Affirmation of Welcome
Reformation, a congregation of Christ's Church, welcomes everyone to join with us in a journey of faith. We are committed to providing worship, programs, ministries and pastoral care to all, regardless of religious background, age, color, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, or national origin. Everyone is welcome in this place, where the love of God is the foundation of all that we say and do!
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The Reporter
Reformation Lutheran Church
ALL Are Welcome & Affirmed Here!
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Worship Service Update
We have resumed the in-person worship service on Sundays at 10:00 AM. In addition to this, and in order to ensure the health and safety of our congregation, we will continue to broadcast the service online via Facebook Live. Please join us for worship online HERE.
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Pastor's Perspective
As I write this Perspective I’m sure most of you are aware that as of July 24, 2022, I will be stepping down from my call as pastor at Reformation Lutheran Church. I assure you that this was not an easy decision, but it is time for me to move on to the next steps in God's plan for my life. I know I speak on behalf of Kathy as I can genuinely say that this wonderful congregation has blessed our lives immensely. I hope in some small way I have blessed your lives through my teaching and preaching, visitations and more. Although we are moving on from this place physically, a piece of our hearts will always be here with you.
It is with many mixed emotions that we came to this decision. After almost nine years of joyful service, it is not with ease that we have come to this conclusion. While I have no doubt that it was God's will for me to be here, I now believe God is calling me to pastor at another ministry setting of Word and Sacrament. I must also be transparent by saying, along with new ministry opportunities that await us, our new granddaughter Sadie being in the same city as the new call has helped with our discernment. It is a great opportunity to be a part of her life as she grows, and be with family regularly for so many life events. I hope you all will understand this decision, and know you all will always have a place in our hearts.
But as I remain your pastor for this month of July, I wish to remind you as summertime is upon us, I know it is the time for vacations and travel, but I also want to remind you all, don’t forget your church! No, I’m not saying we all pile in the car and join you on your vacation! I mean don’t forget to support your church with your weekly, monthly, or quarterly offerings. Yeah, I’m a little more brazen with that request, but there are urgent needs at Reformation as we come out of Covid.
We have struggled with finances since Covid hit, and to be quite frank, we were struggling before Covid hit. I am asking all to pray about what Reformation and the work of Christ’s inclusiveness that happens here mean to you. As we come out of Covid and face this transitional period in a pastoral call, there are some financial needs that need to be addressed. I believe as those financial needs are addressed, not only will you carry on the ministries that identify Reformation, but also support the new pastor as you continue to explore and grow into new ministries of inclusiveness and grow together with Christ Mission Lutheran Church.
During this time I pray you will continue to be a beacon of Jesus’ inclusive love for Columbia and the South Carolina Synod. Reformation has been such a blessing for Kathy and me, and I pray that blessing was reciprocal.
Peace,
Pastor Tim
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Prayers of the Church
Sick and Homebound: Tracy Hamiter; Connie Pool; Bobbie Black; Beth Mayer and Tammy James Morris (daughter of Marilyn Glover).
Health: Emmy Reeves; Bobbie Prosser; Sarah Trani and Sue ZurSchmiede.
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Worship Assistant Training
Worship assistant training will be held on Saturday, July 9 in the sanctuary of Reformation. The training will begin at 2 pm. Everyone interested in serving is welcome to attend. Contact Ben Bullock with any questions. [email protected]
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Fellowship Hour
We are happy to announce coffee hour is back. We plan to restart coffee hour immediately after church starting July 3rd. We need volunteers to bring refreshments for coffee hour. We have hosts for July 3rd and 10th and looking to fill the following Sundays. If interested, let the church office know what date for which you would like to volunteer.
