Mustard Seeds And Jesus' Love

St. James had a wonderful Vacation Bible School last weekend. There were hayrides and water slides, games and crafts,  songs and Bible stories, but most of all: we learned about Jesus' love for each of us! 

Sometimes as children and as young disciples of Jesus, we may feel like we can't make much of a difference in this big, wide world that God has made. But God's kingdom is like a mustard seed - tiny and insignificant looking, yet full of LIFE and able to bloom into a gigantic mustard plant with strong branches that provide shade and a place of rest for all of the birds of the air. 

Last weekend at Vacation Bible School, we held mustard seeds in our hands as we sat out among the trees, listening to the birds, and we remembered how God's all powerful Holy Spirit can work through even the youngest of us to share Christ's love and make a big difference in this world. 
  

Women's Bible Study

Beginning on Sunday, August 18, the women of St. James will have an opportunity to take part in a new Bible study just for them, entitled A Confident Heart.  The Study meets at 9:15AM in our Education Building.  If you would like to take part in this study, the book is available at LifeWay, Amazon, Proverbs 31 Ministries and other online sources.  Read ahead, and take advantage of the discussion questions at the end of each chapter in order to be prepared for class.  If you would like to know more about the author and/or purchase the book through Proverbs 31 Ministries, simply click on the link below and it will take you directly to Renee Swope's website:
http://reneeswope.com/aconfidentheart/ .

Vacation Bible School 2013

Sign up now for our Weekend VBS on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27, from 9AM-12PM. This year, we will hold our VBS at Hill Top Christmas Tree Farm, which is right near the church (1509 Nazareth Rd). Join us for a hay-larious time, as we go on hayrides, enjoy a campfire and play games in the field, sing songs, and learn Bible stories. (On the first day, bring a towel and a swimsuit, because there will be lots of exciting water games. On the second day, be ready for a hot dog roast for lunch.) 

Call the church office now to sign up or to purchase a t-shirt, if you would like one. (T-shirt fees must be collected by July 7 so that they may be ordered in time for our big weekend!) 

Garden of Grace

Inch by inch, row by row, God is making our garden grow, and each basket of fresh picked vegetables from the St. James Garden is being given to people in need in our surrounding community. May God continue to bless this garden ministry and the lives of those that we reach out to in Christ's name. 

Prayer Request

Please pray for the delegation of 15 persons from the South Carolina Synod who are traveling to Colombia this week to visit with our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia. The delegation includes Bishop Herman Yoos, Assistant to the Bishop Mel Amundson, and Pastor Mark Cerniglia, coordinator of the companion synod relationship. The other participants are Cindy Yoos, Nancy Amundson, Joseph Cerniglia, Katie Sturman, Lauren Rawls, Adam and Carolyn Steele, Neal and Sharon Shealy, Philip and Melanie Wessinger, and Pastor Larry Hartsell. They will be visiting churches, church-sponsored schools, and other ministries in Bogota, Sogamoso, Tunja, and Soacha. Bishop Yoos will preach at a special youth service at San Pablo in Bogota on July 14.