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St. Luke United Methodist Church seeks to be an open minded church

guiding its members to Live purposefully, to intentionally

Grow in faith and to significantly Serve God and their communities.

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A monthly newsletter of what is happening

in your church

May, 2017

Volume 53, Issue 5

Take A Hike!

Dear Friends,

You might think it odd after reading the quote below that I immediately made direct connections between his words and the ministry of St. Luke:

Backpacking as a spiritual prac-tice walks a fine line between the communal and the individual, between the woodsman’s knowl-edge of the land and the seeker’s openness to mystery. The one doesn’t have to rule out the other. Solo backpacking doesn’t neces-sarily lend itself to a self-absorbed or narcissistic individu-alism. It can do that, of course, but when you assume it as a spir-itual discipline, you discover the paradox that solitude doesn’t exclude community at all. Alone-ness at its best is firmly grounded in relationship. (Backpacking with the Saints, Belden Lane)

A hiker prepares the best way they know how to enter the wilderness. They bring maps or GPS, food and water, overnight gear, a first aid kit. They go prepared, yet entering the wilderness is always a mystery and the hiker never knows what they will encounter. The most meticulous prep-aration will not take away from the mystery of the journey. It is impossible to know all that one might encounter along the way.

CHAD’S ANGLE

The purpose of the hike is also of great importance. Hiking, as a spiritual jour-ney, does not exclude others. Even in solitude, we are in community. In a crowd we can feel utterly alone and isolated. Standing alone, miles from any other human being, can cause us to hunger for contact with those we love. We are always connected in a manner not dictated by geography.

My journey with St. Luke, from 1994-1999, and then again as your senior pastor in 2010, has offered me the opportunity to experience the compas-sion and outreach to the community and the world that exemplifies the love of Jesus. You have also left me alone for the work of leading St. Luke. You have entrusted me with a number of important tasks and responsibilities. Your confidence allowed me to move the congregation in new directions. A leader cannot lead without support and you have demonstrated support beyond measure.

Together, we have made numerous upgrades and renovations to the build-ing making it a comfortable, safe, and hospitable environment for everyone. We have watched our Child Develop-ment Center and Teen Center staff take both programs to even higher levels of excellence. As a church, we have celebrated fifty years in mission and ministry and are now having conversation about what we might consider as we move into the future.

Building and program improvements are important. However, I believe that we have made great strides in creating

—Continued, Page 3

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Worship Service Times

Sundays at 9:00 & 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, May 7 Rev. Grant Story preaching

The Chancel Choir will sing in the 10:30 service.

Mother’s Day & Confirmation Sunday, May 14

Rev. Chad Anglemyer preaching Communion will be served in the 9:00 and 10:30 worship services. The Chancel Choir will sing in the 10:30 service.

Sunday, May 21 Rev. Chad Anglemyer preaching

The Chancel Ringers will perform and the Chancel Choir will sing in the 10:30 worship service.

Sunday, May 28 Rev. Chad Anglemyer preaching

The Chancel Choir will sing in the 10:30 service.

Check out our web site!

www.stlukeumc.com

Check us out on Facebook

Go to St. Luke’s web site and look for the link to our Face-book page at the bottom of each page on our web site. If you “Like” our Facebook page, you will receive updates whenever we add something new to our page.

Schedule on Sunday mornings

9:00 AM—Worship, Sunday School for children (age 4-Grade 6) & youth (Grades 7-12),

nursery care available (infants through age 3)

10:30 AM—Worship, children (age 4-Grade 6) & youth (Grades 7-12) remain in worship with

their family & friends), nursery care available (infants through age 3)

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Chad’s Angle, continued from Page 1

a more relational and collaborative culture at St. Luke where staff, clergy, and lay leadership work together to further the missional objectives of St. Luke. We have become closer as a church community as staff and laity have made genuine efforts to be in relationship with one another. The result is that new friendships and spiritual bonds between members are forming that bind us together as the body of Christ. New visitors notice the close connections between members and they want to be a part of a loving and caring community.

