JANUARY St. James Lutheran Church. Words From Your Pastor:

Transcription

1 In This Month s Issue: St. James Lutheran Church JANUARY 2012 Pastor s Points Page 1 President s Corner Page 2 Birthdays & Baptismal Anniversaries Page 3 Ministries, Announcements &Upcoming events Page 4 Prayer Needs Page 4 School News Page 7 & 8 Calendar Page 9 ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT Called by God, centered in the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we rejoice in the Lord, proclaim His gift of Grace through liturgical worship and service and share Christ s love and forgiveness in all we do. The Reverend Keith Getz, Pastor revgetz@yahoo.com Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM Sunday-School: 9:00 AM Wednesday: 10:30 am: Bible Study (Library) & Noon: Holy Communion Service (Sanct) St. James Lutheran Church 1137 Alice Drive Sumter, SC Office: Fax: stjamesoffice@sc.rr.com Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 8:30 1:30 Words From Your Pastor: Well, the family and I are getting settled in. Most of you know what it is like to move and try to unpack. Thank you all for the prayers, kind words, food, and assistance since we have been here. All of you have made our transition easier. We are truly humbled by your hospitality. Speaking of hospitality, that is exactly what I think about when I think of Christmas. What amazing hospitality and extravagant love our God has for us. He so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (John 3:16). God s hospitality reaches out to all people. He invited the socially low shepherds to be transformed by His presence. God, through Christ Jesus, extended an invitation of salvation to the Gentile Wise Men, who followed the star. God, through Jesus, continues to extend His hospitality today through his people, the Body of Christ, the Church. In Word and Sacrament, worship and fellowship, prayer and study of Holy Scriptures, Jesus comes to us. He disrupts our day to day routine and changes our lives forever. What amazing love and hospitality. God entered into our history, our story. He enters into the messiness of our lives and brings healing, restoration, redemption, and salvation. As we begin a new calendar year and enter into the season of Epiphany, may we be the Epiphany (which means manifestation or appearance) of Christ Jesus to the world. May our lives radiate with the light of Jesus Christ to a world in darkness. These are tough times and our church, (like most churches), have our challenges ahead. Living deeper and more fully in the presence of Jesus Christ, we will be able to overcome those challenges. Our perceptional boxes will change and we will see new opportunities for growth and vitality. As a Christian community, a resurrection family, we need to be diligent in prayer. We need to be sure we are being fed by the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, by worshipping together and praying together. I truly believe our church is on the threshold of doing new and unexpected ministry in our community and the world. God has amazing things in store for his faithful people. I look forward to walking with you in our journey of faith and partnering with you in ministry. Know that I am praying for you and I ask that you continue to pray for my family and me. God bless you all. Christ s Peace, Pastor Keith

2 President s Corner: By the time you read this, your 2011 Council will have completed its work and the new council will have begun its work. The members who retired from council this year have done a good job and left a good foundation for the incoming council. Most heartening is that the retiring members have begun volunteering to work on other Mission Teams in With the addition of new members you have elected, the addition of a full-time Pastor, and a spirit of volunteerism, in the congregation as a whole, we can look forward to a great 2012 together, to move forward in our mission to spread the Gospel in Sumter and throughout the SC Synod and the world. Working in and with the various ministry teams in our congregation is part and parcel of fulfilling our stewardship obligations. Mrs. Susan Wild will be the council representative for us in You can contact her, or any council person, to express your preference where you would be willing to serve. You are needed. Last, but not least, I want to thank the outgoing council for the honor of being your President in 2012 and working with everyone in the congregation. Outgoing President, Bob Bessel, council men and women, Gary Bratton, Ford Kamin, and Joyce Diehl have served you well and deserve your thanks. Happy New Year, Curtis Caulkins Curtis Caulkins, President

