Pastor David is calling all St. Jacob’s Ministry Team Leaders to a meeting on Saturday, February 12th from 9AM-12 Noon in the Fellowship Hall. There will be several important items to be discussed concerning ministry team functions, financial responsibilities, communications, and record keeping. Please plan to attend. If you are not able, a member of your ministry team should be in attendance.
Outreach Archive
Ministry Team Leader Meeting
Posted January 31, 2022 By adminFrom the Pastor’s Heart by Pastor David Nuottila
Posted January 17, 2022 By adminTrouble with the Church
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12
It’s obvious; the world has trouble with the church. In virtually all aspects of human life, two messages prevail. The first message seems to be “Get what you can and keep it for yourself.” The second is like it, “Do what you want, when you want.” Of course, these messages are contrary to the gospel; therefore, the world has a problem with the church.
Sadly, it seems Christians also have trouble with the church. Often, someone will make the statement, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” Others say, “I experience God in my own way.” Such statements are contrary to scripture. It’s for this reason I say even Christians have trouble with the church.
A common reason people remain unchurched is because they don’t see any appreciable difference in the way Christians live their lives. Too often, Christians, especially those who go it alone, fall into the worldly pattern of living according to worldly expectations rather than God’s calling. We do what we want, when we want. We get as much as we can get and keep it for ourselves. We only give to those whom we deem “worthy.” It is no wonder the world has trouble with the church.
All people are sinners and face temptations. Even the most devout and spiritual Christians need to be encouraged in their faith. Thinking you can remain faithful on your own is perhaps Satan’s most potent weapon. Keeping our faith “private” and not gathering for worship with other Christians causes many to believe they are living according to a higher standard, when in reality, they are living according to a worldly standard. By ourselves, lone Christians become easy prey for the powers that defy God.
Peter exhorts Christians to live as people who are freed from sin in Christ Jesus, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, selfish attitudes, and behaviors, but living as true servants of God. The community of faith is a Christian’s sure defense against the powers of sin. The very nature of being Christian means we worship together, have fellowship with one another, and strengthen one another in faith. We study the Holy Scriptures together, learning more of the ways of God. Just think of what it might look like if the church was known for its faithfulness, love, and compassion, rather than having the world characterize it as a gathering of hypocrites. That’s the kind of trouble I would love for the world to have with the church.
How great would it be if the powers that defy God looked upon St. Jacob’s saying, “Look at those Christians and how they love their God and show mercy and compassion to their neighbor.” To have our community see St. Jacob’s as a living, breathing, example of the power of God’s love within our community and wanting to become a part of who we are is just the sort of trouble with the church that I would love to encounter.
Am I just dreaming? Perhaps, or perhaps not. I believe our congregation is quite a collection of God’s people blessed with many gifts and talents to become known as just such a place. All we need is prayer and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many who were here before us built St. Jacob’s while living in the face of similar doubts and challenges. My prayer going into this New Year is that we would become just the sort of congregation the world would have trouble with, trouble understanding how we can find such joy in serving our neighbor through the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus. Yes, that is the sort of trouble with the Church I believe the world needs to experience.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Pastoral Devotion For January
Posted January 3, 2022 By adminA PLACE AT THE TABLE
Read – 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10, Luke 16:19-31
As baptismal waters washed over his head, the stain of sin was erased forever, and he was made a new creation. At long last he became a child of God, refreshed, and brought to new life. So it was for a homeless man living on the streets of Charleston who happened to become friends with this particular pastor. Truly, Greg became the best friend I ever had.
It seemed that at every turn, fortune never seemed to smile upon Greg. He was homeless, friendless, and trusted no one. Yet, tired of being alone, he entered the church. There he found compassion. In time, the compassion he discovered taught him to trust; his trust led him to love. Life remained difficult, but through his newly gifted faith, Greg would begin to understand this earthly affliction would one day pass, and the kingdom would be his forever. That day came for Greg soon after I left Charleston to serve a congregation in North Carolina.
As Lazarus longed for food from the rich man’s table, not a crumb would fall within his reach. Making a distinction between rich and poor, the rich man failed in his calling to feed the hungry, thus he lived contrary to God’s mandate to love his neighbor. Upon his death, the rich man was denied the mercy of God. In short, he received his reward for his selfishness and refusal to care for those in need. Many in this world continue make such distinctions, only helping when they feel the recipient “deserves” to be helped. They make distinctions between people according to appearances. Thus, the lost and hungry often go ignored. But just as God smiled upon Lazarus, all who call upon the Lord will find compassion and take their place at the table of heaven.
Father God, give us hearts for love alone, that we might love and serve our neighbor without distinction. Amen.
Reaching Out With Worship
Posted November 30, 2021 By adminBeginning on Sunday, December 5th, Pastor David will be leading a brief worship service in the lobby at Generations. This service will take place at 1:30 PM. every other Sunday. Several St. Jacob’s church family members reside at Generations and it will be good to share a time of Word and Sacrament with them and the rest of the residents. Several have remarked about how much they enjoyed our singing for them in October and are looking forward to Sunday worship. Volunteers to assist in singing familiar hymns and distributing communion would be appreciated. If you would like to help out, please contact Pastor David.
Advent Bible Study
Posted November 30, 2021 By adminOur Advent Bible study will be titled “A Reunion of Grace” and will take a peek into the family history of our Lord. We will see how God chose to save humanity from sin, not through strength, but through humility and weakness. We will look at the lives of four ancestors of Jesus whose scars from human life are important factors for us to know about so that we can become more reliable witnesses to God’s amazing grace. Advent Bible study begins on Wednesday, December 1st, starting at 10:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall and is open to anyone who would like to participate.
