Fellowship Archive

Up and Going

Posted January 4, 2025 By admin

Nineteen members and guests gathered in the Fellowship Hall to celebrate Christmas and enjoy our annual Christmas Party. Helen Lindler, Team Leader, welcomed everyone. She read an article on the history of the candy cane. Each person had a candy cane at their place. She also read a Christmas message entitled “A Christmas Bicycle”. Both articles were from Our Town magazine.

Devotions came from Luke 2, The Christmas Story. We then prayed together The Lord’s Prayer. Elf Tommy played his guitar and led us in singing some of our favorite Christmas hymns and songs.

The group presented Helen with a lovely Christmas wreath in appreciation for all she does for the Up and Going. Thank you all for this very special and gracious gift!

Gerald offered grace for our meal. We then enjoyed a delicious meal of party foods and desserts.

After the meal, lead by Leon, we sorted and packed more than 30 complete meals for the Mercy Bags Project. Special thanks to everyone who brought food items for our contribution. Extra special thanks to all who so willingly clean up and leave everything in its proper place.

The January meeting will be on Thursday, January 9th at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall. This is our annual Soup Pot Lunch and BINGO party. Please bring an item for the soup pot and 3 Bingo prizes. Helen and Ann will cook the pot of soup. Please sign up on the sheet on our bulletin board.

Helen

Team Leader for

Up and Going

Prayer for the New Year

Posted December 28, 2024 By admin

God of our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows.
We praise you for your unequaled greatness.
Thank you for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in this new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them.
Help us, Father, to hear your love song in every sunrise,
in the chirping of birds in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks,
and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to your love songs,
so that we may know you better and better.
We rejoice in the world you called into being.
Thank you for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope,
that we might spread them to others.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the
future of an unknown new year knowing you will go with us.
We accept your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what’s ahead,
depending on you to help us to love others as you have loved us.
In Jesus’s name we pray,
Amen.

Youth Retreat

Posted December 28, 2024 By admin

Youth Bible Study

Posted December 27, 2024 By admin

The Youth Bible Study learned about the Church Year that begins with Advent. We spent some time in the sanctuary and learned about the significance of the Chrismons and other Christian symbols found throughout the church. During Advent, the youth are reading an Advent devotion together that Cora Wallace is sharing with them daily via their text group. Please encourage these youth as they continue to grow in their faith and enjoy time spent together!

Youth Christmas Party

Posted December 27, 2024 By admin

On December 8th the youth had a Christmas party. In addition to lots of pizza, snacks and Christmas movies, they baked cookies and made treat bags for Christmas caroling.

Music Notes

Posted December 27, 2024 By admin

Christmas Caroling

Christmas caroling was lots of fun this year. We had 26 carolers! We filled J.L. and Janet’s house. What fun. The youth baked cookies and made treat bags to take to each person we visited. We gathered for a soup lunch after church on Sunday and set out to sing to 9 people. We were all a little hoarse by the time we arrived at Todd and Joanie’s house to sing to Papa Joe and enjoy a delicious spread of Christmas treats and fellowship. Maybe next year we can have 36 carolers!

December 3, 2024

Good Things at St. Jacob’s for November

  • 300+ pieces of pound cake for The Hub for Thanksgiving
  • Angel Tree
  • Successful surgery results for Pastor David
  • Pastor Rawl leading worship
  • Chrismon Trees and being ready for Advent
  • Two new doors in the Fellowship Hall
  • Thank you to AJ for hanging the TVs downstairs

Pastor’s Report

  • Pastor is recovering from surgery, but returned to lead worship on December 1st.
  • Pastor expressed his thanks to our elders who led worship in his absence, as well as Pastor Leon Rawl for his availability to serve as supply pastor.
  • Pastor thanks everyone who sent get well cards and messages and to those who brought over delicious suppers following his return home from the hospital.

Ministry Teams

Staff Support: Susan

  • Staff Support will meet with each staff member in early January, 2025, to sign annual employment agreements.

Safety: Robert / Kevin

  • January, 2025, install the emergency phone numbers inside the main entrance to the church.
  • January, 2025, plan to install security cameras as discussed by Council in 2024 and approved in the 2025 budget.

Christian Education: Sherrie

  • Women’s Bible Study meets the second Monday of each month and will begin a new study in January.
  • Pastor has moved the Men’s Bible Study to 6:30 PM on the first Monday of each month and will start back up in 2025.
  • Planning a birthday party for Jesus for the children’s Sunday school class on December 22nd.

Congregational Care: Billy / David

  • Assisting families with various travel needs.
  • Provided 300 slices of pound cake along with half and whole cakes for the Hub’s Thanksgiving Community Meal. Many thanks to our bakers!
  • Provided meal for the family of Letha Sites.
  • Assisting with Lutheran Men Christmas Congregation Meal on December 8th.

Discipleship: Lynn / Julie

  • Delivered 8 Mercy Bags to We Care.
  • 1200+ people were served a Thanksgiving Meal by We Care on November 26th.
  • Angel Tree: St. Jacob’s provided toys and clothes for 30 children.

Property: Barry

  • Replaced two exit doors: one in the kitchen hallway and one in the Fellowship Hall.

