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Social Ministry
Mission: The purpose of the Social Ministry Committee is to discern how, as a
congregation and as individual members of the Church, we can tend to the
needs of the world God so loves. As stated in the Church bylaws, "the
committee shall lead the congregation to a greater awareness and concern
for needs and cares of society locally and around the world." In service of
this mission, the committee organizes events to educate the congregation
about timely social issues and sponsors activities that both provide
benevolence to the needy and seek to correct the social injustices that
create such need. The specific ministries in which the committee has
recently been active are outlined in greater detail through the links below
and in the annual report. For more information on the committee, please
contact the Chairperson or attend an upcoming meeting.
Annual report: Open (Microsoft Word Document)
Meetings: The Social Ministry Committee meets once a month to discuss its
mission and plan upcoming activities. Anyone interested in the work of the
committee is welcome to share in the meeting. We generally meet at 12:15 pm after worship services in the Fellowship Hall or one of
the adjacent meeting rooms.
Next meeting: Date: Sunday September 27th, 2009,
in the Library (basement). Help us thank our out going Chairperson, Tom
McSweeney, and welcome our new Chairperson, Lu Poley.
*CROP Walk*
The 2009 CROP Walk will be on Sunday, October 4th. Registration starts at
1:30 pm, and the walk starts promptly at 2:00 pm from the Commons in
downtown Ithaca, NY. For the past five years, St. Luke has received the
Golden Sneaker Award for raising the most funds of any organization for the
Ithaca Area CROP Walk. This walk raises funds to alleviate hunger and
provide for disaster relief. Locally, 25 percent of all funds collected
have stayed in our community to help with hunger relief and soup kitchens.
The rest are allocated for a variety of projects through the
multi-denominational organization, Church World Service (CWS). Locally, the
Ithaca Area CROP Walk is sponsored by Area Congregations Together (A.C.T.)
To receive your sponsor envelope, or to sponsor a St. Luke walker, please
visit the CROP Walk table in the narthex after worship services. Suzanne
Snedeker or Don Tennant will be there to tell you everything you ever wanted
to know about CROP Walk. Or, download the *CROP WALK Info Sheet PDF
file to find out more, or contact Suzanne
at
smsnedeker@gmail.com. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will match up to $600
of funds we raise, so please, walk or sponsor a walker!
Advocacy Sunday
Advocacy Sunday is a ministry by which the Social Ministry Committee seeks to connect the members of the
congregation with their elected representatives. One Sunday a month from September through November and
February through April the committee will set up a table in the narthex with information on a current topic
and materials for writing your elected representatives. On this page you will find information
sheets and sample
letters.
You can also find information on topics that the ELCA's national and New York advocacy offices are
working on at the following websites:
ELCA Advocacy: www.elca.org/advocacy
Lutheran Statewide Advocacy: www.lsa-ny.org
For more information contact Tom McSweeney (tjm37@cornell.edu).
Quilters
St. Luke quilters meet on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month to stitch, pin or tie quilts. The finished quilts are delivered to Lutheran World Relief for use in disaster situations. If you can not join in the work sessions you can donate extra fabric, thread, batting or blankets. Sewing tops or tying finished quilts can also be done at home. In 2006, 217 quilts were completed and delivered to the warehouse in New Windsor, MD.
For more information, contact Betta Hedlund, bhedlund@mindspring.com or by calling 273-5645.
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