St. Nicholas Day Blessing

On December 6, we invited all kids to the church to celebrate St. Nicholas Day at St. James. This included an interactive worship service especially for children. St. Nicholas, (also known as Santa Claus), even made an appearance as well. Each child came forward for a blessing, and cookies and hot chocolate were provided afterwards! 

St. James' Christmas Cantata

Come and hear our handbell ringers, Christmas choir, and instrumentalists as we present the story of Christ's birth!

Preparing for Christmas

Advent has been a busy time at St. James! In addition to our Christmas Cantata,

our St. Nicholas Service and Blessing of The Children,

and our Christmas Decoration Giveaway to those in need in our community,

we have also spent time decorating the trees and setting up the sanctuary in preparation for Christmas Day!

All are invited to join us for worship this Christmas. Our Christmas Eve Candlelight service will be at 6:30PM, and our Christmas Morning Worship Service will be on December 25 at 9:30AM.

Occupy Church

This Sunday, December 4, at 4PM, we are holding an event open to the community called "Occupy Church." During this event, we will gather around God's Word in a service of worship to pray for God to guide us as disciples and as Christians of this nation. Everyone is invited: no matter your age, denomination, or political affiliation. Our service will begin outside on the front lawn (weather permitting). Come on out and occupy the church with us!

Christmas Decor For Those In Need

Are you in need of free Christmas ornaments and seasonal decorations this year? Be sure to stop by St. James at 9AM on Saturday, December 3. Our Saturday Sisters are sharing the joy of the upcoming Christmas season as they give away their gently-used Christmas and seasonal decor to those who are in need in our community.

Or, perhaps you have your own gently-used Christmas and seasonal decor that you might be able to donate to a family in need of some Christmas cheer this year. The economy is not good for many in our community, so share your wealth by donating seasonal items that you no longer use. As you decorate over the Thanksgiving Holidays, put some items aside to share with those who are less fortunate than you and drop them off at the church on the morning of our Christmas Decor Giveaway.

Hunger And Thirst No More

The Women of St. James as well as our Lutheran Girl Pioneers used our time and our skills to put on a bake sale and a cake auction this month. The purpose of all of our baking was to earn money for our sister synod in Tanzania, as our Christian brothers and sisters miles and miles away continue to suffer through a time of drought. The money we earned will go toward the purchase and building of pipelines to make water accessible to these Tanzanian village people.

Another exciting project that we have taken on this Fall has been to help school children at nearby Red Bank Elementary School who go hungry on the weekends because of no food in their homes. We are currently accepting donations of individually pre-packaged foods, such as mac and cheese, ramen noodles, juice boxes, poptarts, fruit or pudding cups, and chef boyardee food items.

Together, we fight hunger and thirst in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to set the prisoner free, to make the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the hungry to be filled, and the world to know of his love!

Spooky Stories of The Bible at St. James

We had a great time this week at St. James in our Spooky Forest!

Kids got the chance to walk into the belly of a whale to hear the story of Jonah,knock down the giant, Goliath, with a rock and a slingshot,

help Jesus raise up the dead from their graves,

taste locusts, wild honey, and other natural delicacies at John the Baptizer's Feast,

and participate in many other spooky Bible stories and adventures along the way. Thanks to everyone who helped make the event such a fun and spooky one!

Knit Together

The Lutheran Girl Pioneers enjoyed learning how to knit and purl this past weekend with the help of some of our Lutheran Women.

Afterwards, they enjoyed making caramel apples and popcorn balls. Yummmmm!  Fun was had by all, and they are looking forward to their next meeting next month where they will learn cake decorating!

Carolina/Clemson Food Drive Continues

This year during football season, we have two teams competing at church each Sunday in a  canned food drive. Team supporters are asked to show their school spirit as they bring canned goods to church each week and put them into the bin that has their school name on it. So far, here is the score...

92

Fall Fun

We had a Saturday morning of Fall Fun this weekend, which included a hayride, s'mores, face painting, and lots of fun play time together. We love celebrating God at work in the lives of all of the people at St. James!

Votives for All Saints’ Sunday

On All Saints’ Sunday, November 6, we will give thanks to God together for all of the saints, who now rest from their labors. This year, we are filling up the sanctuary with votive candles in memory of all of our loved ones. If you are interested in having a votive candle lit in memory of a friend or loved one, please call the church office, or fill out a form during worship and leave it in the offering plate. Cost is $2.50 per votive, and you may take yours home with you after the service, if you desire. The deadline for votive orders is Sunday, October 23. 

St. Francis Day Pet Blessing

Thanks to everyone who brought out their pets to be blessed on St. Francis Day!

Give Blood; Save A Life

St. James is holding a blood drive on Monday, October 10, between the hours of 3 - 8 PM .

Your 1 donation can help save 3 lives! If you are eligible to donate, please bring a photo ID and join us.

Backpack Project

St. James is currently collecting food for local school children who go hungry on the weekends. We are filling backpacks with individually wrapped items including microwaveable cups of mac & cheese, microwaveable Chef-Boyardee items, individually wrapped grits, oatmeal, and cereal packets, boxed juices, granola bars, packs of crackers, pop-tarts, fruit cups, applesauce cups, and pudding cups. If you can help, please leave your donations at the office during office hours or on Sundays in the labeled container located in the Narthex.  Thanks for your help!

Zumba and Yoga

Weekly Zumba classes and yoga classes are beginning on October 11 and 12 in the Fellowship hall. On            Tuesdays, Zumba will be at 6:30PM with Yoga at 7:30PM. On Wednesdays, Zumba will be at 6PM, and Yoga will be at 5PM. The cost for these is $2 per class, and if you take both, it is still just $2. Please bring exact change with you.

Ring Those Bells

All kids of the church ages 5th grade and under are invited to join our God Rockz Handbell Choir beginning next month. We will meet as usual for God Rockz on Thursdays, October 6 and 20, from 6-7PM, beginning with a meal. We are looking forward to being able to perform for the congregation sometime during Advent. God Rockz will also have another fun Saturday event in October, so keep your eyes peeled for more details to come!

St. Francis Day Pet Blessing

Round up your dogs, cats, birds, or other animals, and bring them to St. James at 7PM on St. Francis Day, Tuesday, October 4. At our brief evening service on the front lawn, we will celebrate and pray for God’s blessing upon all of those creatures great and small who are a much loved part 
of our homes and our lives.

Sunday School Rally Day!!

St. James had a very exciting Sunday School Rally this year on Sunday, September 11!
Everyone enjoyed good food, fellowship, games, and fun!  

The Winners of the Parents vs Kids trivia game, the kids, of course!

Fellowship and great times!

Good ole game of checkers!

Carolina/Clemson Food Drive

  

The Social Ministry Committee is hosting a Carolina/Clemson Food Drive/Pet Food Drive during October and November.  The competition is on!!!  Let's see who gets the win...Carolina or Clemson.  There will be a Carolina Bucket and a Clemson Bucket in the Narthex for all of  your donations.  We will keep a weekly total.  So, look in the bulletin to see who is winning.  We will announce the winning team on November 20th.  GOOD LUCK!