Every other Sunday St. Jacob’s offers worship with Holy Communion for the residents of Generations Assisted Care of Chapin.
This ministry has made a great difference in the lives of many folks who are not able to attend worship at their home church.
The congregation is invited and certainly encouraged to share this experience with our friends just down the road.
Our next worship opportunities will be on Sunday, July 7th and July 21st at 1:00 PM. Join us in the lobby at Generations.
Worship at Generations
Posted July 6, 2024 By adminFirst Holy Communion
Posted July 4, 2024 By adminChloe, Bella, and Owen completed their first Communion instruction and received their first Holy Communion on June 23. It is a joy to welcome these three young church family members to God’s table of grace where they take their place in receiving their Lord as he comes to us in this Holy Supper. It was a meaningful day in the life of each of these three, and certainly in the life of their church family.
VBS
Posted July 3, 2024 By adminBreaker Rock Beach
June 24-27
VBS began at Breaker Rock Beach on Monday, June 24th. Dinner was served nightly and there were classes for all ages! God’s voice was heard – “Truth comes from me. My plan for you is even better. Everyone sins and needs a Savior. Jesus is the only way to get to heaven.” Fun and fellowship was enjoyed by all.
Thanks to all our VBS 2024 volunteers! YOU make VBS happen! Many thanks from the Christian Education Team.
St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church Council News Briefs for June 2024
Posted July 2, 2024 By adminGood Things at St. Jacobs:
• Welcomed Laurie Shacker to our Church Office Staff.
• Our Church sign has been updated showing our worship times.
• A new water fountain in the Fellowship Hall has been installed.
• The air conditioner/heat pump in the Fellowship Hall has been installed.
• Baptism of Chloe.
Ministry Teams:
Staff Support: Susan
• Filled the vacant Administrative Assistant position.
Safety: Robert
• The SLED program on “How to deal with unwanted intruders” will be held in July.
• Council recommends that the Safety Team contact a Security Company to obtain a proposal for security cameras.
Christian Education: Sherrie
• Kayla and Sherrie are co-teaching the children’s summer Sunday school. Plans are for movies, crafts and games focusing on Jesus’ miracles.
• Pastor David is holding first Communion class for 3 youth (Chloe, Bella and Owen).
• VBS begins June 24th.
• Chloe will be attending the Solid Rock Day Camp.
Congregational Care: Billy / David
• A Birthday Luncheon will follow worship on June 30th. Hamburgers from Quick Way will be served and provided for by the Congregational Care Team.
• The Congregational Care Team has received several travel requests from congregation members. The
• Team will decide how best to handle these needs from our church members.
• Congregational Care will work on providing greeters for Sunday worship services.
Discipleship: Lynn / Julie
• We Care / Mercy Bags: Provided 45 meals for distribution to rural communities as well as cleaning supplies.
• Glenn Shealy will manage our Disaster Relief building, which includes maintaining an inventory list of items on hand.
• A Coordinator is needed to coordinate our supplies with other disaster relief centers within our region.
• Kevin and Barry will assist with this task.
Property: Barry
• The Parking Lot Project is still being held up by Lexington County Permitting.
• Concerns with the TV in the nursery are being addressed.
• Several projects for the Fellowship Hall and the Disaster Relief Shed are being planned.
Stewardship: Doug Sullivan
• The Church Website is still under discussion/planning.
Worship and Music: Marie
• Keeping up with Communion Supplies.
• Pastor David has created a notebook with images showing the correct placement of the elements, chalice, flagon, etc. for communion.
• Acolyte training is needed.
Old Business
Church Sanctuary: Susan
• Seeking interior designer to assist with the renovation project.
• Currently looking at carpet, pew upholstery and paint color samples.
Historical Team: Susan / Tommy
• Church Photos and memorabilia will be shown to the Up and Going at a future meeting for their assistance identifying congregation members in the photos from years past.
• Ideas for the 250th Anniversary:
o Casual Sunday with a picnic following worship.
o Feature information about history and anniversary events in the Chapin News.
o A series of events that can occur throughout the year.
Filed in Council Reports, Other Happenings
Pastoral Devotion for July – Worship Him Who Saves
Posted July 2, 2024 By adminRead: Mark 14:1-11
The chief priests and the scribes supposed him a threat, so they conspired to arrest him and have him killed. Judas Iscariot turned traitor and arranged to betray him, receiving a handsome reward for his dubious effort. Such is the backdrop of today’s text; Jesus will soon be handed over and crucified. Yet, one person stands out, showing her love and devotion for her Lord. Rising above the stench of sin, the sweet fragrance of perfume danced through the air as she anointed the one who came to save her.
Her devotion is unmistakable. She lives, as we do, in the midst of a world refusing God’s mercy and grace. Such a world does not stop to acknowledge the Creator of all that is seen and unseen. It does not receive the one through whom salvation comes. Yet, like the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet, even today, the Church offers Christ the sweet fragrance of her worship and thanksgiving.
Sing praises to the one who gives his life for you. Bow down and worship the God of your salvation. For in the midst of a fallen and sinful world, he continues to offer his mercy and grace.
Prayer: May the worship we offer be pleasing in your sight O Lord, for through you only do we have life everlasting. Amen.
Summer Hand Bell Camp
Posted June 23, 2024 By adminAttention all St. Jacob’s Youth members in grades 4 and higher. For the third year in a row, Angela Nuottila is inviting you to join the hand bell choir and attend a hand bell camp on Monday mornings through the summer. This camp is filled with fun, games fellowship, and learning how to make beautiful music through the playing of hand bells. Parents of youth who are interested in joining the hand bell choir and attending this camp at St. Jacob’s should contact Angela by sending her an email at stjacobsnalcmusic@gmail.com We are also in need of volunteers to supply lunch for the kids during the hand bell camp. Please contact Angela if you are willing to help out.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted June 21, 2024 By admin“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone needs to be loved. Sadly, not everyone feels they are loved. We hear so many stories these days about kids who have run away from home because they feel unloved or unwanted. We hear even more stories about people who, for one reason or another have fallen out of grace and become shunned for something they’ve done. The sad truth is, the world is filled with people who perceive themselves to be misfits, outcasts and undesirable. “If only I were good enough, someone would love me.”
