Hellam, PA

St. James Lutheran Church

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

            

             Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ!

            

             We are here in this growing time – the season of Pentecost, with its stories of the growth in Christ and the church; the spring into summer time of burgeoning harvests; the vacation time that allows us to get away and get a fresh outlook at our day to day lives so that we can get out of our ruts and grow into more exciting, meaningful lives.

 

For some of us, it might seem like it’s all too much! Too hot in the sanctuary for worship to be comfort and joy, too many plants growing way too fast for us to keep track of them – asking questions like “Didn’t I just mow the lawn yesterday?” and “How did that giant zucchini wind up on my door step?” And for some of us, if we get to take a vacation at all, it isn’t a time to be refreshed for growth, it’s simply a respite from the day to day grind, a brief escape from a reality in which we feel trapped.

 

In the midst of all this overwhelming abundance the church council and I would like to invite you to a time apart to see what plans our God of abundance has for the future of St. James. We believe that it is important to spend a significant amount of time in prayer and conversation to allow ourselves to be open to what the Holy Spirit might be saying to us. And so, on a Saturday morning this summer, at a place apart from our regular gathering place, we will covenant to spend 4 hours in Scripture, prayer and conversation to see the good future that God has planned for this family in Christ. We invite any of you who have felt your heart stir and a yearning to be part of this morning to join us. Watch your weekly bulletins for information about the date and place. Begin praying now for hearts and minds open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Have a blessed summer!

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

Pastor’s Message

July/August Newsletter 2010

Pr. Deb 

                  Thanks to Fred and Paulette Toomey for hosting our picnic on Sunday, June 13 in their spacious, air conditioned Auction Center. Thirty-one people attended our worship service and then enjoyed plenty of delicious food and great fellowship.

 

             St. James contributed a total of $520.00 to the ELCA Disaster Response: "Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund" and a donation of $100.00 was made to the Hellam Fire Company.

 

             Thanks to the Audit Committee (Martin Rawhouser, chairman, Steve Moore and Catherine Riches) for examining the financial records of our church and the Lutheran Church Women. The committee found the financial records of our church treasurer, James Riches, and the financial records of our LCW treasurer, Marie Griffith, to be in good order and commended both treasurers for their time and effort in serving the church.

 

             On June 11 and 12 Barry Hilt and I represented St. James as lay voting members at the Lower Susquehanna Synod Assembly at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Pastor Volker attended as our clergy representative. The Rev. Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, made several presenta­tions on the theme of the Assembly -- "God's work. Our hands." He challenged Lutherans to bear witness to God's word and work, to be involved in communal discernment, to set expectations, to use the talents of those in your congregation and to be bold witnesses for the proclamation of the gospel. Please read the summary of this event provided by Synod that is included in this newsletter.

 

 

Carolyn S. Dietz

Lay President

News from the Congregation Council