Summer 2012

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel,

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

A couple of reminders: 

Thursday, June 7, noon Bro John Ogle – Intercessory Prayer Class

Thursday, June 21, 6:00 p.m. Annual Picnic at Roslyn 

Thursday, July 12 – August 23, No Agenda Fellowship Brown Bag Lunches

Thursday, September 13, 7:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Sandra Levy – dinner at 6:00 p.m.

You do not have to be a member of the Order of St. Luke to attend a 10:30 a.m.,Thursday Healing Service or one of the monthly meetings. Visitors are always welcome.

Beginning June 7 at noon, Bro. John Ogle, who is a vowed Solitary First Order Franciscan Friar whose bridge ministry is Christian Healing, will teach a three-week class on intercessory prayer in the All Saints Library. If you have ever wanted to feel comfortable praying for someone, this class will help prepare you. The class will begin promptly at noon and will last about 30 minutes. If you would like to bring a brown-bag lunch, please do so. For more information, please call Jacque Womble at 358-3344. There is no charge for this class.

The Annual OSL picnic is Thursday, June 21, 6:00 p.m. at Roslyn,

8727 River Rd. Richmond, Va. 23229

. The screened in picnic shelter is near the main entrance. This is a potluck picnic. Please call Jacque at 358-3344 if you plan to attend and what you would like to bring.

Beginning July 12 through August 23, OSL members and guests will meet for a fellowship brown bag lunch in the All Saints Library. There is no agenda. It is a come when you can and chat perhaps about a book you have recently read, trip you have taken, a spiritual concern or how your garden is producing.

2012 Spring Schedule

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel,

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

A couple of reminders: 

Thursday, April 12, 6:00 p.m. The Rev. James Iswariah –

Healing Service and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m., covered dish dinner 6:30, speaker 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 10, 6:00 p.m. Induction of New Members – Trinity United Methodist Church

Healing Service and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m., covered dish dinner 6:30, speaker 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 21, 6:00 p.m. Annual Picnic at Roslyn –

8727 River Rd. Richmond, Va. 23229

 

Thursday, September 13, 6:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Sandra Levy –

Healing Service and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m., covered dish dinner 6:30, speaker 7:00 p.m.

We have some great programs scheduled for the spring. You do not have to be a member of the Order of St. Luke to attend a weekly Healing Service or one of the monthly meetings. Visitors are always welcome.

For the next several months we will not have a monthly brown-bag luncheon. It is being replaced with an evening Healing Service and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. in the All Saints’ Chapel, followed by dinner and the speaker promptly at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. We are sorry that the Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield has had to reschedule his visit with us.

On Thursday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. the Rev. James Iswariah is the speaker for the Order of St. Luke’s April 12, 7:00 p.m. meeting. A Healing Service and Eucharist will be at 6:00 p.m. in the All Saints’ Chapel, followed by a covered dish dinner and Rev. Iswariah’s talk in the Parish Hall. He is the vicar of St. Martin’s, Doswell and St. David’s in Aylett and prefers to be called James. Both churches support an active Food Pantry program for the area. St. David's has a free clinic that serves the uninsured.

James was ordained as a priest in 1980. He served in the Diocese of Madras, Church of South India and in the Diocese of Perth, Australia. While in Perth, Australia he was also a Chaplain of the Order of St. Luke and a Chaplin to the Royal Australian Air Force. The Iswariah family moved to Virginia in 1999. James and his wife Sheila have two children Ruth and Immanuel who live and work in Virginia.

On Thursday, May 10, at 6:00 p.m. we will celebrate with a covered dish dinner in the Parish Hall of Trinity United Methodist Church,

903 Forest Ave.

followed by the Induction of New Members at 7:00 p.m. The Rev. Teresa McRoberts, Associate Minister of Trinity is the speaker.

Winter and Spring 2012 Schedule

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel,

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

A couple of reminders: 

Thursday, March 8, 7:00 p.m. John A. Harler, MD CCHP – dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 12, 7:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield – dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. Induction of New Members – dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 21, 6:00 p.m. Annual Picnic at Roslyn 

Thursday, September 13, 7:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Sandra M. Levy – dinner at 6:00 p.m.

We have some great programs scheduled for the winter and spring. You do not have to be a member of the Order of St. Luke to attend a Healing Service or one of the monthly meetings. Visitors are always welcome.

For the next several months we will not have a monthly brown-bag luncheon. It is being replaced with an evening meal at 6:00 p.m. in the All Saints Parish Hall and a speaker promptly at 7:00 p.m. The speaker will be followed by a Healing Service and Eucharist in the All Saints Chapel. All are welcome to attend.