Thanksgiving Eve Worship
Posted November 1, 2021 By adminIt’s hard to believe but it is time once again for our Thanksgiving Eve worship service. In years past, St. Jacob’s participated in a community project to supply families with traditional Thanksgiving meals provided by The Hub. Last year in the midst of the pandemic, The Hub ceased providing such meals and so we turned our hearts to support We Care. This year, it is hoped that we will find a way to expand our ministry to those in need who are our neighbors in the surrounding community. Please keep an eye on the weekly bulletin announcements and also the mid-month Grace Notes for further details.
St. Jacob’s Kids for Christ
Posted November 1, 2021 By adminOur KFC group will meet on Sunday, November 7th and Sunday, November 21st at 4 PM. All our children in grades 1-6 are invited to come enjoy games, snacks and a time of learning how to become disciples of Jesus by serving others. We will also begin a new service project to help support We Care of Chapin. Come join in the fun as we gather in Jesus’ name and grow in faith as Kids for Christ.
Filed in Bible Study, Fellowship, LCY, Lutheran Church Youth, Other Happenings, Outreach, Sunday School
Choir Notes
Posted September 30, 2021 By adminMark your calendars for 3 PM October 10th!
It’s Homecoming, and as we gather to worship God with a guest pastor and beautiful music, we will also celebrate the family of faith we have all found at St. Jacobs. Unfortunately, there are members of our congregation who are no longer able to attend Homecoming in person. So, let’s take Homecoming to them.
We will meet at the church at 3 PM and caravan to the homes of our shut-in members. Think Christmas caroling, only in October, and sharing some of the favorite songs and hymns of our faith. Join us in taking St. Jacobs home for these cherished members of our family.
Homecoming 2021
Posted September 30, 2021 By adminOur annual Homecoming celebration is scheduled for Sunday, October 10th. Having missed out on Homecoming in 2020 due to the pandemic, we can all look forward to a day of wonderful fellowship. Please invite members of St. Jacob’s past and present to join us. Our Homecoming guest preacher will be our old friend, Pastor Marty Ramey. Later that afternoon, church family members are invited to go sing for St. Jacob’s members who are not able to attend worship. We will share time with them singing some of those good old hymns that everyone loves to sing while visiting folks whom we have not seen for a while. Join us on October 10th at 3 PM. We will travel in cars and share the gift of the church’s music making a joyful noise unto the Lord. Please circle the date on your calendars and be sure to come enjoy this day of celebration.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted September 5, 2021 By adminIn March, I offered to the congregation what I call my Six-Point Vision to enhance our ministry and congregational life for the future of St. Jacob’s. The six points as they were presented in the March newsletter are:
1. Create an Intentional Disciple Making
Culture.
2. Growing the Christian Education Ministries of our congregation.
3. Raising up Leaders for the Church.
4. Grow in our focus on Mission and Outreach.
5. Develop a welcoming and inviting culture.
6. Grow in our sense of Christian fellowship.
This month, I would like to speak to one of those points that I believe is vital to the future of our life together. Point #2, Growing the Christian Education Ministries of our congregation, is one that has been a generations old problem for many congrega-tions. It is no secret that participation in Sunday School, Confirmation, and Bible Studies have fallen off drastically since the day when many of us were eager participants.
Over my pastoral ministry spanning three congregations, Christian Education teams have been faced with the issue of having too few volunteers to teach classes and a dwindling number of students. The same questions have arisen over the years. “How do we encourage people to teach classes?” How can we get our children to participate?” Since my initial conversations with the call team four years ago, I understand, St. Jacob’s, has struggled with these same questions. Answers, I assure you, do not come easy.
In order to address this complex issue, I asked for the Christian Education Team to meet in August in order to discuss the present condition of our Sunday School Ministry. At the time of this writing and due to newsletter deadlines, the meeting has been scheduled but has not yet taken place. It is my hope that our discussion will prove fruitful and faithful as we speak to the need for Christian Education and
faith formation for all members of our church family.
During the Youth Ministry Workshop at our convocation in Texas, I began a conversation citing the challenges of Sunday school and found that St. Jacob’s has not been alone in facing this issue. More recently, I also began an online conversation among pastors and youth ministers which is leading to an understanding among the group that perhaps it is time to begin thinking creatively and unconventionally. On Thursday, August 26th, I participated in an online Zoom discussion centered upon the questions we all face regarding Sunday School. The information brought out during this conversation was astounding. So many congregations are facing dire circumstances when it comes to providing Christian education for our children.
All too often, discussions regarding Sunday School end up with committees and ministry teams suggesting that we turn the clocks back to a time when Sunday School participation was in its heyday, doing the things we did when we were kids. This seldom works given that times have changed, and approaches to teaching and communicating with children are much different. The lack of volunteers willing to serve as teachers is also an issue that remains constant.
Given all of this, there is something that we must never lose sight of. God commands us to teach the Scriptures to our children and to our children’s children. For the sake of our families and the generations that will follow, it is imperative that we take God’s command seriously. If we don’t teach our children and young adults the things God commands, the world will teach them the things that our sinful world demands. This is a concern that weighs heavy upon your pastor’s heart.
I pray that we are able to have a faithful and fruitful conversation and that any decisions we make will be in line with God’s expectations for our church family. Especially for the sake of our children and their families, I ask for your continued prayers and support of our Christian Education Ministry. I will do my best to be a teacher of the faith for you and for those in our community now and into the future. I also pledge to continue to seek God’s guidance leading our congregation to develop a greater desire to study God’s Word and pass it on to others.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
