The Winged Ox

The W inged Ox is the Ancient Sym bol of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician

A Newsletter for the People of The Memorial Church of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician Novem ber 2011 Issue 131 th Special 150 Anniversary Issue
The Memorial Church of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician 150 Years of Ministry 1861-2011 1946 W elsh Road Philadelphia, PA 19115 215.969.3645 (office)
stlukesbustleton@ yahoo.com www.stlukesbustleton.webs.com

Healing and Wholeness: Laying-on-of-hands and anointing with oil

SERVICES Sundays: 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with music Followed immediately by refreshments and fellowship in the parish hall. Wednesdays: 7:30 p.m. Healing Eucharist ACTIVITIES: Contemplative Prayer W ednesdays 6:45 p.m . in the church office Adult Book Forum: The Heartbeat of God by Katharine Jefferts Schori Mondays- 7pm, Church Office Inside this issue:

ur patron saint, St. Luke, was known as a physician. Pauline Henry, the benefactress who established the Memorial Church of St. Luke, chose Luke the physician as the patron of our parish in honor of her husband, who had been a Naval surgeon. Thus healing is at the heart of the identity of our parish home. When I arrived at St. Lukes there was already an established practice of laying-on-ofhands and anointing with oil, which we have continued one Sunday each month as well as every Wednesday evening. However, I realize that the point of this practice may seem rather esoteric to some, so I thought it might be a good thing to discuss why we engage in this practice and what its significance is. The point is not that the priest possesses some healing power. Rather the point of the practice is our recognition that God desires for each of us health and wholeness. When the priest lays hands on a parishioner and anoints her/him with oil, the point is both to honor this desire of Gods and to ask Gods grace that the person may experience Gods grace, healing and wholeness in her/his life. What exactly is it then that we are asking for? Only what God desires.

Birthdays............................... 4 Calendar................................9 Feeding the Hungry...............8 Italian Dinner.........................7 News...................................3,4 Photo Gallery......................5,6 Prayer Requests......................4 Rectors Message................1,2 Reminders.............................2 Those Who Serve..................3 Welcome Visitors.................. 2

Gods desire for each human being is shalom. Although often translated as peace shalom encompasses much more. It is the peace which passes understanding, and includes the ideas of fullness and wellbeing. As such shalom is a gift from God. In both the Jewish and Muslim traditions, shalom (Arabic salaam) express a desire for the wellbeing, fullness of life and good health of the one being greeted or bid farewell. In the Christian tradition laying-on-of-hands and anointing with oil is way to manifest to God the desire for ones health and wholenessones shalom .
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It is also important to remember that anointing stands at the center of our identity. We follow Jesus, the Messiah (i.e., the anointed). Thus in receiving laying-on-of-hands and anointing with oil, we do not suppose that the person who administers this rite is somehow magically able to heal us, anymore than David was made King of Israel because Samuel anointed him. The action comes from God, just as it was God who chose David and then sent Samuel to anoint David. The rite is, then, the expression of our desire for wholeness and this request is incarnated, if you will, by the one administering the rite. Another way of conceiving of it is that our individual and corporate healing enables us to partner with God in to bring wholeness to our communities and the world. So the wholeness and healing that we request for the person is not simply a matter of the persons physical health and wellbeing. It is a matter, moreover, of healing ones environmentthe world. We ask God for this peace and wellbeing not merely for ourselves, then, but for the world as well, so that as we leave the church we may share with the world the grace we have received from God. In this way, as I said above, the rite of healing goes to the very heart of who we are as Christians and followers of the anointed one. May we all exercise the gift of healing that God shares with us so that we may be Christs healing presence in this world.

God bless! Father Tim

WELCOME VISITORS! Are

you a new reader? Come visit us! Were so glad that you picked up this publication; we hope you will find it interesting and worth your time and we hope you will take the next step and worship with us sometime. If you are worshiping with us, we welcome you! Whatever your religious background, and however you have come to be here, we welcome you to St. Lukes. Please let us know who you are by signing our guest book (by the door) or filling out a card found in the pews. You can hand your card to an usher, or put it in the collection plate when it comes later.

