Manna & More (Gift Bag Program)
St. Luke's has a vision and mission to serve the needs of the community through food ministry. Providing "manna" at a local, free food pantry for our needy neighbors became a year-round commitment in 2003 with the launch of the Gift Bag Program.Here’s how the program works:
Over 55,000 parcels of food have been collected and distributed through this ministry. In partnering with local food pantries, additional needs were discovered. Consequently, "manna" was expanded to include "more" such as donation drives for children's shoes, school supplies and personal hygiene items.
- Brown bags are distributed to the congregation on the first Sunday of each month.
- The bag is labeled with a specific food item needed at the food pantry.
- During the month, the food item is returned in the brown bag and placed in food collection baskets.
Contact: Deanna Horne (407-359-5609 or mannamore@stlukes-oviedo.org)
Share the Care Center
The Center offers a planned program with a variety of services in a protective setting in a caring, safe and stimulating environment. Located in Slavia Square, this ministry provides respite care to families caring for a loved one. Whether it is to go shopping, have lunch with friends, read a book or relax, family caregivers bring their loved ones to the center for a few hours of free time. This break allows caregivers to renew their spirits so they may continue caring for their loved one at home.
Contact and Hours: Share the Care, Inc. 407.423.5311. Hours: 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
“...I was sick and you looked after me.” -Matthew 26:36b
Shepherd’s Hope
Each day people go without medical care because they don’t have health insurance and can’t afford a doctor’s visit, diagnostic testing, or prescribed medication. Individuals and families are being forced to choose between medical care and other basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and rent.
The on-campus ministry of Shepherd’s Hope provides access to free health care for the uninsured who earn below 200% of the federal poverty level. Medical services that are typically offered by a primary care practice are available at the clinic in Slavia Square. Quality, non-emergency medical care is offered by volunteer physicians and other health care professionals on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8:30 pm. No appointment required. Patients are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Shepherd’s Hope is a faith-based organization of volunteers that exists to provide access to health care for the uninsured.
Contact: St. Luke’s Church Office | 407.365.3408
Connect with a Therapist
Lutheran Counseling Services provides care in a comforting and nurturing environment. Trained counselors share God’s abundant grace as manifested through His love for us in Jesus Christ. By offering compassionate solutions for everyday, real-life issues, each person’s dignity and worth as a child of God is valued and respected.
Contact: 407.644.4692 | www.lcsfl.com
Your Journey from Mourning to Joy.
If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member or friend, it may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. That’s the reason for GriefShare, a special seminar and support group for people grieving the loss of someone close. Groups are led by people who understand what you are experiencing and want to offer you comfort and encouragement. GriefShare is a nondenominational group and features biblical teaching on grief and recovery topics.
Contact: griefshare@stlukes-oviedo.org
Find Help. Discover Hope. Experience Healing.
It’s hard to know how to help someone who is going through a divorce. It takes a long time and a lot of work to heal the pain that comes with the breakup of a marriage. DivorceCare is a special seminar and support group of people who understand what you are going through and want to help. Don’t go through separation or divorce alone.
Contact: divorcecare@stlukes-oviedo.org
Kids find joy and hope built on God’s love!
"DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K) is a special group
to help children (ages 5-12) heal from the pain caused by a separation
or divorce. DC4K provides your children with a safe and neutral place to
recognize and learn to share their feelings." from http://www.dc4k.org/about
Contact: Wendy Clark | divorcecarekids@stlukes-oviedo.org
Hope Foundation
Making a difference in the lives of those in our community. Envisioning a world where people know that there is HOPE. Addressing issues facing individuals and families in crisis. The Hope Foundation thrives on these operating goals. It works to equip individuals and families to become self-sufficient through Housing, Outreach, Prevention, and Education.
By networking with local agencies and organizations, the Foundation becomes a partner with communities to educate and transform the way people think about the poor and homeless. As a result, communities develop and plan long term solutions that address the needs facing those in crisis.
St. Luke’s partners with The Hope Foundation in its mission to prevent and reduce homelessness in Central Florida.
Location and Contact: 149 E Broadway, Oviedo, FL | HopeHelps.org
Pathways to Home
Founded in 2008, Pathways to Home is based on an innovative model for reaching out to families in crisis. The goal? Leading them back to self-sufficiency.
This collaborative model utilizes the resources and services available in Seminole County and adds an innovative approach to how services are used. Using the Family Team Conferencing process, caseworkers lead the family to develop a needs-driven, highly individualized and family-centered plan based on their strengths and values.
St. Luke’s is a supporting member of the Pathways collaborative and provides a case management team committed to bringing hope and comfort to families as they strive to obtain stable housing, jobs and essential life skills to ensure success.
Contact: Corrine Roy | 321.662.8821
The Christian Sharing Center
Through coordination of aid from over 60 churches in Seminole and northeast Orange Counties, the non-profit, interdenominational ministry of The Christian Sharing Center has been helping families in need since 1986.
The Center gives away thousands of dollars worth of clothing and household goods each year through its Values Reborn Thrift Store. Individual needs are also met through the generosity of the Center’s partners in ministry. St. Luke’s is a sponsoring congregation and coordinates donation drives throughout the year to support the Center.
Depending on available resources, the Center also provides assistance with rent, mortgage payments, vouchers for prescription medications, and transportation needs. Job and financial counseling referrals are also offered.
Contact:
Longwood location: 600 N. Hwy 17-92 Ste158 | Sanford location: 515 E 25th Street
Food pantry & Client Services: 407-260-9155 | Thrift Store: 407-332-0925
The Sharing Center | Values Reborn Thrift Store
Chemo Care Caddy Ministry
Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy spend countless hours receiving treatment, waiting for appointments and visiting doctors and hospitals. This ministry’s hand-made tote bags, filled with journals, markers, socks, books and more, help keep the patient entertained and comfortable. Each bag is uniquely and lovingly crafted and filled.
Contact: Lori McNatt, Membership Coordinator | chemocare@stlukes-oviedo.org
Tender Hands
Tender Hands is a ministry that provides burial clothing for infants, sharing the love and compassion of Christ to families who have sustained a loss. Matching gowns, caps and blankets for stillborns and babies who die at birth are lovingly crafted. Three hospitals in the area receive these gowns and the remaining ones are shipped to the Children of the Nation compound in Malawi, Africa.
Contact: MaryAnn McNamara | tenderhands@stlukes-oviedo.org
Lutherans for Life
Lutherans for Life (LFL) is dedicated to providing help and information in all aspects of “human life” – abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and human cloning. Informative and educational flyers are included in monthly printed announcements. In February, the LFL ministry sponsors a “Baby Drive” to collect items that benefit area crisis pregnancy centers.
Contact: Leah Wrobleski | lutheransforlife@stlukes-oviedo.org
Woman to Woman
A ministry that provides feminine products to women (homeless, single mothers, jobless, etc.) who are unable to purchase these necessary monthly hygiene products for themselves due to their economic circumstances.
Contact: Deanna Horne | womantowoman@stlukes-oviedo.org
