Our annual Homecoming celebration is scheduled for Sunday, October 6th. We will also be honoring our “Golden Agers” as a part of the celebration. A special presentation will be made to our most senior church family members, and we will again honor them with a congregational meal following worship. We will welcome our Homecoming guest preacher, Pastor Mark Metze, and his family. Please invite your friends and neighbors, and plan to attend as we celebrate another year of ministry at St. Jacob’s.
Fellowship Archive
Homecoming Celebration 2024
Posted October 2, 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
Men’s Bible Study
Posted September 30, 2024 By adminOur Men’s Bible study will continue with its new time and day. All St. Jacob’s men are invited to participate in Bible study on Monday, October 7th at 6:30 PM in the church office. Please bring your Bible. If you do not have one to bring, then one will be provided for you.
Homecoming Guest Preacher – Pastor Mark Metze
Posted September 27, 2024 By adminPastor Mark Metze grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, and later attended the University of South Carolina earning a Bachelor of Arts in History. Mark’s work in youth and camp ministry led him to seminary where he would earn an MDIV from the NALS/Trinity Anglican Seminary. Following graduation in May of 2015, Mark married St. Jacob’s own Rebecca Eargle and soon started his vicarage in Annapolis, MD with Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran church. Following his vicarage, Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran church called Mark to be their associate pastor and a year later their solo pastor. In August of 2024, Pastor Mark was elected to serve a 5-year term on the NALS Board of Regents. Becca and Mark have two boys, Henry (6) and Eli (3). Mark enjoys exercise, playing chess, and spending time with his wife and kids.
Flood Bucket Challenge
Posted September 24, 2024 By adminNALC Disaster Response warehouses are in need of restocking. Our St. Jacob’s disaster response shed is virtually empty as Gerald Lindler and Pastor David loaded a truck to respond to hurricane relief efforts in Beaufort and Charleston. In order to be prepared for future needs, the Carolinas Mission Region is hosting a flood bucket build at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Little Mountain on Saturday, October 12th. St. Jacob’s is asked to supply fifty cans of scouring powder (Ajax, Comet, etc.) and fifty 1 quart bottles of Pine-Sol cleaning liquid. We are also asked to supply thirty buckets and lids (5 gallons each). Volunteers for all around the NALC Carolinas will gather to assemble the flood buckets and arrangements will be made to transport them to the warehouse in Kings Mountain, NC, or to our shed here in Chapin. We need volunteers to help in this project. Please plan on attending and helping to build flood buckets. This is always a fun filled event with plenty of good fellowship among our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Homecoming Celebration 2024
Posted September 17, 2024 By adminOur annual Homecoming celebration is scheduled for Sunday, October 6th. We will also be honoring our “Golden Agers” as a part of the celebration. A special presentation will be made to our most senior church family members, and we will again honor them with a congregation meal following worship. We will welcome our Homecoming guest preacher, Pastor Mark Metze, and his family. Please plan to attend this yearly event. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us.
Up and Going
Posted September 15, 2024 By adminWe gathered at Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in Little Mountain at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, August 21st for the annual 4 Churches Meeting. Nineteen members and guests attended from St. Jacob’s.
Mt. Tabor’s Fellowship Hall was beautifully decorated in red and white with a vase of fresh red and white flowers, later given as door prizes. After registration each guest was given a red bird key chain or red bird ornament of their choice.
Welcome was presented by Janice Long. Carolyn Torrence gave the Devotions and the Blessing of the meal. We all enjoyed a bountiful and delicious meal prepared by wonderful Dutch Fork cooks. After the meal, Rev. Dr. Tony Metze presented a delightful magic show. He was most entertaining. Door prizes were presented to the lucky ticket holders. Many from St. Jacob’s were fortunate enough to win a prize. The Meeting closed with the singing of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.” Mt. Tabor used the Red Bird and United in Faith as the themes of the day. Our thanks go to Mt. Tabor for making everything so special for our enjoyment.
The September Up and Going Meeting will be the annual Apple Run on Thursday, September 12th. Please be at the Church ready to depart at 8:30 AM. A sign up sheet will be on our bulletin board. Lunch will be at Harry’s BBQ and Miss Piggy’s Ice Cream Parlor.
Helen
Team Leader for Up and Going
Congo Mission 2024
Posted September 10, 2024 By adminReport Even though I was not able to travel to Congo with Pastor Kalonji, my heart overflows with joy that our shared mission work continues to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. With the help of so many congregations across the NALC, and especially St. Jacob’s, Pastor Kalonji was able to engage in a longer than usual mission trip to Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, and the village of Merode.
Thank you to everyone here at St. Jacob’s who continue to contribute to the Congo Mission through your offerings and gifts. With help from your donations, forty-seven families welcomed home mothers and their newborn babies, fifty-six families and individuals who had no other access to the Scriptures received Bibles written in their local language, and over six hundred orphaned children enjoyed a healthy hot meal when they would not have otherwise had such a feast.
Of course, one of the projects that brings me much joy is the construction of the first Lutheran Church building in the province of Kasai-Oriental. Currently, all Lutheran Church worship and activity takes place outside, exposed to the weather. With grants from NALC Congregations, we have been able to purchase an acre of land and begin construction. The foundation is laid for the church. Soon, there will be a modest building rising up from the ground to serve as a school for children, education for women, and a house of worship for the surrounding community. We hope to provide for a well to be drilled since all water must be brought in from elsewhere. We trust that God will provide.
As this year’s trip is concluded, we leave behind funds for congregations that they may continue to feed orphans who remain in their care, eyeglasses for people who have such need, and the seeds of faith planted through the love of Christian brothers and sisters in Christ across the ocean. Thank you again for supporting this wonderful and exciting mission. I am so thankful we can all be a part of God’s work together for the sake of our fellow Christians in Congo.
Music Notes
Posted September 10, 2024 By adminPsalm 104:33 I will singto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Chancel choir news
We have a great selection of music ready for the beginning of the choir year. The notebooks are filled with all of the music to take us through the end of December, and a new cantata is ready for rehearsal. All we need now are members willing to serve God and bless our congregation with the gift of music. We will kick off our new choir season on Wednesday, September 4th at 5:30 in the church office with a covered dish dinner. The meat will be provided, please bring either a side or dessert to share. After our meal and time of fellowship, we will dig into the collection of music for the new year. Please come join us. It’s sure to be a great year. Children’s choir has started. We meet each Sunday from 3-3:45 in the downstairs music room.
Children’s choir is for children in K-4 grade.
Youth handbells meets at 4pm in the music room downstairs.
Making Melodies
Posted September 8, 2024 By adminDid you know that our Congregation President Tommy is a headline entertainer? Not only does Tommy assist with worship every other week, but each month he shares his gift of music with the residents at Generations of Chapin. Our friends at Generations are so happy to welcome Tommy as he brings his music and invites them all to sing along. Smiles are the order of the day and there is plenty of joy to go around. Thank you, Tommy for being such a blessing and Christian witness to the power of God’s love.
Filed in Fellowship, Other Happenings
