October 21, 2019
Today we drove to Ephesus. It was an incredible experience to be in the location where Paul spoke to (and argued with) the Ephesians. There was a silversmith named Demetrius who became irate with Paul diminishing his business. Paul was preaching about the one true God and Demetrius made silver idols of the goddess Artemis. […]
October 21, 2019
Meteora is a place that is hard to describe because of the geological formations but even more special to see when you realize that it’s the location of several monasteries (and more recently, two nunneries). The monasteries were built in the 16th century by monks and placed on the top of the rock formations for the seclusion and security. Monks had originally used the caves in the rock structures starting in the 11th century, and when the monasteries were finally built they could be reached by lowering a basket to the ground and using a pulley to pull the person or supplies to the top. Our bus driver drove to the top of one of the formations so that we could visit a nunnery located there. Although we weren’t able to take pictures of the chapel, we were impressed with the beautiful artwork inside.
October 18, 2019
The next morning we stopped at the Lion of Amphipolis. It is a tomb sculpture in honor of a general who served under Alexander the Great. Amphipolis was visited by Paul during his missionary journeys and he probably passed by the sculpture when it was “only” a few hundred years old.
From there we drove to Philippi. We stopped at the Zygakti river at a place dedicated to the baptism of the first European convert to Christianity, a woman by the name of Lydia. There was a chapel located at the site and inside it was covered with beautiful paintings and mosaics that told the story of Acts 16:1-15 where Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading with him to come and help them; the story of Paul preaching at place of prayer by the riverside and Lydia’s subsequent conversion were also highlighted.
October 17, 2019
Once we arrived in Thessalonica, we began our exploration of the ministry of Paul. The city of 1 million people was named by the general Cassander in honor of his wife, Thessalonike, who also happened to be the sister of Alexander the Great. We saw the famous White Tower. Originally it was nicknamed “The Bloody Tower” for the time when the region was held by the Ottomans who used the tower as a place to imprison and kill Christians. When Greece gained its independence it was whitewashed and renamed. From there we walked down the shore of the Aegean Sea to the statue of Alexander the. Great on his horse, Bucephalas.
October 16, 2019
We are just beginning our trip to visit the places in Greece and Turkey important to the ministry of St. Paul and the early church. With all of the hustle it took to get here, I am reflecting on the journey of Paul in comparison to our hurried way of getting through as much life as possible. Paul walked around his ministry areas and spent time with the people, while we tend to pride ourselves on “busyness.” There is a lot to be said of slowing down and spending time with people—of living life with others, of caring for others so much that we even smell like them.
September 5, 2019
By: Candice Hillenbrand, Director of Mission Engagement As a parent, I am charged with the care and keeping of my children. Sometimes that means I stop them from running out in front of a car. Daily, it means I hunt down food and feed them. Often, it means the nagging reminders to “clean your room” […]
May 9, 2019
Make your own musical at Poteet Theatre this summer! For two weeks in June, St. Luke’s will host a musical workshop for curious first-timers and experienced theater performers.
“Come enroll your child so they can start learning to sing, dance, and perform with the best instructors in OKC,” Logan Fish, the Edmond Campus Director of Hospitality, said.
Each day of the Make Your Own Musical Camp will include prayer, vocal warm-ups, focus training, and fun games! Everyone will be working with the Camp Director, Haley Jane Pierce, who recently directed the musical Annie at the Poteet Theatre. Campers will get to perform their show at the end of the week for their family and friends.
“Join us as we explore our creative talents,” Logan said. “This will be a fun way to break into theatre!”
May 8, 2019
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch the video below. It’s a performance by J. Warren Mitchell accompanied by Dr. Jan McDaniel. I’ve always loved hearing Dr. McDaniel play the piano – he has incredible talent and you hear the emotions of a musical piece as he plays. In the clip below, you can hear his talent as he accompanies the amazing voice of J. Warren Mitchell. A few years ago I was blessed to hear the two of them perform in a small setting, to a small group of people. I was moved to tears by the performance.
March 25, 2019
St. Luke’s is currently offering an Easter Special for both niches and plaques in the columbarium courtyard, a place for solace, contemplation, remembrance, and celebrating God’s love.
March 13, 2019
It was on February 2, 2014 that Dr. Long shared the news of the expansion of St. Luke’s to a new satellite campus. The new satellite campus would open on March 30, 2014 with the first worship service taking place in a temporary location at Sequoyah Middle School, utilizing the school’s cafeteria and gymnasium. Dr. […]
