The lower elementary class made “faith eyes” in their study of The Presentation of Jesus at the temple with Simeon and Anna. “The Holy Spirit gives us faith to see Jesus.”
News From Council President
Posted April 1, 2020 By adminIt is hard to believe that it is already April. Wow…Time flies when we are having fun, growing, and serving. Council has been very busy the first three months of 2020 doing the administrative work of the church. This month I wanted to share with you a few of the projects that Council has been working on and has approved for next steps. You will see and hear more about these projects in the coming months.
Council has approved a new ministry team structure, which was started by our 2019 Council. The new structure is centered around the ministries of Christian Education, Congregational Care, Discipleship, Property, Stewardship, Worship and Music, Staff and Safety. We will be scheduling meetings with our team leaders to roll out the new structure and share responsibilities and expectations. More information will be shared in next month’s newsletter.
We have approved the use of a new mass email communication tool. We are working through the details to set up the new tool to share events and happenings at the church to our members who have email access. More to come as the tool is implemented.
The Director of Choirs/Organist job description was approved at our March meeting. Staff Support will be working with Pastor David as we move forward to advertise for this position.
Lastly, we continue to work on our goals as shared last month. Meetings will be scheduled to further discuss our plans and direction for each of the goals in April. Watch for these meetings and join in the discussion as we move forward in working through our goals in support of our NALC values – “Christ-Centered”, “Mission Driven”, “Traditionally Grounded”, and “Congregationally Focused”. So…. Who are we? We are St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church – SJLC! Serving Jesus Loving Community!
God Bless!
Sherrie
Filed in Church Council President, Other Happenings
Council Briefs
Posted April 1, 2020 By adminThe St. Jacob’s Church Council met March 3rd for its regular meeting.
Good things noted for the month of February:
• Youth did an excellent job for Youth Sunday
• Shrove Tuesday was well attended – over 100 people
• Ash Wednesday Service was also well attended
• Guest Preacher Philip Sandi did well
Important Notes and Dates:
In response to the Corona Virus (Covid-19) all church functions prior to Easter have been can-celled. Please check with the office or the church’s Facebook page to keep informed of any updates and/or changes.
Ongoing Project Updates:
Civil Engineers are looking at the design of the new parking lot to accommodate for more and easily accessible handicap parking.
Next Scheduled Meeting: Regular meeting –
To be announced at a later date.
In the midst of these troubling times, do not lose heart; lean on the grace of God and pray for each other. May the peace of Christ be with you all…and always remember:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and un-fading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you re-joice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the test-ed genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew J. (A.J.), Secretary
Filed in Council Reports, Other Happenings
Lutheran Women News
Posted April 1, 2020 By adminWe have decided to postpone the Easter Egg Hunt on April 4th. We will have an event for the children at a later date.
We will have our Lutheran Women Brunch on May 23rd and our theme is “Reflection of Gods Love. Tickets will go on sell the first Sunday in May. We want to say THANKS to everyone for your continued support.
Bud and Lottie Sites Scholarship Recipient
Posted April 1, 2020 By adminSt. Jacob’s present-ed our first Bud and Lottie Sites Schol-arship to Kayleigh Riser. Kayleigh is a Senior majoring in Music Education at Newberry College. On Sunday, March 8th, Kayleigh was presented a certificate and a check for $1,000 to be used toward her education and expenses. Kayleigh is the daughter of John and Tracy Riser and sister of Evan Riser.
As part of the application process, Kayleigh wrote an essay on how her faith has shaped her career goals. Kayleigh shared that as a child, she was always involved in the children’s choir and took piano lessons. She shared that when she came to St. Jacobs, Mrs. Mary Lou offered to teach her organ lessons. “What could be cooler than playing with both hands and feet?” Along with her college course work, Kayleigh is currently the Choir Director at Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church. She wrote that her faith is her guiding compass in what she does. In her closing comments, she shared; “Throughout my life, God has led me on the track to music. He has shown me not only how it can heal the wounded soul, but how it brings people together. Teaching music to future generations and enriching worship through the use of music is where I feel called to serve God and my community.” Congratulations Kayleigh! We wish you the very best as you complete your education and take the next steps.
