With the current rise of case numbers in our area, your Session has decided that our most faithful response of providing for worship is to focus on quality streaming of our worship services online. Your Worship Committee will continue to consider new possibilities, and at this time, we are making preparations so that we can continue the same quality of worship in person and online once the Session feels we can ensure that our in-person gathering would be considered a low risk environment. In the meantime, you have many avenues to answer

Epistle Presbyterian Church

St. Luke

NAN KEMP & MELISSA SHIELDS, CO-EDITORS AUGUST 2020 | VOLUME 56, ISSUE 8

3001 Bell Street Amarillo, TX 79106-5037

806.355.6253 Office 806.355.0629 Fax

pastor@stlukeamarillo.com admin@stlukeamarillo.com

Find Pastor Kati’s blog: www.revkaticollins.com

Pastor Kati’s podcast: The Sycamore Tree

Visit our website: www.stlukeamarillo.com

Find us on Facebook: @stlukeamarillo C

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WORSHIP SERVICES AVAILABLE

Though St. Luke’s church building itself has not yet reopened for Sunday mornings, our worship services have never stopped! We continue to gather virtually and to add options that make viewing easier.

If you choose to participate Live, find us @stlukeamarillo on Facebook at 11 a.m. each Sunday. (You don’t have to create an account to watch. When prompted to login, just click “not now.”) If it is more convenient, you may opt to watch later either on Facebook or on our new YouTube channel. Links for both options are on the home page and the “Connect with Us” page of our website (https://www.stlukeamarillo.com/) and on our app. If you choose to view with YouTube, be aware that it takes some time for the service to upload, so plan on waiting until after 2 p.m. to watch. Did you miss a sermon? No problem! You can scroll back and choose to watch or re-watch an older service on Facebook, or you can select an older service on YouTube.

As with most things these days, we will monitor and adjust. If there are snags—a good possibility with something new—then we will make corrections as we move forward. Thanks for your patience!

God’s call to discipleship as a partner in the ministry of St. Luke. In this newsletter, you will find opportunities for your “Hands of Service, Hands of Faith, and Open Hands of Love.” Join one of our small groups to experience the grace and love we value here at St. Luke. Volunteer with one of our mission events by simply bringing food or sending notes. Invite someone to watch church with you, either in your home or on Facebook. Stop by the church when you pick up your school supplies and grab a copy of Pastor Kati’s fall devotional (paper

copies available starting August 17.) Keep reading through this newsletter and if you haven’t found something that suits your needs, send a message to Pastor Kati. If your small group would like to resume meeting at the church, you can contact the office to find a time. Currently, your Session has set a limit for one small group a day meeting inside the building, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing. Stay in touch through our church app, Facebook page, and email list to discover new ways to connect and serve with your community!

Stream # StLuke

STIR at CHILDREN’S HOME

The Mission Committee is hosting STIR for the Amarillo Children's Home on Wednesday, August 5 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. We will have crafts, dinner, worship, and games! The committee is in need of a few more volunteers to help with the craft and to serve dinner that night. There are also some food items that we need. If you can help, please contact Krista Bryan at

If you are able to bring your items to the children's home, located at 3400 Bowie Street, on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, that would be easiest. If you are unable to deliver the item but would still like to help, please let Krista know.

Strokes of Grace A note from Pastor Kati

Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the

Lord; they are plans for shalom (peace), not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and

come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. I will be present for you, declares the Lord,

and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the Lord.”

"Shalom y’all” has become a meaningful greeting for me. There seems to be so much anxiety, anger, disappointment, negligence, and frustration in the world, that I feel like we need more than just the resolution of these things, we need a productive healing of our bodies, minds, and souls. The Hebrew understanding of peace incorporates a sense of wholeness that impacts all of creation along with the calming of the personal and public storms of our lives.

One aspect of God’s shalom includes the wellness of our bodies. COVID-19 seems to strike at every weakness in our bodies. Sometimes I think that the virus sounds more like something made up in a lab to weaken the human race, because a frustrating cough that overwhelms all of your organs and even takes your senses of smell and taste seems too strange and too crazy to be natural. God sees us in our weakness and hears our call, even when such diseases continue to spread. God wants to give us good health, and that health allows for the frustrations we have with the weaknesses of our bodies, while also encouraging trust in the rejuvenating and strengthening miracles of our organic material. May God bring shalom for you in the form of a strong immune system. And when you face sickness, may God provide endurance and resurrection power to strengthen you to recovery.