3 JANUARY 2 James F. Lee 3 Doug Carter, Pamela Blake 4 Amanda Owens 6 Ike Jenkins 7 Greg Forke, Susan Chandler, Jane Hart 10 Jessica Brunson 11 Betty Harvin 13 Hailey Denton 14 Joyce Litteer 15 Jim Owens 19 Scott Palmo, Hazelee Hallman 20 Debra Rabon 30 Phyllis Wisniewski Did we miss your birthday? Write your name and date of birth on the back of your yellow attendance slip and we ll wish you a belated happy birthday in next month s newsletter. Baptismal Anniversaries These young members of our congregation are celebrating their baptismal anniversaries this month: Carl Hutchinson ; Catherine Moore ; Caroline Simpson ; Christian Strange Messenger Due Dates Anything that you wish to be included for publication in the Messenger should be turned in at the church office or ed to: stjamesoffice@sc.rr.com The deadline is 7 days before the last day of the month. The Church Council meets on the 3 rd Monday of each month. This Messenger and monthly calendar can be found on the St. James website: Click on news and calendar to view them. Church Council Mike Stewart Kimberly Dees Carl Simpson Tim Tidwell Curt Caulkins Susan Wild Janet Turner Betty Harvin David Armstrong Ministry Teams Outreach/Care: Janet Turner Youth: Kimberly Dees Finance: Curt Caulkins Worship: Tim Tidwell Property: Christian Education Education: David Armstrong Stewardship: Susan Wild Evangelism: Janet Turner Mutual Ministry: Curt Caulkins Spiritual Growth: David Armstrong Church Officers President: Curt Caulkins Vice President: Mike Stewart Secretary: Kimberly Dees Treasurer: Glenn Hesselbart 3

4 Prayer Needs If you have a prayer need and would like it in the next Newsletter, please me at stjamesoffice@sc.rr.com Pray for our Homebound Members, Ed Hart and Don & Jean Hoyt (161 Lakeview Ave. Lakewood, NY 14750) ( ) Pray for our Members in Nursing Homes: Marilyn Kalamas and Olga Summy Loving Father, we pray for all those in need of comfort in sickness of body, mind or spirit: Phyllis Wisniewski, Denise Copeland, Deb Forke, Teeny Taylor (Mary Bradshaw s mother), Prudence Roos (Lois Heal s sister), Dot Barrineau, Serena Loney, Rena Morin (Shirley Veins sister), Nola Geddings, (Hazelee Hallman s sister), Don Diehl (Joyce Diehl s brother) and Daniel Edwards (son of Lynn and David Armstrong) who is deployed to Afghanistan. Ministries, Announcements & Upcoming *Please send the church office a blank so we can have your address on file. Thank you! * WEDNESDAY S 10:30 am: Bible Study (Library) Noon: Holy Communion Service (Sanctuary) TERRIFIC TUESDAYS WILL RESUME on Tuesday, January 17 th. We will meet at 6:00pm in the fellowship hall for a light supper and continue in the library with a new bible study titled, What s So Amazing about Grace. In this 10 session study, award-winning author Philip Yancey offers intimate glimpses of God s life-changing grace. Using candid interviews with real people, he illustrates the power of God to forgive the most horrible deeds, love the unloving, and redeem the seemingly irredeemable. It also focuses on forgiveness, one of the hardest commandments to practice. Come join us!! Call the church office to register so that we will know how many participant guides to purchase. THE EVANGELISM TEAM will meet at 6:30pm on Thursday, January 5 th in the church office. If you are not currently a member of this team and wish to be included, please call Marjorie at the church office THE CHURCH COUNCIL RETREAT which had been scheduled for January 31 st has been rescheduled to Saturday, February 11 th at 8:00am. Please adjust your calendars accordingly. DEAR ST.JAMES CONGREGATION, Thank you all so much for the prayers before, during and after my recent surgery. Renee Brunson 4

