The Lutheran Women met on Feb. 17th with 11 members present. Discussed: Helping package sausage for LM Sausage sale, assisting if needed on Shrove Tuesday, finalizing plans for our Lenten meal on March 13th, and starting plans for LW Sunday on April 28th. Welcomed new member Ann Slice, so glad to have her join our group. News will be coming next month for our Congregational Meal Fundraiser on May 5th. Our group is looking forward to another good and busy year. We will continue to collect items for We Care. The collection box is located in the Fellowship Hall. If you know of anyone in our church or neighborhood that is in need of help, please let Pastor David or one of our LW members know. Names will be kept confidential.
Outreach Archive
Lutheran Women
Posted February 28, 2019 By adminAsh Wednesday Service
Posted February 28, 2019 By adminMake plans to attend our Ash Wednesday Service on March 6th at 7 PM.
Morning Bible Study
Posted February 28, 2019 By adminMorning Bible Study will resume on Tuesday, March 5th at 9:30 a.m. in the fellowship Hall. Our topic will be the Mission and Ministry of Paul. Bring along your Bible and a willingness to learn more about the most prolific writer of the New Testament. Bible study will meet weekly each Tuesday morning through the Tuesday of Holy Week, April 16th.
Lutheran Men Schedule
Posted February 28, 2019 By adminThe Lutheran Men will be serving pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, March 5th with the assistance of the Lutheran Women. On March 17th, we will have our monthly meeting at 6:30 PM in the fellowship hall. Gerald has devotions. The cooks for this meeting will be Gerald, Richard, Jake, and Robert. Also, the LM will be serving the Lenten Meal on March 20th. All LM mark your calendars for these upcoming events.
ALL ABOUT SHROVE TUESDAY
Posted February 28, 2019 By adminShrove Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent, is a favorite church tradition. Mardi-Gras in New Orleans has its Fat Tuesday and King Cake, but pancakes, bacon and sausage are the stars of Shrove Tuesday. The Lenten Fast calls Christians to abstain from sweet and fatty foods and instead focus on Christian discipline such as worship, prayer and reading scripture. Thus, pancakes with sweet syrup are the highlight of Shrove Tuesday.
For centuries, Shrove Tuesday has had many traditions. One such tradition is the Pancake Day Race at Buckinghamshire, England. Legend has it that on Shrove Tuesday 1445, while cooking pancakes, a woman heard the shriving bell which summoned the townsfolk to confession. In her haste to get to the church, she ran through the town still wearing her apron and carrying her skillet of pancakes. Today this is reenacted with a race through the town by women wearing dresses and aprons, carrying skillets with a cooking pancake. Each person must flip her pancake three times before reaching the church. The winner is the one who gets to the church fastest, having three flips of the pancake.
Folklore says that it is bad luck to drop a pancake while flipping it. It is said that Napoleon blamed his failure for victory in Russia because of a pancake he dropped during the French Candlemas. So beware, and don’t drop your pancakes
on Shrove Tuesday. On this eve of Lent, it is also tradition that many Christians take a good long look at their lives and examine just what it is they need to confess. After all, the act of acknowledging and confessing sins is what “shriving” is all about. Having confessed their sins, a traditional practice is to burn the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday to prepare ashes to be imposed on Ash Wednesday.
This year, Shrove Tuesday falls on March 5th. Join your church family and enjoy a wonderful Shrove Tuesday pancake
supper as we prepare for Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.
Up and Going
Posted February 4, 2019 By adminThe January Up and Going Meeting was our annual “Soup Pot Lunch”. Eighteen members and guests gathered at 11AM on Thursday, Jan 10th to cook and enjoy a pot of soup. Each person brought something for the soup pot or sandwiches, cornbread, crackers, pimento cheese or a dessert. Once the beef and vegetable soup was ready, the business was conducted with the Treasurer’s report given. Frances gave the devotions; topic was new year, new beginning. We then enjoyed our soup lunch after which Bob quizzed us with several games on new testament trivia. He sent us home amazed with what we knew or thought that we knew. Thank you to all who brought canned goods for We Care. Good food, good fun and good fellowship.
What a wonderful way to start the New Year and spend a cold, windy day.
The February Meeting will be held on Feb 14th at 11AM in the Fellowship Hall. Lunch will be Turkey Stew and trimmings.
Ray will have devotions and a program on Gardening. We will be making bows for our Hospice Bags.
Lutheran Women News
Posted February 4, 2019 By adminThe Lutheran Women will meet on February 17th at 4:30 PM in the fellowship hall.
