Dear St. Luke's family,

As you can imagine, we have been on overload these past weeks packing, visiting family and fund-raising.

Packing was an ordeal - and a good lesson in stewardship. Again and again, we asked ourselves why did we ever buy this stuff? It was very freeing to give away most of what own to our kids and to Goodwill and to realize that what is really important is not "stuff" but relationships. What is more important than our relationship with Christ, our families and one another? We especially want to thank the "angels" from St. Luke's who helped us clean, pack, ship, provided us meals and helped us with our garage sale. You were magnificent and your gestures of love touched us greatly.

We have also had some wonderful family times with our kids, including a day at Disneyland. A major miracle- Patty went on all the rollercoasters and never screamed -much to our boys' amazement! We also had some meaningful times of family sharing where once again we realized the blessing God has given us in one another. It's been hard anticipating our separation from one another but we all hope to be together at Christmas so our kids can see their new home. Again and again we shared how much our lives have been blessed by being part of the St. Luke's family. We have so many memories of ways St. Luke's people have been there to support us and our kids. One of our prayers is that God will help us find a vibrant church and faith-community in Bristol. We have been truly spoiled at St. Luke's with the abundance of Christ's love through you all.

On our way cross-country to visit family we have also been doing fund-raising. It's been great to spend time with old friends and visit Churches where Jesus is alive and active. We were able to visit the newly weds Carol Harris and Bud King and to spend the night with Bob, Alicia and Sarah Greeley in their beautiful new home by a picturesque lake.

Please keep Patty and me in your prayers. We still have financial need, but we are encouraged enough to make the transition to England and begin our ministry in Bristol. Deep heartfelt thanks to all of you who are supporting us financially! Your support as Patty and I answer God's call to invest in the training of the next generation of clergy for the church means so much to us.

We fly to England on August 31st and begin our ministry at Trinity College September 2nd. We'll send some photos when we get there. For those of you that have not yet had the chance to support us financially, we would love to have you be part of our support team. I will be returning to the USA in October for a few days to do more fund-raising. God is faithful.

Patty and I continue to hold you all in our prayers.





All gifts -- big or small -- add up!
(Be part of the "Faithful 50" -- wonderful individuals
who have committed to giving just $10 a month!)

Checks can be made payable to St. Luke's, with "Trinity" in the memo line.

Thank you and God Bless!

Fr. Ron, what most excites you about your call to Trinity College, Bristol?
I am excited about helping to develop a new vision for the training of clergy. Most clergy are trained to be academics. They know little about how to develop ministry or how to take the gospel to those outside the church. The result? The church in the West is rapidly declining. The church desperately needs clergy who are Christcentered, biblically committed and know how to take the good news of the gospel into their surrounding culture. It is no accident that as the Holy Spirit is moving to reform the church, he is also giving new vision to reform the training of clergy for the leadership of the church.

You and Patty visited Trinity College last Fall, what did you find?
We found a college where the spiritual atmosphere is electric. Trinity College has doubled in size in one year. The word has gotten around about Trinity’s commitment to train clergy who are missional. It was incredible to see students who are passionate about Jesus, academically adept and eager to learn how to take the gospel into the world. These young people have a love for the church but even more importantly, they are passionate about Jesus and his ability to transform lives. It gives me great hope for the future of the church to see such able and committed young people offering themselves for Christ’s service.

As the reality of your move draws closer what spiritual lessons are you learning?
First, how blessed I am to be married to Patty. It is an incredible thing at our age to give up all your security and move to a different part of the world. Jesus’ call to live by faith has taken on new meaning for us. We’ve also been learning anew what a blessing it is to be part of a Christian community like St. Luke’s. We could not have made this decision without the love and support of our family and the people of St. Luke’s. Again and again, people have joined us in prayer and encouraged us knowing that the church is not about us, but about Jesus and his call to be faith-filled people. It is wonderful to us that we are being sent out as missionaries from St. Luke’s to the wider church. We know that the Lord will be faithful not only to us but to St. Luke’s as we all move into the future together.

