Prayer Breakfast—We will have a prayer breakfast for students (7th —12th Grades) every Wednesday morning for the rest of the year at 8:30 AM in the fellowship hall. See you on Wednesdays.
Youth Lock-In — All 7th—12th graders, please make plans to enjoy a lock-in with Rachel. Bring a pillow, toothbrush, toothpaste, sleeping bag, a change of clothes and your Bible. You are welcome to invite your friends.
Youth Group Meeting—We will be meeting on Sunday, September 15th at 5 PM in the Sanctuary
The St. Jacob’s Youth and their Families enjoyed watching the Fireflies play ball on Sunday, August 18th. Our very own Jack Wallace was requested to throw out the first pitch. Many of our youth were able to participate in some of the activities they had on the field as well. In all it was a perfect day for a ballgame. We are so excited about all the wonderful things we are going to be doing in the coming months so continue to watch your worship folders and newsletters.
The 2019 4 Churches meeting was held on August 22nd at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, in downtown Little Mountain.
Upon arrival, we found the New Life Center was decorated with beautiful sunflower arrangements, inviting each person to come on in and prepare to have a good time together. The Theme for the day was Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often; To laugh through life is to live with smiles in your heart and enjoy life.
We were heartily welcomed by President Janet Fulmer. Each Church was introduced, with St. Jacob’s having 18 in attendance. Devotions included reading of a poem by Irma Bombeck entitled Live Life, We then sang “Love Lifted Me”, followed by a reading reminding us that God has a sense of humor and that God laughs at OUR plans. The devotions concluded with prayer. Pastor Brett Collins welcomed us and gave the meal blessing.
A bountiful, delicious meal with lots of salads, vegetables, casseroles and country fried steak with rice and gravy (provided by Holy Trinity) was enjoyed by all.
Entertainment was provided by Pastor Jackie Utley of Ascension Lutheran Church and Pastor Jason Shafer of St. Luke Lutheran. Pastor Jason played the guitar and Pastor Jackie played the tambourine and lead the singing, and sing we did! Some songs were in honor of Woodstock’s 50th Anniversary and some were just for fun. We learned a new song… The Butter Bean Song. It was different but So funny. We laughed, sang then laughed some more. Prizes were given throughout the gathering.
The meeting closed and we departed with smiles on our faces and love in our hearts. We have enjoyed the company of old friends, made new friends and simply enjoyed each other’s company. The 2020 meeting will be hosted by Macedonia.
Remember: Snoopy says: Good Laughs and long sleep makes all things better.
September is the Annual Apple Run……more details to follow.
The Lutheran Men will meet on Sunday, September 15th at 6 PM in the fellowship hall. Gary Marco has the devotions and the cooks for the meeting are Tracy, Bob, and Gary. Also, Sunday, September 22nd is our Lutheran’s Men’s Sunday.
The Lutheran Women will be sponsoring a Congregational Luncheon Fundraiser on Sunday, September 22nd immediately following the church service. The meal will consist of pork tenderloin, butter beans, corn, brown rice, desserts and drinks. Price: 3 years and under will be free; 4 years to 11 years will be $4 a person; 12 years and older will be $8 a person. Funds that we raise will be used to help those in need in our congregation and community.
Tune Our Hearts Lord! The children’s choir has started its second season. This year we will be sporting our new choir robes as we help to lead worship with the adult choir. Choir practice is Sunday afternoon at 3 PM for children in 1st through 6th grade. The choir will sit together in the choir loft for worship on the second Sunday of each month. I thank the parents for their commitment to bringing their children to practice each week. We memorize all the music so regular attendance at practice is crucial. In addition to anthems we will be learning about our Lutheran liturgy. We will also work on music for the Christmas program throughout the fall. Please pray for our choir that God would tune our hearts and teach us to sing his praise.
Love in Christ, Angela
Come join us for some fun and fellowship at Pine Island on September 29th at 4 PM! There will be lots of activities for the whole family! Swimming, volleyball, and corn hole. Please bring your favorite picnic side and we will provide the rest! If you have any questions please call Kristen or Nate. Hope to see you there!