On Thursday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. John A. Harler, MD, CCHP is our evening speaker. Please note that our noon brown-bag luncheon has been moved to a soup and bread dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m. with Dr. Harler’s talk starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Harler will continue the “How the Broken Heart Heals” theme in his presentation to us. Lucy Gunn is organizing the meal. Please contact her if you think you might attend. We want to make sure we have enough food and tables assembled.

He and his wife of 44 years, Jane, have three children and four granddaughters. They are members of St. Giles Presbyterian Church where he and his wife are active in the healing ministry. They also have served on the board of The Healing Center, Orkney Springs, Virginia for about 15 years and he has served as chairman for the past five years.  A healing conference is held at Shrine Mont annually in September.

Dr. Harler is also a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and Christian Medical Foundation that was founded by the late William Standish Reed, MD. Dr. Reed spoke to the Richmond Chapter of the Order of St. Luke numerous times and was a great friend of our chapter’s mentor the late Rev. Rufus Womble.

Dr. Harler’s future desire is, God willing, to some how carry on the legacy of Dr. Reed of mentoring young doctors in the practice of Christ-centered, whole person medicine by caring for the body, soul and spirit.

On Thursday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. the Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield the North American Director (Interim) is our speaker. In 1993, he was inducted as a Chaplin in the Austin, Texas OSL. In 2001, he and his wife Anna Marie left the parish ministry and began to travel North American as speakers and workshop leaders.

In 2004, they started Christ Healing Center in San Antonio. He said that “OSL is central and vital to the Healing Center. It is my desire to see Healing Centers all over North America.”

In 2003, he began to write of their experiences in healing. His first book, God’s Healing River followed by Under Healing Wings and The Genesis Seed and his fourth book Shekinah is on the way.

“As Interim North American Director, I believe it is my job to fire up, inspire and encourage this amazing organization, to honor its’ history and heritage, but to also go to new heights with expansion and growth. We must be reminded of how powerful our God is in a time of great challenges and struggle for so many people.” Jack explained. For more information on Jack and Anna Marie, please visit their website http://www.deepriverministries.org/ and http://www.christhealingcenter.org/.

On Thursday, May 10, at 6:00 p.m. we will celebrate with a covered dish dinner in the Parish Hall followed by the Induction of New Members at 7:00 p.m.     

Winter Speakers

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel,

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

A couple of reminders: 

Thursday, February 9, noon monthly meeting The Rev. Virginia Heistand

Thursday, March 8, 7:00 p.m. John A. Harler, MD CCHP 

We have some great programs scheduled for the winter and spring. You don’t have to be a member of the Order of St. Luke to attend a Healing Service or one of the monthly meetings. Visitors are always welcome.

On Thursday, February 9 at noon following the 10:30 a.m. Healing Service, the Rev. Virginia Heistand is our speaker. She has been the Rector of historic Westover Episcopal Church in Charles City, Virginia since 2000. She was ordained in 1991 and has church experience in Arizona, California and Texas as well as Virginia. She has a particular passion for Scripture teaching, youth mission trips and Spiritual Direction. Her topic is “How the Broken Heart Heals”.

Please plan to attend, bring a lunch we will provide the drinks.

On Thursday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. John A. Harler, MD, CCHP is our evening speaker. Please note that our noon brown-bag luncheon has been moved to a pot-luck dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m. with Dr. Harler’s talk starting at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Harler will continue the “How the Broken Heart Heals” theme in his presentation to us.

He and his wife of 44 years, Jane, have three children and four granddaughters. They are members of St. Giles Presbyterian Church where he and his wife are active in the healing ministry. They also have served on the board of The Healing Center, Orkney Springs, Virginia for about 15 years and he has served as chairman for the past five years.  A healing conference is held at Shrine Mont annually in September.

Dr. Harler is also a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and Christian Medical Foundation that was founded by the late William Standish Reed, MD. Dr. Reed spoke to the Richmond Chapter of the Order of St. Luke numerous times and was a great friend of our chapter’s mentor the late Rev. Rufus Womble.

Dr. Harler’s future desire is, God willing, to some how carry on the legacy of Dr. Reed of mentoring young doctors in the practice of Christ-centered, whole person medicine by caring for the body, soul and spirit.

Holiday Update

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel, 8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

 

A couple of reminders: 

There will not be a Healing Service on Thanksgiving Day.

The Christmas Luncheon will be December 8 following the Healing Service. Please plan to come, bring a dish and a friend.

Membership renewals are due by January 1.

 

The Rev. April Greenwood’s Homily Based on one of the Healings at Capernaum

Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:29, Luke 4:38

If you had to miss the November 10 OSL service in which the Rev. April Greenwood based her homily on the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the brown-bag luncheon message, you missed a blessing. Here are two brief overviews of her messages.

