December 15th we will go Christmas caroling and take the joy of Christmas to all our members who are unable to attend worship. We will have a soup lunch in the parish hall immediately following worship and then go caroling. Mark your calendars and plan to join us. Contact Susan Shealy or Angela Nuottila to let them know that you will attend and if you are able to provide a pot of soup or a pan of cornbread.
Choir Notes Archive
Music Notes
Posted December 4, 2024 By adminMusic Notes
Posted October 2, 2024 By adminPsalm 40
I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn of praise to our God.
It is hard to believe that we are already into October. I have so many reasons to be thankful and sing praises to our God. The musical groups at the church are very busy. The chancel choir began the new music season with a covered dish dinner and now is busy working on all the music for the remainder of the year. The cantata is scheduled for the last Sunday in Advent and rehearsals will begin soon. Our youth are working on duets and new music for the Advent and Christmas season. God has in deed put a new song in our mouths, our bells and our instruments. One of my greatest joys is working with the children’s choir. Though small in number, they are indeed singing praises to God.
Please join us from your pew and sing out your praises to God. Please join us for the cantata and share again the story of the greatest gift we could be given.
I will be away for the first three weeks of October as I accompany my mom to England. The following is the schedule for the choirs.
October 6, 13, and 20 – No children’s choir or handbell rehearsal
October 9 – No chancel choir rehearsal; chancel choir will rehearse as usual on Wednesdays
October 27 – Children’s choir 3 PM, no handbells due to fall festival
November 3 – Handbell choir practice resumes
St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church Council Meeting Briefs – August 6, 2024
Posted August 27, 2024 By adminSt. Jacob’s Lutheran Church Council Meeting Briefs – August 6, 2024
Good Things at St. Jacobs for July:
• Safety Team guest speaker and ice cream social
• Young people Bible Study
• Community service activities at church and in the community
• Cans were emptied
• Floors in fellowship hall look great
• Summer Handbell Camp
Ministry Teams
Staff Support: Susan (presented by Sherrie)
• Recognized Laurie Shacker’s birthday.
• Scheduled meetings with staff members in August for annual reviews.
Christian Education: Sherrie
• Kayla and Sherrie continue to co-teach for the summer.
• Purchased a Smart TV for Sunday School classroom.
• Will work with Jeremiah and Angela to determine technology needs for our classrooms.
Congregational Care: Billy / David
• Lay communion ministry team visited and administered communion to our homebound members.
• Assisted family with plumbing needs.
• Provided a meal for the family of Richard Shealy.
Property: Barry
• Danny has met with a paving contractor who will be performing highway work in our vicinity and in front of the church who will give us the asphalt grindings to stockpile for construction.
• Danny continues to meet with Lexington County for permits.
• Made adjustments to the exterior door next to the stage, but it did not fix the problem. Obtaining quotes for replacement of the two exterior doors (next to stage and next to kitchen).
Safety: Robert / Kevin
• Active Shooter Training was well attended.
• Danny is scheduling a meeting with our IT contact to discuss our internet, cameras, and console location.
Old Business
Church Sanctuary: Susan
• The Renovation Team continues to look at options and ideas for sanctuary improvements. Scheduling a meeting with a church interior designer as part of team’s next steps.
New Business
• Temple Talk for August – no recommendation
• 2025 Budget requests from Ministry Team Leaders – There will be a meeting after church on Sunday, August 18. Finance Team will provide budget documents. Ministry Team Leaders must submit their budget requests to Larry Shull by Sunday, September 8. Finance Team to prepare draft 2025 budget for October meeting.
• Time and Talent Sheets – Council to review and update our Time and Talent Sheets for 2025.
• NALC Disaster Response Team is providing flood buckets in Florida. Plans are to use the materials in our warehouse to restock. In addition, there will be a flood bucket build at Holy Trinity in Little Mountain on October 12. More information will be shared in our September newsletter.