Stewardship: Doug

  • Doug requested information about contacting the NALC website team. Brandon Slice will assist Doug with the website project.

Worship and Music: Marie

  • Purple paraments have been ordered and will arrive mid-January.

Old Business

  • Church Sanctuary: Susan Shealy / Julie Stuck
  • Consultant currently working on color and fabric selections.
  • 2025 Budget accepted.

New Business

  • Designate Memorial Fund: Currently $1015.00.
  • AJ strongly suggested that we need to replace the Latin Processional Cross.
  • The Stewardship Ministry Team needs a Team Leader.
  • All other ministry teams have a Team Leader in place for 2025.
    • Staff Support: Susan
    • Safety: Robert
    • Christian Education: Sherrie
    • Congregational Care: Billy
    • Discipleship: Lynn
    • Property: Gerald and Danny
    • Stewardship: OPEN
    • Worship and Music: Marie and Julie

 

Up and Going

Posted December 15, 2024 By admin

The 2nd Thursday in November, November 14th, was the scheduled day for the Up and Going Thanksgiving Lunch and Meeting. The day was windy and rainy but as soon as the group gathered in the Fellowship Hall, the smiles and laughter turned the atmosphere to happy and sunny. Twenty-four guests and members attended. Helen, Team Leader, welcomed everyone. The treasurer’s report was given by Gary. Helen gave the devotions. The Bible reading was Ephesians 6:18 – never stop praying, especially for others. The devotions encouraged us to pray and to call others by name in prayer. The next reading was an article from Irmo-Chapin Life magazine entitled “Mighty Big Footsteps” by David Clark. Mr. Clark wrote about the events as Hurricane Helene hit in Cochron, Ga. His article included references to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” song which Helen read. She concluded with prayer and our blessing for our meal.
Bobbie Clark gave us a wonderful presentation of her recent trip to Italy, with pictures and postcards for us to enjoy. Thank you, Bobbie, for sharing your good times with us. We all enjoyed hearing about your trip.
Time now for lunch. Extra tables were brought in to hold all of the food. We enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with turkey, dressing, gravy, lots of veggies, salads and desserts. Everything
was SO good. We enjoyed our time together so very much. Our Thanksgiving Giving Project was socks and underwear for The Oliver Gospel Mission. Our members gave 103 pairs of socks and 51 underwear items. I am so proud of each of you and your willingness to give. Thank you!
The December meeting will be Thursday, December 12th, at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is asked to bring party foods for lunch and one or more days’ food for the Mercy Bags Project. Please put each day’s food in a bag with contents marked on the bag. The list is posted on the bulletin board. Tommy Faulk will lead us in a Christmas song fest. January is soup pot and BINGO meeting. Start gathering your prizes now.

Helen
Team Leader for
Up and Going

Christmas Worship Services

Posted December 10, 2024 By admin

We’ve all seen the signs, billboards and bumper stickers: “Keep Christ in Christmas!” The truth is, without Christ, it simply isn’t Christmas. Christians everywhere urge others to remember The “Reason for the Season.” But you know, even some churches find it difficult to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” Just take a look at the many churches standing idle and empty on Christmas morning.

St. Jacob’s offers everyone an opportunity to “Keep Christ in Christmas” beginning December 24th at 5:00 PM with our annual candlelight service. The service will certainly be beautiful and inspiring. Then all are encouraged to “come as you are” on Christmas morning at 10:00 AM for an informal family Christmas celebration. Children are welcome to come in their pajamas and are invited to bring a gift they received for Christmas. Each child may share with all of us the joy this gift brings. Plan to attend these wonderful services of worship with your church family. Join us and “Keep Christ in Christmas.”

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

It is difficult to imagine living in a world of peace. From the time Adam and Eve took a bite from the forbidden fruit, the world has been anything but peaceful. The struggle of human disobedience brought with it conflict between families, communities and nations. Everywhere we turn we see the result of sin and the powers that defy God. The only cure for this sickness is God’s divine mercy and grace. When the kingdom of God is fully revealed to believers, only then will we understand what it means to live in a world of peace. This does not mean, however, that God’s people cannot receive His peace while living in a fallen and broken world.
Long before the birth of Christ, the prophets of God announced the coming of the Messiah who would rule God’s kingdom with power and might, bringing justice and righteousness to those who believe. The prophet Isaiah says his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. When he comes in his fullness and glory, his kingdom will have no end. Yet, even as the people of God await the forever coming of their king, God entered our earthly realm born as a human child unto Mary and Joseph. This Prince of Peace would first take upon himself human flesh, live among his people and offer his life as sacrifice to atone for the sin of the world.
Throughout our history, the Church has longed for the peace of God’s kingdom to be revealed in all its glory. Until such time when Jesus comes again, the Church has the assurance of God’s mercy and grace. We live with the peace of knowing that through Christ our sins are forgiven. As followers of our Lord and Savior, we strive to share the good news of the gospel with all whom we meet. We hear Jesus’ command to love one another, to feed the hungry, care for the sick, bring shelter to the poor and welcome the stranger into our midst. As we do these things, we ask our Father in heaven to continually strengthen us in faith and give us the will to do them, so that all people might one day live in the peace of Christ.

O Prince of Peace, come to your people and fill our hearts with gladness. Bring your peace to our world forever. Amen.