There is so much about St. Luke we'd like to share!  It's hard to fit it all in a neat little package, so St. Luke A-Z is our best try. On this page we'll try to include info on social ministries, committees, private and public use of the building, and everything in between!  If you cannot find the information you are looking for below, please contact us and we'll try to help!

 

The new St. Luke website is still under construction, this page being the most so.  Please be patient.  If you have ideas for A-Z topics not seen here, please email them to janelleam@gmail.com

Acolyte -a worship leader who carries the cross in and out, lights and extinguishes candles, and assists with offering and communion. These leaders range in age from 4th graders to high school seniors. Training is conducted to acquaint the acolytes with their leadership roles. Acolyte schedules can be found here

Adopt-A-Student  St. Luke families and new students are linked together for support and fun. Applications are available at the church.

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. contact Tom McSweeney tjm37@cornell.edu. ELCA Advocacy:www.elca.org/advocacy Lutheran Statewide Advocacy: www.lsa-ny.org

Altar-St. Luke does not have an altar, per se. An altar is a place of sacrifice. Our
worship service and sacraments are primarily a gift from God, to which God calls us
to respond. Our central focus is the Cross and the Table of the Lord around which we gather to receive.

Ashes- On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, our worship services include the option of worshipers having ashes marked on the forehead in the form of the cross. Ashes symbolize repentance.

Audio – recent services are available for download here:

Baptism-is the sacramental means of being born into the family of God in Christ. It is an act of God’ s grace to welcome and to mark each candidate as part of the family.

Bulletin - the latest found here

Building Use - We invite our neighbors to use our facilities. For more details, look under specific topics: See Neighborhood Gathering Place, Weddings, Funerals, etc.

Bylaws

Campus Ministries - are a lively and important part of our community. Our church building is located in the Collegetown section of Ithaca and we have people (faculty, staff, students) from five campuses who share in St Luke: Cornell, Ithaca College, TC3, SUNY-Cortland, and Wells.

Choir - leads our regular and special services, presenting anthems and special music in a variety of styles and forms. One rehearsal per week at 9:15 am Sunday mornings. Contact Music Director Erik Kibelsbeck.

Christmas -is a holiday/holy day observed December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Two services are held Christmas Eve (December 24): an 'early' service for 'children of all ages' and a later service of Holy Communion.

Coffee- Some would joke that coffee is the third Lutheran sacrament. But its what happens over coffee and goodies after worship that is almost sacramental: the mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters in Christ. All the coffee used at St. Luke is Fair Trade, as an expression of care for our neighbors who raise the coffee. Download the Fair Trade order form here.

Communion- is the common name for the sacrament Luther preferred to call The Lord’ s Supper. Through this Meal God offers forgiveness and renewal of life. All Christians are welcome to share in the Lord’ s Table.

Community - Some may think of faith as a more solitary journey; we think of faith as a community journey. In I Corinthians 12 Paul uses the image of the body to lift up te
interrelated nature of all the pieces, all working for the common good. Community is a
multi-layered and extensive: local, national, global

.

Confirmation- is the former designation of what is now called Affirmation of
Baptism. Through this rite 9th graders become adult members of the church as they
assume the vows made by parents/guardians at their baptism. Catechetics, a 2-year
period of instruction involving the Bible and The Small Catechism, precedes the Rite of
Confirmation/Affirmation. Contact Pastor Bair to include an 8th grader in this process.

Constitution

Cookies -are, well, cookies, the sweet nibbles, some home made, some store bought
that grace the after church table after each worship service. Kids of all ages love ‘ em.

Council- Council is the elected leadership of the congregation. This ten-person group meets
monthly between annual congregational meetings to give oversight and direction to the St
Luke mission and ministry. The group includes at least 2 students.

Crop Walk – The Ithaca Area Crop 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). To walk or to sponsor a St. Luke walker, please visit the CROP Walk table in the narthex after worship services or contact Suzanne at smsnedeker@gmail.com

 

Diversity -brings us back to the image of the Body from I Corinthians 12, whereby all
the parts of working together for the common good. Diversity enriches and strengthens
the community. This faith community is young and old; male and female; African,
European, Asian; Gay, Lesbian, straight; student, professor, plumber, farmer, doctor,
child care provider, nurse . . .