Another aspect of God’s shalom reaches our emotions and intellectual selves, our soul, our spirit. I don’t know about you, but a lot of the things that “feed my spirit” have been cut short during the pandemic. I find myself escaping into too much TV or following the pregnancy cravings inspired by commercials and sitcoms. I missed all of the things I was looking forward to this summer, but I have to recognize the wonderful and meaningful times I had with my family. The Holy Spirit of God wants to comfort and compel our personal spirits to rest and share in the same peace that springs forth from God’s emotions and intellect. This shalom comes from an openness to reveal our inner-selves to God and sometimes that means we need to open up to the ones around us. May you find comfort in revealing your emotions and questions to God, and may God provide people in your life to show you the love and grace God has for you in these challenges. May you find peace in a release of these feelings and frustrations. continued on page 7

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SMALL GROUPS OKAYED

Session has given permission for small groups to schedule meetings in the building under certain conditions.

Interested groups must schedule their meetings by contacting the church office at (806) 355-6253. At this time, only one small group is allowed per day.

Session will reassess pandemic procedures again on August 16.

OUTSIDE FELLOWSHIP

We had our first Wednesday night small group get-together on July 22. Fifteen people brought their lawn chairs and had an enjoyable evening under the trees on the north side of the property outside the sanctuary. During this time when we can’t worship together inside our building safely, it is important to make connections when we can and as safely as we can.

Our next get-together will be on Wednesday, August 5, at 7:30 p.m. A suggestion for a topic of discussion is: How do we fellowship and keep our ties as a community strong during a pandemic? What works? What’s frustrating? What brings joy?

If you plan to come, please let Kary Wingo know ahead of time, , as we want to be prepared with enough space for all to be accommodated.

FELLOWSHIP PLANS AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER ACTIVITIES

On Sunday, August 9, we are having Drive-Through Doughnuts and Coffee outside the Fellowship Hall from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. Please come!!

Looking ahead to September, we hope to have a Bring Your Own Homemade Ice Cream and Cookies social/event on Sunday evening, probably at 6:00 p.m., September 13, outside at the church.

Fellowship Committee's next meeting will be a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, August 18, at 5:30 p.m.

NEW AND RETURNING SMALL GROUPS

1 1 3 4 4 6

Allison Tera Lucille Joyce Quentin Murray*

11 15 18 19 26 31

Liz Don Jessica Priscilla Bunny J.T. * friend of St. Luke

If your birthday is not listed or if there is an error, please call the church office.

Epistles

To all who are keeping us going — Keep on keeping on! You are appreciated!

Milam Brantley

Dear St. Luke, Thank you so much for agreeing to allow our Grow Group to meet under your trees. We have gone back to meeting by Zoom and expect St. Stephen to fully open in two weeks. You gave us a great gift by allowing us to meet. Thanks & God Bless, Lynne Dean

St. Luke Presbyterian, Thank you all so very much for the pizza donation for our Hope Camp kiddos. We had a fantastic week. The Hope and Healing Place was able to bring hope and light to these kids and your generosity was very much appreciated. The Hope & Healing Place Staff Dear St. Luke Family, Thank you so much to all who called, visited, provided transportation, and sent prayers, cards, and food following my recent hip surgery. I miss you all but it helps to know you support me in my recovery.

Nan Kemp

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Hey, Farkle Enthusiasts!

Mary Holmlund is looking for ten people who would like to play Farkle from 2 to 4 p.m. on August 11 (Tuesday). We will play in the Fellowship Hall wearing masks, using hand sanitizer, and practicing social distancing. If you are interested, call or text Mary at .

Threads of Love Is Back

Threads of Love has resumed its small group meetings. They meet on Thursdays at 2 p.m. for about two hours. Some participants knit, some crochet, one does needle-point, and one beads. All are welcome, even if just to visit. Masks and social distancing are required until this restriction is lifted by Session. If you are unable to wear a mask or are feeling unwell, please respect the safety of the group and remain at home. Thank you for your understanding and patience and happy sewing!

have taught watercolor, art history, art appreciation, and other two-dimensional forms for forty years as well as running the education programs at the Amarillo Museum of Art from 1981-2003. What that means is that I am used to accommodating a pretty wide range of interest and/or ability. If you haven't held a brush since Sunday school, or if you are an artistic genius looking for a reason and venue to paint, we will welcome you into our group; how much teaching I do is up to you. I suggest casual clothing and a minimum of supplies to begin with--a tray of basic watercolors, a medium brush, and a pad of water-color paper from Michael's or Walgreen's is fine. You should also bring a medium pencil, an eraser, and a container in which to put water. I'll show you some examples and talk a

