xAbout our Mission Partnership with
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Somers, New York, USA
Partnership Contact Person, Linda Vogl, vestry member:   dahljazz@comcast.net

St. Luke's website: www.saintlukes-somers.org

Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church Announcement

We give thanks to God for the calling of
The Rev. Sanford Allen Key to be our rector.

Father Key and his wife, Laura, and their sons,
Brighton and Christopher will be moving to our area
from Williamsburg, Virginia, USA.
Father Key begins his service at Saint Luke's on May 1, 2007

Background Information about our Partnership
by Bishop James Tengatenga

They have supported our HIV and AIDS programme and one seminarian who has just graduated and was ordained in November 2006 to the diaconate. They have also paid school fees for six clergy children (five of whom are adopted orphans). We are exploring ways in which to improve our inter-communication and vary the programmes.

The Link with St. Luke Episcopal Church, Somers, in Westchester, NY began in 2005 when the St. Luke's Outreach Committee expressed an interest in linking with us at the suggestion of Bishop Catherine S. Roskam of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Following some emails back and forth the link was formally launched on Pentecost 2005 with the visit of Bishop James Tengatenga to St. Luke's.

Under the guidance of their interim rector, Father James B. de Fontaine-Stratton, the St. Luke's Outreach ministry has researched opportunities to partner with Anglican groups in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Plans included African speakers, an “African Dinner” event, a craft fair to benefit handicraft cooperatives and working with the Mothers’ Union in Malawi to help orphans whose lives have been affected by AIDS.

Through the link, St. Luke's has helped with paying secondary school fees for six clergy orphans, some monetary support to our HIV/AIDS Programmes, and has helped pay for a seminarian.

They hope to continue support for this and other projects which will arise as our partnership linkage develops.

In 2006 Bishop James and Mrs. Tengatenga were guests at St. Luke's.

OUTREACH IN LENT 2007
From St. Luke's "Tidings" Parish Newsletter, February 2007

Do you remember the Mite Box collection in Lent last year? We collected $288 for Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) as a result. This year we have a more specific goal in mind.

Our Sunday School children are going to learn how mosquito nets save lives, so to help them make their lessons meaningful we would like to earmark the proceeds from the Mite Box for nets when we send it to ERD. A net costs $15.00.

This seems to be a lot for a simple net but the cost includes treatment with long-lasting, human friendly chemicals, transport to very out-of-the way places and instruction on the use of the net with later follow-up.

We noticed last year that the children were intrigued by dropping piggy-bank savings into the Mite Box. This year they will understand what it is for. So start collecting your spare change please and bring it to the box in the aisle on Lenten Sundays.

Of course bills and checks would be amazingly welcome too.

Maybe the kids can calculate how many pennies it takes to zap a mosquito. Let’s get zapping!

Letter from Miss Jacaverine Phiri,
a high school student

She is working hard especially in her biology classes and got 2nd place in the class, then had a tough test where she didn’t do so well, but pulled it up again.

“Lastly,” she writes, “I am begging you to help me moving out of this school to the Anglican Boarding School. It is too far from where I am staying and takes me to cross two rivers.

During the winter rainy season that means no classes until the water runs dry.”

She adds that this is very difficult because there are not enough classes to really learn. “Please I am begging not demanding. God bless you too."

Yours faithfully,
Jacaverine