Spiritual gifts – every baptized person has a gift to share with others. As disciples of Christ, we, who have received these gifts through the waters of baptism, offer our gifts back to God through our service toward others. As a congregation of disciples that gathers on a weekly basis, I believe that our congregation has also received a gift from God. That gift is that of being a “welcoming congregation.” Before I was called to serve God as a pastor, I visited many churches. “Church shopping” is what we call it now-a-days. Some congregations didn’t so much as greet me when I walked in the door. Although I’m sure that they did many other things well, I never went back because I wasn’t made to feel like I was welcome. In my experience, and I’m not just saying this because I’m the pastor, St. Luke’s is one of the most outgoing and friendly congregations I have ever encountered. I always ask the new members what was their biggest reason for joining the church. And the predominant response is "how friendly and welcoming everyone is.” Call it a tag line if you will, but St. Luke’s is “The Welcoming Church.” St. Luke's mission statement says: To love the Lord and our neighbors, our call is to be and make disciples. We take our mission and our call quite seriously. We're a community of disciples both young and old who gather around the Word on a weekly basis. We’re committed to serving others, working for justice issues, sharing in God's meal together, and enacting God's kingdom here on earth through our love for God, for one another, and for all of God's creation. If you're hurting or in need, questioning or unsure, new to the faith or a life-long believer, or just out "church shopping", please know that you will be welcomed in our community of faith. Reverend Steve Mahaffey is a native of North Canton, Ohio; a graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree; and a father of three children: Erin, Jacob and Jonathan. On January 11, 2004, St. Luke's extended to Pastor Steve his "first call". He was ordained on January 24th, 2004 in Lewis Center, Ohio, where he interned for the ministry. He began his ministry here on February 1, 2004. He enjoys spending time with his children, bicycling, reading and watching movies.