Welcome to This Week at St. Luke’s for the week of the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.

Due to the unhealthy air quality from the Canadian wildfire smoke as well as potential thunderstorms, the Holy Hike in Carbondale has been cancelled and rescheduled. We can hope for clearer skies August 8th, again meeting at Trinity Episcopal Church, Carbondale, at 10am.

Also please note the Word Cup Fan Zone is again active in downtown Scranton this weekend and plan accordingly; the church parking lot will remain accessible.

Please see below for our full weekly schedule, important announcements and upcoming events, livestream links, and our parish prayer list.

Livestream Links:

Links to our livestreamed services are available on our website’s Livestream page (links are posted within 2 hours of the service) or may be viewed on our Facebook Page or YouTube Channel.

Download the Leaflet for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Click here to watch Father Parry’s sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Announcements and Events:

Monthly Friends of the Poor Satellite Food Pantry The third Tuesday of each month, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, St. Luke’s hosts a food pantry in Kreitler Hall with Friends of the Poor. The date of our next food pantry will be July 21.  

LGBTQI+ Ministries Group Listening Session @ St. Luke’s Saturday, August 1 The Diocese of the Susquehanna invites all Northeast parishes to a listening session at St. Luke’s from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. The Diocese would like to see how the LGBTQI+  ministries group can help parishes that may be struggling with how to keep  LGBTQI+ members and continue to make them feel welcome, seen, and heard. A previous session in Harrisburg was well received and a lot of valuable feedback was provided.  The next listening session will be held for the Northeastern portion of the diocese at St. Luke’s. Lunch is provided! 

If you are interested in attending, please email Father Parry at rector@stlukescranton.org by July 24th. 

The  Core Goals of the  LGBTQI+ Ministries group are:

• Understand Lived Experiences: Hearing from our  LGBTQI+   brothers and sisters already sitting in our pews and those who are part of church leadership.
• Boost Engagement & Retention: Discover how to effectively engage new  LGBTQI+   members and inspire them to stay.
• Build Affirming Spaces: Learn practical ways our churches can become truly welcoming and affirming.

A Preview of Our Discussion Topics:

• Lived Experience: Where have you seen barriers—spoken or unspoken—that make LGBTQIA+ people feel excluded or unseen?
• Belonging & Participation: What does it mean not simply to welcome LGBTQIA+ people, but to value their gifts and leadership?
• Faith & Mission: How does valuing LGBTQIA+ members strengthen the church’s witness to the Gospel?
• Diocesan Support: What support and resources do local churches need from the diocese to become more affirming?

This session is a collaborative space for strategic listening, mutual understanding, and community building. Your leadership, insights, and heart for ministry are vital to this conversation.

The Feast of the Transfiguration Thursday, August 6 at 7:00pm all are invited to a Holy Eucharist for the Feast of the Transfiguration at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 564 Easton Turnpike, Hamlin. Clergy and parishioners from across Convocation III will be celebrating together.  

Safety Net Summer Collection Through the summer St. Luke’s will be collecting for Safety Net’s emergency food pantry.  Pick up a shopping bag from the end of your pew, fill with the pantry items on the list inside and return the filled back to the back of the nave to help out this important Scranton-area ministry for those in need.  

Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends Once again Boscov’s is offering 25% off shopping passes for October 21. Each pass is $5 and benefits St. Luke’s. Passes are available at the back of the nave

Memorial Bricks for the Memorial Garden Through the summer, everyone is invited to donate a brick or memory or thanksgiving to be placed in our Warren Memorial Garden. Bricks may be ordered online by Clicking Here. or pick up a handy order form in the back of the nave.

Altar Flower Donations A new signup sheet for the months of May through August has been posted in Israel Lounge. Please note that all flowers will now be procured through St. Luke’s designated florist for a donation of $100 for two arrangements for the high altar. Donors have the choice of a low arrangement or flowers in vases.  

Ronald McDonald House Soda-and-Soup Tabs Collection: The St. Elizabeth Princess of Hungary Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King is collecting pull-tabs from soda, soup, and other cans to benefit the Ronald McDonald House through their recycling program. Please bring in your tabs and drop them in the container at the back of the nave.   

Thank You To our special ministers at last week’s worship services and our coffee-hour hosts!

Our Capital Campaign is under way!

We are currently gathering resources to make improvements to our parking lot and remediate water damage to a large stained-glass window in the Parish House. Learn more about these endeavors and donate to our Building Fund via our Capital Campaign webpage.

In Our Prayers

Please keep the following in your prayers this week: Jordan, Frank, Elaine, Lynn, Mary Jane, Robin, Heather, Chase, Philomena, Mario, Canon Bill+, Scott, Margaret, Brendan, Bessie, Christine, Colleen, John, Anne, David, Jane, Lily and her family, Carl,  Eileen, Jack, Janet, Kay and her family, Carol, Melanie, Joseph, Christine, and Marion. 

And the departed: John. May they rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon them.