Friends,

I am entering into my spicy ramen noodle time of year.

Whenever the weather starts to get beautiful my sinuses start to throb, my brain fogs and my body aches. My mortal body, seemingly, is made for the extreme seasons, and shuns anything that feels too comfortable. I take Claritin (Zyrtec makes me drowsier than I think it should), Flonase, and when I do not have to talk to people, like today, I take the Sudafed that you have to show your ID to get. The best medicine for managing these symptoms is the Korean Buldak noodles. The spicier and more painful, the better. I don’t want to enjoy the food. I want it to burn the cold away.

I share this with you not to garner sympathy, but to manage your expectations. Do not expect anything profound from me today.

Let me take a moment to dispel a major misconception. The major events we host at St. Luke’s exist to fund ministries.

These events certainly accomplish these goals, but that cannot be their primary purpose. St. Luke’s is masterful has rallying the community around massive events that are baked (or BBQed) into the very DNA of our neighborhoods. While these events should be financially solvent, and fund the good works and ministries of the Church, that is not their primary purpose. If our goal was the fund the outreach committee, then asking for direct donations would be a significantly more efficient task. Funding for noble causes is secondary to the work of the BBQ, Craft Fair and Pumpkin Patch. The primary reason behind these events is tangible the day of, but somehow hard to articulate afterwards.

The long line of people waiting for the BBQ and catching up with each other. The gang of kids playing games in the grove at the craft fair with Alpacas in the background. Theo with his new “fat kitty” in tow. Family taking pictures of their kids next to the height wall of the pumpkin patch. Seeing teens learn how to talk to adults buying pumpkins and running the register. These are all special things I’ve noted in my five years with you. These are memory and meaning making events. St. Luke’s is a pillar of the community and these things help our neighbors make connections and to mark time. We may make money, and we’ll make sure it is put to good use, but we do this to minister to our neighbors, and to let our circle of friends continue to grow.

If you are like me then these events are tremendously meaning beyond their fundraising capability, and I am determined to keep them going.

Dawn McMillin has been running point on the craft fair for the last couple of years, and she is ready to step down. If we want a craft fair next year, we will need to find her replacement

Melissa Brunton has been faithfully running the pumpkin patch in partnership with Kim Witzman, and she is looking for this to be her last year.

These are big lifts, but the reward is great. The money is fine, but the real treasure is seeing community form in front of your eyes.

Let us know if you are interested in either, and together we can continue to make St. Luke’s a place to grow in faith and community.

Blessings,

Nick