Children & Youth

St. Luke’s uses the GODLY PLAY curriculum for early Christian education during Sunday school classes. The GODLY PLAY method helps children explore their faith through story, to enhance their spiritual experience with wonder and play.

Sunday School is held at 9:30 AM every Sunday, except the first Sunday of the month.

Family Eucharist is held on the first Sunday of the month. The children and youth play a direct role in the worship service by serving as ushers, acolytes and lectors.

The following Diocesan event for youth is being offered April 26-28, 2019.

Diocesan Youth Events

Christophany 2019

April 26 at 6:30pm to April 28 at noon

Location:
Bear Creek Camp
3601 Bear Creek Blvd
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

Cost: $125 (scholarships available)

An event for Middle & High School Youth. Learn to overcome obstacles with God’s help. Activities will include the high and low ropes courses, a talent show, hiking and campfire. Cost includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday plus breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Register now.

Contact: The Rev. Michele Causton

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion –

A Parish Community Book Study.

Beginning on Sunday, November 3 at 12PM, James Smurl, seminary intern, and Mother Barnes will co-lead a study of Fr. Gregory Boyle’s powerful book, Tattoos on the Heart.

As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Fr. Gregory Boyle created Homeboy Industries, an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio.

Homeboy Bakery is the inspiration for our Cypress House at St. Luke’s Bakery, a prison re-entry program. As this new imitative is in development, this book study is timely for our parish as we continue discerning and listening to God leading us into new areas of ministry and service. Tattoos on the Heart offers food for deep reflection.

“Our common human hospitality longs to find room for those who are left out. It’s just who we are if allowed to foster something different, something more greatly resembling what God had in mind. Perhaps, together, we can teach each other how to bear the beams of love, persons becoming persons, right before our eyes. Returned to ourselves.” (Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.)

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Centering Prayer Group: Each week an ongoing weekly Centering Prayer group meets at St. Luke’s. Centering prayer now meets on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm.

Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer. Rather, it adds depth of meaning to all prayer and facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer – verbal, mental or affective prayer – into a receptive prayer of resting in God. Centering Prayer emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God and as a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Christ. Weekly sessions will include prayer, a contemplative walk, and study writings from the Christian Contemplative tradition. No prior experience is necessary. For more information, please contact Mother Barnes at mthrbarnes@gmail.com or call the parish office.

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Social Justice Book Club

November 18, 2019, 6:30PM #NeverAgain

The Albright Memorial Library and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church present a night of discussion.

“Two survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, offer an in-depth look at the creation of the #NeverAgain movement, which advocates for tighter gun regulations to prevent gun violence.”

Borrow a copy of this month’s book club selection, #NeverAgain by David Hogg and Lauren Hogg from the library or get a 40% discount when you order a book club title at Library Express, 2nd Floor at the Marketplace at Steamtown, 570-558-1670. The Social Justice Book Club meets in the Community Room of the Children’s Library, 520 Vine St. Scranton, PA.

Upcoming Concerts at St. Luke’s

ALLELUIA!A Lyric Consort Christmas
Friday Evening, December 13, 2019 at 8:00 pm
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Scranton Adults $10.00
Students Free

“Alleluia!” Shouted with joy and whispered in awe, the word frames our annual program of Carols and Art Music. Music of Whitacre, Arnesen, Howells, Sweelinck, Grieg, Gjeilo, and more, followed by a festive Wassail reception.

Office hours – The parish office is open Tuesday – Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. In the event of a pastoral emergency, Mother Barnes may be reached on her pastoral cell phone, (646) 533-1836.