Ministries
Lunch with Luke is back!
For over ten years, St. Luke’s has offered free hot noontime meals every Wednesday to all who wish to attend. Before we suspended operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had been serving over 100 people each week. All are welcome! We usually take a break during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter weeks, when meals are available from other churches in Lititz.
So far in 2024, we have been serving between 70 to 95 people each week. In 2019, we served 135 people turkey dinner with all the trimmings the week before Thanksgiving.
“Lunch with Luke”
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
Every summer, we welcome children from St. Luke’s and the surrounding community for five evenings of crafts, Bible stories, music, snacks, games, and other activities.
Our 2024 VBS program, Camp Firelight!, ran from Sunday, June 23 to Thursday, June 27, from 6 to 8 pm each day, for children from age 4 to those entering sixth grade.
Watch this space for details about the 2025 programm.
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
Ministry Teams
Our ministry teams are church members who carry out the work of the church, with each team being responsible for a certain segment of our activities.
Worship and Music
The Worship and Music team works closely with the Pastor and the Director of Music Ministry in planning and preparing for the church season such as Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Advent. They are also involved in planning for special services that are held during the year, including Church Music Sunday, World Communion, our outdoor services, First Responders Sunday, Veterans Day, and Youth Sunday. The team also coordinates the scheduling of all the volunteers who support worship with their participation as greeters, ushers, liturgists, and acolytes.
Property and Building Maintenance
Property and Building Maintenance seems like one of those never-ending but necessary tasks. The team arranges for piano and organ maintenance, custodial, mowing, and snow removal services. Routine facility improvement and repair are also high on their list, as are emergency needs such as fixing a large sinkhole that opened in our parking lot in 2018. Periodic work parties help to maintain the exterior appearance of our grounds.
Finance and Stewardship
The Finance and Stewardship team prepares the annual budget for congregational approval, provides offering envelopes, closely monitors giving and expenses, and encourages giving of time, talent, and treasure. They also oversee disbursements for non-budgeted items from a special ministry fund derived from the proceeds of an Endowment Fund.
Christian Education and Nurture
The Christian Education and Nurture coordinates the programs that benefit students of all ages at St. Luke’s. We offer a nursery program as well as a Sunday School for elementary students and another for our older youth. An adult discussion class provides a number of four- or five-week series on topic of interest led by volunteer class members. The team also facilitates parking at St. Luke’s for the Lititz Fire and Ice Festival. Other special activities include two worship services led by our elementary and youth classes, Mother’s and Father’s Day recognitions, a graduation celebration, Vacation Bible School, Rally Day, and an Advent Eve celebration.
Mission, Outreach, and Evangelism
Our Mission, Outreach, and Evangelism begins at our local church, and reaches out to the whole world through monthly mission projects, to include the Warwick/Lititz Community Chest Food Bank, Easter and Christmas dinners for a needy local family, Keystone Military Stocking Stuffers, and Bethany Children’s Home Christmas gifts. One of our greatest mission projects is our Lunch with Luke program. We also support the Hartman Center, Warwick Released Time Program, and the Samaritan Counseling Center. Members of St. Luke’s donate to United Church of Christ Homes, Lancaster Council of Churches, Lancaster Theological Seminary, and the UCC’s Our Church’s Wider Mission and special mission offerings for One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors in Need, Strengthen the Church, and The Christmas Fund for Veterans of the Cross.