Erik - is the first name of our Music Director, whose last name is Kibelsbeck. An
Eastman graduate, he plays the organ, directs the choir, and also conducts an orchestra in
Syracuse. He works during the day at Ithaca College in the Music school.

Greeters - welcome people to St Luke on Sunday mornings. This ministry is part of our
Faith and Care system.

Facebook – We’re on Facebook under St. Luke Lutheran Church,  Ithaca, NY! Friend us!

Fair Trade -denotes an item which provides the farmer/craftsman a fair price for their
goods and work.  Our Fair Trade Coffee / Tea / Hot Chocolate makes great gifts. Not only is it well appreciated by the recipients, but your purchase helps small farmers make a decent living from their hard work. You can order these products any time - order forms are on the table on the West side of the narthex. Or you can contact Judy Mehravari at 257-8653 or mjudy@twcny.rr.com. I try to keep a good supply at home, so if you need coffee (or tea or hot chocolate), I can often get it to you by the next Sunday. In addition before Christmas delicious organic / fair trade chocolate bars will also be available.

Faith and Care-  Faith and Care volunteers support Sunday worship. Full Faith and care information can be found here.

Flowers- grace our worship services every Sunday and are provided by people who give
them in honor of or in memory of special occasions in their lives. The sign up for Flower
is located in the narthex.

Funerals- Funerals provide a worship service for families and friends at the death of a loved one. A funeral can be held at the church or at the funeral home. Contact the church so that
pastoral care maybe provided appropriately.

History -Begun as a Lutheran Club by students at Cornell in 1913, this faith community moved in 1917 to become The Lutheran Association of Ithaca, when it called its first resident pastor. The church building, called "a chapel" in many original plans, was constructed in 1923-24. Many referred to this community simply as "the Lutheran Church." In May 1993 we became St. Luke Lutheran Church. In 2000 the original building was completely renovated and a new three-story addition was built to provide more space for: church school, adult education, campus ministry lounge, foyer/narthex, nurseries, community groups, and a small chapel.

 

Ice Cream-

St. Luke traditionally has an ice cream social at the end of each August

Intergenerational Event - The Advent Intergenerational Event is a "come and have fun" time for everyone, doing some crafts to get ready for Christmas. All ages. Held during the church school hour (9:30- 10:30 am) on a Sunday in late November or early December. Consult the church calendar.

Instruments- grace our worship services frequently as people share their musical gifts
and talents. Soloists, small groups, and even a simphonia lead worship.

Lunches- are held by various groups at various times. The most regular is the Faith and
Care luncheon on the second Sunday each month. All welcome.

Living Wage Employer- “The workman is worthy of his hire.” Attributed to Jesus. See Luke 10:7, Matthew 10:10 and Timothy 5:18.

St. Luke Lutheran Church is a certified living wage employer. To receive this designation and maintain it St. Luke must ensure that all its employees receive a living wage. This standard is set bi-annually by a Tompkins Country study done by the Alternatives Federal Credit Union. The study reviews the minimum wage needed to live in Tompkins County for a single person, working full-time. The study looks at housing, transportation, health care and other necessities such as savings and recreation. The study completed in 2009 determined a living wage was $11.11/hour with employer provided health insurance, ($12.11/hour without). The current New York State minimum wage is $7.15/hr., which is not a living wage in Tompkins County.

St. Luke is one of 62 employers, including 9 religious ones, in Tompkins County currently certified as providing a living wage.

For an exploration of wages, love, and justice see the ELCA statement “Economic Life: Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All” at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Economic-Life.aspx

For more information on the living wage and how it is derived, see:

studuyhttp://www.tclivingwage.org/employer/

Membership -New Members are generally received into the membership of this

Congregation each fall  If you would like to become a member of St. Luke, please contact Pastor Bair.

 

Michelle -is the first name of our fine Administrative Assistant whose last name is Gray.
She works weekdays from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm. Reach her at 273-6811 with building use
questions, items for the bulletin and newsletter, schedule issues, website questions.

