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Our
parish offers a number of group activities to
foster fellowship and provide support in Christian
living.
These
include the Wednesday Fellowship, Mothers' Union,
Friday Friendship Group, Men's Tea and Women's Coffee Mornings.
Some
of our groups meet to provide teaching about our
Christian faith and include the Alpha course, Bible
study and the Home Fellowship Group.
A
developing ministry has been the formation of a
'network of care' with a team of Pastoral
Partners as its focus. Each partner takes on a
caring role for a number of households within the
community.
The
Casserole Outreach Project was established
at each centre over the last few years and was
considered a useful innovation for embracing the
needs of people, not only parishioners, but also
for use within the greater community. A larder of
frozen meals has been prepared and these are
distributed as required.
Annual
fairs are held at each of the churches and give
us the opportunity to encourage our local
communities to visit, support and share our
activities. St Luke's Twilight Fair is held on a
Friday evening in November and incorporates food
stalls and the traditional barbecue so visitors can
buy a meal of variety as well as purchasing all the
usual kinds of fair produce.
In
recent years we've found Garage Sales are
very popular too. Not only do they provide a boost
to the income and give us a chance to clear out our
cellars and stores but they enable us to raise the
profile of our Church within the community.
Each
year our parish holds a special picnic lunch
where we can meet informally and talk and eat
with others from each end of the parish.
Ecumenical links between the churches of Taroona have brought Christians together on various occasions and the sharing of events is encouraged.
An
occasional choir, assembled from both our
churches, meets to practise and prepare items for
seasonal events like the community carols and the
Services of Lessons and Carols. The choir has also
participated in some of our Christmas and Easter
Services.
The annual St Luke's Book Sale has raised thousands of dollars for the support of Clarendon Children's Home and the Glenview Home over a period of 38 years. Management of the Book Sale has now been taken up by the Taroona High School, with proceeds to be shared between School Chaplaincy and the School Library; donations of books should be made directly to the school. It is hoped that the tremendous support received in the past will continue for the Taroona High School Book Sale, to be held on 12th July from 9 am, at Taroona High School (Bus Stop 37).
A group of ladies at St Luke's Church pack knitwear made by women throughout Tasmania for an orphanage and a children's hospital in India. This undertaking is overseen by the Mission Group of the parish and was formerly a Mission Project of the Diocesan Council of Women's Guilds. Parcels are sewn into cloth covers for dispatch to India.
Parish
midweek services are held at Guilford Young
Grove, Mary's Grange and the Sandown Retirement
Village. Regular home Holy Communion services are
held for those who are unable through sickness or
immobility to participate in our church
services.
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