5 LOL: A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandments to honor thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters? Without missing a beat, one little boy (the oldest of his siblings) answered, Thou shall not kill. SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS WILL receive a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). This will be the first increase in benefits in two years. Each year, the COLA is determined by an increase (if any) in the third-quarter consumer price index over the index level a year earlier. Final calculations can only be made when September data is released in mid-october. Therefore, the 3.6% adjustment was released on January 1, Unfortunately, there is a kicker the Medicare premium and deductibles are going up, so most people will not see the full benefit increase. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE HAS BEEN AWARDED TO Leymah Roberta Gbowee, a Lutheran Liberian peace activist. Ms. Gbowee, a member of the Lutheran Church in Liberia is responsible for organizing a nonviolent women s movement that brought an end to a 14-year civil war in Liberia. The ELCA and the Lutheran Church in Liberia are members of The Lutheran World Federation a global communion of 140 member churches in 79 countries, representing more than 70 million Christians worldwide. The Liberian women s movement led to the ousting of ex-president Charles Taylor and to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia the first African nation with a female president. President Sirleaf has also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Leymah Gbowee s life and leadership are a witness to the power of women to resist forces of violence and domination by creating a movement for reconciliation and peace, said ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson. In Liberia, I experienced her passionate commitment to rebuilding a nation torn by civil war not by seeking vengeance, but through her faith to encourage dialogue and inclusiveness at all levels of society. The Nobel Peace Prize honors our sister, Leymah Gbowee, and all the courageous Liberian women who put their faith into action and their lives on the line in the prayerful, non-violent protest that helped end Liberia s brutal civil war, said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, ELCA executive for Global Mission. THE U.S. POST OFFICE ANNOUNCED THAT it will increase postage rates onjanuary 22, This price hike will include a 1-cent increase in the cost of first-class mail to 45 cents. The Postal Service lost $8 billion in fiscal 2010 and 2011 is likely to be worse (figures to be released this month). To help ease the crunch, other proposals besides the rate increases include: mail delivery reduction from 6 to 5 days a week and closing thousands of offices across the country. THIS IS THE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE CRAFT GROUPS: 1 st Wednesday of the month: Knitting and Crocheting 7:00pm in the fellowship hall 2nd Wednesday of the month: Arts and Crafts 7:00pm in the fellowship hall 3 rd Wednesday of the month: Jewelery Making 7:00pm in the fellowship hall 4 th Wednesday of the month: Scrapbooking 7:00pm in the fellowship hall There is no charge for these activities, except for supplies. For more information please call Kimberly Dees at or Marilyn Jenkins at

6 God s Kingdom of Angels at Work By Lois Heal In September my husband and I went to an Air Force OCS Reunion at Disneyworld in Florida. The weather was beautiful, but temperatures a little warmer than is comfortable for sightseeing for some people (like my husband!) We did the usual touristy activities and especially enjoyed socializing with our reunion friends. However, there were a couple of outstanding events that truly touched our hearts. Friday, September 16, Dean and I went to Animal Kingdom to take the Safari ride. Dean knows I love animals, and thought I especially would enjoy myself. We took the Hotel bus to Animal Kingdom which let us off in the middle of a huge parking lot and were told that would be where we would catch the bus to return to the Hotel. Everyone on the bus wondered why in heavens name we were dropped off in the middle of an empty parking lot. Dean estimated it was probably close to a ½ mile walk from there to the entrance to the Park. Then, of course, it was another long walk within the park to the Safari ride. Although the weather was beautiful the whole time we were in Florida, it was really HOT. We stopped to rest on the stone benches periodically, and Dean sat and waited for me while I went souvenir shopping. We enjoyed the Safari ride, saw a 3-week old baby elephant, and enjoyed seeing the wild animals in the open. After the ride, we started the trek back to catch our bus. It was hot, and Dean who doesn t do either walking or heat well, stopped often to sit down and rest. One man stopped to ask if we were OK and that a First Aid Station was just around the corner. We said thank you but we d be OK, and after a short rest continued on. I was very concerned about Dean, but short of staying overnight with the animals in the park, we had to continue on our way. We finally made it to the exit and then started toward the parking lot (where there wasn t much shade or benches to sit down and rest!) Part way there a nice gentleman asked where we were headed and could he give us a ride? We politely declined the offer and kept going. A few minutes later he came back to us and said his car was at the curb and was running and would be cooled off in a minute, and he wanted to take us where we were going. We couldn t refuse such a nice offer a 2 nd time, and accepted gratefully. We exchanged names and found he worked for the Disney organization and was at Animal Kingdom for a training day. He asked where we were staying and we told him the name of our hotel. We pointed out the area where we were told to catch the bus, but he kept driving out of the parking lot and told us he was going to drive us back to our hotel! We expressed our sincere thanks for his thoughtful and generous offer of his time and comfortably cool vehicle!!! To use Bishop Yoos words, this was not a coincidence, but a God-incidence. I thought afterwards how much in distress Dean must have looked to have so many offers of help. I ve since wondered if he would have had heat stroke if Jim had not given us a ride to the hotel. The next day I went out by myself (Dean couldn t have taken another situation as the previous day!) and headed to Epcot. I especially wanted to walk around the International area to see the various countries buildings (and souvenir shops, of course!). I went into the American building to see the 30 min. show on the history of America and was following the crowd into the theatre when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked Where is Dean today? I turned around and it was Jim, our Angel who rescued us the previous day! He and his wife and friends from Milwaukee were also being tourists for the day. We sat together in the theatre and I learned he worked in the Marketing division of Disney. We parted outside after the show and I again expressed how grateful I was for his help the previous day. I thought it was amazing circumstances we should meet again - that out of all the people who were at Disney and in various theme parks, that Jim and his group should be at the same theme park, the same day, and at the same moment, and that he should spot me and make a point of talking to me!!! The next week I was listening to the radio on my way to work and someone was talking about Angels and that they are all around us and when we need help, we need to ask for it. That simple sentence brought me up with a start and touched my heart as I realized that Jim had indeed been our Angel at Disney. We didn t have to ask for that help our Angel already knew we were in distress and had been sent to help us. Thank you, God, for sending your Angel, Jim. I don t know if we would have made it without that help. 5