SPRING YOUTH RETREAT
Posted February 4, 2019 By adminThe Carolinas Mission District Youth will meet for a Spring Retreat at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island in March. All St. Jacob’s youth members in grades 6-12 are invited. Bring your friends too! Cost for the retreat is $100.00 per person and includes Saturday, meals, Sunday breakfast, lodging in cabins and a t-shirt. Registration forms are available in the narthex, the church office or from Pastor David.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted February 4, 2019 By admin“To those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:2-3
If you want to know what a person is really passionate about, just listen to them as they speak. It doesn’t take very long to figure out what makes them tick; it’s that one thing they continue to bring up repeatedly. If there is any doubt as to what makes the apostle Paul tick, all we need to do is read the introduction and opening salutations of his first letter to the Church at Corinth. In particular, notice whose name continues to be lifted up.
Paul was zealous for his faith in Christ and eager to share the good news of God’s salvation throughout his known world. Being among God’s people and rejoicing in the promise of life in God’s kingdom is most certainly what fueled Paul’s fire. Throughout his missionary journeys, Paul endured hardship, imprisonment and even shipwrecks, yet nothing seemed to dampen his excitement for telling others about the power of God’s love made manifest in Christ’s victory over sin and death.
The gospel is a message of God’s perfect and unconditional love for his people. The news that sin no longer has the power to condemn those who have faith in Christ Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves. As people
redeemed by Christ, we too are possessors of this good news. We have a wonderful gift to share with a world in need of God’s saving grace. Being among God’s people, in fellowship with the faithful and gathering for worship adds fuel for our fire just as it did for Paul. But once the fire is lit,
we cannot sustain it by ourselves.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul teaches the Church that we need to remain steadfast in the hearing of the gospel. We need to share in the supper that is Christ’s body and blood and we need to live in faithful fellowship with all who share the gift of God’s grace and peace. As a family of faith gathered at St. Jacob’s Lutheran church, we must pay attention to the time we spend together as a church family.
Yes, we are busy people with busy lives, but the burden of such a life is one we place upon ourselves. In the lives of Christian people, all too often, time with the church is sacrificed in order to engage in worldly activities. For instance, when is the last time you heard someone say, “I have to leave the football game early so I can make it to our church’s fellowship event”? No, it is usually the church that sees people leaving worship early, or skipping
it entirely, in order to keep their habits or participate in worldly functions. Before we know it, personal habits and worldly agendas take precedent and time spent in worship and fellowship begin to fade. As Paul points out, when we live for ourselves, the fire burning within will certainly diminish. Some will fall away.
Even faithful Christians (especially) need to be on guard. Those who would be seen as examples must be diligent in their faith and practice. If one is faithful 90% of their time, it is the 10% others will see. Christians need to
know and understand that no matter what may happen in this world, God’s grace and peace given through Christ Jesus cannot be overcome. In those times when we fall short of God’s expectation for us, we need to be reminded that our sins are forgiven and as such, God calls us all to be saints together in every time and place, living together in the unity of Christ.
And so, we too gather as did the Church in Paul’s time, in the name of Jesus in order to hear the message of the gospel. We too come to confess our sins, receive God’s grace, partake in the supper and at the close of the meal, hear the words of God’s blessing as they are pronounced over the entire assembly. It cannot be emphasized enough; there is no better place to be than in the presence of God and among his people. With that, I greet you as Paul greets those whom he writes to throughout the ages: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen!
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Up and Going News
Posted January 9, 2019 By adminUp and Going members and guests gathered on Thursday, Dec 13th, in the Fellowship Hall at 11AM to enjoy the annual Christmas Party. Business was conducted. The Treasurer’s Report was received.
Juliette offered prayer for Gloria Livingston, a long time traveler with the Up and Going. Gary read Christmas Bible verses and the group sang responding Christmas Hymns. Joan lead in playing several Christmas Carols with each of us playing chimes. This music was very pretty and all enjoyed playing the Chimes.
Gary gave the meal blessing. The food tables were heavily laden with containers of delicious Holiday foods and desserts. Each person brought their special dish for our enjoyment. Thanks to each of you for this special meal.
Gary and Joan passed out BINGO cards and we played until each person had won a “white elephant” gift and
candies. Much laughter and many comments were made as each won in bingo and then opened their chosen gift; especially if one tried to steal another’s gift. So much fun for us all!
The January Meeting will be held at the home of Bob and Gloria on Thursday, January 10th at 11AM. We will cook a pot of soup. Sign up on the Bulletin Board your choice of soup item to bring. Frances will have devotions and Gloria will have the program. Each person is asked to bring 3 cans of food for We Care. This is a good way to start the New Year since We Care’s pantry will be low.
Love,
Helen