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NEWS

REMINDERS:
The deadline for the November Winged Ox will be November 18

Those Who Serve Sunday, November 6 Chalice Bearer: J. Oxenford Readers: C. Martino, J. Woods Ushers: J. Litzke, J. Oxenford Altar Guild:J. Oxenford, C. Cotugno Coffee Hour: B. Kaufold, G. Shahene, C. Rodriguez Counters: C. Rodriguez, A. Thorpe Sunday, November 13 Chalice Bearer : C. Rodriguez Readers: B. Kaufold, J. Brambilla Ushers : T. Truesdale, J. Litzke Altar Guild: S & C Carmody Coffee Hour : H. Rolland, S. Remick, J. Glenn, R. Whaley, N. Hurley Counters: J and J Litzke Sunday, November 20 Chalice Bearer: J. Brambilla Readers: C. Rodriguez, S. Carmody Ushers: J. Oxenford, T. Truesdale Altar Guild: G & B Hair, J. Woods Coffee Hour: L. Woods, K. Kenny, S. Nesbitt, G. Hair Counters: B and D. Shifflett Sunday, November 27 Chalice Bearer: S. Carmody Readers: M.Geiger, L. Carter Ushers: J. Oxenford, J. Litzke Altar Guild: L. Carter, R. Fischer Coffee Hour: J & J Litzke, J. Gardner, J. Oxenford Counters: R. Whaley, J. Brambilla

Outreach
Church School / Nursery The church school will be continuing the study of Animals of the Bible during the first three weeks in November. The focus this month will be the study of Noah and the ark. They will hear stories ,do activities, take home booklets ,play a game and do poster art, which will be displayed in the hall when completed. November 27 is the first week in Advent. The children will light an Advent candle and receive a booklet about the season with activities. Advent calendars will be given out also. St. Luke's is supporting two outreach programs, each vital to the community. They are the Somerton Food Bank and area shelters. We need your continued support to continue these worthy projects. The Food Bank is always in need of cereal and cash donations to buy meats and maintain operating expenses. The shelters look forward to the W awa gift cards provided by your donations.

Dates to Remember:
Nov 5th: Diocesan Convention Nov 13 :Stewardship Sunday Dec 2 : Italian Dinner Dec 3 : Holiday Bazaar Also there will be not be Holy Eucharist Nov 27 th There will be M orning Prayer at 10:30 lead by Stacey w hile Fr. Tim is aw ay.
rd nd th

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday November 6. Dont forget to Fall Back!

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NEWS

Anniversary Kudos
Our 150th anniversary celebration is now a fond memory. It was due to the hard work of our planning committee that it was such a success. The members volunteered their time, money and talents to the event. John Litzke was a great MC. He also was responsible for ordering the banner and setting up the rector's pictures and trivia questions, as well as setting up and taking down tables and chairs. Jackie Oxenford bought the beautiful mums as well as the delicious cakes and coffee and tea for the dinner. She also helped me set the tables along with Nancy Orlando. Stacey Carmody was responsible for arranging for a write up to be done for the Northeast Times. She ordered supplies for the dinner on line and made up a sign- in poster. She submitted a history of the church to be made into a booklet. Lisa-Jo and Mark Kriss put together a professional CD presentation of St. Luke's, past and present, using pictures supplied by parishioners. Gail Hair designed and mailed invitations to former rectors and special guests. Joe Iannotti and friend served as photographers for the service and dinner. I made the dinner arrangements with Kelly's, the seating chart, went shopping with Caroline Cotugno for table settings , conducted planning meetings, and set up and cleaned up, with the help of friends. Cheri Carmody helped me wrap and tie flatware and Joan Litzke greeted people and helped them find their seats as they entered the hall. Special thanks to Karen Kenny and Andrew Nesbit for overseeing the serving tables. It was great having our young volunteers to serve. Thanks go out to Laura, Brittany, Miah, and Jeremiah. We hope that everyone enjoyed the festivities and thank you all for attending. Submitted by Barbara Kaufold

PRAYERS PLEASE
Members: Joyce, Dorothy, Elaine, Ruth B., Nancy H., Edna, Alan, Mabel, Ruth L., Louise, Betty K, Joan W . Friends and Family: Kathy, Robert, Arlyne, Nancy, Martha, Bobby, Francine, Ruth, James, Sandra, Joyce, Christopher,Joseph, Diane, Nancy, W illiam, Jeff, Margaret, Mai, Maria, Thomas, Arlene, John, Joan, Chrissie, Mary Katherine, Todd, Lisa, Sam, Susan, Charles, George, Samantha, Malcolm, Amarante, Greg, Dee, Patti, Ann, Aftab, Lenor Those Serving in the Armed Forces: W illiam W illiam, Chris G., Kevin M ., Alex G., Andrew R., Chris K., John R., Chris R., Eric B., Rob D., Jerry F., Thomas H., Tom B., Casey R., Jermaine, Bradley, Michael, Matthew, Maxx, Eric J., John T., George M., Steven M .

BIRTHDAYS

November
2-Lucas Corda 9-Jeremiah Shahene 10-Alan Wilkenson 11-Nancy Hurley 16-Joyce Glenn 25-Marcellina Baker 28-Miah Shahene

Please check the website for photos of the celebration and a link to the Northeast Times article!

