Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13
At the time of this writing, it is still the middle of September, but October is on the horizon. October! It seems summer has simply flown by. Yet, even as I prepare to travel to England, for a much-anticipated vacation, I can’t help but reflect upon all we shared the past few months, while un derstanding that there is much to plan and prepare for during the months ahead. Our church calendar is filling up with activities, least of which is our annual Homecoming Sunday and recognition of St. Jacob’s Golden Agers. Trunk or Treat, Reformation Sunday, and All Saints Sunday are also coming very soon. Yes, it will be a busy time in the church. As you begin making room for the many opportunities for your church and family in October, let me ask a direct question: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day?
Each morning, Christians wake up to the opportunity to show the love of Christ Jesus to others, have compassion for the weak and vulnerable, and forgive where someone has done wrong. We are to re-present Christ especially to those who may not realize God’s activity in their lives. As God’s people we also wake up to the Christian responsibility to thank God for the many blessings He showers upon us, and to offer Him the finest of what we can offer of ourselves.
When a child of God begins each new day with such emphasis, the life of discipleship begins to take hold and we live into the calling God has for each one of us. So again, this begs the question: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day? In my asking this twice, I hope you are not simply waiting for my answer. I hope you are not expecting me to offer a directive for the church that challenges you to do your part as I see it, for such is not my intent.
I am asking this question because as followers of Jesus Christ, we each respond to His call to follow in different ways. Some are able to engage in the life of the congregation more regularly than others. Some have time enough to come to the church and serve on committees, provide services such as lawn care and cleaning, others may even show up every time the doors are open.
Others among us have different responsibilities. Within our church family, we have parents with small children, members who work not just one, but two jobs, and still others who may have health related issues that prevent them from participating as they once did. Yet, no matter where we may fall in this broad spectrum, as God’s people, each one of us shares the Christian responsibility to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We all share Jesus’s calling to go into the world and make disciples by sharing with them the good news of God’s salvation. So, understanding this, I’ll ask one last time: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day? As Pastor, I will do my best to help you discern the answer to this question. I will do what I can to help you pray, study God’s Word and live among God’s people so that you might hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit who is calling you to a life of discipleship.
I will continue to pray for you and your family, preach to you the gospel of Christ Jesus, lead you in worship and teach you and your children the faith in which we baptize. In turn, I pray that you too will help me to further discern the answer to our question, for even pastors need to learn to take time to enjoy their relationship with our loving heavenly Father.
Yes, October signals the beginning of a busy time for the church. It is one filled with opportunities to worship God, love our neighbor, and enjoy the fellowship of God’s people. Take a good look and identify those opportunities where you and your family can grow in faith and discern your answer to the question of discipleship. Choose to take time each day to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ, seeking God’s kingdom first. Then be sure to share His blessings of grace, mercy and peace with those whom God places within your midst. Soon, you will realize you are living the life of discipleship, and the question will have its answer.
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted October 9, 2023 By adminCouncil Briefs for September Meeting
Posted October 9, 2023 By adminGood Things at St. Jacob’s:
• Open House for newly renovated church office
• Kids handbell choir trip
• Disaster Warehouse
Plans Pastor’s Report – Doug Sullivan will be received by Affirmation of Baptism into St. Jacob’s membership.
Report of Ministry Teams:
• Congregational Care – Homecoming is October 15th. This will also be Golden Agers Sunday. Congregation will be asked to provide desserts.
• Worship & Music – Youth handbell retreat to Salisbury, NC was a success.
• Safety and Security Team – Council approved purchasing smoke detectors and installing them throughout the building.
Old Business:
• There will be a church wide workday on September 30th. We will start at 8:00a.m. Lunch will be served.
New Business:
• Lawn Maintenance Contract – Council approved a proposal from C&E Landscaping to provide maintenance services on the cemetery side of Columbia Avenue. Annual cost will be $6,960. St. Jacob’s volunteers will continue to be responsible for area around the Sanctuary and Church Office. In the 2024 budget, Lawn Maintenance will be a line item. Members wishing to offset the cost of this service can contribute to the Cemetery Fund.
• Heat Pump Replacement – Council approved to replace the heat pump for the Fellowship Hall at a cost of $31,000. A waiting period of four months for delivery can be expected.
Up And Going – Annual Apple Run
Posted October 9, 2023 By adminSeptember 14th was a beautiful day as 21 members and quests loaded the vans for Hendersonville, NC. We started our day off with the Lord’s Prayer and headed off. Lunch was enjoyed at Harry’s BBQ and Miss Piggy’s Ice Cream Parlor. We continued our trip at Granddad’s where we selected apples, cider, cabbage, and apple fritters from the bakery. Special thanks to our drivers. The next meeting will be October 12th, we are going to Shealy’s BBQ for lunch.
WE CARE CENTER— NEEDED FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
Posted September 23, 2023 By adminSoup
Canned Fruit
Spaghettio’s
Syrup
Canned Corn
Canned Meats
Canned Potatoes
Cereal
Canned peas
Jello
Paper products, cleaning supplies and toiletries are ALWAYS needed as well!!!
