The church will discuss and vote on the Annual Reports, Schedules
and the Financials. Remember, each member will only receive the
Roster and Schedules and Financial Report Book. Copies of the
Annual Report Book will be located in the Narthex for you to review.
(We stopped sending this one out last year.)
Report Booklets can be picked up in the Narthex on February 4, 2018
Council noted Good Things at St.Jacob’s this past month included Marie liver transplant was a success, church attendance seems to be improving, advent services all went well and the messages in these were appreciated. Everyone seems to be enjoying Pastor’s devotions in the newsletters. He will continue to post these and looks forward to it! The Christmas Eve service was great along with the bells doing a wonderful job. The congregation seemed to like the one Christmas Eve service verses the two individual services. Thank you to Robin and Gerald for finding the candles!
Ministry Teams- Thank you to those that submitted monthly reports. A few highlights of Monthly Team
reports are included below.
The Building team will meet again in the next several weeks to discuss future plans. At the moment they are
visiting other church kitchens to research building ideas.
Communication/Membership Secretary– Our current statistical information includes 355 total membership.
Robin is working to prepare all required reports and information for the 2018 Annual Report Book.
Up and Going met on December 14th for a Christmas celebration. 19 members and guests were in
attendance. 90 lbs. of canned goods were donated to We Care! They all enjoyed a delicious meal and took part in
singing Christmas carols. A Christmas story reading was provided by Gloria and Bob.
Publicity Team- Thanks to David for helping out temporarily with the church sign.
Staff Support Team will continue to touch base with each staff member to determine any requests or
concerns for 2018.
Youth- The youth went to Generations and to nine individual homes on December 3rd singing Christmas
carols. They enjoyed playing a fun game at the youth party afterwards. Thanks to Gerald for driving the bus.
Our next meeting will be Sunday, February 18 at 6 PM in the fellowship hall.
Robert has devotions. Cooks are Gerald, Richard, Jake and Robert.
Our next meeting will be Sunday, February 18 at 4:30 PM in the fellowship hall.
Sherrie has the devotions.
Wonderful Wednesday Bible study will begin on Wednesday evening, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. FYI…this Bible study will follow the upcoming Ash Wednesday and Lent Services that will be held each week. This will be an opportunity to explore Jesus’ call for his people to be and make disciples. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor David Nuottila.
Tuesday Morning Bible study with Pastor David will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Please bring your Bible and an eagerness to learn, discuss and share your faith as we spend time reading God’s Word together.
New Members classes with Pastor David Nuottila will continue each Sunday until February 11. Classes began on January 28 and are open to anyone who has become a member of St. Jacob’s in the last six months, those members who have been away and are renewing their membership, and also to anyone who desires to become a member of St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church. The class is meeting downstairs first room on the right during the Sunday school hour.
The Lutheran Men sausage sale. Price is $4 per pound, bulk only.
Please see any member of the Lutheran Men to place your order or you may call or text Robert at
803-206-5056 before Wednesday, February 7. The sausage can be picked up from 3 – 7 pm on
Tuesday the 13th at the church.
The church year is very quickly moving on. In just a few short weeks, on February 14th, Ash Wednesday will begin the Lenten season. This year’s Wednesday evening services (not including Ash Wednesday, which has its own liturgy) are going to be somewhat different than the past several years, but our goal is to keep the services within the same
time frame, approximately 30 minutes in length.
The choir will have abbreviated practices, immediately following the services. We, the current choir members and I, wish to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join us as we work on music for Lent, Easter and the Sundays leading up to Pentecost. It was such a joy to have those few extra voices singing with us during Advent and Christmas. We would be blessed to have others sing with us during the Lent and Easter seasons.
Due to unforeseen conflicts, the planned choir workshop at the end of January had to be cancelled; therefore, the Wednesday practices between now and Ash Wednesday are doubly important as we learn the anthems for the upcoming Sundays. I ask any singers in the congregation that you prayerfully consider adding your talents to those of the current choir members, so that, together, we can praise God to the best of our abilities.
Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone the glory),
Laurie
Just as the Apostle Paul greeted the church at Ephesus at the opening of his epistle letter to them, I greet you at the opening of our ministry together with his words as recorded in Holy Scripture; “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:2 As I begin this first epistle as it were, I would express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the warm welcome which you have extended to my family and me.Coming to a new place is always filled with mysteries, questions and a good deal of excitement. In this move, I can certainly say that the one constant that has shined so brightly is the love of God in Christ Jesus. From the time the conversation began with the call team, all the way through to our first days here in Chapin, everyone has made Angela and I feel so welcome.Getting acquainted with my new surroundings, I have enjoyed exploring the halls and classrooms, taken quiet walks through the cemetery and reading a bit of the history of our church. I have also been working earnestly in learning your names and faces. I can’t promise I will have all of them committed to memory right away, but I do want to know who everyone is and how we are all connected in God’s family of faith. What strikes me most, in these early days together, is the family atmosphere of St. Jacob’s and the desire to grow in faith as disciples of our Lord Jesus. In the coming months, we will have much to do in the way of spiritual growth. As the Epiphany season progresses, we will have opportunities for Bible studies, confirmation classes and other times for fellowship. I look forward to participating in the men’s, women’s and Up and Going groups as I am able. I especially look forward to getting to know our young people and participating in the events planned for our youth. God has a mission for us all. It is my prayer that we all engage in this mission and find it to be faithful, fulfilling and enjoyable.
Beginning this new era in the life of St. Jacob’s, my prayer is that we continue to seek the love, guidance and assurance of the Holy Spirit. The very same love, guidance and assurance that brought us together is what will keep us faithful and strengthen us in our efforts to proclaim the gospel of Christ Jesus to those whom God places in our midst. I will also invite many of you to consider new ways of serving our Lord and his church. One of the hallmarks of discipleship is being willing to listen to the still, small voice of our heavenly Father as he comes to us in the quietest of moments and in surprisingly new ways, and responding to his invitation for ministry. The gospel texts throughout Epiphany provide us with a calling and a mission. From Andrew’s declaration to Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah!” to Philip’s inviting Nathanael to “come and see” Jesus is calling us to renew our commitment to be fishers of people. I can’t think of a better way to begin our new ministry together than to have the invitation of our Lord spelled out so clearly. As the old hymn says, “Let us ever walk with Jesus.” We have been called by God to continue the good works of Christ’s church in Chapin and throughout the world. I pray that as we begin this journey together that God will bless us with love and laughter in times of joy, with consolation and peace in times of sorrow, with resilience and determination in times of struggle, and with the understanding that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor David Nuottila
