Please continue to watch your worship folders to find out more information in regards to updating our church directory. On July 29th and 30th, Lifetouch will be here taking pictures for our directory. Go ahead and mark the dates on your calendar and continue to watch your worship folders for more information as it gets closer.
Handbells 101 is not only for people who know how to read music. No, Handbells 101 is for anyone who is interested in learning anything about handbells. Sure, the ultimate goal is to develop future ringers to keep our handbell choir full and active, but that’s not my only goal with this class. I want to share my knowledge and my skill set with others. I want people to know that you really don’t have to know how to read music in order to play bells. Does it help? Of course, it helps. But it’s not necessary.
What’s necessary is a willingness to learn, a desire to be part of a team and the ability to commit to being there for the other people in the group. See, a handbell choir isn’t about just one person, it’s truly a team effort and takes everyone’s presence to make it work smoothly.
As I said in my June newsletter article, this class is for anyone who wants to learn to play handbells OR anyone who simply wants to know more about handbells.
It’s also for current or past ringers who would like a little extra time to refresh, relearn or improve their ringing technique. So please come join me any Monday evenings in July and/or August from 6:45 PM to 7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall.
I hope to see you there.
Laurie
Our 2019 VBS, “In the Wild”, was held Monday, June 17th through Thursday, June 20th. We started each night with a delicious meal and then off to our encounters in the wild and with Jesus. We studied animal habitat, sounds, camouflage and learned some animal facts. Most importantly….we experienced Amazing Encounters with Jesus.
Our class rotations included lessons, music, crafts and games. Games included dodge ball, kick ball, golf, baseball, anything with a ball and running. Everyone played including the teachers.
On Monday night, we encountered Jesus in the Temple. We made traveling tic-tac-toe boards and in music, we started learning the song – “Why He Came”. Our younger children started to learn “Jesus Knows My Name” and “I Hear Stories of Jesus”.
On Tuesday night, we continued to travel with Jesus. This time we met him at the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus. In music, we started a new song, “What God Has Done” as we continued to work on “Why He Came” and the younger children continued learning their two songs. During crafts, we tie dyed our animal shirts – tiger, zebra and giraffe.
On Wednesday night, we met Jesus on the water again. But this time during a storm he walked on the water to his disciples in the boat. We made balancing butterflies in crafts and continued to learn our songs in music.
On Thursday night, we encountered Jesus at the empty tomb as he spoke to Mary and she ran to tell the disciples – “I have seen Jesus! He is alive!” In crafts, we made happy, trumpeting elephants as we celebrated and rejoiced that Jesus is Risen!
We celebrated our 2019 VBS on Thursday night, with family and friends as we presented our songs, stories, and crafts and closed with ice cream and cookies.
A very special thank you to our teachers and cooks. Without them, VBS would not have been possible for our 71 attendees who were ready and willing to experience some amazing encounters. Thank you to our parents and grandparents for sharing your children with us. We had some amazing adventures on the Wild Side! See you at VBS 2020!
St. Jacob’s Families and Youth are invited to a night of fellowship to watch the Columbia Fireflies take on the Georgia Rome Braves Sunday August 18th at 5:05 PM. Tickets are $9 per person/child (children 2 and under are granted free admission.) We will announce a meeting time at a later date to coordinate ticket pickup at Segra Park, 1640 Freed Street, Columbia SC, and parking is an additional $4 cash per car. There will be a sign-up sheet on the Youth Bulletin Board in the hallway next to the Fellowship Hall if you would like to attend this event.
Fourteen members and guests gathered on Thursday, June 13th in the Fellowship Hall for the monthly Up and Going Meeting. Devotions were given by Helen Lindler on Pentecost. An interesting note from the devotions was information on the Holy Ghost Hole. In the Middle Ages, many Catholic churches had what was called a “Holy Ghost Hole”. This was an opening in the ceiling, which allowed a dove and red rose petals to be dramatically released on Pentecost Sunday, during the Gospel about the first Pentecost. We enjoyed a bountiful and delicious meal of salads and such. Thank you to all that provided such tasty food. The program was provided by Mrs. Amanda. She and her husband have a small farm in Prosperity with an emerging goat farm business. They have 5 Nubriun milk goats. From the milk gathered each day, Amanda is making goat milk soap, cheeses, yogurt and other products. She brought cinnamon, lavender and black raspberry soaps for us to admire and purchase. We enjoyed hearing about her farm and the many facts about her goats and the many process steps and facts about cheese and soap making. We sincerely appreciate Amanda sharing with us. We came away knowing more than we did before and that is always a good thing. The July Meeting will be a trip to the SC State Farmers Market on July 11th (2nd Thursday). Gerald will drive the bus and a car will also go for those who can’t ride the bus. We will leave St. Jacob’s at 9 AM and return between 2-3 PM. Hope to see you then.
The St. Jacob’s Church Council met June 4th for its regular meeting.
