The Ark of the Covenant

A Newsletter for the People of The Memorial Church of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician and All Saints Episcopal Church of Rhawnhurst
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Griffin, Rector SEPTEMBER 2012 Issue 1

The M emorial Church of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician 1946 W elsh Road Philadelphia, PA 19115 215.969.3645 (office) stlukesbustleton@yahoo.com
www.stlukesbustleton.webs.com

The Ark of the Covenant ccording to the book of Exodus, the Ark of the Covenant was a chest that God com m anded the Israelites to build. W ithin this chest was contained the stone tablets upon which God had inscribed the Decalogue or what we m ore com m only refer to as the Ten Com m andm ents. The presence of the Ark figured heavily in the Israelites journey to and eventual m ovem ent into the Holy Land. It was later captured by the Philistines, but King David was able to recapture the Ark and when he m oved the Capital of the Kingdom to Jerusalem , he entered the city in procession with the Ark. W hen Solom on built his Tem ple, the Ark was placed in the inner room of the Tem ple the Holy of Holies, which was such a sacred place that only the High Priest could enter it, and then only once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. After the destruction of the Second Tem ple by the Rom ans in 70 AD, the Ark was lost. There are still rum ors that the Ark survived and there is speculation from tim e to tim e that it is located here or there but in all likelihood the Ark was probably destroyed at the tim e of the Tem ples destruction (the Indiana Jones m ovie notwithstanding). The im portance of the Ark in the Judeo-Christian tradition cannot be m inim ized. The Ark is called the Ark of the Covenant because, as I noted above, it originally contained the stone tablets of the Law. Thus, it was the container in which the conditions of the covenant or agreem ent between God and the Israelites were stored. However, the Ark was also conceived as the Throne of God or Gods resting place. Thus the Ark was the sym bolic location where God was held to reside. So what does all of this have to do with All Saints and St. Lukes? A couple of things I suppose. First, since the history of Christian Church and the history of Israel are inextricably linked, it is part of our history as Christians. And second, since we recognize the Church as the place where God resides in a special way in the Sacram ent of the Eucharist, for exam ple, the Church can be seen as the New Tem ple. But of course these considerations apply to Christians and the Church m ore generally. They are not unique to St. Lukes and All Saints.

SERVICES Sundays: 10:45a.m . Church School in Hall 11:00 a.m . Holy Eucharist Rite II with m usic Followed im m ediately by refreshm ents and fellowship in the parish hall. W ednesdays: Contem plative Prayer 6:45p.m . in Office 7:30 p.m . Healing Eucharist ______________________ All Saints Episcopal Church of Rhaw nurst 1811 Loney Street Philadelphia, PA 19111 215.342.6210 (office) www.allsaintsrhawnhurst.org SERVICES Sundays: 8:00a.m . Holy Eucharist, Spoken 9:30 a.m . Holy Eucharist Rite II with m usic Followed im m ediately by refreshm ents and fellowship in the undercroft.

W hat is unique to All Saints and St. Lukes, however, is that we have recently entered into a covenant to share certain of our resources. So when the two parishes entered into this covenant, the Covenant Com m ittee asked for suggestions for the title for our com bined newsletter. W e received a few suggestions, including one from Carol Mitchell, who is the secretary for St. Lukes and now for All Saints as well. Carol suggested that we call the newsletter The Ark of the Covenant, and the Covenant Com m ittee unanim ously voted for that title. And, of course, that m akes perfect sense because our parishes have entered into a covenant and we believe that our covenant was inspired by God.

(Continued on Page 2)

I am excited by this experim ent, which really puts All Saints and St. Lukes on the cutting edge of innovations within the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Each parish has m any events planned for the upcom ing church year of 201213 and I hope we will support one another in those initiatives. In addition the parishes are sharing certain resources and expenses, e.g., the priest and his salary (thank you very m uch), Carol, the secretary who I m entioned above, and Carlos Otero, who will serve as sexton for both parishes. In addition, Stacey Carm ody, who has been editing and com piling St. Lukes newsletter, has agreed to edit and com pile The Ark and to create a website for All Saints as she did for St. Lukes (if you have not already done so, you should check out St. Lukes website it is very well done). Although I have been at St. Lukes for the past seven (alm ost eight) years, I have only been with All Saints since May, so there m ay be som e of you who I have not yet m et. I look forward to m eeting you and I hope you will consider attending som e of the events that the parishes have planned. God willing I believe that both St. Lukes and All Saints can look forward to a period of growth and rejuvenation. God bless, Father Tim