7 From the Mission Committee Hujambo! (Hello!) The Missions Committee would like to wish everyone a very happy & prosperous 2012! We are very excited because this summer some of us will be traveling back to Tanzania. David Armstrong & Mildred Tietjen will be making their 3rd visit to Tanzania & Kimberly will be making her first trip. We attended our first training session to prepare for this trip & we are very excited to go and see what is new since the previous trip & introduce Kimberly to the Tanzanian culture! Bishop Mbwilo from the Southwest Diocese has been keeping our synod updated with the news from his diocese and we are happy to tell you the water pipes have been laid and the community now has water. The children no longer have to miss school to walk 6 miles one way to carry water! It is truly a blessing for that community. Cathy Milejczak, who is our synod chair for the Tanzania missions, had to tell Bishop Mbwilo to go ahead and use the water system because he was so thankful for the funds to complete the water project that he was going to wait until our arrival so we could be there with them when they first used the pipes. Cathy told them not to wait and Bishop Mbwilo reported to her via it was a glorious day when the water came through the pipes! The orphanage has been busy. They have more orphans than expected with needs greater than anticipated. The ladies have been busy. They have been planting corn. Some of the corn is used to feed the orphans and the rest is sold to buy other food supplies and items needed by the orphans. The supplies for the building of the teachers school have begun to arrive, however, the building itself is on temporary hold until the corn for the orphanage has been harvested. The initial need for the orphans was so great that the ladies planted the corn in the field where the teachers school is to be built. Once the corn is harvested, the foundation will be laid for the buildings for the teachers school! We would like to thank you all for your generous Advent donations for missions! A little bit sometimes goes a long way in Tanzania! $10 buys a school uniform which allows a child to go to school. Approximately $150 buys a sewing machine for an orphan girl and gives her a trade to make her self-sufficient for life. $465 pays a pastor's salary for one whole year. These are just a few of the many needs we can fill! If WELCA, a circle or any group would like to put together layettes or health kits for the women, please contact a member of the missions committee and we will be glad to give you the instructions and list of what goes into the kits and make sure they get to the synod for delivery to Tanzania. Happy New Year to you all and blessings! Mildred Tietjen & David Armstrong Missions Committee Co-Chairs 6

8 7

9 8

10 9

11 10

12 ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH 1137ALICE DRIVE Sumter, SC Return Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 105 Sumter, SC Church Office Hours: Monday Friday: 8:30 1:30 Office: Fax: The Reverend Keith Getz, Pastor SERVICES: Wednesday: 10:30 am, Bible Study Noon, Holy Communion Service Sunday School: 9:00 am Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 am ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT: called by God, centered in the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we rejoice in the Lord, proclaim His gift of Grace through liturgical worship and service and share Christ s love 11