Bud and Lottie Sites were lifetime members of St. Jacob’s and loved our church. They were very active with our youth. Mrs. Lottie retired from Chapin Schools as a second-grade teacher. In 2019, Council established the Bud and Lottie Sites Scholarships for members of our church who are continuing their education – college, university, trade school, technical college, etc. The scholarships are funded from the Sites Endowment. There are $250 and $1,000 scholarships. Applicants must be a member of St. Jacobs, attend church services at a minimum of 12 times a year, participate/serve in a minimum of 4 church activities, and a 3.0 grade average. The $1,000 scholarship also requires a 1,500-word essay on a question provided as part of the application. Council encourages our members to take advantage of this scholarship. The next scholarships will be awarded summer of 2020. Applications are available in the church office and due by June 1, 2020.
Filed in Other Happenings
Youth Director & Family Ministries
Posted April 1, 2020 By adminWord
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The youth and I had such a great time at the Carolina’s Mission District retreat. It was held at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island- many of you may be familiar with this camp from events you have attended in the past. A special thank you to Margaret Kleckley for attending with us as a chaperone. In the midst of all the uncertainty, we were grateful for the opportunity to attend and make the best of it. The retreat theme was “Fear Not” based on Isaiah 41:9-10 ‘”you whom I took from the ends of the Earth, and called you from it’s farthest corners, saying to you, “you are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”’ fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This was so timely because although we are going through a season of uncertainty and fear, we can have peace and rest in the fact that God is there for us and we are ready. There were times of fun, silliness, games, campfires, amazing food, and fellowship but there were also times of listening, sharing, confession, reverence, worship and learning. I want to share what was shared with us during our night session. We looked at Matthew 8:23-27, which is the story where Jesus is asleep on the boat with the disciples when the storm comes. Fear begins to drown and overwhelm the disciples and through this, Jesus teaches them to trust Him and to cry out for His help. Though we fear many things, we have the assurance that Jesus will carry us through – therefore that should bring us to our knees to pray. The Lord uses the storms we go through so that we can find Him mightier than the storm. We know that Jesus saved Noah in the flood, rescued Joseph from the pit and cleared him of all false accusations, saved Daniel from the hungry lions, and saved those three men from the fiery furnace. Jesus understands our fears, weakness, temptation, and sadness. In this story, we are shown that an all-powerful Being is in control of His creation. He doesn’t take our storm away, but he steps into the boat with us and the great calm that the disciples experienced after the storm was just a sample of what all those who be-lieve will relish in the new creation. I would love to share more about our trip once we are all back together again. If you get a chance to talk to any of our youth members, ask them what they learned or what their experience was. I’m sure they would love to share it with you. During this time of uncertainty, set your hope on God, set your hope on the One who is above it all. He gives peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) and is with you in the storm of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. He is our peace and He will deliver us.
Grace & Peace, Rachel
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted March 2, 2020 By admin[Jesus said] “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
For several years now, throughout the North American Lutheran Church, it has been well noted that in order to be effective and bold witness for Christ, there must be a shift in our church culture. For years, we have lived according to a church membership mentality. Such behavior lends itself to a perception of ownership of the church rather than that of stewardship. Another aspect of the membership culture is a sense of belonging to a specific congregation rather than being a part of the church at large. The culture of membership bears little fruit for the kingdom of God. Instead, the fruit produced is concentrated upon the perceived needs of the congregation that we might sustain our current way of existence. Hearing this, where do we as a congregation find ourselves along the road to discipleship?
During our Congregational Council Retreat, we took initial steps toward culture change by way of a brief assessment of ourselves and our congregation. In terms of discipleship, we discovered that there is much work to do. Focus was placed upon six habits of church leaders. These same habits are central to living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. To become a disciple of Jesus, one must first understand and begin living according to each behavior. Below is a brief description.
Worship – Disciples not only worship Christ regularly, they understand the purpose and benefit of worship. The chief purpose of worship is that Christians receive God’s good gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. This is the reason for our worship. The fruit of our worship is that we are strengthened in our faith, thanking God and singing his praises for all he provides. When we fail to worship, we fail to gather with God’s people and receive that which God pours out, and we miss the opportunity to bear the fruit of such gratitude.