She said that in researching the three passages scholars agree that the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law must have happened because the healing passages appear in the three gospels. I had always thought this was a slightly sexist passage because the woman was healed only to prepare a meal for the men who stopped by after attending synagogue. The Rev. Greenwood suggested that after you have been healed you want to do something that you enjoy. Obliviously, this woman enjoyed cooking and serving.

Laying on of Hands

The Rev. Greenwood shared her earliest experience with the laying on of hands. She was a toddler with a temperature of 106 that her mother could not bring down. Her family lived in a rural area located over an hours drive from the nearest hospital. The family priest had recently returned from an Anglican convention in England where the laying on of hands was introduced. The mother asked the priest to lay hands and pray for her only child. Greenwood said she remembers as the priest prayed a bright light appeared to her and the fever broke. They later decided she must have had meningitis but it was not confirmed because she never went to the hospital.

How to pray over the sick

The Rev. Greenwood shared a time when a parishioner’s son had a heart attack while driving and almost died. The family called her as the ambulance was rushing the young man to the Medical College of Virginia. At the time of the accident he was driving slowly and did not suffer more than a few bruises but the cardiologist had to place him in a comma because of the lost of oxygen to the brain. The family and friends in the waiting room asked the Rev. Greenwood to pray. She thought “how should I pray for this tragic situation?” And then she thought I will pray as if this young husband and father was my own son. They continued to pray for him and one day the wife felt an unexpected squeeze to her hand as she sat at her husband’s bedside. When the mother visited her son, she also felt the movement. The nursing staff discouraged these signs of recovery as muscle spasms. Greenwood and the family chose to believe their prayers were being answered and continued to pray for recovery. The young man lives today to love and serve the Lord.

The Brown-Bag Luncheon Reflection – “Parting of the Curtain”

1Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Rev. Greenwood was the speaker for our brown-bag luncheon and I wondered how she could top her Healing Service Homily?

She explained that she places the words on page 507 of the Book of Common Prayer on the bulletin of every burial service she officiates – The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy, in the certainty that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian. The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend. So, while we rejoice that one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn.

Soon after her ordination, she was called to be the Chaplin for a school in Rhode Island. Her daughter was placed in Miss Amy’s Preschool. April and her husband soon became aware they shared mutual interests with Miss Amy and her husband and the two couples became friends. The Greenwoods always wondered why their friends never started a family but never asked.

Years later after the Greenwoods were called to another parish they received the news that Amy had uterine cancer and was taking the latest treatment at Duke University. The Rev. April Greenwood had a difficult time accepting the lost of her sister like friend. She even told God that when she finished her current post she would hang up her clerical collar. At this point in her life she was the mother of two little girls and had accepted a call to a new parish. During this time of transition, she was looking for affordable housing for her family. She was constantly stymied by real estate brokers misrepresenting their houses.

April’s Dream

One night she had a dream about a ranch house she went to see. She was so disgusted with the thought of looking at yet another boring and abused ranch house that she was rude to the agent by not shaking his hand or looking into his eyes. He patiently took her into the house and she was amazed. The first room was huge and well appointed. The following rooms were equally as beautiful. She could not believe the vastness of the little rancher. The final room was the most beautiful sunroom she had ever seen. As a devoted gardener, she was taken aback by the botanical perfection of the room. It even had a thick carpet of moss on the floor and the furniture was covered with flowers. The only words she could say over and over were, “Oh my God!!! I never imagined that there could be anyplace so beautiful and so perfectly designed for me!”

The real estate agent said, “I thought you would like it, April. I designed it just for you.” The moment he spoke her name she knew who He was and instantly regretted her rudeness.  “As I turned to look into my Savior’s eyes, He disappeared before I could see His face. As I woke I heard him clearly say, ‘In my Father’s House are many rooms. If it were not so, April, I would never have told you.’”

She woke up and shook her husband and told him that she knew her friend Amy, who had shared her love of gardening, was in a better place.

The Rev. April Greenwood said “This dream has sustained me throughout the last fifteen years of my spiritual journey.”

She is still wearing her collar and blessing us with her insight. Thanks Be to God!   

 

 

 

Fall Conference Highlights

THE SAINT LUKE LETTER

A Publication of the Richmond Chapter

of the International Order of St. Luke the Physician

8787 River Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229

www.oslrichmond.blogspot.com

An ecumenical Service of Healing is offered every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the

All Saints’ Chapel,

8787 River Rd. Richmond, Va. 23229

.

“May Your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in You.” Psalm 33:22

Annual Fall Conference October 14 and 15

“How Christ Heals the World” is the topic for the annual conference of the Order of St. Luke the Physician. The Rev. Thomas W. Simmons IV is the speaker Friday, October 14, 7:00—9:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. until noon at All Saints Episcopal Church, 8787 River Rd. Richmond, Va. 23229. The conference is free and open to the public.

