MESSENGER. Growing in Grace. Volume 6, Number 7. July A Word from The Pastors Rice

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1 July 2012 Volume 6, Number 7 MESSENGER Growing in Grace -A Word from The Pastors Rice One of the perks of being a pastor is that you never really have to decide what to wear on Sunday. I know some of you may anguish over what dress to wear or what tie to put on, but for us the choice is already made. I remember once in college waking up and being unable to find my dress shoes so I just climbed back into bed and went back to sleep. It was easy to make the decision not to go. How many of us make that same decision not to go? I remember the pastor I grew up with complaining after church on Sunday about how the rain scared half the congregation away. I thought at the time that he was exaggerating. Now, I know that it is easy to make excuses. It s easy to decide not to attend church on any given Sunday. There are all sorts of reasons. The clouds are thick and rain is coming. Wouldn t want to get wet on the way to church. There s frost covering the windshield of my car. That s just too much work. The kids are crazy and will argue all through church. It s better for everyone else for me just to stay home. Perhaps, you are just so tired. Maybe you worked six days last week. Maybe you haven t gotten to sleep late for months. I mean, Sunday is prime time sleeping real estate. It is often the only time that we have nothing going on. It is the only time we have nothing planned. In many ways I can understand. We all need rest. I think we often make the decision not to go to worship. But, maybe we need to think about worship in a different way. Maybe we need to think about it not as something we go to when the stars align, but something we desperately need. We make deliberate decisions to eat healthy foods. We make deliberate decisions to exercise. We make the deliberate decision to try to limit the amount of TV we or our children watch. We make the deliberate decision to read to our children. We deliberately make these choices because they help us to be healthy. But, we need church in much the same way. Perhaps, we need to think of worship as a deliberate choice. Perhaps, it is as important as eating healthy or exercising right. Maybe it s even more important than that. Maybe it is like breathing. Maybe we need to worship to live. We need it to survive or at least to survive well. We need it so we can get through that six day work week. We must be deliberate about our faith practices. Worship is important. It is part of our survival as Christians. But, so are our other faith practices like reading scripture, praying, giving, and serving. We need all of these practices because they influence our relationship with the God who has given us everything. Let's think of worship not as a decision to make on Sunday morning, but as a way of life. Let's think of worship as a process as necessary as breathing and eating.

2 Bible Max Summer Movie Series This summer the Bible Max Sunday School Class will be viewing three full length movies over nine weeks. To kick-off the series, on Sunday, July 1, we will begin showing, The Bible, detailing the book of Genesis. To follow will be Balto, an animated true story of courage and leadership in the arctic wilderness. Ending the series will be Iron Giant, a story of faith and forgiveness. These films are all based on solid Christian principles and contain strong biblical themes which will be pointed out and taught as part of each lesson. If you have a child not already attending Sunday School, now would be a wonderful time for your 2nd through 4th grader to begin! Class begins at 9:15 AM each Sunday, and popcorn will be served. Special Musical Rehearsal for Leads All youth and kids with lead roles in our summer musical, Spend Awhile On The Nile, will meet at 10:30AM on July 9-12 for extra rehearsals. Please make every effort to be present at all the rehearsals. We can't wait to see you there! All-Committee Night and Church Council Our next All-Committee Night will be held on Sunday, July 8 at 7PM. Church Council will meet again on Sunday, July 15, at 7PM. Spend Awhile on The Nile Music Camp/VBS We are doing a little something different for VBS this year at St. James. We are adding a little more music, some instruments, and a whole lot of drama! All kids and youth of the church along with their friends are invited to participate in our Music Camp VBS at St. James on July The camp will last each morning from 9AM-12PM. By the end of the week, they will produce a musical for the entire congregation and Red Bank community to come and watch. All kids who would like to participate in our music camp must sign up by Sunday, July 8. Cost to register is $10 per child ($20 maximum per family). These funds will help to cover the price of t-shirts and VBS supplies. Come One, Come All! The entire congregation is invited to a summer musical called, Spend Awhile on The Nile, on Friday, July 20, at 7PM in the Fellowship Hall. Afterwards, there will be an ice cream social. Come along a bring a friend! OWLs Luncheon St. James' OWLs have been invited by Tom Boozer and Jimmy Shealy to join them in a fish fry at Tom's Den on Thursday, July 19, at noon. As always, it will be a time of great food and fellowship, so come on out and show Tom and Jimmy how much we appreciate their efforts! Summer Youth Group All youth members are invited to a pool party on Wednesday, July 25, from 11AM to 1PM at South Brook Community Pool off of Longs Pond Road. (Take I20 to exit 51; turn left onto Longs Pond Rd, and South Brook is less than half a mile on the left.) We will grill hotdogs, swim, and play games. Bring your own beverage to drink and any pool toys or volleyball equipment that you have. As always, friends are welcome!

