Ready for School!

The students at our church look forward to starting a new school year in the days ahead. In celebration of their last week of summer before having to pull out their notebooks and pencils, the Elementary kids gathered together for some fun crafts, games, stories, songs, and pizza.

Our Middle and High Schoolers celebrated with a car wash and a pool party. (Their car wash helped raise over $400 to help with funds for the National Youth Gathering that is coming up in 2009.) Finally, to top it all off, the students, bus drivers, teachers, cafeteria workers and administrators at our church came forward for a book bag blessing on Sunday as they prepared to go out and share God's love with others during the 2008-2009 school year. Look out, world! Here we come!

For The Troops

Our fellowship hall was filled with beautiful music this past Sunday, as we were blessed with a patriotic concert by Sweet Adelines International. We dedicated this concert to the troops, and during it, we collected enough money and gifts to send five more care packages to our troops overseas.In these next few months, our congregation will be partnering with Lutheran Famiy Serivces in the Carolinas to provide a support group for soldiers who have returned from service overseas. Let's continue to pray for our troops both abroad and at home.

St. James, Inc.

Watch out, Lexington! We have 3 pastors now, and we're not afraid to use them. Pictured here is our new visiting team, complete with children on the hip. We like to refer to them as "St. James, Inc." They have been seen marching through the hospital and driving in caravan through the neighborhoods of the Greater Lexington area. They seek out those who are ill, suffering, or in need of prayer. Would you like a visit from St. James, Inc? Contact the church office at 803-359-2122.

Welcome!

This summer has been an eventful one for the people of St. James, especially as we've said goodbye to our Interim Pastor, the Reverend Bill Easley, and said hello to our first pastor couple, the Reverends Andrea and Nathan Rice. We celebrated the start of our ministry together with a meal and some Southern Gospel tunes presented by a few of our members.

A week later, we held a service of Holy Communion with the Rite of Installation for the Rices, where we officially installed them as our new pastors. Afterwards, we celebrated with desserts, and we presented them with their very own personalized copies of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal.

We can't wait to see where God will lead us all as pastors and people in worship and in service together in the years to come!

The First Blog Entry For St. James

This is one of many new changes for St. James!!! There is more to come. Stay tuned.