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Feeding the Hungry Among Us (we need your help)

We need your help to provide Thanksgiving Meals to the families served by the Somerton Food Bank. As you know, The Memorial Church of St. Luke supports the Somerton Food Bank through donations of non-perishable food, money, and volunteer hours. Most recently, St. Lukes became Cereal Central for the food bank, because the one item that the food bank cannot buy more cheaply than we can is cereal. You also may recall that in 2009, the Womens Outreach Wing at St. Lukes (WOW) coordinated a special effort to provide holiday food baskets to the families served by the Somerton Food Bank, so those families could celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional meal. That food drive was so successful, that the food bank has asked for our help again this year. For the next couple of weeks, there will be grocery bags available at church. Stapled to the bag will be a list of non-perishable items that comprise a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. If you would like to participate, you can pick-up a grocery bag at church, or create your own by clipping the checklist to the right. As you complete your grocery shopping over the next few weeks, pick up the items on the list, and bring your bags to church by Sunday, November 20. You also may contribute a turkey or a turkey breast, or money to purchase turkeys or other ingredients in the basket. Cash or checks can be dropped in the collection plate or the Somerton Food Bank basket by the interior church doors. (If you write a check, please note Somerton Food Bank in the memo section.) Clip a note to your contribution, with your name and/or envelope number, so we can include your donation in the tax statement you will receive in January. All participants are asked to bring their bags to church no later than Sunday, November 20, so the bags can be blessed during the Liturgy and taken to the Somerton Food Bank in time for distribution before the holiday. Thank you for your help with this very important initiative. -submitted by Katherine Gibson

Thanksgiving Dinner Grocery List Large Can Sweet Potatoes Instant Mashed Potatoes Stuffing Mix Turkey Gravy 2 cans Green Beans 2 cans Corn Cranberry Sauce Large Can Fruit Large Container of Juice (non-refrigerated) Please bring your donated food to church on or before Sunday, November 20.
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NOVEMBER 2011
Sun Mon Tue
1 AA M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

Wed
2 AA
M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 6:45P C ontemplative prayer in O ffice 7:30P -H oly Eucharist w ith H ealing in C hurch

Thur
3- A A M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

Fri
4- A A M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 7:00P-A A Spirituality M eeting in H all

Sat
5-10a-Y oga in
H all 11:30a-A l-A non M tg in H all

6- 21st Sunday after Pentecost 10:30a:H oly Eucharist 10:20a- C hurch School 11:45: Coffee H r. In H all

7 -AA

M eetings

in H all 1P & 7P 7:00pm-A dult Forum in C hurch O ffice

8-1pm -U A W meeting in H all A A M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

9- A A

M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 6:45P C ontemplative prayer in O ffice 7:30P -H oly Eucharist w ith H ealing in C hurch

10 -A A
M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

11

AA M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 7:00P-A A Spirituality M eeting in H all

12
10a- Y oga in H all 11:30a-A l-A non M tg in H all

13 -22nd Sunday after Pentecost 10:30a:H oly Eucharist 10:20:Church school 11:45: Coffee H r. In H all

10 -A A

M eetings

15

in H all 1P & 7P 7:00p-Vestry M eeting in C hurch O ffice

AA M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

16 A A

M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 6:45P C ontemplative prayer in O ffice 7:30P -H oly Eucharist w ith H ealing in C hurch

17 -A A
M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

18 A A
M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 7:00P-A A Spirituality M eeting in H all

19- 10a-Yoga
in H all 11:30a-A l-A non M tg in H all

20

Christ the King Sunday 10:30a:H oly Eucharist 10:20:Church school 11:45: Coffee H r. In H all

17 -A A

M eetings

22

in H all 1P & 7P 7:00pm-Adult Forum in C hurch O ffice

AA M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

23 A A M eetings
in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 6:45P C ontemplative prayer in O ffice 7:30P -H oly Eucharist w ith H ealing in C hurch

24 -A A M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P Thanksgiving

25 -A A
M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 7:00P-A A Spirituality M eeting in H all

26- 10a-Yoga
in H all 11:30a-A l-A non M tg in H all

27 - 1 st

Sunday of Advent 10:30a: M orning Prayer 10:20 C hurch school 11:45: Coffee H r in H all

28 -A A

M eetings

29

in H all 1P & 7P 7:00pm-Adult Forum in C hurch O ffice

AA M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P

30-A A M eetings in H all 1P & 7P & 8P 6:45P C ontemplative prayer in O ffice 7:30P -H oly Eucharist w ith H ealing in C hurch

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The Memorial Church of St. Luke the Beloved Physician 1946 Welsh Road Philadelphia, PA 19115 215-969-3645
stlukesbustleton@yahoo.com www.stlukesbustleton.webs.com

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