So where do I find myself at this point in my ministry and with the changes that are before me? There is a part of me wanting to retreat into an ancient and dense forest to experience again the silence and solitude that comforts. Yet, I believe that my best path will be to grow and develop new relationships with all of the pastors and church leaders within the Missouri River District. Only by forging new relationships with others will I have the fortitude to hold up under the pressure of the looming solitude.

In a few weeks, I will have cleaned out my office and turned in my keys. I believe that it will be unsettling to relinquish the “place” I have occupied so long at St. Luke. There’s a deep mystery in being poised to step on to the trailhead of a new life journey, asking how to maneuver the next part of the trail before me. This is a mystery I embrace with a mix of sadness, excitement, and wonder.

Beyond the mystery of the journey is the awareness that where we go from this moment we do so both “separate” and “together”. I remain in covenant with you even as I am no longer among you on a daily basis. St. Luke has left an indelible mark on my life and for all that I have experienced with you, I am deeply grateful.

Peace, Pastor Chad

Give to St. Luke Teen Center Through “Omaha Gives!” on May 24

“Omaha Gives!” is an annual 24-hour charitable challenge to benefit metro-area nonprofits. This community “give-together” begins at 12:01 a.m. on May 24 with a minimum gift of only $10 per donor.

To make a donation to St. Luke Teen Center through Omaha Gives, go to:

OmahaGives.org/TeenCenter

All donations made to the Teen Center via Omaha Gives will go to operating expenses of the Teen Center.

NOTE: Although we will always take donations to the Teen Center that are made payable to St. Luke, for this event it is more helpful to make your donations through the Omaha Gives web site because that helps us be eligible for additional community dollars.

Capital Campaign Update!

From Jeff Wahlgren, Campaign Connections Team

I am happy to share we have 125 households participating with pledges totaling over $925,000. Of these pledges, we have already received over $248,000.

The funds received to date have been applied against the renovation loan with a balance of approximately $88,000 remaining.

We look forward to celebrating the retirement of the renovation loan.

Thank you to the Campaign chairs, Cindy Grant and Barb Lenz, and to each of you for your faith and generosity to make this a reality for everyone at St. Luke.

Confirmation Sunday May 14 (Mother’s Day)

On Sunday, May 14, the new confirmands will be introduced in the 9:00 worship service, then go to the Sanctuary with their families for pictures. The Confirmation Ceremony is during the 10:30 service. There will be a reception for the confirmands between worship services.

Music in Worship This Summer

During the Summer months when the Chancel Choir takes a break from worship, music in the 10:30 service is provided by St. Luke members and special groups. If you would like to offer to share your music talent in one of the worship services, please contact Dr. Terry Theis at DrT576@Centurylink.net or 402-933-9370.

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Will You Adopt a St. Luke Flower/ Plant Bed?

We have done so much to the inside of our building to make it more attractive for our regu-lars and our guests. Now we want to turn our attention to the outside and make St. Luke as appealing as possible for those driving by or living in the area.

We are looking for individuals, families, or St. Luke groups to adopt one of St. Luke’s flower/plant beds. By adopting an area, you will be responsible for purchas-ing/providing items and maintaining your bed (i.e. planting, watering, weeding) on a regular basis from now through September. Please remember that we do not have a sprinkler system, so any watering you do will be done with hoses that we have hooked up to St. Luke’s outdoor spigots.

The areas, marked in yellow on the above diagram, are as follows:

If you are willing to adopt an area, or if you need additional information, please contact the Church Office at 402-333-6886 ext. 300 or churchoffice@stlukeumc.com

A—Bell Tower entrance, north side

B—Bell Tower entrance, south side

C—Bell Tower entrance planters

D—West parking lot sidewalk (by handicap parking stall)

E—West parking lot island

F—Patio & patio hill by pastors’ offices

G—Gym entrance

H—South canopy entrance, west side

I—South canopy entrance planters

J—South canopy entrance, east side

K—South canopy entrance island

L—North Education Wing entrance, both sides

St. Luke “Breakfast Club” Meets Monthly

Our next gathering will be Saturday, May 20 at 8:30 a.m. at Leo’s Diner (6055 Maple Street). Note that we are meeting one week earlier than usual in May due to Memorial Day Weekend.

