - Troy Hunter

4

B - Lucinda

Campbell

A - Max & Mary

McDonald

5

6

8pm AA meeting

7

B - Monica

Whitehead

8

A - Ben & Kaye

Buie

6:30pm SPRC

meeting

9

B - Bernie King

10

B - Dorothy Bolger

8am Food Bank

11 12

B - Carol Whitehead

13

8pm AA meeting

14 15

B - Ashley

McGugan

2pm Blood Drive

16 17

18

B - Dave Knauss

B - David

Morrison

B - Danny Russell

7:30am United

Methodist Men

19

B - Harold Smith

20

B - Ann Krotz

8pm AA meeting

21

B - J.W. Long

22 23 24

B - Denise Lanier

25

Back to School

and Back to

Church Event

26

First day of school

27

8pm AA meeting

28 29

B - Richard Cox

B - Doug Humble

A - Bernie & Patty

King

30

B - Jean Barringer

B - Gloria Monroe

31

A - Jack & Martha

Bailey

Saint Luke United Methodist Church

1501 Turnpike Road

Laurinburg, NC 28352

Remembering in Prayer

Urgent Needs: Billy Lassiter (Violet Hughes brother), Rev. Randall Snead, Bessie Collins, Dr. Joe Dean, Wayne Bryant,

Ashlyn Phelan, Sarah Barrett, Ginger Alexander

Ongoing Needs: Sara Smiley, Braydon Luke Dilling (Bettie Barrow), Colin McArthur, Ned Barringer, Donald Krout, Rev.

Jim Lee, Jean Barringer, Reg Poteat, Buddy Clark , Bertie Hash, Elizabeth Williams, Carolyn Hook, Chuck Killian (Elaine’s

father), Julie King, Ann Collie, Beverly Mills, Julie Fogleman, Madison Fedak, Karen Dunn, Charlie Barrow, Jadon Olsen,

Ralph Kersey, Sandra Burns’ sister Elaine, Colton Williams, Allen McDonald, Carolyn Cribb

Scotia Village: Emma Dunn, Billie Shelley, Ella McDonald

Prestwick Village: Dorothy Bolger, Ellen Stanley

Scottish Pines: Kelly Muse, Sandra Nichols, Linda English

Those in Ministry/Mission Field: Church Community Services, Food Bank of North Carolina, Lindsey Garrison, Jessica &

Grayson Stallings (China)

Military: Eliot Tremblay (Ruth’s grandson)