Nineteen Up and Going members and guests gathered in the Fellowship Hall for the July meeting.
Welcome and announcements were given by Helen. Get Well cards were signed to send to Ola Mae and Miriam.
Treasurer’s report was given by Treasurer Gary. Devotions entitled “Thy Rod and Thy Staff” from the book Devotions by Martin Luther was given by Helen.
Pastor David gave a most interesting and encouraging program on the value of older and experienced Lutherans. We may be older but there is still ample opportunities for service in our Church and Faith Community. When asked to serve, please open yourself to new growth and learning. Matt gave the meal blessing and we all enjoyed a cool and delicious picnic meal.
The next Up and Going meeting will be The 4 Churches Meeting at Macedonia Lutheran Church, Prosperity on August 18th at 11 AM. If you have not signed up to attend, please contact Helen or Ann.
If you need a ride, please let us know and arrangements will be made. Everyone is asked to provide a covered dish or dessert to share. Meat and beverages will be provided.
Archive for July, 2022
Up And Going
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminLutheran Women
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminThe Lutheran Women will host an “End of Summer” pizza party for St. Jacob’s Women on Sunday, August 14th at 4 PM at Zorba’s in Chapin. If you can join us, please let Judy know by Thursday, August 11th. We hope you will join us for food and fellowship!
From the Director Of Youth And Family Ministries
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminSt. Jacobs Congregation,
Grace to you and peace from our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise Him for all the blessing He has been in our Youth and Family Ministry over the past weeks. At the end of June, we had a wonderful VBS with our youth and the friends they invited! Over the week, we learned how much our Father loves us through His creation of each of us, the gracious work of the Son, and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. I can’t express how grateful I am to all the volunteers who cared for the kids’ physical and spiritual needs! Truly a testament to the Holy Spirit’s inward workings in the congregation’s lives.
We also had our first bi-monthly evangelism social gathering where the families of St. Jacob’s gathered to enjoy each other’s fellowship, eat ice cream, and support Pastor David’s Congo Ministry through the making of cross bracelets and necklaces with specific Bible verses written on them for the encouragement and lifting of our brothers and sisters in the Congo.
As our weekly family gatherings continue, I praise God for the growth He caused and the plan He has for it! Thank you for supporting this ministry through your words of encouragement and continual prayers.
Please continue to pray for the family ministry at St. Jacob’s. Blessings,
Matthew
matt@st-jacobs.org
Council Briefs
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminGood Things at St. Jacob’s for June:
• Up & Going resumed regular meetings
• Lutheran Men BBQ
• Recognition of Graduates
• Vacation Bible School
Briefs for July 2022
• Pastor David will start his Mission Trip to the Congo on August 1st. He will be away from St. Jacobs from August 1st – August 19th, 2022. During this time, the Elders of the church will conduct Sunday Services.
• Pastor David will be starting First Communion classes beginning July 10, 2022. First Communion will be July 31, 2022 for those who complete the class.
• Treasurer’s Report: The Church has spent 45.47% of the annual budget.
• Discipleship: The Church has delivered 20 Mercy Boxes to We Care.
• Stewardship: The Council approved September 24, 2022 as the date for the Church Yard Sale.
• Worship & Music: The Worship & Music Committee will be meeting to plan the annual Church Homecoming event.
• The Council approved the sale of the Church bus. If anyone is interested in purchasing the bus, please contact Michael Corley at mcorley0814@icloud.com for additional information or to make an offer.
• The problems that had been reported with the sound system in the church seem to be resolved at this time. The reported issues were related to Radio Frequency (RF), not the microphones.
• Matt has provided a spending plan for the Youth & Family Ministry to the Council, which was approved at the July Council Meeting. He will be given a debit card to use for the approved expenses from the youth account.
• The Council is planning to meet with the Staff Support Committee to update job descriptions.
• The Council approved to relocate the Music Director’s office from the Choir Room to the Church Office Building.
Worship While Pastor David Is In The Congo
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminDue to the current shortage of available supply pastors, worship on the Sundays of August 7th and 14th will be led by our St. Jacob’s Church Elders. They will lead us in liturgy and distribution of Holy Communion. On August 7th, David will be preaching a sermon written by Pastor David prior to his leaving for the Congo. On Sunday, August 14th Sherrie will be doing the same. We are blessed by the service of our Elders while our pastor is away.
From the Pastor’s Heart by Pastor David Nuottila
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminThe time is upon me when I am preparing for my mission trip to the Congo with my friend and mission partner Pastor Stéphane Kalonji. There are so many things racing through my mind at the moment that it is difficult just to simply sleep at night. This being my fourth trip to the Congo, I have a good idea what to expect in my travels. It’s the not knowing what to expect when I get there that seems to be the issue, for we will be traveling to a part of the Congo where I have never been before.
Our first several days in the Congo will be spent in the capitol city of Kinshasa where I will have a phone, electricity, and plenty of hot running water. There will be plenty of good food, prepared by Pastor Kalonji’s sister-in-law, Yevette. But then we will be going off to the province of Kasai-Oriental. He tells me that life in Kasai (in the central part of the country) is much different than what I have experienced in Boma or Matadi (in the western part). We will fly from Kinshasa to the city of Mbuji-Mayi and remain there for about three days, then travel to the village of Badibaswa where we will serve a small mission congregation. I’m told that in Kasai, water is not something that is plentiful. As a part of the daily amenities, the hotel we will stay in for about 9 days provides each guest with one free bucket of water. Bucket? Yep, no running water to be had. Once on the ground in Kasai, the first order of business will be to purchase plenty of bottled purified water.