3 St. James Sunday Sunday, July 29, is going to be a wonderful day of worship and celebration for St. James Lutheran Church. During worship, we will hear again the story of St. James the Greater, the saint for whom our church is named. We will also take time to celebrate our sanctuary being 20 years old. We plan to gather after worship for a meal together where we will continue to tell stories and share the many different ways that we have seen God at work in our lives. We hope that everyone will make an effort to come to this exciting event. In case you may have forgotten our church is named after St. James the Greater. Here are a few facts about St. James: He was the son of Zebedee and the brother of John. Jesus gave him and his brother John the nickname, Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder. He is known as the Greater, because he was called to be a disciple earlier than St. James the Lesser, who was Jesus brother. After the resurrection of Christ, St. James the Greater is believed to have been a missionary to Spain. His symbol is the scallop shell, and all pilgrims who come to visit his shrine today in Spain wear seashells on their hats. Adult VBS All adults of the church are invited to a morning Bible Study on July 30-August 2 at 10AM. Our Bible study is from a series entitled, A Gardener, Two Travelers, and A Cheat. This Bible study will teach you all about Adam, Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob. This series is designed to give participants a sweep of a characters stories from start to finish. A Penny A Day The Congregation of St. James is collecting 50,000 pennies. Please bring your pennies to church with you, and drop them off in a jar in the narthex. Want to know why we need these pennies? Find out when you come to one of the home meetings you will be invited to in August and attend worship on September 9! Lutheran Men in Mission The Lutheran Men will meet at 6:30PM on Monday, July 16. Come and join us. Our Long Range Plan The long range planning committee and church council are excited to announce the results of a year s worth of praying, discernment, and looking forward to the future. We can't wait to share our long range plan with you. We will be discussing the plan at multiple venues over the next few months. First, we will meet again in small group home meetings during August. You will meet with the same folks that you met with for your ministry assessment. Each active member, whether they attended a ministry assessment or not, will receive a call and an invitation to attend a meeting in August. We will also present the plan to the entire congregation at one service on Sunday, September 9. We will hold a congregational meeting following the service to discuss and vote on the plan. We are so excited to share with you where we believe the Holy Spirit is guiding St. James Lutheran Church.

