Our Wednesday Morning Bible study will resume on Wednesday, August 23 at 9:30a.m. The Bible study will meet in the newly renovated Church Office. The topic of study will be announced at least one week prior to the beginning. All are welcome to join in. Please invite others who may enjoy reading and learning more about the Scriptures while discussing them in fellowship with others. No special materials are needed, just you, your Bible, and a desire to meet with others while hearing of God’s promises and love for his people.
2023 Congo Mission Trip
Posted August 9, 2023 By adminWith Pastor David and Pastor Stephane Kalonji’s return from Africa, the Most recent Congo Mission Trip is now complete. This year’s trip was a successful mission of the Gospel. With God’s help and the support of so many people, we were able to feed well over 400 children, and free nearly two dozen mothers and their babies from detention in hospitals. We distributed will over 200 pairs of eyeglasses, led Christian education seminars in three locations, and worshipped with the people of Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi. Thank you to all who supported our mission with your donations and prayers. Plans are already being made for our 2024 trip. We pray that God will continue to bless the Congo Mission as we take Christ’s great commission seriously and go into the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
NALC Lutheran Week 2023 – Mission Dei (The Mission of God)
Posted August 7, 2023 By adminThis year’s NALC Lutheran Week completes a six-year focus on the Holy Trinity, concluding now with “God the Father Creates…in His Image,” as the theme for the Braaten-Benne Theological Lectures. However, it seems appropriate to conclude this cycle with the theme, Mission Dei, as we celebrate the fact that everything we do as a mission-driven Lutheran body comes from God and His mission—that we are to go into all the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit, preaching the good news of salvation in and through Jesus Christ—to the whole creation!
This year’s Mission Convocation will indeed be a mission-oriented and mission-driven gathering! While there will be necessary times dedicated to reports, actions and elections—including the election of a bishop—highlights will be the several “On Fire for Mission” sessions, focusing on domestic mission, international mission and mission related to congregational life. These will begin with brief Bible study and devotional periods, followed by presentations on the theme, with extended time for table talk, reflection, breakouts, and strategies for “taking it home!”
There will also be a Faith Formation Festival (“Everything You Want to Know About Youth & Family Ministry”) and the Gathering of the Women of the NALC (“Using Our Gifts to Serve”) earlier in the week.
The hope and prayer of all involved is that this will light a spark or fan the flame for mission, that we return home inspired and excited about Mission Dei—the work and mission of God in our local congregations, in North America and throughout the whole creation!
Larry Shull will serve as St. Jacob’s lay delegate to the convocation.
Open House and Dedication
Posted August 6, 2023 By adminOn August 13, immediately following worship, the congregation is invited to an “Open House” to come and see the improvements to our Church Office Building. We will also have a brief
blessing of the building as we re-dedicate it to the service of the Lord. Come and see all the
improvements and the wonderful job our volunteers from the Journey Sunday School Class have done. It has been a tremendous example of what God’s people can do as stewards of that which God has provided.
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A Note from We Care
Posted August 4, 2023 By adminOur inventory is at a critically low level!
The new August Needs List is to the left, and we SO appreciate your help to get the word out to the community. We are seeing more clients in need, but our supplies remain critically low. Thank you for helping us let our generous neighbors know what they can do to help!
Bless you!
Alecia
Pastoral Devotion for August – Rely on God
Posted August 4, 2023 By adminJesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Read Matthew 6:25-34
How often do you wake up today and you are already worried about tomorrow? If that is the case, it is likely you went to bed already feeling the pressure of a certain circumstance or the ill effects of something you perceive to be a looming problem. And so it goes for so many in our world.
Our Lord Jesus teaches us that we should not worry. We should not worry about clothing, food, drink or anything else under the sun. When we worry or become anxious about things we have or don’t have, we rely upon ourselves to alleviate the problem.
Yet, truthfully, we are to put our trust in God who provides all we will ever need for life. As our Lord Jesus says, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us his kingdom.
Worrying about tomorrow’s problems today only causes them to become stumbling blocks for
today’s opportunities. Lift up your worries and cares to God in prayer. Commend them to the Lord. As you do, you will soon realize his presence in your life each day, and the anxiousness for
tomorrow will be replaced with the joy of Christ today.
Prayer: Lord, I put my trust in you, knowing you will provide all I need. Amen.
Council Briefs for July Meeting
Posted August 4, 2023 By adminGood Things at St. Jacobs:
• Church Office Renovation
• Vacation Bible School
• Adult attendance at VBS was up and encouraging
Bob noted that the church is doing well on this year’s budget and are meeting expenses for 2023.
Council extended a thank you to the Journey Sunday School Class for their efforts in renovating the church office. A drop-in after church service one Sunday will be planned for the congregation.
A congregational workday will be scheduled in September to work on various items around the church and church grounds. Specific tasks will be identified prior to the workday.
Report of Ministry Teams:
• Safety – Don Dease thanked the Safety Team for the work they are doing to make our church a safe environment.
• Christian Education – Vacation Bible School was a great success. Lots of people in attendance.
• Congregation Care – Planning for Homecoming on October 15 continues.
Old Business:
• Fresh Eyes Update: Ongoing focus on Mercy Bag ministry, card ministry, and property and renovations.
New Business:
• On July 30, a representative from the NALC will give a temple talk before worship about the NALC Disaster Response. Council will be looking at assisting the NALC by using a portion of the bus shed as a storage area.
