Missions Archive

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Congo Mission Adopt a Bible

Posted March 28, 2024 By admin

One of the joys of my mission work in Congo is sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with so many people who have not had the opportunity to worship or learn of God’s saving grace through reading the Scriptures. Bibles are hard to come by for most people living in the outlying and remote areas surrounding Mbuji-Mayi. For this reason, I am encouraging everyone at St. Jacob’s to participate in this year’s mission in a unique way. I invite you all to “adopt a Bible” that would be provided to church members in Mbuji-Mayi and Merode.

Bibles printed in the tribal languages in Congo are available in Kinshasa (the capitol city), but not in the remote areas in which we serve. Pastor Kalonji hopes to fill a suitcase with Bibles to take to the Lutheran congregation in Mbuji-Mayi and have them distributed to families by local pastors. Each Bible printed in the local languages cost about $25 each. If you would like to provide one for a family in Congo, simply add that amount to your church offering and designate the amount given “Congo Mission Bibles” on your envelope where it says “other.”

Thank you so much for your consideration and generosity as we continue to minister to God’s people in such a far-off place. This year’s mission trip is scheduled for July 8-21

Filed in Missions, Other Happenings, Pastor

Congo Mission Update

Posted March 28, 2024 By admin

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Our Lord then used Abraham as an example of faith. Abraham believed God’s promise and longed to see the fulfillment of it. Those who criticized Jesus neither listened to God’s words, nor did they believe in the Son of God standing before them, because in their view, Abraham was dead. The crowd scoffed since they didn’t understand, and they refused to believe what Jesus was saying.

 

We, however, know it’s true. Those who keep God’s Word and believe Jesus is Lord and Savior, even though they die, will live forever in God’s heavenly kingdom. As a Lenten discipline, strive to remain in God’s Word. Read Scripture daily and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, even in the face of  ridicule. Remain in the Word, speak the truth, and give God the glory due His name.

 

Pastor Stephane Kalonji and I have met several times in the last few months by way of zoom.com to plan for the ministry we will accomplish on our Mission trip to Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi in July.  The struggles in life for the people of Congo are real and harsh.  Addressing hunger as best we can continues to be a priority, as does reuniting mothers with newly born babies with their families.  Of course, the chief endeavor is always sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people who so dearly want to grow in faith.

 

Our teaching seminar this year will address a central concern for a Lutheran Church in Mbuji-Mayi.  This particular congregation suffered two tragic losses in just the last few months.  First, the wife of their pastor passed away.  She was a woman who cared much for the congregation and served as a pillar in the community.  Soon afterward, the pastor passed away causing even greater grief among the people.

 

Pastor Kalonji and I will spend time with the congregation in worship and prayer.  We will also be offering them a one day theological look into the Resurrection of the Body.  It is our hope that grief will be overcome by the joy of experiencing God’s eternal love.

 

I’m looking forward to this trip as it is filled with opportunities to share the Gospel and God’s love with a community that receives very little in the way of fellowship and compassion among the global Lutheran community.  Thank you for your ongoing support and for your prayers.  God bless you all as we minister to those who are so far away, yet close in spirit.

Filed in Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Pastor

Fresh Eyes for Mission Update

Posted September 20, 2023 By admin

In March, 2023, many members of our congregation met with Pastor David Wendell, Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism, to take a hard look at our congregation and identify areas where we need to focus and grow. As a result, we came up with four main Vision Points and action steps for achieving each of these goals. It is important that we maintain our focus on these Vision Points and to do this Sherrie and Susan were appointed “Trailbosses.”

The four Vision Points are: Spiritual Awareness; Outreach – Visibility; Care Connections; and creating a Dutch Fork NALC Coalition. As a congregation, we have already worked toward growing in all of these areas.

Spiritual Awareness: Pastor led an adult Bible study during VBS that was well attended. We have a Men’s Bible study, a Women’s Bible study and Wednesday morning Bible study offered at our church.

Outreach – Visibility: The church office renovation has been completed! The office building is now a beautiful office space for our staff, but has also been designed for use for groups within our church to meet (Lutheran Women, youth, Sunday school, audit team, Council) and also groups outside of our church (Courage Center, Women’s AA). Coming soon: Parking lot for easier and safer access to our church buildings; updated website.

Care Connections: We have a greeting card ministry! This team has mailed cards to all young adults in our congregation at Easter and continues to stay in touch with these members throughout the year as well as others. Coming soon: Prayer Partners! In the next few weeks everyone will have an opportunity to sign up for and to receive a prayer partner/family so we can lift each other up in prayer.

Dutch Fork NALC Coalition: A recent Up and Going meeting of four NALC churches was a great success! We want to grow these relationships and hold joint activities with these churches.

All of these Vision Points will help St. Jacobs become the congregation that we envision. In order to achieve these goals, we need everyone to participate and work together toward these common goals!

There is a place for YOU at St. Jacobs!

Filed in Missions, NALC, Outreach

MERCEY BAGS MINISTRY

Posted September 15, 2023 By admin

Our congregation continues to make a difference in our community by providing meals for mobile delivery to the Chapin community and also in Jenkinsville, Prosperity, Newberry and Whitmire. The Mercy Bags are delivered specifically to families who do not have transportation to travel to a grocery store or who don’t have a grocery store near their home. Over the summer our congregation has provided over 40 Mercy Bags, each containing 3 meals, to We Care.

How can you help?
1. Shop for meal items and deliver them to the fellowship hall. The list for what is needed is located in the narthex. Meals are packed by teams on the first and third Sunday of each month and delivered to We Care on Monday morning.