Everyone is welcome to join us! Come enjoy fellowship and breakfast, and take part in the “napkin rating system” (just place one to five stars on your unused napkin and hand it to whoever is counting the stars).

For information about the Breakfast Club, contact Craig Howell at wchowell@mac.com

Committee Meetings This Month

Trustees—Tues, May 9, 5:30 p.m.—Conference Room

Finance Committee—Tues, May 16, 6:00 p.m.—Conference Room

Missions Team—Wed, May 17, 6:00 p.m.—Conference Room

St. Luke Men Meet Monthly

All men are invited to gather on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Cunningham’s Pub & Grill (10904 West Dodge Road). This is a social gathering at which we hang out and get to know each other. For details about the Men’s Group, contact Pastor Marshall.

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Thank You for Providing Lilies for Easter

By Constance Atkinson

By Robert & Sharon Atkinson in honor of Pat Larson

By John & Amy Deardorff in honor of Ginger & Joe Deardorff & Dorothy Tyler

By Cynthia Fontenello in memory of loved ones

By Kent & Jan Hall

By Lynn & Sherry Hansen in loving memory of Nicole Hansen

By John & Karen Heil

By Marshall & Cindy Johnson

By Ron & Margaret Kohler in memory of loved ones

By Virginia Magruder in memory of my husband, Tom, & daughter, Ann

By Sharon McDonnell

By John & Kate Morris in memory of Franz Hornbacher

By Randell & Darlene Mueller in memory of Robert Mueller

By Carolyn Orr in memory of my parents, Jack & Charlotte Orr

By Russel & Irene Pargett

By Joyce Rivera in memory of Isaak Rivera & my grandparents, Glen & Beulah Frerichs

By Grant & Kris Story in honor of Leeola Story

Farewell Celebration for Pastor Chad

On June 11, the St. Luke congregation will bid a fond farewell to Pastor Chad. He will be leaving St. Luke to become the District Superintendent of the Missouri River District.

The Staff Parish Committee is collecting money

toward a farewell/appreciation gift for Pastor Chad

and Susan Anglemyer. If you wish to contribute to

the gift, make your check payable to St. Luke and

mark “Anglemyer” on the memo line. Donations for

the gift will be received between now and May 31.

Pastor Chad served as St. Luke’s Associate Pastor from 1994-1999. This time around we have been blessed to have Chad as our Senior Pastor since 2010. Although he would not want any special acknowledgement, as a congregation we know how much we have benefited from his leadership—during these seven years, besides preaching and providing pastoral care, he has put in countless hours of elbow grease.

Here is the schedule for Sunday, June 11

10:00 AM—Only one worship service today! We will have coffee and donuts available in the bell tower foyer prior to the 10:00 worship service!

11:00 AM—Celebration Brunch in the Great Room catered by Downing’s. (The buffet meal will include egg casserole, lasagna, sandwiches, fruit salad, and dessert.) At the brunch we will say our farewell to Pastor Chad and we will be announcing St. Luke’s new Senior Pastor.

We need RSVP’s for the brunch so we know how many to plan for. Please RSVP to the Church Office at 402-333-6886 ext. 300 or churchoffice@stlukeumc.com. (We will take free-will donations at the brunch to help cover the meal costs.)

St. Luke Fellowship Golf Nights Will Resume June 8

Our first Golf Night will be June 8. Women and men of all ages and skill levels are welcome! Our focus is on fun and fellowship as we golf the Warren Swigart Golf Course (par 3)

We always follow our golf nights at La Mesa Mexican Res-taurant (just off 108th & Maple)—if you can’t make the golf, anyone is welcome to meet up with us at La Mesa.

Watch for more details in next month’s newsletter.

Monthly Fellowship Movie Night

Fellowship Movie Nights are open to everyone at St. Luke. New people ALWAYS welcome! This group was formed for people to meet and get to know other St. Luke members through the vehicle of watching and discussing movies.

Our next movie night is Thursday, April 27. We will be showing and discussing “What the BLEEP Do We Know.” Watch the Sunday bulletins and weekly mass emails for details about our May movie night.