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters, only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” – Galatians 5:13
The most profound thing I learned at the Youth Symposium last week in Indianapolis was that it is not about youth ministry at all, it’s about youth doing ministry. I had the honor of attending Lutheran Week-where the first two days are set apart for NALC directors, pastors, and church staff who have a vision of raising up the youth of their congregations not only to know who Jesus is, but to have a mission for others to know Him too. The meetings were led by Gary and Laurie Pecuch, who have dedicated their lives to the youth of not only their congregation but to train others to lead the youth of every NALC congregation. During our time together, we shared resources, ideas, goals, and a vision for the future of the Church that will be placed in the hands of our youth. We covered topics such as biblical-self-esteem, outreach to our communities, spiritual disciplines such as scripture study and prayer, and building strong cross-generational relationships within our church family. I enjoyed learning from others and making connections with many who have been on the front lines of youth ministry for much longer than I have, sharing the wisdom that they have gained over the years. It really is a family of people who are all on the same team to lead the youth to put their faith in action and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Convocation and trusting me to faithfully report back to the congregation what I have learned.
Rachel
16 So say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
As a continuation of my last newsletter article; the importance of implementing daily time in prayer and in scripture study during the slow season that will carry us into the next with joyful hearts. It’s no secret that there is a lot going on in our world today and sometimes it seems that our only option is for our face to meet the ground time and time again and pray. This is where we are to press in, instead of letting the flesh lead us, we must rediscover the preeminence of the Word of God and value truth over feeling and emotion; let us hold on even tighter to the anchor of the living Word of God and to our church family also.
We need to pray in boldness, faith, and declaration in order to raise up our youth amongst the craziness of the world around us. This is done by impressing the importance of discipleship, church attendance, and Godly living as no optional- but commandments we are to obey as Christians. It is essential that as we continue to grow our youth program at St. Jacob’s, we do so as a team. One body, made of different parts, with different gifts; all committed to seeing the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth be a reality for our young people. I look forward to growing in these spiritual disciplines alongside each of you for in the months to come.
All for His glory, Rachel
Congo Mission 2019
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15
Through my mission work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I have learned first-hand the meaning of the above text. The apostle Paul explains to Christians that God extends his grace throughout the world. Everyone who comes to faith in Christ Jesus is saved from their sin and gains the promise of eternal life. But how will people come to faith unless God’s people share the gospel?
For five years, Pastor Stéphane Kalonji and I have traveled to the Congo in obedience to Jesus’ Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20. Christ calls all Christians to go into the world making disciples and teaching the Word of God. This is precisely our mission as we go; to preach and teach God’s Word, and to provide training for others that they may be messengers of God’s grace. Upon this, my third trip to Congo, I have again seen how God continues to build up his Church and bring people to faith through the hearing of the gospel.
Pastor Kalonji and I visited three Lutheran parishes while we were in Congo. We first went to the city of Boma where two years ago I was commissioned by Bishop Keya (Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Congo) to be his missionary to the Lutheran Church in America. I have made friends in Boma, friends that I pray for each day. Upon our arrival, we received a welcome much like that of a family member coming home after an extended period. One by one, people would come to the church and visit with us, telling us of how they have been getting along since our last trip.
In Boma, Pastor Kalonji and I led two seminars for pastors and lay people; we sang with the choirs of men and women; and we preached together, me in English with Pastor Stéphane translating into Lingala. During the hymn following the sermon, a young man ran up to me and dusted off my shoes. This is a common reaction to the preached Word of God in Boma. “How beautiful the feet of those who preach the good news.”
That Monday, we traveled to the city of Tshela, a place neither of us had been before. In Tshela, we were greeted by an excited congregation of God’s people who lined the street leading to their place of worship. The welcome we received was extraordinary to say the least. This was an unexpected addition to our trip, but the joy we found and the response to God’s Word as we taught women and men, and then preached can only be described as unbridled enthusiasm. Children sat in the doorways and windows of the building, not to mention those who occupied the front four benches directly in front of me.
As Pastor Kalonji preached to the crowded church in their native language, I connected with the many children using a common language we all understood. We exchanged funny faces, smiles and even a bit of laughter. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand one another as we spoke. We understood one another as we shared a relationship established by God through his Son Jesus Christ. Once more, at the completion of our presentation and my telling the congregation of the joy I have witnessed through their faith, a young man came up to me and dusted off my shoes in a gesture of thankfulness to God for sending his missionaries to preach the good news.
From the Pastor’s Heart
by Pastor David Nuottila
