Greetings to you, brothers and sisters in Christ, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

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1 The Messenger: September 2015 In This Month s Issue: From the Pastor, President s Points Page 1 Birthdays, Prayer Requests Page 2 Ministries, Announcements Page 3-5 Calendar Page 6 School News Page 7-8 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: 10:00 AM Sunday School: 9:00 AM Wednesday: 10:30 AM: Bible Study & Noon: Holy Communion Service (Sanctuary) St. James Lutheran Church 1137 Alice Drive Sumter, SC Office: stjamesoffice@sc.rr.com Church Office Hours: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Monday Friday St. James Lutheran School Words from Your Pastor Greetings to you, brothers and sisters in Christ, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Many people remember Martin Luther as the great reformer of the church, but most people don t realize that he was also a reformer of schools. There was a great need for educational reform at the beginning of the sixteenth century. There was no official school system and the education of children was often limited to the wealthy. In many places the Roman Catholic Church supervised the training of the youth in monasteries, cloisters, and other church institutions, but these were falling into disrepute and disrepair due to the people s reaction against the corruption and abuses of the clergy. Many parents stopped training their children and focused on work or didn t have the financial means to do so. Martin Luther proposed different reforms for schools (he also proposed turning the monasteries into schools). Many of the other Reformers followed his example. The Reformers were the first to express the principles of reformed education and to develop objectives and methods. Luther, not concerned with separation of church and state, believed all children had a right to a Christian education, and it is the government s duty to provide for this. The Reformers provided an important basis upon which later educators were to build. As a result of the Reformation, public education was greatly altered by the end of the sixteenth century. Martin Luther believed that at the foundation of a good and orderly society is Christian education for its youth. As we begin another school year, I am reminded that our school at St. James is following in the spirit of Luther and the Reformers by providing a strong Christian education for our youth. This is an important ministry of God and our church. I give thanks to all those teachers that give of their talents and time to give our children a strong foundation to succeed. I thank our teachers at St. James, who are dedicated to giving our children the best Christian education possible. I am thankful to all private school teachers, who have a passion to teach children and work for less money than a public school teacher. I thank our public school teachers, who are unable to pray and tell students about Jesus at school, but show their students the love of Christ in their actions. I thank our Sunday school teachers for giving of their time and talents to give the youth of our church a solid program where they can grow in the faith. I also thank home school teachers for their dedication in providing a solid Christ-centered, well-rounded education. To all these educators, I give God thanks. Let us keep our educators and students in our prayers this school year, and may we have a wonderful new school year of academic learning and growing in the faith, remembering the words of Martin Luther: When schools flourish, all flourishes. Christ s Peace, Pastor Keith

2 1 st Brian Crawshaw 3 rd Andrew Bailey 8 th Karen Hesselbart 12 th Caroline Getz 17 th Taylor Brunson 18 th Karen Bailey 21 st Stan Salter 22 nd Marlene Lee 26 th Joann Lee For healing: Dot Barrineau Nit Cohen (Kim Strange s sister) Ray and Lu Davenport Jeniffer Filipiak Lee Haas Barbara Harbath Gary Harbath Debbie Ketterer Margaret Lutz Virginia McCoy (Karen Hesselbart s mother) Betty Moore Chris Morse Judy Pollock Ann Reynolds Margaret Taylor Judith Terry Laura Wisniewski (Jackie Stewart s sister) If you have a prayer need and would like it in the next Newsletter, please me at stjamesoffice@sc.rr.com Messenger Due Dates Church Council Ministry Teams and Council Rep. 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. Brian Crawshaw Elizabeth Sam Beck John Kinser Susan Caulkins Tony Myers Art Nerheim Lisa Bratton Ford Kamin Ray Ziecker Care: Susan Caulkins Finance: Bob Bessel Worship: Pastor Keith Property: Ray Ziecker Christian Education: Art Nerheim Fellowship: Sam Beck Stewardship: Brian Crawshaw/Tony Myers Witness: Ford Kamin Spiritual Growth: Lisa Bratton Church Officers President: Brian Crawshaw Vice President: Tony Myers Secretary: Sam Beck Treasurer: Glenn Hesselbart