Movie nights are held at Dave and Karen Wilson’s home (15727 Burdette Street). The “lobby” opens at 6:30 and the movie will start at 7:00, followed by round table discussion. Popcorn and soft drinks will be provided.

Seating is limited, so please notify Dave Wilson at dlwdarsco@aol.com or 402-965-9536 to reserve your seat. If you do reserve a seat but find you won’t be able to attend, please let us know 2 days in advance so we can open the seat(s) to someone else.

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Vacation Bible School

We are teaming up again this year with Hanscom Park United Methodist Church for Vacation Bible School. VBS will be held July 9-14 at Hanscom Park United Methodist Church (4444 Frances Street) for children age 3 through Grade 6. The regis-tration form is available for download on St. Luke’s web site.

Summer Camps for Children

Check out United Methodist Camp opportunities for children preschool through Grade 6 at www.GreatPlainsUMC.org/camps

Sunday School & Sunday Nursery

Age 4-Grade 6—Sunday School will be offered through May 21, during the 9:00 worship service in the Edu-cation Wing. After May 21 there will be a change in schedule—watch the mass emails & bulletins for details.

Infants-Age 3—Nursery care is offered during both the 9:00 and 10:30 worship services year-round (except holiday weekends).

Mission Possible Kids (Grades 1-4) Final Gathering May 3

Mission Possible Kids (MPK) is a hands-on mission program that gives “agents” (Grades 1-4) the opportunity to serve others and make a difference in their world.

We have had so much fun doing all of our service projects this year. Our final Mission Possible Kids for this school year will be Wednesday, May 3 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. As usual, use the west bell tower entrance when arriving and being picked up.

After our May 3 gathering, we will recess for the summer. Watch the August and/or September Courier for details about when Mission Possible Kids will resume in the fall.

Club 56 (Grades 5 & 6) Meets Through May 17

Club 56 provides a safe place for 5th-6th Graders to start their faith journey and learn about being part of a church.

Wow! Where is the time going! We have had a lot of fun so far and will have more fun in the month of May. We will wrap up the school year with a End-of-Year Party on May 17 (including a grill-out for supper!).

For May 3, 10 and 17, we will meet from 6:30-8:00 p.m. As usual, use the west bell tower entrance when arriving and being picked up.

After May 17, we will recess for the summer. Watch the August and/or September Courier for details about when Club 56 will resume in the fall.

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Jr. High Youth (Grades 7-8)

Craig Howell and Ally Atkinson lead Confirmation, and Roger Penzotti and Sarah Sorensen lead Jr. High Youth.

Confirmation Class/Sunday School

Sunday mornings during the 9:00 worship service—We start out in the service, then head down to the Youth Lounge after the greeting time. Upcoming lessons:

May 7—Last class before Confirmation Sunday!!!

May 14—Confirmation Sunday—No Confirmation Class. Confirmands are introduced in the 9:00 service and then have family pictures taken during the first service and between services. Confirmation will take place during second service.

May 21—No Sunday School. Teacher & Leader Appreciation Day. (May 21 through the end of summer, youth will attend worship with their families. Sunday School will resume in the fall.)

For details about Confirmation, contact Craig at wchowell@ mac.com or 402-669-9315.

Crossfire/Jr. High Youth Group

Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Youth Lounge (unless otherwise noted). Always use the west bell tower entrance.

May 3—Updating Scavenger points & “Getting Real” activities

May 10—Game night & scavenger hunt rewards!

May 17—End-of-Year Party!

Sat, May 20—State Track Meet parking fundraiser (7:30-noon)

For further details, contact Sarah at sarah@stlukeumc.com or 402-616-2104 or 402-333-6886 ext. 313.

Jr. High Mission Trip

Jr. High youth will go to Kansas City July 14-18. If you are interested in going, contact Sarah ASAP at sarah@stlukeumc.com or 402-333-6886 ext. 313 for cost and other information.

Sr. High Youth (Grades 9-12)

Whitney Vesser leads Sunday School with the help of Barb Bradley. Jeff Wahlgren and Kelley Patton lead Sr. High Youth.