The Rev. Simmons described his presentation, “We often focus on how Jesus Christ heals our bodies and relationships. On October 14 and 15 we’ll discover how, through us, Christ’s healing love is at work throughout the nations of the world.”

The Rev. Simmons has been the rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Purcellville, Virginia since 2002. It is a thriving church that hosts a well attended weekly healing service. In 2007 the national office of the Episcopal Church did a study of the fastest growing churches in the country. Two churches from the Diocese of Virginia were included in that report: Christ Church, Charlottesville and St. Peter's Purcellville.

 “To know the healing power of Jesus Christ, and to make it known” is the mission of the Richmond Chapter of the Order of St. Luke the Physician. The group is an ecumenical Christian healing ministry that meets on Thursday mornings at All Saints Episcopal Church.

September and October 2011 Highlights

Dates To Note:

September 8—Lori Wyatt Noon Brown-Bag Luncheon

   September 15—9:30 a.m. 26 Cases Class Begins

   September 25—5:00 p.m. 26 Cases Evening Class

   October 14—7:00 p.m.  and October 15—9:00 a.m.—noon Fall Conference

Lori Wyatt Speaker for

September 8 Brown Bag Luncheon

The OSL Board is excited to announce that the speaker for our first Brown-Bag Luncheon after our summer break on September 8 will be kidney transplant recipient and grief companion Lori Wyatt. The title of her talk is “Divine Healing”.

An article about Lori and her work as a grief companion and her kidney transplant appeared in the May 8, 2011 issue of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Lori has a vivacious personality and is the type of person who never meets a stranger. She has crossed a few mountains of grief in her young life and is living proof that God’s love can heal the most broken hearted.

Lori is a former active member of our chapter and was great friends with our beloved the Rev. Rufus Womble.

Please plan to attend and invite a friend to hear this inspirational speaker. Her talk will begin at noon.

Two 26 Cases Classes Offered This Fall

The Rev. Barbara Ward has volunteered to teach the Thursday morning “26 Cases” class, which examines the Healing Miracles of Jesus. The class begins September 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 in the All Saints Library. The class will be consolidated into 13 weeks. It is scheduled to end on December 15. If you would like more information about this morning class, please call Barbara at 789-0075 or email her at revsbandg@comcast.net.

The Rev. Teresa McRoberts has volunteered to teach a Sunday afternoon “26 Cases” class beginning September 25 from 5:00—6:30 p.m. This class will meet at her home church, Trinity United Methodist, 903 Forest Ave, 23229. She has compacted the class into six weeks. For more information, please contact Teresa at tmcroberts@trinityumc.net.

Completion of the “26 Cases” class is necessary to becoming an associate member of the Order of St. Luke the Physician. To receive course materials and a new member packet, please send a $45 check payable to the Order of St. Luke to

P. O. Box 780909, San Antonio, Texas 78278-0909

. For an immediate response, email www.orderofstluke.org, click on “About OSL” and then “Join OSL” and pay with your credit card. The $45 cost includes study materials, OSL national membership for a year and a subscription to “Sharing Magazine”. 

The Rev. Tom Simmons Keynote Speaker for

Fall Conference October 14 and 15

Mark your calendars for the Order of St. Luke’s Fall Conference on Friday, October 14, 7:00—9:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. until noon with the Rev. Tom Simmons.

His multi-media presentation is titled “How Christ Heals in the World”. Rev. Simmons will help us explore how Jesus Christ is healing the world and how we can look at the world situations in new perspectives. The Rev. Simmons is the rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Purcellville, Virginia. It is a thriving church that hosts a well attended weekly healing service.

The Conference is free and open to the public. Please feel free to invite friends to attend with you.

The Rev. Bob Friend Retires 

as Chaplain of the OSL Chapter

It is with mixed feelings that our chapter must say good-bye to our devoted Chaplain, The Rev. Bob Friend. He will retire as the rector of All Saints on September 27.  We wish him well in this new chapter of his life but will miss his leadership and devotion to our chapter

The Rev. Friend has arranged for the Rev. April Greenwood to be the chapter’s Chaplain while a search for the new rector of All Saints is completed. The Rev. Greenwood  will begin her service to our chapter on October 13 and will continue until December 22.

The Rev. Bill Queen, Associate Rector of All Saints, will also lead some of the Thursday morning Healing Services.

The Rev. Friend shepherded us through the sad time in the life of our chapter during the passing of our beloved Rev. Rufus Womble. The OSL Board would like to honor the Rev. Friend during the September 8 brown-bag luncheon with a cake and gift. If you would like to contribute to his gift, please make your check payable to OSL with gift noted in the memo line.