2. Make a monetary donation designated for “Mercy Bags” and place it in the offering plate. The teams will use these funds to shop for the meal items to pack the Mercy Bags.

If you are interested in joining one of the Mercy Bags teams, contact Lynn.

Filed in Missions, Other Happenings, Outreach

NALC Disaster Response

Posted September 7, 2023 By admin

The Carolinas Mission Region will host another opportunity for congregations to engage the mission of Disaster Response. This opportunity will see congregations partnering together to assemble “Kitchen Kits.” In many areas of recovering from floods or hurricanes, families often need to replace simple, basic kitchen supplies. NALC Disaster Response has put together a list of items to be included in disaster response “Kitchen Kits” to assist families in their recovery.
Beginning on Sunday, September 3th, St. Jacob’s will Be collecting kitchen hot pads and dish towels. We will collect these items until Sunday, October 22 and will deliver them to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Troutman, NC, where the kits will be assembled. We would also like as many members of St. Jacob’s as possible to volunteer in this activity. As always, it will be a time of fun, and fellowship as we work together to share the compassion of Christ for those in need. The project is scheduled for Saturday, October 28th.

Filed in Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Outreach

2023 Congo Mission Trip

Posted August 9, 2023 By admin

With Pastor David and Pastor Stephane Kalonji’s return from Africa, the Most recent Congo Mission Trip is now complete. This year’s trip was a successful mission of the Gospel. With God’s help and the support of so many people, we were able to feed well over 400 children, and free nearly two dozen mothers and their babies from detention in hospitals. We distributed will over 200 pairs of eyeglasses, led Christian education seminars in three locations, and worshipped with the people of Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi. Thank you to all who supported our mission with your donations and prayers. Plans are already being made for our 2024 trip. We pray that God will continue to bless the Congo Mission as we take Christ’s great commission seriously and go into the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Filed in Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Outreach, Pastor, Worship and Music

NALC Lutheran Week 2023 – Mission Dei (The Mission of God)

Posted August 7, 2023 By admin

This year’s NALC Lutheran Week completes a six-year focus on the Holy Trinity, concluding now with “God the Father Creates…in His Image,” as the theme for the Braaten-Benne Theological Lectures. However, it seems appropriate to conclude this cycle with the theme, Mission Dei, as we celebrate the fact that everything we do as a mission-driven Lutheran body comes from God and His mission—that we are to go into all the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit, preaching the good news of salvation in and through Jesus Christ—to the whole creation!

This year’s Mission Convocation will indeed be a mission-oriented and mission-driven gathering! While there will be necessary times dedicated to reports, actions and elections—including the election of a bishop—highlights will be the several “On Fire for Mission” sessions, focusing on domestic mission, international mission and mission related to congregational life. These will begin with brief Bible study and devotional periods, followed by presentations on the theme, with extended time for table talk, reflection, breakouts, and strategies for “taking it home!”

There will also be a Faith Formation Festival (“Everything You Want to Know About Youth & Family Ministry”) and the Gathering of the Women of the NALC (“Using Our Gifts to Serve”) earlier in the week.

The hope and prayer of all involved is that this will light a spark or fan the flame for mission, that we return home inspired and excited about Mission Dei—the work and mission of God in our local congregations, in North America and throughout the whole creation!

Larry Shull will serve as St. Jacob’s lay delegate to the convocation.

Filed in Bible Study, Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Pastor

A Note from We Care

Posted August 4, 2023 By admin

Our inventory is at a critically low level!
The new August Needs List is to the left, and we SO appreciate your help to get the word out to the community. We are seeing more clients in need, but our supplies remain critically low. Thank you for helping us let our generous neighbors know what they can do to help!

Bless you!
Alecia

Filed in Missions, Other Happenings, Outreach

Congo Mission 2023

Posted July 7, 2023 By admin

In July, Pastor David Nuottila will be busy on his mission trip in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Traveling with his mission partner, Pastor Stephane Kalonji, Pastor David will be serving alongside pastors of the Community of Confessional Lutheran Churches of Congo.
Their mission work includes, but is not limited to, leading Christian Education seminars for Pastors, lay leaders, women’s groups, men’s groups, and young adults.
They will also minister to congregations by helping them feed the many orphaned children in the church’s care, provide eyeglasses for people with such need, provide Bibles for those who do not have access to them, and free mothers and their newborn babies from detention in hospitals.
The challenges of doing mission work in Congo are many, and difficult to overcome. Transportation is one of the biggest challenges that will be faced. Many of the towns and villages are miles apart from one another, and the roads are nearly impassable.
This year’s mission trip will last about three weeks. Pastor David will return to Chapin on Friday, July 21. Until then, pastoral services will be arranged on an as needed basis. Please call the church if you have such need. After hours you may call Congregation President Billy McTeer to arrange for pastoral care.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Congo Mission to make this trip possible. Thank you also for your many prayers.

Filed in Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Pastor

Calling All St. Jacob’s Youth

Posted May 5, 2023 By admin

You are invited to participate in the Flood Bucket Mission Event at Advent Lutheran Church in King’s Mountain on May 20th. Several of the Mission Region Youth groups will be participating and it will be a great day of service to our neighbors in need. There is no cost for this event and it is guaranteed that it will be a good time. Join the fun! we will also be planning a few fun events for the summer so stay tuned.

Filed in Carolinas Mission Region, LCY, Lutheran Church Youth, Missions, NALC, Other Happenings, Youth and Family Ministries
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