New Small Group Forms By Mark Morey

Beginning on Wednesday, August 5, Mark Morey will be facilitating a watercolor art group in Fellowship Hall from roughly 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. twice a month--basically every other Wednesday. I emphasize that this is a form of "small group fellowship." I do have a Master of Fine Arts and

little bit about technique and basics as we go. I'm going to be here well before 10:00, and I would suggest you do the same--an hour isn't much time in which to paint, and I don't think anyone will be booting us out. The main advantage to working in a class environment is that you get to, in effect, "work" on several paintings at once, by watching the progress of others in their individual efforts. Please be thinking of things you'd like to do as we go along. I'll get there early enough to make coffee.

7 PM | Fellowship Hall

Copies of

THESE DAYS: Daily Devotions

for Living by Faith for July - September

are available from the table in the

tower entrance.

June Finances

May Finances

Year-to-Date

Detailed financial reports are always available for review by church members. Simply stop by the

church office during regular hours and request to examine the previous month’s financial documents.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

• Our love and prayers are extended to Tim and Sara Gibson and family upon the death of Dorothy Jean Gunn, 90, who passed away on Sunday, July 26. We will share more information on the celebration of her life as it becomes available.

• We lift up prayers of comfort for the family of Danny Flynn, Barbara Croft’s husband. He passed away on June 1.

• Commissioned Pastor and friend to all of us, Dee Lowe, who loved and preached in Littlefield, died suddenly in late May.

• Prayers for our country during this time of racial unrest.

Continue to remember:

the people of Johnson Chapel A.M.E. Church; and the students, teachers, and staff at Mesa Verde Elementary School.

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TIME TO ORDER STUDY BOOKS

St. Luke Women will resume meeting in September. Because the situation with the pandemic is a fluid and uncertain one, we do not yet know if will be meeting in person or by Zoom; however, if you plan to participate, it is time to purchase your Horizons study book. If you order through the office, each book will cost $11 (including shipping.) Payment must be received no later than Wednesday, August 12. Make checks payable to St. Luke Presbyterian Church and write “Horizons” on the memo line or envelope. It is not necessary to call or email the office. Melissa will order according to the list of payments received. No extra copies will be ordered.

If you would prefer to order directly from PW, here is the link: https://www.presbyterianwomen.org/product/into-the-light-finding-hope-through-prayers-of-lament/. Just scroll down the web page and add it to your cart.

About your 2020-21 study book:

Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament

In this nine-lesson study, P. Lynn Miller revives lament as a proper theological response to the difficult situations of our world. One of the foundational points of the study is that, in scripture, lament usually leads to hope. After crying out to God, the one who laments remembers God. And while that doesn’t fix things in the moment—the injustice, the loss still exists—the lamenter is strengthened to face the world and to hope. And for us as Christians, hope is not just an emotional response or an attitude of pie in the sky. Hope implies movement: both God’s inherent movement toward justice and our movement toward God. Recovering lament may be one of the church’s most timely gifts to the world.”

~ from www.presbyterianwomen.org

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

2 3 4 5 6 7 1

Peanut Butter Sunday

Virtual

Communion will be

celebrated.

10:00 am

Exercise Class

7:00 pm

Zoom Book Group 8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

2:00 pm

Tuesday Bible Study

10:00 am

Watercolor Art Small Group

5:30 - 8:00 pm

STIR @ ACH

7:30 pm

Outside Fellowship

Hiroshima Day 2:00 pm

Threads of Love

6:30 pm - ACA 8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

9:30 - 10:30 am

Drive-Thru Donuts

10:00 am

Exercise Class

5:00 pm

Mission Com. Mtg.

5:30 pm

Christian Educ. Com. Mtg.

8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

2:00 - 4:00 pm

Farkle Game Day

5:45 pm

Worship Com. Mtg.

5:30 pm

LOGOS Com. Mtg. (in person) Deadline to order Horizons study

books

12:00 noon

Finance Com. Mtg. 2:00 pm

Threads of Love 4:00 pm

Cong. Care Com. Mtg.

6:30 pm - ACA 8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

6:15 pm

Outreach Com. Mtg.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

4:00 pm

Stated Session Mtg.

5:30 pm

Silent Meditation Svc.