Sr. High Sunday School

Sunday mornings during the 9:00 worship service—We start out in the service, then head down to the Youth Lounge after the greeting time for a lesson and discussion.

May 7 will be the last day of Sunday School for this school year. May 14 through the end of summer, youth will attend worship with their families. Sunday School will resume in the fall.

May 21—No Sunday School, but today is Teacher & Leader Appreciation Day!

Sr. High Youth Group

Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Youth Lounge (unless otherwise noted). Always use the west bell tower entrance.

May 3—Fun night!

May 10—Service project

May 17—End-of-Year Party/BBQ!

Sat, May 20—State Track Meet parking fundraiser (7:30-noon)

Sr. High Mission Trip

Sr. High youth will go to Denver June 2-7. If you are interested in going, contact Sarah at sarah@stlukeumc.com or 402-333-6886 ext. 313 for cost and other information.

We are blessed with a lot of great

kids, and it takes a lot of caring

people to make the program work.

Please consider joining us on a

fellowship night or helping with a

special event and see how

amazing these youth are! Contact

Sarah at sarah@stlukeumc.com

Wednesday Night Suppers

On Wednesday nights, May 3-17, supper will be provided at 6:30 for Jr. & Sr. High youth (May 3 pizza, May 10 tacos, May 17 grill out). We will eat together in the Great Room then move to the Youth Lounge for youth group.

Summer Break for Youth Sunday School

May 4 through the end of summer, youth will attend worship with their families. Youth Sunday School will resume in the fall.

Summer Camps for Youth

Check out United Methodist Camp opportunities for Jr. & Sr. High youth at www.GreatPlainsUMC.org/camps

Check Out Our Facebook Pages!

https://www.facebook.com/ stlukecrossfire

https://www.facebook.com/ stlukesrhighyouth

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Habitat for Humanity The Habitat house St. Luke is helping to rehabilitate is located at 2577 Pinkney Street (between Maple and Ames). This home is a 4-bedroom built before 1920. It will be gutted down to the studs and completely rebuilt with an improved floor plan.

St. Luke workers are needed every Saturday from now through the fall when the house is finished. There is work for all skill levels!!! On Satur-days, volunteers can work morning (8-12), afternoon (12-4), or both. Mark Butler will be working on-site most Saturdays, so you will see a familiar St. Luke face.

This rehab is a project of the ELF (Ecumenical Labor Force) Coalition, a group of churches that come together with their time, labor, and money to complete the project—and of which St. Luke is a member.

Although we will be working every Saturday, June 10 will be St. Luke’s “official” day to “host.” We especially want a good turn-out of St. Luke individuals to work on June 10, and we also will provide lunch for all the workers that day.

Please join us and help make a differ-ence for families in our community!!!

Providing Lunch on June 10 If you are willing to help provide food for lunch for the Habitat workers on Saturday, June 10, please contact the Church Office at churchof-fice@stlukeumc.com or 402-333-6886 ext. 300.

“Let Your Light Shine!” is our theme as we seek to significantly serve God and our communities.

Missions Team

Watch for details and join us in serving our community through the following:

Community Meals—Take part in cooking and serving meals to peo-ple in need at First Baptist Church on May 20 & August 5. Contact Margaret Thompson for details.

Habitat for Humanity—Help build a new home for a family in need. Contact Mark Butler.

Heartland Hope Mission—Help one of Omaha’s largest and strongest food pantries in South Omaha. Contact Larry Wilks.

Paint-a-thon—Help spruce up and paint the home of elderly folks in need. Contact Lloyd Neve.

Youth Emergency Services—Help our youth help homeless youth. Contact Nick Cramer.

Trunk or Treat—Bring joy to area kids on Halloween night.

Neighborhood Cleanup—Join us to clean up the surrounding neighbor-hood.

St. Luke T-Shirts, Sweatshirts & Aprons

Orders for St. Luke t-shirts, sweatshirts and aprons can be made any time. If you wish to order any of these items, contact the Church Office for an order form. The t-shirts, sweatshirts & aprons are made available by St. Luke’s Missions Team. They are great to wear whenever we are out in the community serving others.