Fresh Eyes for Mission Update
Posted September 20, 2023 By adminIn March, 2023, many members of our congregation met with Pastor David Wendell, Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism, to take a hard look at our congregation and identify areas where we need to focus and grow. As a result, we came up with four main Vision Points and action steps for achieving each of these goals. It is important that we maintain our focus on these Vision Points and to do this Sherrie and Susan were appointed “Trailbosses.”
The four Vision Points are: Spiritual Awareness; Outreach – Visibility; Care Connections; and creating a Dutch Fork NALC Coalition. As a congregation, we have already worked toward growing in all of these areas.
Spiritual Awareness: Pastor led an adult Bible study during VBS that was well attended. We have a Men’s Bible study, a Women’s Bible study and Wednesday morning Bible study offered at our church.
Outreach – Visibility: The church office renovation has been completed! The office building is now a beautiful office space for our staff, but has also been designed for use for groups within our church to meet (Lutheran Women, youth, Sunday school, audit team, Council) and also groups outside of our church (Courage Center, Women’s AA). Coming soon: Parking lot for easier and safer access to our church buildings; updated website.
Care Connections: We have a greeting card ministry! This team has mailed cards to all young adults in our congregation at Easter and continues to stay in touch with these members throughout the year as well as others. Coming soon: Prayer Partners! In the next few weeks everyone will have an opportunity to sign up for and to receive a prayer partner/family so we can lift each other up in prayer.
Dutch Fork NALC Coalition: A recent Up and Going meeting of four NALC churches was a great success! We want to grow these relationships and hold joint activities with these churches.
All of these Vision Points will help St. Jacobs become the congregation that we envision. In order to achieve these goals, we need everyone to participate and work together toward these common goals!
There is a place for YOU at St. Jacobs!
MERCEY BAGS MINISTRY
Posted September 15, 2023 By adminOur congregation continues to make a difference in our community by providing meals for mobile delivery to the Chapin community and also in Jenkinsville, Prosperity, Newberry and Whitmire. The Mercy Bags are delivered specifically to families who do not have transportation to travel to a grocery store or who don’t have a grocery store near their home. Over the summer our congregation has provided over 40 Mercy Bags, each containing 3 meals, to We Care.
How can you help?
1. Shop for meal items and deliver them to the fellowship hall. The list for what is needed is located in the narthex. Meals are packed by teams on the first and third Sunday of each month and delivered to We Care on Monday morning.
2. Make a monetary donation designated for “Mercy Bags” and place it in the offering plate. The teams will use these funds to shop for the meal items to pack the Mercy Bags.
If you are interested in joining one of the Mercy Bags teams, contact Lynn.
Up and Going
Posted September 14, 2023 By admin4 Churches Annual
The annual 4 Churches, consisting of Holy Trinity, Mt Tabor, Macedonia and St. Jacob’s, meeting was held on August 10, 2023 hosted by the St. Jacob’s Up and Going.
The Fellowship Hall tables were so pretty decorated in beautiful bright colors, enhanced with coordinating colored center pieces and small gifts for each person attending. Mike and Linda greeted each guest as they signed in and received a name tag. Each person was given a numbered ticket to be used for the door prizes.
Helen L. Lindler, team leader, welcome the assembly and introduced The Chapin Chirpers, directed by Joan Marco. The Chirpers presented a vacation themed program entitled “On the Road Again”. The music with appropriate skits was so much fun. We laughed and sang the happy songs with the Chirpers. We all had the best time watching The Chirpers and laughing and clapping at their antics. Helen gave the Devotions emphasizing the fact that God is always with us, everywhere we go and whatever we are doing. She read from God’s Little Devotional Book For Women the following:
Our days are identical suitcase – All the same size but some people can pack more into them than others.
Devotional closed with prayer and the Blessing for our meal.
Everyone attending enjoyed a bountiful and delicious meal. Bar-Be-Que was provided by the Lutheran Men of St. Jacob’s. We certainly did enjoy it and appreciate the LM generosity. The fried chicken was provided by the Up and Going. Side dishes and desserts were provided by all attending.
Unique and beautifully crafted items, made especially for this occasion were given to the lucky ticket holders.
Helen then bid farewell to our guests. She ended with this quote given to the Up and Going in memory of Esther Lindler Frick (Jean Frick’s Mother-in-law).
I will Do More
I will do more than belong, I will Participate
I will do more than care, I will help
I will do more than believe, I will practice
I will do more than be fair, I will be Kind
I will do more than forgive, I will Love
I will do more than earn, I will enrich
I will do more than teach, I will serve
Special thanks to the Lutheran Men for providing BBQ and to Davis Brown for perfectly preparing it for our enjoyment. Thank you to Joan and The Chapin Chirpers for a delightful, feel good program.
Thank you to everyone for items provided, work performed before and after the meeting.