10:00 am

Exercise Class

7:00 pm

Zoom Book Group

8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

2:00 pm

Tuesday Bible Study

5:30 pm

Fellowship Com. Mtg.

6:30 pm

Property Com. Mtg.

10:00 am

Watercolor Art Small Group

2:00 pm

Threads of Love

6:30 pm - ACA 8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Epistle Deadline 10:00 am

Exercise Class

8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

7:00 pm

Farkle Game Night 2:00 pm

Threads of Love

6:30 pm - ACA 8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

30 31

10:00 am

Exercise Class

7:00 pm

Zoom GAP Game Night

8:00 pm - AA 8:00 pm - Al-Anon

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WEEKLY SCHEDULE for SUNDAYS

11:00 am — Worship Service (via Facebook)

Session will reevaluate pandemic procedures

on August 16. 2020

SMALL GROUP CONTACTS

Exercise Class—Mary Holmlund Zoom Book Group—Pastor Kati

Tuesday Bible Study—Pastor Kati Watercolor Art Group—Mark Morey

Outside Fellowship—Kary Wingo Threads of Love—Susan Barnes

Afternoon Farkle—Mary Holmlund Evening Farkle—Janet Stone

Zoom GAP Game Night—Pastor Kati

NEWSLETTER REMINDER

The deadline for the September edition of the Epistle will be August 23. The newsletter will be mailed on August 27. As always, please send your news to editor Nan Kemp. Your stories are important because they keep us connected!

PRESBYTERY TO OFFER WEBINAR

Beginning August 14, a four-part live presentation via internet will be offered each Friday through September 4, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. The title of the Webinar (at home at your PC) is “Anti-Racism Capacity Building,” developed by Warren Chalklen, Ph.D. There is no charge for the training.

Please join in praying that God will use this experience to recognize what we don’t know and what we need to know to talk about racism within Christ’s church and the communities where we live. It is a beginning.

Please contact St. Luke’s Clerk of Session, Nan Kemp if you would like to participate. She

will let the presbytery know your name so you can be registered.

SESSION MEETING

Below is a brief summary of the June 28 and July 19 Stated Session Meetings (via Zoom):

A. May 2020 and June 2020 average attendance for worship – No statistics available due to the COVID-19 pandemic; services were held virtually.

B. Active membership as of May 31, 2020 – 160 Active membership as of June 30, 2020 – 159

C. Communion was celebrated via Facebook on Sunday, June 7, 2020 and on Sunday, July 12, 2020.

D. Betty Dugger entered the Church Triumphant on Saturday, May 23, 2020. Betty was an Elder. Services were held Thursday, May 28 with Rev. Kati Collins officiating.

E. It was decided that St. Luke will not resume in person worship on August 2, with on-site services to be discussed at the next Session meeting, August 16. The consensus was that an outdoor service on September 6 might be a possibility. This will be addressed on August 16. There was also consensus that the small group meeting policy stay in place, to be revisited on August 16.

F. St. Luke was scheduled to host the Palo Duro Presbytery Meeting September 27-28. However, David Kemp reported on behalf of the Presbytery Common Life Committee that the presbytery meeting will take place online on September 25 with meetings and a worship service. The presbytery will host this event.

June Commendations: • Sexton committee: Eldon Wingo, Tim Lacey, Helen

Thorsheim. • Melissa Shields, for taking on extra duties during

these unusual times. • Pastor Kati, for her untiring work with the committees

and Session. • Talent show and concert series entertainers: Tim

Sougstad, Mary Holmlund, Stacy Yates, Travis Kemp, , Helen Thorsheim, Allison and Micah Adams, Dean Yates and Mary Lyn Halley, Choice Yates and Payton Williams, Bob Hansen and Mila Abbasova.

• Worship participants: Darcy Hargis, Kyle and Paige Hadley, Kary Wingo, David Barrow, Travis Kemp, Sam Burnett, Stacy Yates, Bob Hansen, Mila Abbasova, Ashley Denham.

• Nan Kemp for attending the Finance Committee meeting (by Zoom) only two days after surgery.

July Commendations: • Stacy Yates, for coordinating the Wednesday night

programs. • Talent show participants. • Dean Yates and Mary Lyn for their Wednesday night

entertainment. • Bob Hansen and Mila Abbasova for their musical

additions to every worship service. • Dave Kemp for filling the pulpit on July 5. • Travis Kemp for presenting the children's sermon on

July 5. continued next column

ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

The St. Luke Family Assistance Fund has been established to provide a lifeline to those in need through limited monetary assistance. All requests will be confidential. Contact Pastor Kati to apply for assistance. If you are in a financial position to help others, you can donate to this fund as well. Designate “Family Assistance Fund” on your check payable to St. Luke.