Another difference will be that the churches we will visit and work in have no buildings or shelters. Everything they do is outside exposed to the weather. If it rains during worship, they get wet. If the sun beats down in the heat of the day, they sweat. Truly, there is nothing like a mission trip to the Congo to make one appreciate all that God blesses us with here at home. There is one thing; however, that I do know what to expect in Kasai. The people will be overjoyed that we have come to visit them, bringing them the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In Mbuji-Mayi, Pastor Kalonji and I will be leading three separate seminars. There will be a gathering for the women of the church, then the pastors and lay leaders, and finally, we will have a day with the youth and young adults. Our focus for teaching will be a seminar we have written together concerning the Holiness of God and Living as God’s Holy People. As usual, there will be time for the people to ask plenty of questions regarding faith and life in the Church in America. In Badibaswa, I would anticipate much of the same, although I expect there will be many more questions about life as a Christian and Pastor in the United States. The women will want to know about my wife and children, our home and what a typical day is like.
The people of the Congo are always amazed to find out that Christians in America face many of the same difficulties as they do in Africa. Truly, sin and evil know no boundaries. Thankfully, God’s mercy and grace transcend all boundaries and obstacles the devil attempts to place between God and his people.
While I am away, I would ask that you keep Pastor Kalonij and I in your prayers. Pray that God would use us in mighty ways and that our proclamation of his Word will be bold and well received. Finally, pray for all to whom we will minister, for it is through your generosity that we are able to make this trip. God has blessed us in this mission, and through your prayerful support, hungry children will be fed and mothers and their babies will be welcomed home from detention in hospitals. Pastors and other church leaders will have Bibles to read, learn, and teach from. Those with impaired vision will have eyeglasses to help them see, and children will have beautiful multi-colored bracelets to wear as a reminder of the love we all share in Christ Jesus.
I will be departing from Columbia on Monday, August 1st and returning on Friday, August 20th. As always, I will do my best to keep everyone updated while I am away. I hope to be able to send Angela daily text messages with news of our activities that she can pass along to the church. But again, I don’t know if that will be a possibility when I am in Kasai. Thanks be to God for all who have supported our mission to the Congo. I look forward to sharing stories of St. Jacob’s with the people there and I’m sure I will have plenty of stories to share with you upon my return. Until then, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Pastor David Nuottila
Wednesday Services
Posted July 28, 2022 By adminWhile Pastor David is in the Congo, we will not be having a Wednesday Evening Service on August 3rd, 10th, or 17th. We will start back on August 24th. Please mark your calendars.
Director of Youth And Family Ministries
Posted July 12, 2022 By adminYou make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
We praise God for how He has worked in our hearts for the past weeks during our Family & Youth gatherings. These past weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to dive into the different passages that make up our vision.
For families at St. Jacob’s to dive headfirst into the surpassing knowledge of the love of Christ for sinners and sufferers. And to become lights to their families and the world around them. (Matthew 11:28-30, Ephesians 3:17-19, John 6:35-40, Matthew 5:13-16)
It has been an excellent opportunity to spend Tuesday nights with the families at St. Jacob’s as we wrestled with the different promises and commands that our Heavenly Father has given us. And to see more clearly whom He says He is and how He views us. I pray that as this ministry continues, many more families will join us as we continue down this path of knowing Him and making Him known.
Starting on the 5th of July, we will be diving into a new series on “Heroes in the Bible,” not necessarily heroes for what they have done, but for how they embraced God’s plan for their lives and how God uses them for His glory. I hope to see you there as we learn more about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through different unique people that He lifted through scripture and what their lives can teach us.
Church family, would you continue to pray for the inward workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we seek to dive headfirst into the surpassing love of Christ for sinners and sufferers?
Matthew
matt@st-jacobs.org
Up and Going
Posted July 9, 2022 By adminThe June Up and Going Meeting was held in the Fellowship Hall on June 9 at 11 AM with 21 members and guests attending. Announcements were given and business was conducted. A Father’s Day devotion with all praying together The Lord’s Prayer was given by Helen. Matt, St.Jacob’s Director of Youth and Family Ministries gave the program, Matt shared with us his life history and his Faith Journey. St. Jacob’s has been chosen and blessed to be a part of Matt’s continuing Faith Journey. Up and Going appreciates Matt sharing his life experiences and Faith Journey with us. We hope that Matt will continue to be a part of Up and Going activities.
A delicious covered dish meal with desserts was enjoyed by all.
The next Up and Going meeting is scheduled for Thursday July14 at 11 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is asked to bring their favorite picnic items for lunch together. Pastor David will present the program.
Hope to see you then. Hope to see you then.
Choir Notes
Posted July 7, 2022 By adminThank you to everyone who has helped in the music ministry during this year of rebuilding. It is exciting to once again have choirs, a little bit of bell music, and even the occasional guitar, trumpet and saxophone.
Thank you also to the parents who have brought their children to Sunday rehearsals and to our choir members who commit to Wednesday rehearsals and being at church each week to help lead worship.
The choirs are enjoying a well deserved break from rehearsals over the summer but the work still goes on. I will be attending the week long Chorister’s Guild Institute in July, remotely due to the pandemic, to build my skills in choral directing. Also, this summer break allows me time to plan the music programs for the upcoming year. I hope you will choose to join us in the fall when rehearsals resume.