Adult Forum: The Adult Forum this year will focus on the Sunday Liturgy. The liturgy, as you are no doubt aware, is the way in which we worship God. The word liturgy is derived from the Greek word litourgia which m eans the work of the people. W hile I am sure that m ost of us are fam iliar with the form of the liturgy, m any of us m ay not know why we do and say the things we do during the course of the liturgy. Consequently, I would like us to spend a few weeks looking at what we do when we worship God and why we do these things. Am ong the things we will discuss, in addition to the actual prayers and assertions that we m ake during the service, are the significance of the vestm ents, the seasons of the liturgical year, the place of m usic and other aspects of the ritual. The first m eeting will be M onday, September 10th at 7:00 in the church at St. Lukes. W e will m eet every other Monday evening and the m eetings will alternate between St. Lukes and All Saints. I hope you will m ake tim e to attend.

WELCOME VISITORS! Are you a new reader?

Come visit us! Were so glad that you picked up this publication; we hope you will find it interesting and worth your time and we hope you will take the next step and worship with us sometime. If you are worshiping with us, we welcome you! Whatever your religious background, and however you have come to be here, we welcome you here. Please let us know who you are by signing our guest book or filling out a card found in the pews. You can hand your card to an usher, or put it in the collection plate when it comes later.

THOSE W HO SERVE: ST LUKES

NEWS

REMINDERS:
Outreach

Sunday, SEPT 2 Chalice Bearer: J. Brambilla Reader: K. Gibson Ushers: T. Truesdale, J. Litzke Altar Guild: L. Carter, R. Fischer NO Coffee Hour Counters: B & D Shifflett Sunday, SEPT 9 Chalice Bearer: S. Carmody Reader: J. Iannotti Ushers: J. Brambilla, T. Truesdale Altar Guild: K. Kenny, S. Nesbitt Coffee Hour: J &J Litzke, J. Gardner, J. Oxenford Counters: J. Bramibilla, R. W haley Sunday, SEPT 16 Chalice Bearer: L. Carter Reader: J. Brambilla Ushers: T. Truesdale, J. Litzke Altar Guild: J. Oxenford, C. Cotugno Coffee Hour: G. Hair, J &C Szczur, K. Kenny, S. Nesbitt Counters: K. Gibson, A. Thorpe Sunday, SEPT 23 Chalice Bearer: J. Gardner Reader: S. Carmody Ushers: J. Litzke, T. Truesdale Altar Guild: S & C Carmody Coffee Hour: Espositos, A. Thorpe, M. Geiger Counters: J & J Litzke Sunday, SEPT 30 Chalice Bearer: B. Kaufold Reader: L. Carter Ushers: J. Barmbilla, T. Truesdale Altar Guild: G & B Hair, J. W oods Coffee Hour: H. Rolland, S. Remmick, R. W haley, Emma, Rita, Joan D. Counters: B & D Shifflett

St. Lukes Church School is exciting this year. We are starting a new curriculum, Living the Good News. It will include lessons based on the lectionary and will offer stories, music and crafts,as well as take home pages to share with the family. We have ordered the primary package for the year 2012-2013 which covers grades 1-3,since we at present have children within that age group. An article for church school registration has been put in the NorthEast Times and monthly "kids crafts" activities have been scheduled in hopes of attracting more children from the community to help our church school grow. Church School will be held each Sunday, beginning on Sept. 9th at 10:45a.m. in the church hall. The children will continue to join their families in church for communion, following lessons. We welcome a new teacher this year. Lisa Esposito has joined our teaching staff. Betty Shifflett, Ashley Martino, Sara Nesbit and Karen Kenny have agreed to continue teaching as well. Llyn Carter has agreed to help out as a substitute teacher,as needed. We are fortunate to have them all. I will continue as church school coordinator and am looking forward to a prosperous year.

The Somerton Food Bank is always in need of cereal and cash donations to buy meats and maintain operating expenses. Please give. The 2 homeless shelters St Lukes supports look forward every week to the Wawa gift cards provided by your donations of change!