Filed in Choir Notes, Other Happenings
Music Notes
Posted August 19, 2024 By adminHandbell camp 2024 has come to an end. We’ve learned much about reading music, we’ve learned how to make bells “sing”, and we learned about the liturgy of our church service. This final week, we read about the Passover and the Last Supper and concluded with baking communion bread for Sunday’s service. Thank you to everyone who got kids to camp, provided meals and stayed as an extra adult on duty. It’s been a great summer.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Psalm 100 tells us that it is God who has made us and all that we have. David tells us to come into the house of the Lord making a joyful noise, to come to Him with singing. He doesn’t say our singing has to be professional or anything other than a joyful noise, and we are all capable of that.
Chancel choir practice begins Wednesday, September 4 at 5:30 pm. We will share fellowship and dinner in the church office building and follow with a reading of the music for this fall. Please join us. All are welcome. No prior experience is needed. Think you can’t sing? I bet you’re wrong. Come, give us six weeks and see how it goes. Can’t commit to weekly rehearsal? Join us for the Christmas cantata. Can’t sit with us on Sunday morning because you have children to sit with? Sit with your family and come to the choir loft for the anthem. We need you. God wants you. Please join us.
Please let Angela know if you will be attending the meal on September 4 so we can plan the food. Thank you and God bless you.
Music Notes
Posted July 21, 2024 By adminBell camp highlights:
This year in addition to improving ringing and music reading skills, the youth are learning about the liturgy we use in worship. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to provide lunches and to all the youth for their hard work.
Filed in Choir Notes, Other Happenings
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.
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.
St. Jacob’s Youth Hand Bells
Posted June 14, 2024 By adminOur Youth Hand Bell Choir was honored to play the prelude during the Communion service for the Carolinas Mission Region Convocation. Many attendees remarked on the talent of our young members and were very thankful for their participation. Hats off to Angela Nuottila and the Youth hand Bell Choir for their dedication and hours of practice. They truly have become ambassadors for the Gospel of Christ and for St. Jacob’s.
Music Notes
Posted May 8, 2024 By admin2 Chronicles 5:12-14 (…it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
When Solomon had completed the temple and the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple, the singers and musicians praised God with voice and instrument, and the temple was filled with the Glory of God.
Throughout the bible, God gives us examples of worship. In the Old Testament we see the directions God gave for worship first in tents as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and then in the temple. In the New Testament we see John’s vision of the worship that we will one day join in God’s kingdom. Music is always an important part of this worship, and it is so important that we raise up our children to make music to the Lord.
This summer we will again have a bell camp on Tuesday mornings, starting June 18th, from 9-12:30 in the fellowship hall and music room downstairs.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to provide lunch for the youth each Tuesday. And to be present to assist with set up, leading devotions, monitoring the youth and handling surprises that always seem to pop up. If you are willing to assist in any way, please call Angela.
It is almost time for our chancel choir to break for the summer. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard this year to bring us a cantata, lead worship and share their talents in praise and worship of God. The choir will lead worship again this summer from the pews giving them a chance to sit with their friends and family. We will reconvene at the end of the summer.
Filed in Bible Study, Choir Notes, Fellowship, LCY, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service
Music Notes
Posted April 10, 2024 By adminPsalm 150
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Teaching our children and youth to use their voices and instruments to praise the Lord is one of my favorite things. I think we can all agree that our youngest choristers did a wonderful job on Palm Sunday sharing the message, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We learned again the story of Palm Sunday as we got messy with paint and sang. They even started ringing bells. We look forward to them helping to lead worship through song in the future.
Our youth handbell choir are hard at work as well. We have been invited to participate in worship at the annual Carolina’s Mission District convocation the first weekend in May. The 2024 convocation
is being held at Holy Trinity in Little Mountain. Our youth handbell choir is playing the prelude for the Saturday morning worship service.
We are also gearing up for our summer handbell camp which will be held on Tuesdays this summer. There will be more information in the May newsletter