I thank God for each of you and your willingness to help with everything that needs to be done and for a beautiful day without storms and with pleasant temperatures.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted September 12, 2023 By adminWe give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
So far, for many people this has been quite a summer. For some, the days have been dreadfully hot and dry. For others, summer has brought with it an opportunity for vacation and travel with family and friends. And for those who are apt to volunteer, it has been a summer filled with church work. I can count several people for whom this has been a summer of recovery from illness or medical procedures. We have members of our church family for whom this has been a summer of mourning and grief. In all of these, I can say that as your pastor, it has been a summer of prayer.
In his letters to various churches, the apostle Paul consistently begins by lifting up prayers of thanksgiving for the saints to whom he is writing. Whether he is writing to Christians just coming to faith, a church needing encouragement, or a congregation mired in conflict, Paul gives thanks for the faith of those who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. In doing so, Paul sets a wonderful example for Christians in all places to follow. When I read Paul’s words concerning his thanksgiving and prayers for others, I usually find myself spending a good bit of time in prayer for our church family.
As some of you know, I like to begin my week in prayer for our church family. One ritual is to take the Sunday worship bulletin and pray for those on our various prayer lists. One by one, the names of people who are sick, recovering or homebound stand out. I pray for the various friends and family members who are not members of our congregation but listed as those needing continual prayer. It’s humbling to know that, even as we pray for others we do not know, through faith, our prayers are heard and received by our Father in heaven.
Another prayerful activity I enjoy is going through our church directory and simply praying for church family members whose names randomly come to the forefront. I sincerely believe that as I look through the listing of families, God calls me to pray for certain individuals or families for whatever circumstances they may be experiencing. Sometimes, I will send a card to those for whom I pray so they know their pastor prayed for them. I cannot tell you the number of times people have told me that the card came at just the right time; that they really needed to know someone prayed for them.
I think that in this summer of prayer, the thing I have enjoyed most is the opportunity to pray with church family members each Wednesday evening just before we share the sacrament of Holy Communion. It is clear to me that this mid-week time for worship and prayer has helped us grow in our faith and relationship with God and one another. While not lifting each person up by name, we pray for each other, we pray for our congregation and the Issues we face, and we have even welcomed members of our Community into this opportunity for worship and prayer. We pray for those who seem distant and we pray for our unity through Christ our Savor and Lord. I truly believe God hears our prayers and answers each one according to his loving kindness.
I’m thankful for the blessing of being your pastor, and in the words of St. Paul, I give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in my prayers.
Thank you also to the many who have prayed for me. We are all blessed with the gift of God’s love, especially as we share his love with one another, giving thanks in all circumstances for the grace God makes available through his son Jesus Christ. As always, I will continue to keep you in my prayers.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Choir Notes
Posted September 11, 2023 By adminMusical Mondays
It’s hard to believe, but our musical Mondays are about to come to an end. Our youth handbell choir has worked hard this summer, building their music reading and bell playing skills.
We are celebrating our hard work with a trip to see the Raleigh Ringers in Albemarle, NC on August 27. We will leave the morning of August 26 and travel to Union Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. We will have a handbell clinic with the youth handbell choir at Union on the Saturday, staying overnight at the church, and playing in worship on Sunday morning. After lunch Sunday we will head to Albemarle for a Raleigh Ringers concert. This is such an amazing opportunity for our youth ringers.
Thank you to everyone who provided meals this summer for Musical Mondays. Your help is so appreciated.
Chancel Choir
Chancel choir rehearsals will begin Wednesday August 30. Please check upcoming bulletins for more information. It is never too late to join the choir. Please come add your voice to ours as we sing praises to God. No prior experience needed!
Lutheran Women
Posted September 8, 2023 By adminThe Lutheran Women will have a brief meeting following the service on Sunday, September 3, in the fellowship hall. The next regular meeting will be on September 17th.
We will be sponsoring a Congregational Dinner Fund Raiser on Sunday, September 24 immediately following the church service. A LOVE offering of $8.00 for ages 11 and above, $5.00 ages 5-10 and 4 and under free. We will be serving spaghetti w/trimmings, drink and dessert. It will be eat in or take out and a sign-up sheet will be placed in the narthex so please sign up by Sunday Sept. 17th. The money raised will be used to help a Cancer patient that our group is helping with their medical bills and other expenses that may occur. Please come and enjoy some delicious food and fellowship. Thanking you in advance.
The Lutheran Women would like you to also consider experiencing a concert by our Organist, and Newberry College’s Dr. Sarah Masterson who presents a unique look at a long-forgotten composer’s piano music. Philippa Schuyler’s music transports listeners to far-flung locations in Asia, Africa, South America, and more. After extensive research, Masterson has revived Schuyler’s works for modern audiences to enjoy. The date is Sunday, September 17th at 3:00pm at the Newberry Opera House. Some of us have previously attended and it is unforgettable! We will get discounted group tickets if 10 or more are interested. Will advise later what time we will be meeting to go as a group.