WELCOME to the
inaugural issue of The Ark of the Covenant, formerly The Winged Ox! The name change and change in content reflects the inclusion of both St. Lukes and All Saints and the covenant between the 2 churches. The deadline for submissions to The Ark October issue is SEPTEMBER 15th. Please submit to Stacey Carmody or Carol Mitchell at
stlukesbustleton@yahoo. com

-Barbara Kaufold

The 70's are coming!!! Tickets on sale for St Luke's "70's Flashback Event" being held September 29th in St. Lukes Parish Hall. Music, Dancing, Costume Contest, Raffles and more.....$10 per person pre-sale. Start practicing your Disco Dance moves! ORGAN RECITAL by St. Lukes organist P. Bruce Sholley On Sunday, September 16, 2012, Bruce will be playing an organ recital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The recital is part of a series of concerts marking the 125th Anniversary of the founding of St. Marks United Church of Christ. The church was founded in the German Reformed tradition, and through subsequent mergers of Protestant denominations became part of the Evangelical and Reformed, and (during the 1960s) UCC traditions. This is the church where Bruce was raised and where he has played a series of organ recitals over the last thirty years. The organ is a three-manual instrument built by the Moeller Pipe Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, in the last years of that companys independent existence. The program will include both sacred and secular organ music by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, J. S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, Max, Reger, Franz Josef Haydn, Theodore Dubois, Alan Hovhannes, and Jacques Lemmings spanning the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Centuries. A group from St. Lukes is planning to carpool after the morning liturgy to attend the 3:00 PM recital. The trip is approximately two hours each direction. See Bruce for written directions to the church or to arrange a ride with someone.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

Dorothy, Elaine, Nancy H., Edna, Alan, Mabel, Ruth L., Louise, William L, Robert B, Patricia L, Nancy Martha, Llyn C., Katherine G., Elsie, George R., Renne C., Aurelia T. Betty S., Kathy T, Tom T., Dolores B., Emma H., John N., Elizabeth S., Melba C., Denise L., Lonny S., Dorothy S., Janet C., James N., Nancy W., Joyce, Greg, David, Malcolm, David, Amarante, David, Amy, Anthony, Katharine, James, Jim, Francis, Robert, Iris, Richard, Lindia, Jessica, Julia, Oscar, Billy, William, Ann, Amber, Brian, Ariel, Betty.

Those Serving in the Armed Forces: William B. William S, Chris G.,Kevin M., Andrew R., Chris K.,John R., Chris R., Eric B., Rob D., Jerry F.,Thomas H., Tom B.,Casey R., Jermaine, Bradley, Michael, Maxx, Eric J., John T., George M., Steven M, Timothy D., Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Responders

CHURCH EVENTS: Sept 8: Kids Crafts @ St. Lukes 1-4pm Sept 15: All Saints Trip to Peddlers Village Sept 16: All Saints Church Picnic Sept 22: All Saints Flea Market 8am-2pm Sept 29: Disco Night at St. Lukes Oct 6: St. Lukes Flea Market 8am-2pm NOTES: Fr. Tim will be on vacation Oct 1-14 The Rev. Julius Jackson will be Celebrant Oct 7 and Oct 14. In Appreciation:
Dear People of St. Luke's - at the passing of m y m om , Catherine 'Kitty' Bunt (Jan 15,1918 - June 24, 2012), It has been a long journey since my Dad becam e ill in 2008 and passed in 2009, then being present with m y Mom until her passing on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Som e of you wrote cards or em ails, others gave hugs, kind expressions, multiple prayers and ongoing support. You've all modeled 'What Would Jesus Do' for m e and I am forever grateful. With much appreciation and God's blessings, -Kathy Truesdale

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: ST LUKES 1- Virginia Rielli 2- Llyn Carter, Tom Geiger 9-Ben Mangle 22- Dorothy Galey 24-Louise Cavaliere 25-Mark Geiger 29-Daniella Gardiner, Carlos Otero 30-Joan Litzke, Emma Park

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: ALL SAINTS 6- Patsy Craig 7- Christopher Neisser 10- Theodore Blohm 12- Vincent and John York 16 -Danielle Burns, Jessica Eagles, Lauren Meisner 17- Robert Kessler 18- Timothy Sarber 24- James Sarber 25- John York, Jr., John Hirschman 29- Dorothy Bogusz 30- Denise Lalka ANNIVERSARIES Sept. 22 Linda & James Colwell Sept. 30 Jeanne & Robert Baskin

The first BOOK GROUP will meet on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the St. Luke's office. We will discuss "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. The second meeting will be on November 29, 2012 and the book will be "A Color Purple" by Alice Walker.

CIRCLE OF PRAYER We are pleased to announce that Caroline Cotugno has taken the lead in maintaining the St. Lukes Circle of Prayer . To learn about or join this ministry, see Caroline or email her at pinevalleyfan@aol.com!