3 TALENTS SCHEDULE CRUCIFER AND COMMUNION HELPER SCHEDULE: September 6: Crucifer: Andrew Bratton Communion Help: Caroline Getz Attendant: Lisa Bratton September 13: Crucifer: Owen Getz Communion Help: Andrew Bratton Attendant: Karen Hesselbart September 20: Crucifer: Christian Strange Communion Help: Owen Getz Attendant: Kim Strange September 27: Crucifer: Caroline Getz Communion Help: Ashley Crawshaw Attendant: Karen Hesselbart LITURGIST & CA SCHEDULE: September 6: Liturgist: Hugh China September 13: Liturgist: Karen Hesselbart September 20: Liturgist: Ford Kamin September 27: Liturgist: Dick Rasmussen CAs: Bob Bessel & Cheryl Schmeling CAs: Harold Chandler & Gary Harbath CAs: Cheryl Schmeling & Bob Summers CAs: Bob Bessel & Judith Terry LAYREADER SCHEDULE: September 6: Judy Lessard September 13: Rob Easley September 20: Gary Harbath September 27: Harold Chandler COUNTER SCHEDULE: September 6: Mike Stewart September 13: Shelley Crawshaw September 20: Shelley Crawshaw September 27: Shelley Crawshaw CHILDREN S SERMON SCHEDULE: September 6: Karen Hesselbart September 13: Lisa Bratton September 20: Carolyn Brandt September 27: Elton Hallman EVANGELISM GREETER SCHEDULE: September 6: Karen Bailey & Tom Lovett September 13: Scott & Sheri Palmo September 20: John & Helen Kinser September 27: Carolinda Getz & Janet Turner ALTAR CARE: September: Margaret Taylor & Judy Pollock USHER SCHEDULE: September 6: Mike Stewart & Ray Ziecker September 13 & 20: Tony Myers & Max Schmeling September 27: Gary Harbath & Ford Kamin FLOWERS September 6: Weishuhn/Bultman September 13: Ray & Carol Ziecker September 20: Lois Heal September 27: Susan Caulkins If you will be unable to make it on a Sunday when you are serving please call the office: and let Stephanie know so that we can find a replacement and make the necessary changes to the bulletin.

4 The Lula June Circle will be meeting on September 1 st at 9:30 am at the home of Arletta Price. Please meet at the church at 9:15 if you would like to carpool. Please plan to attend PRAISE and FELLOWSHIP on Tuesday, September 1st from 6:30 8:00 p.m. Please bring a snack to share. CHILDREN S SUNDAY SCHOOL UPDATE Now that summer is over and school has started back, our Children s Sunday School classes will resume on September 13 th at 9:00 A.M. for a really fun time. Our classes will cover the ages from Preschool up to High School. All classes will be held in the Sunday School Building. We invite all the children to join us on Sunday mornings St. James Lutheran Men will be meeting on Monday, September 14 th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The Epiphany Conference of the WELCA will be held at St. James on September 19 th at 10:30 a.m. All women are invited to come and welcome our sister congregations to a morning of fellowship, with a program that will delight each and every one. Be sure to check us out. The question was asked: What is a Conference? In the spring of 1998, the SC WELCA followed the suggested re-alignment of the SC Synod to form conferences within South Carolina. Conferences are geographical groupings of congregational units within a synodical organization, which seek to bring congregational units together for leadership and special events. The purpose of conferences is to support the activities of unites that are close in geographic proximity to one another. A map of our conference locations is on the Leaders page next to Conferences on our website at and under Who We Are Click on SC Women of the ELCA. Submitted by Margaret Shirer

5 Welcome our new youth program for our young girls and young ladies to American Heritage Girls. AHG is excited to start it s new program on September 24, This will be our first parent night for the initial meeting and information. We have had our first leader meeting already and have opened our first bank account. We are so excited to be able to touch the lives of our girls here in our church, and our community for Jesus Christ. We are raising girls of integrity to love and serve God and our neighbors. We still need some leaders for the different age levels to guide and teach the girls skills and the love of our Lord. So far, we have 2 confirmed leaders and possibly 2 more are coming on board. I still need about 2 more leaders and committee members and 5 more co-leaders if you are interested. This is open to men as well as women; fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers. All are welcome and encouraged to come and teach our girls or share a skill for one night or every night we meet. Men have a special perspective that is very important to our young girls that can lead them to have lives of self-acceptance and integrity. We also are looking for talented adults to teach skills that match your talent. If your talent is cooking, sewing, animal care, art projects, jewelry making, songs, drama, music, healthcare, engineering, camping, etc., we have a need for your talent. Even for just one night to teach a skill. We meet the first 3 Thursdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. starting in October. I d love to hear from you and coordinate a time so that we could learn about your special skills. Please contact me, Kelly Powell, Troop Coordinator at or Kelly.powell@sunsetbiz.net. Please note new information for: JoAnn Bruce 997 Rolling Hill Lane Sumter, SC Church Women United will hold it s Annual Salad Luncheon on Saturday, September 26 th at 11:30 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 226 W. Liberty Street. A $5.00 donation is requested. If you have questions or would like tickets, please contact Judy Lessard at Take outs are available at 12:00 p.m. UPDATE ON VBS I wanted to thank everyone that participated in our Journey Off the Map Vacation Bible School in July. We are truly grateful for those of you that donated your time and for those of you who donated supplies, or fruit and desserts to accompany our meal every night. We are also very appreciative for those of you that contributed with a monetary donation. All of those things allowed for us to have a successful VBS. It takes a large team of dedicated volunteers to make VBS happen and we were truly blessed to have so many wonderful volunteers. We touched the lives of 40 children and shared our faith. They definitely had a lot of fun with all of the activities that we had planned. They also learned that Jesus loves them so much! Thank you to each of you that had a part in this wonderful program and thank you to everyone that lifted us up in prayers. God Bless! Shelley Crawshaw VBS Director Dear members of St. James, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all dearly for not only the financial support that I received on your behalf, but also for the many prayers. St. James and it s people are of particular importance to me, as I grew up there and was surrounded and formed by many wonderful, godly people. I look favorably upon the years I spent at St. James. I keep St. James in my thoughts and prayers. I will be beginning a one year internship in Annapolis, Maryland in September. My fiance, Rebecca, and I would appreciate your prayers as we embark on this new and exciting opportunity. Thank you once again. Your support has been much appreciated! In Christ, Mark Metze