4 Float Down The River The Youth Committee at St. James is sponsoring a Float Down the River at Saluda Shoals on Saturday, August 18. Everyone in the church is invited to join us as we float down the Saluda River in canoes or rafts. Check your bulletins and Sunday Morning announcements for more details on this fun event. Bookbag Blessing Are you ready for school to begin again? Whether the answer is yes or no you need to get your bookbag blessed. Come to worship on August 19 and have your bookbag blessed for the coming year. Also, feel free to bring lunch boxes, teacher's bags, keys, or jerseys to be blessed as well. This blessing will send us from this place confident in God's presence in our lives and will remind us that we take Jesus from this place and share him with others. Standing on the Rim of the Earth: A Series on Death and Dying Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about death? Have you ever thought about what you might like to happen at your funeral? Have you ever worried about the many end of life decisions that we all must make? On Wednesdays in September we will discuss all of these issues. We will eat a meal together and then tackle these weighty topics. We will discuss what the Bible says about death. We will talk about end of life decisions. We will talk about living wills and last will and testaments. We will talk about the Lutheran funeral service, and we will have a separate Bible study for our youth to attend as well. Guardian Angels The Guardian Angels prayer group will meet again in September. Dates are undetermined as of yet, so make sure to check those calendars regularly. Until then, have a wonderful and blessed summer. BackPack Project Over the last school year, our congregation has participated in feeding 20 local children each weekend. Every week, 125 book bag sacks are delivered to Red Bank Elementary by local churches, individuals and other groups to ensure that these children do not go hungry over the weekend. Our church is proud to participate in such a needed community outreach event. Items that are included in the weekly sack are: 2 boxed drinks, 2 hot items (ramen noodles, ravioli, etc microwaveable), 2 breakfast products (pop tarts, individual cereal & oatmeal, etc), 2 cup items (pudding, applesauce, etc) and 2 snacks ( packs of crackers, cookies, granola bars, etc). We would like to get a head start on the school year by pre-stocking for this project throughout the summer. To help you with this project and make it more fun-because we all love a sale-we will provide you with the best grocery deals in our area. You will be able to see this in the weekly bulletin as well as the bulletin board next to the nursery. Donations can be left in the Book Bag Sack basket in the Narthex or the Youth Sunday School room.

5 July Birthdays 07/02 07/20 Jenna Feaster Norma Moore Notes of Thanks and Hope 07/05 Lizzy Turner 07/06 Rhonda Areheart Aubrey Poplin 07/23 Allen Hollis Michael Shealy 07/24 Kyle Summer Congratulations Congratulations to Jeremy and Shelley Joyner on the births of their twins, Jett Killian and Stella Kate born June 19th. Jett weighed in at 5lbs, 12oz and Stella Kate at 6lbs, 5oz. May God continue to bless the Joyner family! 07/07 Brayson Boone Robert Germerhausen 07/08 Lenora Bond David Frazier 07/10 Penelope Areheart Melissa Crumpton Dick Kyzer 07/11 Lisa Tyson 07/18 Charlene Crumpton 07/19 Sarah Areheart 07/25 Kristen Kraus 07/26 Daniel Sharpe 07/27 Caleb Strickland 07/29 Michelle Feaster Denise Wolfe Congratulations to Alyssa Popp and Mila Marie Popp, who became members of our congregation on Sunday, July 1. We especially rejoice with Mila Marie, as she was born anew through the waters of baptism and called a child of God. May Mila always know the love of God in Christ for her! Thank You To our St. James Family: We would like to thank everyone for the warmth, support, comfort and many other acts of kindness we have received during our time of mourning. And a special thank you to all of the ladies that provided our family a wonderful and delicious meal. Brenda & Hank Poplin Dear St. James, Thank you for making a difference in the lives of those we serve at the Heritage at Lowman. Your partnership is vital to achieving our mission of enhancing the well-being of the older adults we serve. Sincerely, The Rev. Robert G. Coon

