Major grant speeds organ restoration
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St Luke's Music Fund |
The Sir John Priestman Trust has awarded St Luke's £6,000 towards the cost of restoring the organ.
This is a major boost towards one of the main projects grouped under St Luke's Music Fund.
Overall, the Music Fund is well on the way to meeting the target set early this year.
Money has come from private donations, other grants, collections of 20p coins in 'Smarties' tubes, the Sunnydene Players, and of course the amazing Strictly X-Factor Idol 2007.
The job isn't quite finished yet, but thanks to the grace of God, the hard work of the fund's organisers and the generosity of many, we can look forward to a number of musical developments going ahead in 2008.
"Sing praises to the Lord for he has done gloriously: let this be known in all the earth."
Isaiah 12:5
30 November 2007
Margaret Sentamu at St Luke's Mothers' Union
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Margaret Sentamu (centre) with St Luke's MU stalwarts |
St Luke's Mothers' Union landed an extra-special guest on Monday 12th November.
Mrs Margaret Sentamu, whose husband John is Archbishop of York, is a popular speaker and in great demand.
Best known in public for supporting her husband's ministry, Margaret has her own successful career. Before moving to York she was Senior Selection Secretary in the Church of England's Ministry Division, closely involved in the process of selecting people to be ordained as clergy. She now works as a consultant to a recruitment agency based in Leeds.
And she is a well-qualified Mother too, with grown-up children Geoffrey and Grace.
Let's hope she comes back some time!.
16 November 2007
Olivia Lambert returns to St Luke's
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Olivia (centre) with Steve Benford and Lynn Comer after the service |
The Revd Olivia Lambert, who served at St Luke's as Deaconess and then Parish Deacon from 1986 to 1990, came to preside and preach at the 9.30am Parish Eucharist on Sunday 4th November.
After leaving St Luke's, Olivia served at St Andrew's, Huntington, until 1995, and then moved to Hull as Team Vicar of Marfleet. Her visit came in the middle of moving to Harrogate (in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds) where she will be Associate Minister at St Mark's Church.
Since her visit fell on the feast of All Saints, Olivia spoke to us about the meaning of being a Saint in our everyday life - being marked as 'special' by God in spite of all our failings and worries.
She remarked that the first service of her ministry in the Diocese of York some twenty-one years ago was in St Luke's; and it seemed fitting that her last service in the Diocese of York would be here too.
At the end of the service Steve asked for a show of hands by those who had been St Luke's members in Olivia's time, and nearly half the congregation responded! We sent her on her way by praying for her new ministry and life in Harrogate - and maybe we'll see her again before too long.
Visit St Mark's web site by clicking HERE.
6 November 2007
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Miss Hilda Whitehouse |
Miss Hilda Whitehouse
Miss Hilda Whitehouse, a member of St Luke's for most of its existence, died on the 4th October at the age of 101. Her funeral was in St Luke's on Friday 12th October.
A former St Luke's Sunday School Superintendent, Miss Whitehouse was last in church on the day before her 100th birthday in January last year, when one of her old pupils preached and the church family celebrated with a magnificent cake.
Hilda Whitehouse was born in 1906, when the new Chancel of St Luke's was just about complete and stood in splendid isolation waiting for the Nave to be built. She lived in the parish all her life, moving eleven years ago into Marjorie Waite Court where she was well cared for.
In tribute to Miss Whitehouse's century last year, one of her former Sunday School pupils came to preach. Eddie Errington is now a Reader in Strensall, but grew up in St Luke's parish and well remembers the kindness and determination of Miss Whitehouse. He preached on the day's Old Testament lesson, comparing the response to God's call of the boy Samuel with Miss Whitehouse's own devoted service throughout her long life.
Thanks be to God for Hilda Whitehouse, who now walks by sight not faith. Amen.
12 October 2007
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Coffee all round: St Luke's PCC hard at work in Lastingham |
PCC goes away
(and comes back)
Members of St Luke's Parochial Church Council (PCC) spent a day away from the parish on the 6th October at Lastingham Vicarage to pray together and think about the next year at St Luke's.
The day included a Eucharist in the amazing ancient crypt of
Lastingham's parish church
We are grateful to them all for sparing a day of their weekend to think and pray about the next year at St Luke's.
The picture shows (from left):
(back row): Jim Harland, Martin Price, Stewart Vaughan
(2nd row) Steve Benford, Paul Smith, Peter Warry
(3rd row) Lynn Comer, Marjorie Sharp, David Smallwood, Alfreda Alderson
(4th row) Lorraine Benford, Aniko Sheppard, Ann Herron, Helen Warry
(front row) Pauline Wright, Liz Carrington.
12 October 2007
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A whole lot o' scrubbin' goin' on |
And it all started so well
The latest working day to keep the church and hall spick and span achieved a lot - apparently.
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Gnome from gnome |
As usual there was painting and polishing, scrubbing and scouring, clean carpets and shiny woodwork.
But boys will be boys, and someone just had to pull up the manhole cover outside the front of the hall.
From there things seem to have become a bit less organised.
History doesn't record whether Churchwarden Paul Smith caught anything during his fishing trip (right).
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A hole in one? |
Either he caught nothing and decided to get in there to try tickling for trout (left), or he caught something so enormous that it pulled him in.
What do you think?
Seriously though, all our thanks to those who work so hard to keep St Luke's church and hall in good order for the benefit of the whole parish, and to the glory of God.
12 October 2007
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St Luke's (in blue) giving as good as they get |
St Luke's footy teams in action once again
The 23rd September saw the latest fixture in the York area churches' five-a-side football tournament for 2007, played as usual at Archbishop Holgate's School.
If 'action is eloquence' then the St Luke's football teams are fluent in many languages.
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St Luke's girls' and boys' teams giving each other a hard time! |
Seven teams, twenty-one games and over fifty goals saw the St Luke's teams, both boys and girls (with their goalkeeper Dom Benford), finish in second and sixth places respectively.
That sees the girls move up into sixth place in the overall table and the boys remain in second place.
Acomb Methodists won the trophy for the second time this season and move eight points clear in for the final tournament.
Thanks to all of the participants, players, managers, referees and supporters.
Next tournament, November 4th, we hope to see everybody there again!
Sports Reporter James Sheppard
1 October 2007
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Something's cooking - and the Hooded Bogey is up to no good |
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Trainee Agents at work in St Luke's |
Spies 'R' Us - St Luke's Activity Week 2007
From Monday 20th August to Friday 24th August, top secret Project Genesis was being worked on by trainee Secret Agents of all ages down in the depths of St Luke's Church...
Special Agent Sally Sunnypenny (secret code name Anna Sheppard) reports...
From biscuit making to false passport, beard and glasses creating, almost everything imaginable went on in the laboratories of Spies 'R' Us.
Children aged from 4 to 11 came every morning to meet new people, do exciting activities and learn more about God, aided by 'P' (the agent in charge of Project Genesis - secret code name Mark Comer) and his group of followers.
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'P' (left) struggles to keep up with the plot (didn't we all...) |
However, 'P' and his team were constantly tailed by by The Hooded Bogey, who was determined to find out what Project Genesis was, and cause catastrophe (which included letting a secret-agent-eating lion into the base - twice!).
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Spying goes on out-of-doors too |
The children all learned lots and had fun!
Activity Week '07 was a success in all aspects.
A huge thank you to everyone involved - the people who buiklt (and removed) the set and bases, the leaders of each group, the actors (and actress), the teenage 'cadet agents' (helpers), the people in the kitchen, the people in charge of the crafts section and especially to Lynn - who was responsible for the entire thing!
Hope to see you all next year...
1 September 2007