October 2021 Thanksgiving
In September, St. Luke’s said farewell and godspeed to our beloved former Administrative Assistant, Claire Schoepp. Council would like to share our immense gratitude and thanksgiving for Claire, who accepted a full-time position at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lakeview as Director of Operations for Communication, Technology & Community. Claire first joined St. Luke’s in March of 2014, taking over for another long-time and beloved office administrator. Having just earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Loyola University Chicago, Claire initially thought she would only stay for a couple years until opportunity called elsewhere.
Instead, Claire became a bedrock of St. Luke’s administrative ministry, steadily accompanying St. Luke’s through major transitions in our congregation such as moving out of our historic building to a storefront space, a subsequent new call process to hire Pastor Erin, pandemic disruptions to work and the renovation of worship to an online format, along with another historic congregational move that brought St. Luke’s into its new home in partnership with Grace United Methodist at 3325 W Wrightwood Ave. St. Luke’s likewise accompanied Claire through many significant life transitions of her own, including the birth of her daughter in March 2020. Throughout much of her tenure, Claire in fact held a bi-vocational position, splitting her time between St. Luke’s while also serving as Director of Child and Family Ministries at Luther Memorial Church of Chicago.
In her farewell message to the congregation, Claire wrote, “I had no idea that I would enjoy administrative work so much and that you all would find your way into my heart, but you did. Not only that, you inspired me.” Members of St. Luke’s returned their mutual admiration for Claire at a farewell party held at Unity Park in September. There, several members commented on Claire’s uncanny organizational prowess, shared stories recognizing Claire’s generosity of presence through communication, her aid in keeping deadlines, and gentle reminders when those deadlines were missed. St. Luke’s will dearly miss Claire’s personal grace and professional excellence. Yet we are also overjoyed for the opportunities that lie before her and her family. Pastor Erin summed it up nicely in her farewell to Claire, saying, “Claire is a deaconess, and her commitment to Christian community has guided her work at St. Luke's -- not only as a job but as part of her vocation as a disciple… She discerns how the Church can do a better job of being the Church, and she leads us there. She is willing to grow and change, to unlearn old ways and learn new ones for the sake of God's love and justice.”
Council is further delighted to welcome our Interim Administrative Assistant, Sarah Whitt. We are grateful for Sarah’s willingness to continue St. Luke’s administrative work and ensure a smooth transition process to as we work to fill a permanent position.