Filed in Council Reports, Other Happenings
UP AND GOING
Posted August 4, 2023 By admin
Up and Going met on July 13th with Helen giving the devotions. Devotions were written by Emily E. Ryan and scripture was Ephesians 3:19. Devotions was based on our need to stop and rewind and reminds us to stop and “check my bobbin”. This relates our lives to the craft of sewing. When our bobbin runs out, we simply cannot sew anymore. To rewind our bobbins, we rewind by spending time with Jesus and reflecting on how much He loves us through prayer and Bible reading, listening to God and singing His praises. Only with Him do our efforts have staying power once again.
Twelve members and guests gathered in the Fellowship Hall to enjoy a delicious covered dish meal and program presented by Davis and Sandra. Davis using a book entitled “A History of South Carolina BARBEQUE” written by Lake E. High, Jr. Davis gave the most interesting program on BBQ or as we know it – Southern BBQ. BBQ originated on the SC coast area of Port Royal. Indians roasted meat in holes in the ground with the meat wrapped in heavy green leaves. Sauce was later added by the Spanish people. Sauce was mostly wine vinegar with spices later added.
Today there are 4 types of BBQ sauces: Red, Light Red, Vinegar based or Mustard. SC is the BBQ Capital of America with North Carolina running second.
SC’s favorite sauce is vinegar on the coast, mustard in mid-state and red sauce in the Up State.
Davis talked about he and his cousins participating in BBQ cook-off events and their placing #1 in competitions. Later he and Sandra competed in many events and brought home several #1 winners.
We enjoyed this informative and interesting program. This was a learning experience for all attending. Thank you so much Davis and Sandra for this enlightening and fun program. We enjoyed learning about the history of BBQ and how to cook delicious BBQ at our homes.
A short business meeting followed by discussions and definite plans for the 4 Churches meeting in August. The next meeting will be held on August 10th at 11am in the Fellowship Hall. This will be the annual meeting of Holy Trinity, Mt. Tabor, Macedonia and St. Jacob’s senior groups. There will be entertainment by the Chapin Chirpers, food, gifts and wonderful fellowship together. We will decorate on Wednesday, August 9 at 1pm.
The annual apple run will be on September 14th.
Church Office Renovation and Dedication
Posted August 4, 2023 By adminThe Journey Sunday School class is very proud to report that the church office renovation is complete! We cannot wait to show it off. The transformation is truly wonderful. Please join us on Sunday, August 13, after church for an open house and dedication of the renovated building.
The original scope of the renovation included new flooring, lighting, paint, furnishings (except offices), interior doors, blinds, and trim for windows and doors. The approved budget was just $59,000. The Journey Sunday School class provided the sweat equity throughout the project to keep the cost down. This work is estimated to have saved over $24,000 in labor costs. No one can believe the amount of dirt, mold, furniture, and box after box of stuff that had to be cleaned out before we could even begin to renovate the space. Contractors were hired for the big jobs and where expertise was required. When the project was nearing completion, it was well under budget. This allowed for additional items to be included in scope, such as updates to the hall bath (removing wallpaper, painting, new light fixtures, and accessories), the purchase of two new office desks, office chairs for the staff, a new refrigerator, and additional lighting throughout.
The church office is now clean, bright, and welcoming for the staff to work and a place for church members and community groups to gather in His name. Special features throughout the space include a conference room with new tables that connect or can be separated and used in other rooms or in different configurations, new chairs, a smart TV and lighting. A favorite room for members will likely be the library, painted a deep green color, this room offers tranquility with stately seating, modern lighting and adorned by a selection of books. The kitchen now has a table and chairs, new refrigerator, the cabinets were cleaned and new hardware was added. The large meeting room was updated with a coffee bar, new comfortable seating, smart TV, and lighting. The fireplace is now a focal point of the room.
There are so many people to thank for participating in this project and making it such a success. Julie, Susan and Nicki were instrumental in creating the project plan and managing every detail to create this beautiful space. Other members of the Journey Sunday School class that gave so much of their time and to whom we are truly thankful are AJ, David, Tina, Wayne, Carroll, Nate, and Kristen. Sincere thanks and appreciation also go to several church members who offered their support and skills in a variety of ways, particularly Lynn, Barry, and Billy. A huge thank you to Frances and Alice for sorting through piles of books. It was amazing to see the young members also giving their time and energy. A special thanks to Isabelle and Copeland, Tyler and Ethan.
Thanks be to God for stirring our hearts to tackle this project and for guiding us along the way. To God we give the glory!
Blessings,
Melissa
Filed in Other Happenings
Pastoral Devotion for July – Accepting Truth
Posted July 15, 2023 By adminAs [Jesus] drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Read Luke 18:31-43
Jesus told them plainly; once they reached Jerusalem, he would be turned over to the Gentiles, be beaten and then killed. Yet on the third day, God would raise him from the grave. Even as we know this to be true, the disciples had difficulty accepting Jesus’s words. The prophets foretold it; Jesus affirmed it, but the disciples simply couldn’t face the truth that all Jesus said would certainly be accomplished.
Sometimes, when presented with the truth, we have difficulty accepting it. An adverse diagnosis, news of a tragedy, financial woes, or simply owning up to our own failures; each of these can cause us to discount the present reality. Too often, denial leads to disbelief. Even as we know the truth, we are apt to turn a blind eye hoping everything will pass.
As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man called out to him. Those lining the streets tried to stifle his voice, yet he called out all the more. Though blind, he had vision; he knew Jesus was the Christ, the one promised from God, the one who would redeem Israel, the one who had the power to restore his sight. Facing the truth, he called upon the Son of David, and his sight was restored. The truth remains today, Jesus, the Son of David is the one who has mercy and restores the people of God.
Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, restore our sight, so that we may accept the truth of your grace. Amen.