6 We Pray for Our Members, Friends and Family: Sean Anderson - Friend of Poindexters/Scout 332 Donna Areheart - Aunt of Tina Poindexter Courtney Cagle - Granddaughter of D Pounds Nita Clamp - Friend Jeremy & Shelley Joyner Susan Cook - Friend of M Hollis Donna Conger - Friend of Deana Gunter George Crim - Friend of Katrina Shealy Billy Crumpton - Father of M. Crumpton & J. Taylor Woodrow Davis, Jr. - Father of Tim Davis Bert(Alberta)Dooley - Aunt of Margaret Hollis Libby Fertick - Friend of Michelle Feaster Mark Frye -Cousin of Sheryl Jeffords & K. Shealy Allen Goings - Brother-in-law of Kathy Goings Linda Gossett - Sister in Law of Brenda Poplin Deana Gunter - Church Member Mildred Gunter - Cousin of Anna Ree Roland Virginia Hall - Church Member Mollie Harrison - Church Member Melissa Harvey - Friend of Michelle Feaster Bill Hasty - Brother of Evelyn Knox James Hibbs - Father of Jeff Hibbs Ray Hillman - Cousin of Hank Poplin Jerry Hutto - Church Member Billy James - Relative of Virginia Hall Chris James - Son of Virginia Hall Krystal James - Friend of Virginia Hall Roy Jenkins - Brother of Steven Jenkins Donna Joy - Friend of Mary Hines Roland Kibler - Friend of M Caulder Donald Kneece - Friend of L. & G Steele Lynette Koon - Friend of Sharon Duke Margaret Kyzer - Church Member Rick Kyzer - Son of Richard Kyzer Royce McIester - Friend of Katrina Shealy David McMichael - Cousin Anna Ree Roland Norma Moore - Church Member Phillip Moore - Son of Norma Moore Cara Nalepa - Friend of Laura Hibbs Dollie Pounds - Church Member Jerry Pounds - Son of Dollie Pounds Randy Pounds - Son of Dollie Pounds Frankie Pounds - Grandson of Dollie Pounds Thomas Sonny Rawl - Church Member Mark Reed - Friend of Sheryl Jeffords Anna Ree Roland - Church Member Harold Roland - Church Member Ed Sharpe - Relative of Virginia Hall Larry Shealy - Uncle of Mike & Lisa long Johnny Starnes - Bro of Anna Ree Roland Sherri Taylor - Gdaughter-in-law of V. Goff William Watson - Father of D Areheart Mary Jane West - Mother of Eric West Betty & Graham White - Friends of J Shealy Tommy Whitten - Brother of Lynn Sloan Tina Wilson - Granddaughter of E. Backman Family of Ryan Rawl - Friend of M &L Long Our Shut-Ins: Mollie Harrison Kathleen Smith Charlie Webb Our Service Workers: Michael Anderson Dwight Barrs Ryan Caulder Eric Janson Jeremy Jolly Christopher Summers John Walden

7 WORSHIP ASSISTANTS Acolytes 10:30AM July 1 - Emerson Hibbs July 8 - Marshall Hibbs July 15 - Alyssa Jenkins July 22 - Jacob Feaster July 29 - Mattie O Quinn Altar Guild Susan Hollis Communion Bread July 1 - Cheryl Austin July 29 - Russell & Janet Taylor Lay Readers July 1 - Lynn Sloan July 8 - Byron Roberts July 15 - Debbie Kyzer July 22 - Janet Taylor July 29 - Nursery Attendants July 1 - T. O Quinn/S. Hollis July 8 - July 15 - July 22 - July 29 - Ushers Hank Poplin Guy West Frank McLeod Allen Hollis Sound System Mike Long July 2012 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 10:30 AM - Holy Communion :30 AM - Saturday Sisters 8 10:30 AM - Holy Commnion 7:00 PM - All Committee 9 10:30 AM Music Rehearsal 10 10:30 AM - Music Rehearsal 11 10:30 AM - Music Rehearsal 12 10:30 AM - Music Rehearsal :30 AM - Holy Commnion 7:00 PM - Church Coucil 16 9:00 AM - Music Camp 17 9:00 AM - Music Camp 2:00 PM - Harvest Hope 18 9:00 AM - Music Camp 19 9:00 AM - MusicCamp 12:00 PM - OWLs at Tom s Den 20 9:00 AM - Music Camp 7:00 PM - Spend Awhile On The Nile, A Musical :30 AM - Holy Commnion AM - Youth Pool Party :30 AM - Holy Commnion 12PM - St. James Sunday Meal 30 Adult VBS 10AM 31 Adult VBS 10AM

8 St. James Lutheran Church 1358 South Lake Drive Lexington, South Carolina (RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED) Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage P-A-I-D Permit No. 64 Lexington, S.C. Pastors: Church Staff Rev. Andrea Rice Rev. Nathan Rice Worship Service: 8:00 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Office Hours Monday Thursday 9:00 AM 2:00 PM Church Office: or Web Page: