Merry Christmas

Silent Night, Holy Night. 

Merry Christmas from St. James Lutheran Church. May you see Christ's light shining into the darkness, and may you have peace in the new year.

Christmas Eve Worship Service

Celebrate the birth of Christ our Lord this Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, at 6:30PM. We will have a Holy Communion and Candlelight Service. Come along and bring a friend.

Dinner's Ready!

Nothing says delicious quite like Chicken Stew! At the end of November, the OWLs had our church fellowship hall full to overflowing with members who sat down together and enjoyed a wonderful time of food and friendship as they ate a home-cooked feast. We give thanks to God for our Older Wiser Lutherans and for all of the joy, dedication, and love that they bring to St. James.

St. Nicholas Day

Join us for a family-friendly interactive worship service honoring St. Nicholas on Sunday, December 2, at 5PM. There will be an appearance from St. Nicholas during the worship service, and afterwards, we will gather for a meal. Don't miss out on this fun learning event.

Thanksgiving Worship Service

Thanksgiving can be a busy time of preparing our homes and welcoming family, making good food, and travelling to visit relatives. Make sure you don't forget the real reason for Thanksgiving and to stop and give thanks to God for all of the blessings in your life this year!

Take time this Thanksgiving to worship our Lord and to give thanks for all that God is doing in Red Bank, SC. We will hold our annual Community Thanksgiving worship service on Wednesday, November 21, at 7PM at St. James. All are welcome to join us.

St. Francis Pet Blessing

Each Autumn, we celebrate St. Francis Day at St. James with a blessing of the animals. Bring your pets to the front lawn of our church on Tuesday, November 13, at 7PM for a brief worship service with the animals and a blessing of each individual pet. Dogs, Cats, Turtles, Gerbils, Goldfish, Snakes, and others are all welcome! Our God created the Universe, called everything "good," and sent us forth to care for the creation which He made. Help us celebrate God's good creation together!

New Bible Study

We are starting a new monthly Bible study at St. James especially for our Golden Agers/OWLs. We will meet at 10:30AM on November 12 and 26. Our study will focus on the End Times. Sound scary? Come and find out more.

Which Way?

Our young people at St. James brought their friends along to make their way through a corn maze a few weeks ago. They also spent this fall going Trick-or-Treating for canned goods,  starting a new Youth-Led Bible Study, and meeting regularly to play games and share a time of fellowship. God is at work in the lives of all of us-no matter our age.

Trunk-Or-Treat

Bring your kids in their Halloween costumes to the parking lot at St. James from 7 - 8:30PM on Friday, October 26, as they walk from one car trunk to the next to get some Halloween candy!

For All The Saints

All Saints' Sunday is coming up on the first Sunday in November. This year, we will once again fill up our sanctuary with candles representing all of the saints whom we love, who have died and are now resting in the eternal light of Christ. Would you like to have a candle lighted in memory of your loved one? Contact the church office, or fill out a form and place it in the offering plate. The cost of each votive is $2.50, and you may take it home with you after worship. The final week to order your votive is the week of Sunday, October 21.  

Clemson-Carolina Food Drive

Which team do you root for: Clemson or Carolina? Support your team this fall at St. James and help out those in need in our community by bringing in canned goods and putting them in the Clemson or Carolina buckets in our narthex. The team with the most canned goods will win! 

October Bible Series: Death and Dying

On Tuesday evenings in October, join us for a discussion and Bible study on Death and Dying. Our series will include a focus on the Biblical view of what happens when we die, the Biblical history of mourning and funerals, and we will cover questions about everything from heaven and hell to cremation and ghosts. We will take time to examine the details and history of the Lutheran funeral liturgy. We will also hear from a doctor on the medical aspect of dying as well as a lawyer regarding living wills. Our sessions will meet every Tuesday at 6:30PM in the sanctuary.

Safeguarding God’s Children

St. James Lutheran Church is pleased to offer a program called, “Safeguarding God’s Children,” to educate members on the recognition and prevention of child sexual abuse. All church members who work with kids and youth will be required to complete this training program by January 1. Sign up today in the Narthex for one of our training sessions: Sunday, October 14,from 3-5PM; Wednesday, October 24, from 7-9PM; Monday, October 29, from 10AM-Noon; Sunday, November 4, from 6-8PM, Split Session on Sundays November 11 and 18 during the Sunday School hour at 9:15AM. Tuesday, November 27, from 7-9PM, and Thursday, January 8, from 7-9PM. Help us keep kids safe at St. James. 

Fall Is In The Air - And So Is Softball

St. James has embarked on another softball season this fall.  Our men's team will be playing against area churches each week.  Call the church office for dates and times, then come on out and support St. James Lutheran Church!

Back to School Blessing

On Sunday, August 19, all students, teachers, bus drivers, and school workers were invited to bring their bookbags, jerseys, and keys to receive a blessing before they started back to another year of school. We go out into the world each day, knowing that we carry the light of Christ into our community. May Christ's light shine through us to touch the lives of all whom we meet!   

Harmony At St. James Lutheran Church

This past week, St. James did something slightly different than in years past. Vacation Bible School was set to a musical theme. Our musical, Spend Awhile On The Nile, was a hit, and we have some hardworking volunteers and pastors to thank for it all. Many new faces came to know us at St. James, and several young members gave a warm welcome to those children who were here for the first time. What a wonderful way to wind down the summer!

St. James Sunday

On July 29, St. James will celebrate our sanctuary's 20th year of welcoming people for worship. On this day, we will also celebrate our namesake, St. James the Greater, whose feast day is July 25. St. James the Greater was one of the first disciples along with his brother, John. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, James is believed to have been a missionary, spreading the Gospel story to Spain.  May we all be like James, going forth to share God's peace and make disciples in all of the earth.

Summer Gardeners at St. James

"I planted the seed...but God made it grow" (1 Corinthians 3:6).

                     

Operation Inasmuch 2012

This spring, St. James participated in Operation Inasmuch once again, and we had a great time sharing God's love in our community by helping others and showing them the love of Christ. 

We planted a garden to grow fresh vegetables for the needy people in our community. 

                                   

We went out into the community and knocked on doors, handing out free books for children.

We held a Family Fun Day, inviting the community over for games, crafts, and a hot meal.  

We offered a vision screening and gave out bags and bags of canned goods, baby formula, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and other basic necessities to those who were in need.

A group of us went out to build steps to help a family get into and out of their home. 

We stood outside of grocery stores like Food Lion and Piggly Wiggly to collect canned goods and other groceries to help fill up our food pantry.

We put together birthday bags of cake mixes, icing, and other treats for people who have birthdays each month at our food pantry.

All these things (and more!) we did in the name of Jesus, seeking to share God's love in our community and to let everyone know that we care about them, and that God cares, too! All of these things we did, keeping in mind the words of Christ: "I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The Garden at St. James is growing, growing, growing! These rows of squash, zucchini, okra, beans, tomatoes, corn, and watermelon will help to feed many of the hungry people in our community each month. What a blessing God has given us to use our gifts of gardening to spread his love in Red Bank, SC!

Spend A While on The Nile

Join us for our Music Camp/Vacation Bible School this summer at St. James. Our week will be filled with Bible stories, drama, music, crafts, and games. By the end of the week, the children will present a musical called, Spend Awhile On The Nile. Don't miss out on all the fun this summer! Deadline for registration is JULY 8.

Affirmations of Faith

Congratulations to our Confirmands for 2012! They each got up and affirmed their faith in Christ on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. What a joyous time this was in the life of our congregation as these young people stood up to renounce sin, the devil, and all the forces that defy God. May God continue to bless them and to guide them as they go forward in the truth and the wisdom of Christ.

Happy Birthday to The Church

We wish you a blessed Pentecost Season. Pentecost is the birthday of the church, the day when the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples. With a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire, their lives were changed forever. They were suddenly able to speak in all sorts of languages, sharing the good news of Christ in all lands to all people. We thank God for the power and the comfort of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who brings us to faith and guides us in truth.

Mmmm...Mmmm...Good!

Our OWLs group continues to gather at noon on the third Thursday of each month to eat lunch together. It's always a great time of fellowship and food! We give thanks to God for the wisdom and the witness, the leadership and the care of our OWLs at St. James.

God Rockz This Spring

Is your child interested in ringing bells and singing songs for Jesus? Join our God Rockz Choir for kids, ages 4 and up.  We meet on Wednesday evenings throughout the school year at 6PM beginning with a meal. All kids are welcome to join us!

Strike!

Church Softball begins again on Monday, April 16, at the Pine Grove Sports Complex. All are welcome to come on out and cheer us on.