Fall V endor Fair at All Saints Episcopal Church

1811 Loney St. Philadelphia, PA 19111

School Supply List **All supplies are due on or before Sunday, September 9th.** Backpack (on sale at Deals in Grant Plaza)

Saturday October 20, 9am to 2pm MANY VENDORS WILL OFFER THEIR ITEMS TO VIEW AND SELL REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SOLD 50/50 DRAWING $25 per table VENDORS: MARY KAY IT WORKS! 31 GIFTS SCENTSY ORIGAMI OWLS JAMBERRY NAILS......and More!

Plastic school box (to keep supplies in; about 8x5) Pencils Chunk erasers Glue sticks (no liquid) Scotch tape or masking tape Crayons- 24 box (no scents or flavors) W ashable fat markers (no scents or flavors) Expo dry erase markers Childrens scissors (not all plastic) Two-bottom pocket folders (sturdy)

REMINDER: St. Lukes Womens Outreach Wing is collecting school supplies for needy children. Supplies are due SEPTEMBER 9 th. Please refer to the list to the right for what is needed. Thank you and God Bless!

Thick marble composition book (no spiral rings) Construction paper Gallon-size slide Ziploc bags Quartsize slide Ziploc bags Liquid hand sanitizer with pump Clorox or Lysol antibacterial wipes Baby wipes or hand sanitizing wipes If you are able to donate a bottle of Expo dry erase board cleaner, it would be greatly appreciated. **Please do not send in pencil sharpeners or colored pencils.**

Im portance of Recycling:

St. Lukes has started recycling, as we now have a recycling container located in our church hall. Why is recycling so important? Some may say because its a Philadelphia law. However, the importance of recycling supersedes any laws our government makes. Recycling is one way we can help preserve and protect the planet that God gave us. Less energy is used when manufacturing recycled products as opposed to using raw materials. As we use less energy, we cut down on pollution and burn less greenhouse gases. For example, recycling the material in aluminum cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95%, and water pollution by 76%. Recycling also conserves our natural resources. Heres an interesting tidbit; It takes 75,000 trees each week to produce the Sunday edition of the New York Times. If Americans would recycle one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save 2.5 million trees. Lastly, recycling saves space in our landfills, which not only cause pollution, but are becoming filled at an alarming rate! Think about this; In 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world. The largest was Fresh Kills Landfill, serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast! What a difference we could make if everyone started recycling!!!! (Facts taken from Green Earth Blog) http://20easywaystohelpsavetheearth.blogspot.com/2009/05/importance-of-recycling.html. Many items can be recycled, the most common including plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers, magazines, card board, batteries, paper, ink cartridges, and even electronics, including cell phones. Best Buy will recycle ink cartridges and most electronics. There is a $10.00 fee for recycling electronics with a screen. However, the store will give this back to you with a gift card worth $10.00. Well worth the effort, plus you will have a good feeling, knowing you did the right thing! Also, one can make an additional impact when shopping. Purchase items with minimal packaging, and when able, purchase items made from recycled materials. Use your consumer dollars to reward companies that cut down on waste. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store, and recycle your plastic bags. Giant supermarket has a place to recycle plastic bags at the store entrance. Gardeners, did you know yard trimmings and food residuals make up 27% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream? Instead of sending waste to our landfills, you can make compost, utilizing this waste to benefit your garden. Go to http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm for more details. If you are looking for recycling centers in the Philadelphia area, please visit http://www.recyclenowphila.org/recyclingcenters.html. If you live outside the city, like I do, there may not be mandatory recycling in your area. However, you can always recycle voluntarily and write your congressman/congresswoman urging him/her to enact recycling laws in your community. Our everyday decisions and actions can really make a difference! Now I will step down from my soapbox and simply ask everyones cooperation in making recycling at St. Lukes a success. Please remember to recycle appropriate materials during coffee hour and special events. Together, we can all make a difference. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -Native Am erican Proverb

Submitted By: Caroline Cotugno

WORD PUZZLE
B A L M I G H T Y L O N G E R A M E T H E I R I C O W A L K D F F Y F Z T H E N M O U M A D E B R T B O A B R A H A M R F A C E L U E E R A N D A P P E A R E D X A I R T E G E N E R A T I O N S C M T A W N I N E T Y T H I S O W E E F N E W W I T H F R O M A K E E L U C E Y E A R S M U L T I T U D E L E N G F E L L O R D Z D W W I S Z S I O F F S P R I N G Q A I N S W T N D H A V E C K I N G S L G B H O A E V E R L A S T I N G L L U E R M N U M E R O U S H A L L Y T N G E N A T I O N S E S T A B L I S H X T H R O U G H O U T G E N E S I S A B R A M C O V E N A N T N R S V