Have you ever tried to convince someone who fits the above description that they truly are loved? Have you ever been faced with the difficulty of giving someone the assurance of God’s love? It isn’t as simple as it sounds. People who are convinced they are undesirable have built up walls surrounding them that are nearly impenetrable. Breaking down the barrier of doubt and low self-esteem is a dauntless task. Change is needed; transformation must take place for both, the unloved and the community that shuns them.
Several times in my reading this morning I have come across a commonly used sentence that always seems to give me trouble. “God loves you just the way you are.” This sentence gives the connotation that, even though I am not good enough for people, I am good enough for God. Now on the surface of this statement there is an element of truth, God does love us unconditionally. But simply telling someone that God loves them just as they are does not tell the whole story.
Ever since Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit, a barrier has existed between God and humanity. Sin is the great separation, the deeply driven wedge breaking the relationship between God and people. There can be no mistake, God hates sin and we are sinners. God does not love us just the way we are. God does not love us as sinners continually turning away from the relationship he established with creation in the beginning. This is a difficult message to hear and even more difficult to accept.
Certainly, God loves us. After all, we are people created by his hand in his image and likeness. But God does not love us just as we are. God does not love our sinful human condition. In order for God to love us just the way we are, change is needed. Transformation must take place. The deeply driven wedge between God and people must be removed and the wounds of sin healed forever. This is why God sent his Son into the world.
One of the aspects of the Lutheran Church I cling to is our emphasis and focus on the cross of Christ. Even as Jesus was fully human, subject to the same temptation, hunger, and pain we feel, he did not surrender unto sin. Jesus accomplished what humans cannot; he remained obedient to God even unto death. God loved Jesus just as he was; sinless, blameless, perfect.
As we are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, change occurs, transformation takes place. God receives us into the one true body of Christ Jesus and forgives us all our sin. God sanctifies us with his Holy Spirit, claims us as his own and gives us the assurance of his love forever. It is in this truth that humans can rightfully say, “God loves us just the way we are.” In Christ, no longer lost, no longer broken, we sinners who are washed in the waters of Holy Baptism and redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus can honestly say God loves us just the way we are.
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
More Youth Group News
Posted June 17, 2024 By adminJust as the Carolinas Mission Region Convocation had an emphasis on Youth Ministry, this edition of our newsletter focuses on the activities of our St. Jacob’s Youth. Our youth are certainly a busy and active bunch. They enjoy providing music for our congregation, engaging in mission events, and leading worship on the last Sunday of those months with a fifth Sunday. Our Youth members will lead worship again on June 30th. Please support our youth members with your prayers and congratulate them by commenting on their dedication and love for the ministry here at St. Jacob’s.
Worship at Generations
Posted June 15, 2024 By adminOur worship services at Generations of Chapin continue to be a welcome time together with our neighbors down the road. St. Jacob’s has several members residing at Generations and several who are on the Generations staff. Residents include Lucy and Stanley Slice, Shirley Nuottila, and Ramonia Lindler and they enjoy having members of their church family present for this time together. Many of the long time residents have also made this a regular part of their faith life, and several of the newest residents have found it to be a welcome time of prayer and worship.
St. Jacob’s offers worship with Holy Communion at Generations every other Sunday. Thank you to regular helpers Tommy Faulk and Angela Nuottila for your ongoing support and participation. Our Youth Hand Bell Choir has also come along to provide music. Of course, we would always enjoy having more members of our church family join us. Please plan to attend and share some time with those who have adopted St. Jacob’s as “their church.” Our worship opportunities for June are on Sundays, June 9 and June 23 at 1:00P.M.
Congo Mission Update
Posted June 15, 2024 By adminWith the posting of this month’s newsletter, my annual mission trip to Congo is just a little more than a month away. My mission partner Pastor Stephane Kalonji and I are making plans for the Gospel ministry we will accomplish while we are in the country.
One of the projects we began last summer is the building of the first Lutheran Church Facility in the region of Kasai-Oriental. There are no Lutheran congregations in this region that have a church building or permanent structure in which to hold services or other gatherings.
Through the generosity of several congregations within the NALC and LCMC, we have been able to provide funding for this building project. Land has been purchased and the foundation has been laid for the construction of a multi-use building on the outskirts of Mbuji-Mayi.
There is still a long way to go in completing this building, but with God’s provision it will become a reality and a place where Christians can worship, families can gather, children can learn, and women can learn skills through which they may generate income and provide for their families.
Thank you to all who have supported the Congo Mission with your donations and your prayers. Thank you also to everyone who has adopted a Bible for us to distribute to church leaders and Pastors in Congo who do not have access to Bibles in their tribal languages. It is humbling to know that so many people throughout our congregation, Mission Region, and NALC are prayerfully active in this mission together.
This year’s mission trip commences immediately following worship on July 7 with my travel to Houston, Texas. From There, Pastor Kalonji and I will travel to Congo on July 8-9. My return to Chapin is scheduled for Sunday, July 21. In total, I will be away for 14 days.
Pastor Gary Blobaum will be our Supply Pastor on July 14 and 21. Pastor David Tholstrup will be on call for the congregation in case of emergency pastoral ministry needs. Please pray that we have safe travels and that we accomplish all God has called us to do.