Good things noted for the month of May:
Important Notes and Dates:
Ongoing Project Updates:
Respectfully submitted, Andrew, Secretary, St. Jacob’s Church Council
As my first few weeks have come to an end, I am overwhelmed with joy because of how great it has been to meet everyone and start getting to know the families of St. Jacob’s. I am grateful for your opening arms that already make me feel like family too. Thanks be to God. I look forward to rebooting the youth program and strengthening cross generational relationships within the congregation.
For the summer, the Youth and I are hosting a Commissioning for Congo Celebration to rally around Pastor David’s Congo Mission and send him out in prayer. I would love to invite the congregation to join us immediately following the service on Sunday, July 7th for fellowship and a meal including bread, rice, and beans. We will create our own version of the country.
The youth (grades 7th and above) will continue to meet the first and third Sunday of each month, as they have done in the past. Therefore, on the 21st of July we will be spending the afternoon at Frankie’s Fun Park in Columbia. We will meet there at 5:00 PM and leave at 6:30 PM. I look forward to a fun afternoon getting to know you all and spending time together becoming empowered as a community of Christ while growing together as a group.
In Christ,
Rachel Shelton
The first half of 2019 sure has flown by. We’ve had a busy year so far in the music department.
We started the year by presenting an Epiphany mini-cantata with the combined choirs of St. Jacob’s and New Hope. Angela and I have continued working with the Children’s Choir to develop not only their musical abilities, but also to foster their desire to serve the Lord with their gifts and talents. We have had illnesses and surgeries within the Handbell Choir membership and have had to make adjustments to cover the vacancies. We began a Wednesday evening service to offer another opportunity for worship; a time in the middle of the week to take a deep breath and remember that God has us in the palm of His hand.
As we enter into the Sundays after Pentecost (affectionately known by some as ‘the long green season’), we are looking ahead to the fall and exploring possibilities that will enhance our worship. For the immediate future, our summer anthems will be some of the favorite hymns that were submitted last summer (we ran out of summer Sundays before we ran out of favorite hymns!) and the Handbell 101 class will continue through the month of August for anyone interested in the history of handbells, anyone who would like to learn to play handbells or anyone who would like to refresh their ringing skills.
As always, many thanks to the congregation for your amazing support of the music ministry.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Laurie Lackey
Pastor David will be in Congo on a mission trip beginning Monday, July 8th through Wednesday, July 24th. Should you need pastoral support during this time, please contact Sherry in the Church Office Monday-Thursday from 9AM – 2PM at 803-345-2309 or Danny, Council President, at 803-422-6824.
On the Sunday of Pentecost, we celebrate God’s giving the gift of the Holy Spirit. In our worship, our learning and our serving, we see God’s Spirit in action. The faithful can feel the power of God’s love as the Spirit comes like the rush of a violent wind, stirring the hearts and minds of God’s people. These are the themes of Pentecost; the power of God’s Spirit blowing through the lives of God’s people, calling them to share the gospel in faith, hope and love.
There are several traditions within the Church surrounding the day of Pentecost, yet Pentecost is not about wearing your red dress or shirt to worship. It is not about confirming our youth as they complete their initial study of the catechism. It’s about the Holy Spirit of God blowing in the doors of the hearts and minds of God’s people, rearranging the furniture of our lives and filling us with all the confidence, strength, excitement and assurance the disciples had in order to share the good news of God’s re-demption
Think about the world around you. Think about the things you have heard and seen. Think about all the times in your life when you thought you were at your wit’s end. So many others have faced the same obstacles in life. The world needs to hear this good news of great joy. In so many ways and in so many instances, God makes his presence and power known. He is revealed in ways so clear that no matter what, people can feel the power of his presence, realizing God’s mercy and grace are real and that his love lasts forever.
This is exciting stuff folks. This is the stuff of which books of biblical proportion are written. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the best news you are ever going to receive in your life. The times you first realized God’s grace is for you, that you have been rescued from the consequences of sin forever is as good as it can possibly get.
When you are young, prom is a big moment. Some of us know kids who have recently gone to their first prom. Guess what, as good as the prom was, God claiming you to be his child is better. When you get older, graduation comes with all of its pomp and circumstance. Guess what, it can’t compare with all the glory of heaven. There are still bigger moments ahead in your lives. College, your first real love, engagement, marriage, the purchase of a home, and the birth of a child. You know what? All of these are blessings from a loving God, yet because of Christ Jesus, the best is yet to come.
People of God, all of these are wonderful events; they are milestone moments, monumental achievements, and times of great joy. But if these are truly the most important times in your life, you’ve missed the mark. None of these can even compare with the fact that through Christ Jesus, God has saved you from sin and death, made you holy in his sight and prepared a heavenly home for you. Nothing can compare with the fact that through Christ Jesus, God has saved your life for all time. That is good news; that is exciting.
My prayer this Pentecost is that God stirs our congregation to such faithfulness that we cannot help but share the gospel of Christ Jesus, and that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we experience the disciples’ joy, living in the fullness of God’s grace, loving our neighbor and extending our Savior’s love to all who are in need.
Come Holy Spirit. Stir up the hearts of your
faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love. Amen.
To God be the glory, now and forever.
Pastor David Nuottila
