The Spire - St. Luke's United Methodist Church

Awaken Embrace 2
Train Move
Continued from Cover
Love Transcends All
Languages and
Distances
There is a Dominican Republic proverb that says,
“Absence is the enemy of love; as the distance is from
the eyes, so it is from the heart.”
Many of you know that our Student Ministry sent a
team to Santiago, D.R. last year to work alongside
G.O. Ministries, an on-the-ground ministry that seeks
to empower passionate local leaders serving inside
their cultures to redeem people, renew communities
and restore Creation.
I recently had the privilege to spend a week in the
D.R. with 50 students and 14 adult leaders from St.
Luke’s as they returned to Santiago for a second time.
For some of the students it was a trip filled with the
anticipation of visiting with friends made last year.
For others, they anxiously awaited experiences and
relationships soon to be made.
Having been on the initial exploratory team from St.
Luke’s, I was excited to see the fruits of the partnership
being built between G.O. Ministries and St. Luke’s
and our students. It was rewarding to watch as our
students found kinship not only amongst themselves
but also with their leaders, the G.O. staff and the
Dominican children.
Our students worshiped together, worked hard
digging holes for the foundation of a soon-to-bebuilt
Medical facility, played baseball with Dominican
youth and put on Vacation Bible Schools. We also
visited several nutrition centers where the students
helped to feed children, jump rope together, and we
toured some very impoverished places.
No matter where we were or what we were doing, you
could always find a happy, smiling Dominican child
sitting atop the shoulders of a St. Luke’s student. The
love and kinship shared between our two cultures was
very apparent and you could see God at work in so
many ways.
Our St. Luke’s family should be proud of the students
who showed they cared by making their way to the
D.R. and “loving on” the Santiago community and also
for those who supported them financially and through
prayer. The friendships built have brought two
communities closer and helped build on the vision
that St. Luke’s is truly a church “Where No One Walks
Alone.”
Next Steps:
•Visit our website:
www.stlukesmethodist.org/senior-high
•Find links to photos and videos of our trip
•Learn more about G.O. Ministries
•Move in Ministry!
Join us on future trips in 2013
•Family Trip
•Adult Trip
•Student Trip
•For more information contact
Alice King at 713-402-5067 or
aking@stlukesmethodist.org
Don’t Miss Two New
Summer Workshops For
Kids
Just for kids, FASST and CATTS are two workshops
starting this summer and are led by the Nick Finnegan
Counseling Center (NFCC) child specialist Amy Birchill,
M.Ed., LMFT-S, LPC-S.
FASST stands for Friendship And Social Skills Training
and helps children ages 7-11 increase confidence levels,
raise their self-esteem and master new social skills. They
practice skills each Tuesday afternoon from July 10 until
August 28 with a group of their peers. Using an
interactive approach, FASST teaches kids about making/
keeping friends, listening, sharing, feelings and
respecting/appreciating differences.
Meanwhile, CATTS is the Children’s Art Therapy Team
Support program for youth ages 5-17 that have a relative
with a long-term/life-threatening illness. The children
are divided into age-appropriate groups as they express
emotions with art. This helps them reduce feelings of
isolation and anxiety while learning to understand the
diagnosis and to accept the illness’ unknown aspects.
CATTS meets Thursday evenings from July 12-
September 13.
Please note that FASST is $20 per session, and
registration for all 8 sessions is required by July 2; CATTS
is free to attend, but registration is required by July 5. To
register or for more information about NFCC’s
youth-centered services, call 713-402-5090.
Opportunities to Serve:
During our summer study of The
Twelve, we will be suggesting ways each
week you might respond to God’s call
to apostleship. Opportunities will be
available all summer. Find them Sunday
mornings in the worship bulletins or at
StLukesMethodist.org/summer.
DO IT AT HOME*
Christian Community Service Center
No Sew Blankets
Be creative with “no-sew” blankets! Help needy
individuals and families keep warm by making these fun
blankets. This is a great project for families, groups or
individuals. Blankets can be large or small. Baby blankets
are welcomed as well. For more information contact Clare
Bruce at cbruce@ccschouston.org or 713-961-3993 X211.
Please drop at Connection Center.
DONE IN A DAY
reVision
Outreach
reaching out to our community
and the world
What do you like to do? Chances are it would be a
fun activity/outing for you and 4-8 reVision Youth.
Transportation is provided and staff also participates in
this ministry to gang-affected youth. Contact Laralee
DeHart at ldehart@stlukesmethodist.org or
713-416-0234.
MAKE A COMMITMENT
Gethsemane Food Pantry
Volunteers are needed to serve weekly as receptionist/
greeters, interviewers and food packagers in this food
pantry located on our Gethsemane Campus. For more
information contact Clare Bruce at cbruce@ccschouston.
org or 713-961-3993 X211.
More information about these opportunities is available
at StLukesMethodist.org/summer.
*Family-friendly activities
The Connection Center is looking for volunteers
to share smiles and warm hospitality, as a welcoming face
for St Luke’s. Contact Sondra Koenig at 713-402-5023.
Breakdancing Ministry is looking for volunteers
on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays to bring and
serve a simple meal, and visit with these young dancers
from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Gethsemane Campus.
Please contact Alice at 713-402-5067 or aking@
stlukesmethodist.org for more information.
Westheimer Campus: 3471 Westheimer | Houston, Texas 77027
Gethsemane Campus: 6856 Bellaire Blvd. | Houston, Texas 77074
StLukesMethodist.org
713-622-5710