Bell 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.
Attention 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.
Just 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.
Our 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.
2 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.
Psalm 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
Zephaniah 3:14, 17
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart!
The Lord your God is in your midst,
A mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.
I recently came across this verse during bible study and that last sentence immediately caught my attention. I can think of so many wonderful reasons to sing out to the Lord especially as we come out of this Lenten period of reflection on our need for a savior. God is with his us, he has saved us. What a beautiful message that he quiets us by his love, but then He exults over us with loud singing. I’ve never thought of God singing over us. I know that God loves our song. It appears in scripture so many times. But to think that God is singing over us thrills me. So this Easter morning as we rejoice again and give thanks for the most important gift we have ever been given let us raise our voices in song and sing aloud with the Lord.
Our youngest choristers have begun choir practice on Sunday afternoons preparing to sing on Palm Sunday. Children’s choir is from 3-3:30 every Sunday afternoon. We look forward to singing to the Lord Palm Sunday morning and in the future. Children’s choir is open to all children under 4th grade.
Psalm 92:2-4 Let Us Sing to the Lord For His Steadfast Love
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, 2 to sing
praises to your name, O Most High; to
declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night, 3 to the music
of the lute and the harp, to the melody of
the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
February brings us Valentines Day and Ash Wednesday all on the same day. How fitting that we should come together to remember that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. Though Lent is a time of remembering our sinfulness and need for a savior, it is also a time to thank God for his steadfast love in prayer and in song.
During Lent, we will begin a new psalmody that includes an antiphon. Antiphons are a rich part of traditional sacred music in liturgical churches and are used in many Lutheran congregations. Antiphons are short passages of scripture sung at various places in the service. During the psalm, the antiphon is a verse from the psalm of the day sung as a refrain. To introduce the antiphon for the day, the choir will sing the antiphon once and then the congregation will repeat the antiphon. The cantor and congregation will then sing the psalm responsively including the antiphon at designated places throughout the psalm. It will be a little different, but I think we will all catch on quickly. The psalm helps tie the message of all the readings for the day together. I hope this use of antiphons will enrich our worship and our understanding of the message for each Sunday.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
As we gather this Advent and Christmas season, we will have many opportunities to join our voices with the heavenly host and sing our praises to God. Our choirs have been working hard to prepare music for this festive season. On December 3 our youth will perform Christmas handbell music for the Christmas dinner. Please stay after you finish eating to hear them play. On December 17 our youth and chancel choir with a few guest members will present a Christmas cantata during the worship service. Many members will provide music for our Christmas Eve service which takes place at 5 pm this year.
Christmas caroling will be Sunday, December 17 from 4-6. We will meet at the church and leave promptly at 4. After caroling we will return to the church for hot soup and fellowship. Please contact Angela if you are planning to attend and if you are willing to provide a pot of soup. We need an estimate to be sure we have enough soup for everyone.
Dates to remember:
December 3: Youth handbells play at Christmas Dinner
Youth handbells rehearsal 4pm
December 9: Cantata practice at 9:30 am for all readers, cantata members and youth.
Youth handbells rehearsal after practice. Following practice -Youth lunch and Christmas Party.
December 10: Youth handbells play at Generations at 1:00 pm.
December 17: Christmas Cantata
Youth handbell rehearsal 3 pm
Christmas caroling 4-6 pm with soup supper following
December 31: Youth lead worship
Oh come,
let us sing to the Lord;
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
King David’s words in Psalm 95 tell us how we are to come into the presence of God, with thanksgiving and making joyful noises to him with songs of praise! Each Sunday as you come in to the house of God, sing out boldly, making a joyful noise. This is a sacrifice and gift that is pleasing to God. Let us make this advent and Christmas season a time of true thanksgiving to our God. There is still time to join the cantata scheduled for December 17 during the service. We are rehearsing from 5:30-6:15 each Wednesday evening in the choir room. Every voice is needed. Please consider if this is a gift you are willing to give God this holiday season.
CHRISTMAS CONTATA
December 17th
10:00 am