How can people support you and Patty?
By becoming part of Patty and my ministry- team. We know we cannot do what God is calling us to by ourselves. We need a community of support around us. We need your prayers. We also need financial support. Trinity College is providing an apartment for us, but we need to raise $60,000 a year for living and ministry expenses. Our prayer is that people will want to invest with us in the future of the church. We want people to come visit us in Bristol, a beautiful part of England, where the sun does shine! We are also setting up a website where people can keep in touch with us and know what God is doing.

Plan to come to the St. Luke’s dessert on Monday, July 16th at Hook Tree. Canon George Kovoor will be there and it will be a wonderful evening of fellowship, prayer and sharing.

Thank you Fr. Ron.
Thank you. My love and prayers are with you always.

Elizabeth House is a shelter for homeless women and their children. Located in Pasadena, Elizabeth House provides a safe home, support and hope for women who find themselves pregnant and in a time of crisis.

St. Luke’s of the Mountains has supported Elizabeth House for many years. They also receive donations from individuals, churches, civic groups, grants and foundations. Currently, Elizabeth House has five women and one baby, having recently transitioned one woman out of the program and presently interviewing potential residents for the open spaces.

The program at Elizabeth House has presented classes in health education, infant CPR, budget/finance, parenting, infant care, Bible study, craft projects, and group counseling. In addition, the women are taught home skills by our House Manager, such as shopping for groceries on a budget, cooking for a family, house maintenance and laundry basics.

What you can do to help the women at Elizabeth House:

• They need new or gently used maternity clothes sizes 12-14 or 16-18.
• One complete double size bed is needed for one of the girls who has moved out. She is sleeping on the floor. Her baby is due the end of February.
• Each of the girls needs a baby shower. Anyone who wants to give a shower, please contact Carla (626)844-4614. Most of these girls have nothing. We have 4 babies due in January and February.
• Mentors are also needed to help them with many things. For example; how to dress for a job interview or for work, how to prepare a resume, appropriate make up for the work place and many other things. Just having a one on one relationship is very important for someone who has no family or has been abandoned by her family. Feeling confidence in another woman can build strength and confidence in her, which is something these gals have had little or none of. We want these babies to come into the world to a mother who is as stable and confident as possible.
• Other items that are needed: gift cards from Target to buy personal things like panties, bras and general clothing. Supermarket gift cards for Vons or Ralph’s that are near Elizabeth House. Rite Aid or telephone cards are also needed.

Please remember, whatever each person or each group can do, large or small, is very helpful to Elizabeth House. Sometimes these women come right off the street not only pregnant but with safety pins holding their clothing together. Elizabeth House has a very good program. The house is kept very clean by the women living there. If you would like to visit Elizabeth House in Pasadena, please call me and I will make arrangements with Terry Bright or Pam Sheldon for a tour. It is really worthwhile.

Please help, you are really needed. Call Carla Leach (626) 844-4614

“Soup Group Ministry” hmmm... What is that?” I asked myself, as a new church member, while perusing the brand new notebook we received at the Discovery Class, led by Father Ron. Perhaps a ministry to the homeless? A group of people who really like to eat soup? Or maybe share soup recipes? Or...what? Obviously, I didn’t read the entire report or I would have known about this wonderful ministry that St. Luke’s provides for its “seniors”, no matter what your age. Here is what I learned…


PURPOSE:
Soup Group is an opportunity for our seniors to gather together to share in communion, renew old friendships, develop new ones, and enjoy a delicious meal provided by our wonderful volunteers. We meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall on every third Wednesday of the month from October through June. If transportation is needed, we have fun, friendly, competent drivers that provide free round trip rides to St. Luke’s.


HELP IS NEEDED!
We have a great team, albeit small, of volunteers who set up, cook, serve, and clean up
after lunch. However, we need more help to provide:

• 
  
• Casserole, entrée, salad, dessert or beverages for 30-35 people.
  
• Help with serving and clean-up.
  
• Transportation to the church for our seniors.

If you enjoy meeting interesting people, making new friends, serving in the name of Jesus… this is the ministry for you!

For more information please contact Donna Hogstedt.