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 am Lula June Circle (home of Arletta Price) 6:30 pm Praise & Fellowship (FSH) 2 10:30 am Bible Study 12:00 pm Holy (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Jewelry Making Group 3 Pack # :00 am Prayer Fellowship (Sanct.) 6 9:00 am Sunday School for Adults 10:00 am Traditional 7 8 5:30 pm Girl Scout Troop #1315 (FSH) Pack #300 (FSH) 6:00 pm Worship Team Meeting (Parlor) 7:00 pm Venture Crew #300 (FSH) 9 10:30 am Bible Study 12:00 pm Holy (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Choir Practice 7:00 pm Jewelry Making Group 10 Pack #305 6:30 pm School Board Ministry Tm. 7:00 PM Boy Scouts Troop #305 (FSH) 11 9:30 AM SJLS Grandparent's Day Celebration (FSH) 12 9:00 am Prayer Fellowship (Sanct.) 13 9:00 am Sunday School for All Ages 10:00 am Traditional 14 7:00 pm Lutheran Men's Meeting (FSH) 15 Pack #300 (FSH) 16 10:30 am Bible Study 12:00 pm Holy (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Choir Practice 7:00 pm Jewelry Making Group 17 Pack #305 7:00 pm Boy Scouts Troop #305 (FSH) :00 am Prayer Fellowship (Sanct.) 10:30 am WELCA Fall Epiphany Conference (FSH) 20 9:00 am Sunday School for All Ages 10:00 am Traditional 2:00 pm Confirmation Class Begins 21 7:00 pm Council Meeting 22 8:00 am Lutheran Men's Breakfast (Guignard Diner) Pack #300 (FSH) 7:00 pm Venture Crew #300 (FSH) 23 10:30 am Bible Study 12:00 pm Holy (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Choir Practice 7:00 pm Jewelry Making Group 24 6:00 pm American Heritage Girl (Education Wing) Pack #305 7:00 pm Boy Scouts Troop #305 (FSH) :00 am Kairos (FSH) 9:00 am Prayer Fellowship (Sanct.) 27 9:00 am Sunday School for All Ages 10:00 am Traditional Pack #300 (FSH) 30 10:30 am Bible Study 12:00 pm Holy (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Choir Practice 7:00 pm Jewelry Making Group 1 2 3

7 St. James Lu heran School Where Jesus is Lord and His children grow in grace, truth, and knowledge 1137A Alice Drive Sumter, SC Phone: We would like to welcome all our new students to the SJLS family. This new school year has brought a huge change to SJLS. While we all miss Mrs. Brandy Mullennax tremendously, we are reaping the good things she invested in the school. Each classroom is led by a qualified, experienced teacher. With Mrs. Kristin Ross as our Office Manager, Mrs. Sue Tucker as our Lead Teacher, and Miss Karen Holland as our Extended Care Director, things are flowing smoothly during the first few weeks of school. Please help me welcome our new staff members: Chelsey Newman-K-4 Aid and EC, Megan Lanning-K-3 Aid and Office, Lori Forester-4 th /5 th, and Tiffany Saarheim-K-3 Teacher. We are pleased to announce that we currently have 107 students enrolled in our school. We are looking forward to a great school year. Grandparent s Day is Sunday, September 13th. We would like to celebrate this special day at St. James Lutheran School on Friday, September 11th. Grandparents/grandfriends are invited to join the children for goodies in the fellowship hall. from 10:00-10:30 a.m.

8 SJLS Staff Mrs. Kristin Ross Mrs. Tiffany Saarheim Mrs. Devin Yomtob Mrs. Megan Lanning Office Manager K-3 K-3 Aid K-3 Aid/Office Miss Ashleigh Hamm Miss Chelsey Newman Mrs. Krystal Earley Mrs. Susan Harker K-4/Extended Care K-4 Aid/Extended Care K-5 1 st Grade/Extended Care Mrs. Tammy Strunga Mrs. Sue Tucker Mrs. Lori Forester Miss Karen Holland 2 nd Grade/Extended Care 3 rd Grade/Lead Teacher 4 th -5 th Grade Extended Care Director

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10 ST JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH 1137 Alice Drive Sumter, SC Return Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 105 Sumter, SC Office: Church office hours: 8:30am-12:30pm Monday through Friday The Reverend Keith Getz, Pastor St. James Lutheran School SERVICES: Wednesday 10:30 AM - Bible Study Noon - Holy Sunday School for All Ages: 9:00 AM Sunday Worship Service: 10:00 AM