Mission- The people of St. Luke Lutheran Church are called by God to be a community of Christians, a part of the body of Christ. We are called to invite others to share in God's Kingdom. Our diversity welcomes and includes the mix of the ages, races, genders, physical and mental capabilities, and sexual orientations with which God's children are blessed. We rejoice in the knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus-neither our wealth, nor our poverty, nor our nationality, nor our political convictions, nor anything else in all creation. We are called to follow God in his mission of reconciliation and justice and we celebrate our journey of discipleship with special appreciation for the privileged responsibility of our campus-related mission.

 

Music -is a very important part of most Lutheran congregations and certainly is of this
one. A gifted music director/organist and a superb choir grace worship with a variety
of anthems, voluntary music, solo’ s, small groups, and large groups. Martin Luther is
reported to have said that next to the Christ, music is God’ s greatest gift to the church.
Organ is the instrument in the balcony played mostly by Erik Kibelsbeck, but also by
other members, as they share in leading our worship. Contact Erik for details.

Name Tags- We try to use nametags whenever possible to help facilitate relationships among our members and avoid those “I’d love to ask her a question, but I feel really bad because I just can’t remember her name” moments. You can make a nametag at our guestbook, or sign up there to have a more permanent one made for you.

 

Neighborhood Gathering Place–  We invite our neighbors to use our facilities free of charge.  We ask that you schedule your meetings with our Administrative Assistant, Michelle, who explain unlocking/locking and clean-up procedures.

 

Groups regularly using our facilities include an Alcohol Anonymous,  National Association Anorexia Nervosa,  Emotions Anonymous,   Collegetown Neighborhood Council, Hong Kong Christian Fellowship,  and several ESL (English as a Second Language) groups.  Other groups who have used the facilities include: Muslim Prayer Group, several drama groups, and work retreat group.

 

Nurseries- St. Luke has 2 nursery rooms, one for babies and toddlers and one for children 3-6.  A nursery staff person is available whenever possible.

 
Organ

PB- A common nickname for Pastor Bair. Pastor Rick Bair has served St Luke since May 1988. He also serves as a University Chaplain at Cornell and works on the Ithaca College campus.

Pancakes- are the tradition here for a congregational dinner on Shrove Tuesday, the
evening before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. In former times, Lent was a
time of strict fasting. What did one do with items such as milk, butter, sugar, and flour
which would not last until the end of Lent – i.e. Easter? One made goodies and had a
party to consume them! Both Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Carnival (from the Latin
for ‘ the withdrawal of the meat’ ) are expressions of this history. This dinner at St Luke
includes a variety of pancakes (buckwheat, potato, blueberry, etc) and fresh, home-made
doughnut called Fastnachts.

Paraments

Parking- The only parking available at St. Luke church is for the handicapped.  But many other nearby lots are available.  Maps are available at the church.

Pastor Bair

Prayer -A prayer-chain shares prayer concerns under the direction of Louise

McGee (844-4303). Call her to be a part of the chain or to inform her

of your prayer request.

 

Quilting Peace By Piece- the name reflects our mission to help others find peace and comfort. You can join in this important mission in many ways. The group meets at 9 am, the 1st and 3rd Thursdays in the Adult Ed room to assemble quilts and jig jag edges to finish the quilts. If you can not come to the work sessions, you can help by assembling tops or bottoms or by tying knots at your leisure. If you like to check out garage sales, look for colorful sheets which make great bottoms. Cotton fabrics and crochet cotton for tying are always needed.

 

All finished quilts go the Lutheran World Relief for distribution to those in need. Since the group started in 2004, they have delivered 1086 quilts to the warehouse in New Windsor where they are bundled for shipping.

 

Reconciling in Christ- St. Luke is a "Reconciling in Christ" congregation, RIC recognizes Lutheran communities that publicly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) believers. For more information, go to http://www.reconcilingworks.org/

Santa Salaries is a ministry directed by our Social Ministry folks to provide people in
our sister synod in Zimbabwe with some encouragement and even life. Through our
giving, we pay the salary of a teacher, a doctor, and/or a pastor there for so many months
or for the year. Since this ministry occurs in late Fall and gifts are given as an expression
of Christmas love, the project is called "Santa’ s Salaries."

Sexton- Sexton is the church name for the building care person. Our wonderful sexton is Tammy Devlen.