(Genesis 17:1-7 NRSV) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. {2} And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." {3} Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, {4} "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. {5} No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. {6} I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. {7} I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. GENERATIONS EXCEEDINGLY EVERLASTING THROUGHOUT OFFSPRING MULTITUDE ESTABLISH BLAMELESS NUMEROUS FRUITFUL COVENANT APPEARED ANCESTOR ALMIGHTY NATIONS GENESIS BETW EEN ABRAHAM NINETY LONGER BEFORE YEARS THEIR SHALL KINGS AFTER ABRAM YOUR W ITH W ILL W HEN W ALK THIS THEN SAID NRSV NAME MAKE MADE LORD HAVE FROM FELL FACE COME W AS OLD HIM GOD BUT AND NO MY

SEPTEMBER 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat
11:30a-A l-A non in St L ukes H all

2- 14th Sun after Pentecost - 8a

& 9:30a- H oly Eucharist- A ll Saints 10:50a-St. Lukes C hurch School 11a: Holy Eucharist St. Lukes

3 -A A

in St Lukes Hall 1P & 7P LA BO R D A Y

4-9:30a:
C rafters at A ll Saints A A in St L ukes H all 1P & 7P & 8P 7:00p- St Lukes Vestry M tg in O ffice

5- A A

in St. Lukes H all 1P 6:45: C ontem p Prayer in St. Lukes office 7:30P -St. Lukes healing service

6 -A A

in St L ukes H all 1P

7-

A A in St L ukes H all 1P

8- 10a- Yoga in St.

Lukes H all 11:30a-A l-A non in St. Lukes H all 1p-4p: Kids C rafts in St L ukes H all

9-15th Sun after Pentecost 8a

& 9:30a- H oly Eucharist- A ll Saints 10:50a-St. Lukes C hurch School 11a: Holy Eucharist St. Lukes

10 -A A

in St Lukes H all 1P & 7P 7:00p- A dult Forum in St. Lukes C hurch

11-9:30a:
C rafters at A ll Saints A A in St Lukes Hall 1P & 7P & 8P

12 A A

in St. Lukes H all 1P 6:45: C ontem p Prayer in St. Lukes office 7:30P -St. Lukes healing service

13 -A A

in St. L ukes H all 1P

14 -A A

in St. L ukes H all 1P

15- 10a-Yoga in St
Lukes H all 11:30a-A l-A non in St . Lukes H all A ll Saints Peddlers Village Trip

16-16h Sun after Pentecost - 8a

& 9:30a- H oly Eucharist- A ll Saints 10:50a-St. Lukes C hurch School 11a: Holy Eucharist St. Lukes

17 -A A

in St Lukes H all 1P & 7P 7:00p- All Saints Vestry M tg

18- 9:30a:
C rafters at A ll Saints A A in St Lukes Hall 1P & 7P & 8P

19 A A

in St. Lukes H all 1P 6:45: C ontem p Prayer in St. Lukes office 7:30P -St. Lukes healing service

20- A A

in St. Lukes Hall 1P 7P-A ll Saints W omens G roup

21 -A A

in St. L ukes H all 1P

22- 10a-Yoga in St
Lukes H all 11:30a-A l-A non in St L ukes H all 9a-2pA ll Saints Flea M arket

23-17th Sun after Pentecost - 8a

& 9:30a- H oly Eucharist- A ll Saints 10:50a-St. Lukes C hurch School 11a: Holy Eucharist St. Lukes

24 -A A

in St Lukes H all 1P & 7P 7:00p- A dult Forum at A ll Saints

25- 9:30a:
C rafters at A ll Saints A A in St Lukes Hall 1P & 7P & 8P

26-A A in St. Lukes H all 1P 6:45: C ontem p Prayer in St. Lukes office 7:30P -St. Lukes healing service

27- A A

in St. Lukes Hall 1P 7P : Deanery Preconvention mtg in St. Lukes H all 7p- B ook C lub in St Lukes office

28 -A A

in St. Lukes Hall 1P

29-10a Yoga in St.

Lukes H all 11:30a-A l-A non in St L ukes H all

30-18th Sun after Pentecost- 8a

& 9:30a- H oly Eucharist- A ll Saints 10:50a-St. Lukes C hurch School 11a: Holy Eucharist St. Lukes

The Memorial Church of St. Luke the Beloved Physician 1946 Welsh Road Philadelphia, PA 19115 215-969-3645
stlukesbustleton@yahoo.com www.stlukesbustleton.webs.com

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