NEXT VESTRY MEETING
Sunday, August 9
St. Luke's vestry will meet on Sunday, August 9 following the service. All are invited to participate.
Please email Padraic Farrell at info@stlukesaltoona.org if you plan to attend.
BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH SUMMER WORSHIP AND POTLUCK - July 26 & August 23
The Bethany Lutheran church has cordially invited St. Luke’s to attend their summer worship and potluck events on July 26 and August 23 at Highland Park. The worship services start at 11:00 a.m. followed by a potluck lunch. St. Luke’s plans to attend the August event in lieu of its regular service. There will be no service at St. Luke’s that day. We have also invited Bethany Lutheran to attend our September picnic.
ST. LUKE'S FOOD PANTRY
Thursday, August 27th
2:00-5:30 p.m.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Eighth Avenue and 13th Street, Altoona, will hold its next monthly food distribution on Thursday, August 27th from 2:00-5:30 p.m.. Food distribution is done on a drive-through basis. Line up along Eighth Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets.
YOUR help is always needed to feed our neighbors, and new volunteers are always welcome, especially for the food distribution and the two days previous. In March we distributed food to the largest number of households we have ever done.
Tuesday the 25th, we will pick up pet food starting about 1:30 p.m.. We will load pet food into Greg's van, and it will stay there until we unload it onto the table on 8th Avenue on Thursday the 23rd. It saves handling and aching backs!
Wednesday the 26th, we will be packing boxes for our neighbors starting about 10:30 a.m.. Hopefully, we should be done by about 4:00 PM. The order has to be separated, shelved, refrigerated, and so on. We will then start packing boxes for our neighbors.
Thursday the 27th, we will gather about 10:30 a.m. and continue packing boxes, moving food boxes into the rear of the sanctuary, putting out signs and tables, setting up tents, etc. so we are ready to begin distribution promptly at 2:00 p.m., continuing until 5:30 p.m.. Then we have to put it all away; the signs, tables, tents, and any undistributed food. Luckily, we have often been able to start this process earlier, sometimes as early as 4:00 p.m., so the whole process goes smoothly. Even so, folks who can stay till the end are GREATLY APPRECIATED!
We need your help! WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! Come when you can, leave when you must, and remember that your help and your prayers are a blessing for all involved. If possible, let Woody or Greg know when you can be there to help.
IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS!
Special Requests for April: canned chicken or tuna, canned pasta, cereal (any kind), jam/jelly, peanut butter, pasta, and pasta sauce
Contact Laura Gottfried-Letsche or Woody Pyeatt.
Monetary donations may be sent to the church or done by using this Paypal link. Thank you!
Food Pantry Facebook Page
2026 Food Pantry Schedule
WORK, EAT, PRAY AT MOUNT ETNA
SATURDAY, August 8TH, 9:00-12:00 p.m.
DIRECTIONS
St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light have hosted a monthly Work, Eat, Pray at Mt. Etna for many years and this particular section of the Lower Trail has been transformed by our work. Since the Fall of 2025, we have been experimenting with scheduling our work at different times of the day, so please be sure to note the time as well as the date of our next gathering. At each work party we spend the first 2 hours doing habitat restoration- removing non-native invasive plants which don't feed our native insects so we can replace them with native plants to help heal the planet that God has given us. This will be followed by a half-hour shared snack and conversation and end with Morning or Evening Prayer from the beautiful monastic tradition.
Please RSVP by emailing Greg Williams or call him at 215-242-0854 and he will send more details and a map.
Everyone is welcome to any or all the events.
CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE
All those who love to praise God with their voice - or are at least willing to do so - are cordially invited to join St. Luke's Choir.
Our choir is taking a well-earned break, but they do plan to return in the fall. If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining them, please contact the church office at 814-942-1372.
Questions? Contact Marilyn Pyeatt.
COMMUNITY LUNCH
Interested in volunteering? We could really use your help. Contact Debbie Burgan.
ST. ANDREW'S POETRY CONTEST
St Andrew’s in State College is holding a poetry contest with cash prizes. This year’s theme is “Bearing Witness”.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end. Acts 1:8
The contest is open to anyone residing in North America. Since this is a church-sponsored contest, they are seeking submissions that engage with God or spirituality. All submissions must be original unpublished content written in English. AI is strictly prohibited. Submission deadline is August 15, 2026. For additional details visit: https://artsat. standrewsc.org
CHURCH IN THE PARK
Our Church in the Park worship service will be held on Sunday, September 13th at 1:00p.m. at the Valley View Park. There will be no service at St. Luke’s that day. The park is located at 301 Valley View Blvd., Altoona, PA. Immediately following the worship service will be a potluck lunch. All are welcome. We hope to see you there.
The Episcopal Church
Welcomes You