Donations for Habitat In addition to physical labor on the Habitat project, St. Luke is also com-mitted to providing financial funding. If you wish to make a monetary donation to the Habitat project, make your check payable to St. Luke and write “Habitat” in the memo line.

Gardener’s Series by Big Garden

Besides promoting community gar-dens, which help meet many needs, The Big Garden will be offering many gardening workshops (for anyone in the community) in May. To see the list of workshops, go to www.biggarden.org and click on Programs, then go to “Growing Gardeners Workshop Series.”

Heartland Hope

Volunteers from St. Luke continue to help out at Heartland Hope Food Pan-try (2021 U Street) on the last Thurs-day of every month from 1:00-4:00 p.m. We can always use additional volunteers. If you would like to be part of this group, contact the Church Office for details...or just show up and join us on one of our Thursdays!

For more information about Heartland Hope Food Pantry, check out their web site at:

http://heartlandhopemission.org/

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St. Luke

Book Clubs…

Good Reading

& Stimulating

Discussion

St. Luke book clubs are open to anyone who is interested. The books we discuss are chosen by members in each group, and we all enjoy talking about what we have read and how it impacted us. This is a great way to get to know others at St. Luke! We would love to have you come!

Guilty Pleasures Book Club Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Luke’s Conference Room. We will discuss Murder Must Advertise: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery by Dorothy Sayers. For details about this book club, contact Jean Lahrs at 402-397-1061.

UMW Book Club Our next meeting will be Thursday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m. at Village Pointe Paradise Bakery & Cafe. We will discuss Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. For details about this book club, contact Sue Rood at 402-740-6727 or suzanne.beachbum@gmail.com

S

Women of all ages are invited and welcome to attend any

of these activities… and please feel free to invite friends!

Dining Out Group

We will not be meeting in May. We will meet on Saturday, June 3 at 11:30 a.m. at Jeanine Geiler’s home (13106 Leavenworth Road) for a salad luncheon. For details about this group or to RSVP, contact Elaine Misner at 402-498-8346 or emmisner2@aol.com

Quilting Group

Friday, May 12 from 9:00-3:00, in the home of a member—Each quilter brings a sack lunch and the hostess provides beverages. Interested St. Luke women are invited to come—no prior quilting experi-ence is necessary. Quilters may work on a group project (donation quilts) or bring their own work. For details and/or location for the next meeting, call the Church Office at 402-333-6886 ext. 300.

Book Clubs

See details below.

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By the By the Numbers:Numbers:

As of April 15, the Teen Center has had 4,288 visits by current students thus far during the 2017-2018 school year. That equals 431,416 minutes spent in our after-school program.

21 special events (college visits, exposure event, etc.) were offered this year outside of the after-school program.

We have 28 seniors! 100% of our seniors are on track to grad-uate high school. 93% are college bound, with 1 headed to the military and the other 1 headed for employment.

2 scholarships were funded in-house through St. Luke congre-gation members—the Phyllis Jeter Scholarship and Oliver DeGray Scholarship.

We are on year 5 of offering the BeReal Campaign—an 8-week program focused on educating and encouraging our young ladies.

We are on year 4 of partnering with Sister Cities International, sending youth to the Sister Cities Conference. This summer we will send 4 kids to Virginia Beach for an unforgettable experience.

If you are interested in volunteering, or want more

information about the Teen Center,

please contact Abbey Jackson at

abbey@stlukeumc.com or 402-333-6886 ext. 328

Abbey Jackson, Teen Center Director ▪ 402-333-6886 ext. 328 ▪ abbey@stlukeumc.com

Check out our Facebook page: StLuke TeenCenter

Graduation Invite

St. Luke celebrates our seniors with a Graduation Party at the end of the school year.

Please mark the date of our party on your calendar and plan to attend:

Thursday, May 11,

3:30-5:30 p.m.

St. Luke Great Room (use the west bell tower entrance)

This is a celebration of all the hard work that our young people have invested in their future. For many, this may be their only graduation celebration.

Please attend the celebration. The kids are always blown away to see a sea of people there to support THEM, and we want a full house!