Prayer – Disciples of Jesus follow his example of prayer. Each of us prays, of that there is no doubt. But to follow Jesus’ example means that we would be intentional in our prayer, seeking out times each day when we withdraw from others and all distractions, spending time alone in prayerful conversation with God. This means quiet time, peaceful and uninterrupted. It also includes time to be quiet and listen for God’s answer.
Study the Scriptures – Disciples of Jesus Christ study Holy Scripture each day. They spend time in the morning, afternoon or evening reading the Bible and learning the ways of God. Disciples also study with others, so that they would learn together. And finally, it is not enough that we study, but disciples know the Word of God. Disciples continue to study so that they know and understand the message of the Law and prophets. They know and can articulate to others the Gospel and guide others in their learning.
Share Faith – Disciples of Jesus Christ are those who engage in Christ’s Great Commission, sharing the good news with others whom they meet. To share your faith means that you are not only willing and able, but you are eager to tell others about God’s salvation that comes through Christ, crucified and risen. Disciples are not shy, they are bold witnesses to all that God has done and continues to do for the sake of humanity.
Serve – Disciples understand the example Jesus provided on the night he was betrayed. Before reclining at the table, Jesus took upon himself the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples. Understanding this, we too are to disregard our status and come to the aid of our neighbor. Disciples understand that we serve the God whom we cannot see by serving the neighbor visible to us.
Share – Finally, disciples understand that all we have within our possession is a trust from God. Our Father in heaven has gifted everyone generously, but each is gifted differently. Whether rich or poor, disciples understand that we are to share what we have with others. Our time, talent and treasure are all gifts to be shared joyfully with our neighbor so that all might see the goodness of God.
The leadership of the NALC is correct in saying we need a shift in our culture. For the sake of our community and world, we must be prepared to take on the role of being disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Lord commands us to do so. Jesus said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” Luke 9:23. A shift in culture takes time. It takes dedication and discipline. But most of all, it takes the willingness for all who claim to be followers of Jesus to take his word seriously.
This year will be one during which our sense of discipleship continues to grow. It will be one during which we as a congregation will continue to strive toward the six habits of greater discipleship. I invite you to pray with me for our congregation and the ministries that we share. I invite you to pray for me as I continue to learn more of how God is calling our congregation to engage in his mission. And finally, I promise that I will continue to pray for each of you, that you hear the call of our Lord to be his disciples and joyfully answer “Here I am Lord, send me.”
Grace to you and peace, Pastor David Nuottila
Pastoral Devotion For March
Posted March 2, 2020 By adminA New Day
Read: Psalm 118, Zephaniah 3:14-20
With each sunrise comes the hope that today will be better than tomorrow. The problems of yesterday are in the past, they are but memories now. Today is a new day, a chance to start again, an opportunity to do better.
We have all had mornings such as this. We have all suffered through bad days, moments of grief and loss, or times of trouble. Often times we become so engulfed in our predicament that we lose sight of the one who calls us his own. Yet, God is present.
The psalmist reminds us that in the midst of earthly life, each new day is a gift from our Father in heaven. The prophet Zephaniah assures God’s people of his continued peace and presence. God delights in his people. He is pleased with all who call upon his name. His love is greater than any earthly power. He will refresh you. He will uphold you. Most of all, God rejoices in you. Greet God in the morning with prayer. Come to him and ask his blessing. Rejoice! This is the gift of a new day.
Prayer: Holy God, I delight in your love for me, for you have called me your own. Amen.
Youth Sunday
Posted March 2, 2020 By adminOn Sunday, February 16th, the youth of St. Jacob’s led our congregation in worship. They did everything from leading the confession and forgiveness to the children’s sermon, to assisting Pastor David serve communion. They all did a wonderful job; and we, as a congregation, should be very proud of the giftedness of our younger members!
Vacation Bible School
Posted March 2, 2020 By adminAs Vacation Bible School approaches, we want to get ahead on planning and equipping those who will be teaching. If you would like to volunteer to serve, check the sign-up sheet on the youth bulletin board by the fellowship hall. VBS will be June 22nd-25th. Continue to watch your newsletter and worship folders for more details.
Filed in Bible Study, Fellowship, LCY, Other Happenings, Outreach, Pastor, Sunday School, Worship and Music, Worship Service