The church created this fund with love, to keep hope alive for those who need it, because that’s what we do.

• Stacy Yates for videoing the July 5 service. • Mila Abbasova and Mary Holmlund for the organ/

piano duet “America the Beautiful” on July 5. • Bob Hansen for entertaining us with Broadway hits

at our Wednesday night entertainment hour. • Pastor Kati and Robbie (and Sammi) for the

Wednesday night Christmas in July program. Ho, ho, ho!

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FALL DEVOTIONAL: Holy Moments

Our lives are becoming overwhelmed with virtual experiences. So, Pastor Kati will be providing this devotional with physical and spiritual exercises to ground yourself in the concrete and organic spaces of our lives. Paper copies will be available to pick up at the tower door of the church after August 17, or you can print your own from the pdf, available by email or our church website by the same date. The activities and reflections will be applicable for personal use or family time.

POSTSCRIPTS

Travis McBride has moved to The Clairmont. His new address is

Please make a note in your directory.

Tom Heyde’s new email address is

Check out the new updates to our website! You can now register your attendance for worship with the button "Be Counted!" on our Home Page.

Also on the "Connect with Us" page, you can submit a prayer request which will go directly to Pastor Kati.

Don't forget to refresh the app on your phone to keep your calendar and links up to date. You can now connect to our service on YouTube from the church app.

Several Walmart gift cards for groceries and gas have been donated for church family members who are in financial need. Please, contact Pastor Kati for more information.

Pastor Kati has created a personal Zoom number which is available for the Silent Meditation Service and Adult Bible Study. You can request to use this ID for your committee meetings.

NEW SEXTON HIRED

Rebecca Hazlewood, St. Luke’s new Sexton, started work on July 6. She has been cleaning, disinfecting, and preparing our building for use again. It will take several weeks to develop a new routine for COVID times. If you have building/cleaning issues, please remember that the proper procedure is to report those to Eldon Wingo or the church office; please do not go to Rebecca directly. A huge thank you goes to Helen Thorsheim and Mark Morey, who kept the place in order in between sextons.

Strokes of Grace continued The third aspect of shalom extends to the reconciliation of relationships and justice in our communities. I imagine that each person reading this newsletter has a different hope for the reorganization or stabilization of our communities and nation. One thing we can agree on is that this summer, the pandemic has brought out a lot of pain and a platform for people to tell their stories when they have felt abused and silenced by others. God’s reconciliation is not about conquering; Jesus demonstrated that with his death on the cross. The shalom of God calls us to sit with one another and see the image of God in our neighbor. When you feel like you can’t love your neighbor, Christ steps in with shalom to pull us together and heal our wounds from one another. So, may you hold onto the shalom of God, as you encounter those with whom you disagree, and may you both experience compassion for one another.

I feel my call as your pastor is to support opportunities for you to receive shalom, or at least encounter it. I hope that you will try one of our small group opportunities and tune into our worship services weekly on Facebook or catch up on worship through our YouTube channel. I’ll be hosting a Tuesday afternoon Bible Study (in person) and a Monday night Book Group (via Zoom) which will both meet periodically—please see the calendar for the dates. The first meetings of both will be more of a time to catch up with one another, and you will have the opportunity to request what we want to study. So, if you come to the Bible Study, bring some of your big questions or a specific book you’d like to study. If you come to the Book Group, you may bring a book or two that you would be interested in discussing with the group. I hope to see all of you soon, in one way or another! Shalom y’all!

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CONCERT SERIES DRAWS TO CLOSE

St. Luke enjoyed a fantastic Summer Concert Series on Facebook with LIVE videos. Thank you to our generous and talented performers! Allison and Micah Adams, Dean Yates and Mary Lyn Halley, Choice Yates and Payton Williams, Bob Hansen and Mila Abbasova, Robbie and Pastor Kati Collins, Mark Morey and Susan Burnette, and Heather Watson. We also featured two Zoom Talent shows which had a lot of fun and elegant performances. Want to watch one of these concerts again? Or maybe you missed one of these concerts the first time? The talent shows were not recorded, but all of the other concerts continue to be available on our Facebook page!