With thanksgiving for Eric Fowler
On February 25th, 2020, St. Luke’s released its first ever podcast. Titled Proclamation, it began as a creative endeavor to capture the spirit of St. Luke’s worshipping community and its composition of community voices proclaiming God’s vision of justice, equality, and love. Amid pandemic upheaval that forced communities to rely on electronic mediums for communicating God’s word in the witness of assembly, Proclamation’s format proved highly adept and responsive to such challenges, making sermons and community-wide conversations at St. Luke’s accessible in weekly audio format. This month, St. Luke’s Council gives abundant thanksgiving to Eric Fowler whose vision for the podcast made it a reality and whose technical wizardry made listening to it a pleasure. Council also gives thanks to the several members of our congregation who helped form a coalition of producers, hosts, interviewees, organizers, and voices that helped sustain the podcast’s ministry throughout 2020.At this stage in building a new partnership with Grace and forging safe, viable means to return to in-person worship as a community, St. Luke’s has decided to put the podcast on hiatus for the moment with the hope for it to resume in the future—a brief cæsura in time that hopes to beckon the ever sweet return.Without exception at February’s Council meeting, council members expressed appreciation for the podcast. One person noted that a podcast is exactly the kind of ministry a church like St. Luke's should have; another member specifically appreciated the podcast’s audio format and the ability to go back and listen carefully to weekly sermons. Proclamation is an inevitably public act, a stirring of one’s inner convictions to express or reveal truth in the world. The word proclamation combines the Latin prefix prō- meaning “from, in the place of; for,” with the verb clāmō, meaning to “cry out.” Proclamation’s theme spoke to those ends, describing the podcast as a medium “where we share powerful messages of liberation, justice, and welcome for you and for all people.” As St. Luke’s continues to “proclaim” its own witness in the world, Council gives thanks for the enduring commitment of our members to lift up those cries and longings of those in our community seeking new life and hope from the life-denying forces of the world, to speak in the midst of racial, gender, and economic oppression, systemic violence, and despair in order to proclaim God’s justice, mercy, love, and grace.Check out these memorable episodes below recommended by Proclamation’s creator, or check out any past episode for free in the archive.
Pastoral Intern Elle Dowd Preaches on Matthew 4:1-11
Joseph and the Pretty Princess Dress
Stories You Don't Hear: Lament is Faithful
Stories You Don't Hear: Mary and Rhoda
Each month, the St. Luke’s Council gives thanks for a particular person or group whose life and ministry have blessed us in a special way. To share your ideas for future Thanksgivings, email Justin Perkins (jperkins16@gmail.com).