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July Lector, Assisting Minister & Usher Schedule
Assisting Minister:
July 3 - Jim Prater
July 10- Lynn Barley
July 17- Ben Bullock
July 24- Colleen Clark
July 31 - Jim Prater
Lector:
July 3 - Jim Prater
July 10- Raymond Cook
July 17- Matt Klopfenstein
July 24- Mike Gill
July 31 - Julia Prater
Ushers:
July 3 - Gary Parish
July 10- Eddie Ritchie
July 17- Jim Prater & Marie Pearson
July 24- Sam Ruff & Raymond Cook
July 31 - Frankie Fort & Annette Powell
Worship participants are needed for the worship service. Can you volunteer? If you cannot volunteer on the scheduled day, please inform Julia Prater, so that a substitute can receive the worship materials in advance of the worship service. Contact Julia Prater - 803.360.7583 for more details on how you can serve. If you won't be able to make it to church on the Sunday you are scheduled, please coordinate a swap/coverage with someone else from the team.
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What's new with Music?
--Harold Jefferies, Interim Organist
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”
Hebrews 13: 8
Intro…
Hello, everyone! Many of you have seen me but not yet met me. I am Harold Jefferies, and I have been doing my best to lead music at Reformation since awesome Josh left the position after Easter to spend more time with his newly-wed husband in Beaufort. Josh was amazing; we miss him!
I grew up in Chapin, baptized and confirmed at Mt. Horeb Lutheran Church there. (Yes, I am one of those lifelong Lutherans!) After graduating from USC, I attended our Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary on North Main and was ordained in the South Carolina Synod in 1991. I served as Assistant Pastor at St. Stephens church in Lexington for about 2 years, then served Colony church near Newberry as Pastor for about 9 years. In 2002 I decided to leave ordained ministry, and in the time since then I have done a number of things, most notably HIV Medical Case Management with Gay Mens Health Crisis in New York City and ALFA (originally AIDS Leadership Foothills-area Alliance) in Hickory NC.
Currently I work as a nationally-certified Pharmacy Technician at Walmart Pharmacy below Ballentine. In fact, I just passed a national certification exam on June 16! Soon I will be trained to provide immunizations for Covid as well. It is challenging but rewarding work for me, helping people.
Seven years ago I moved to Connecticut to live with the man I love, Richard Weimann. We attended United Congregational Church in Torrington CT there, and we were married five years ago in April 2017 in a Communion service that filled the church! An organist friend from North Carolina was unable at the last minute to come to Connecticut to play for our wedding, so – every organist’s secret dream – I played organ for my own wedding! We moved south 2 years ago and are now living in Columbia, in glorious South Carolina where we shoveled snow NOT ONE TIME last winter. Alleluia!
News…
I am very excited about music and worship in general in our expanding congregation! In cooperation with members of the Christ’s Mission congregation, we have re-started Choir Rehearsals at church on Wednesday nights, starting at 7:00 p.m. I have been exceedingly grateful to members of Reformation and Christ’s Mission in helping me choose music and anthems that are familiar to members of both groups.
YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT 7:00, whether you’d like to sing on Sunday with the choir or not. (Of course, we’d love to have you in the choir on Sundays, but, hey, if you can sing out in the congregation, that is great, too!)
I would like to say THANK YOU to Pastor Tim and to the awesome Mikita Showers for their flexibility and openness as the choir and I lately have changed hymns, revised anthems, and put together new and old music to help the congregation worship God as powerfully and joyfully as we can.
My husband Richard and I also want to say THANK YOU to the whole congregation for welcoming us so warmly and freely! Hospitality is vital for the life of God’s Church (Hebrews 11: 8), and everyone has made us feel like we belonged here from the first Sunday we attended. We are thrilled to be a part of Reformation and Christ’s Mission, or as I like to say it – Mission: Reformation!
Soli deo gloria!
Harold Jefferies
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July Celebrations
Birthdays
Kenneth Custer, July 2
Pastor Tim Bupp, July 8
Griffin Young, July 9
Elizabeth Ann Kurth, July 10
Shirl Lamontagne, July 10
Abigail Reeves, July 11
Harry Dunker, July 11
Maria Ashburn, July 19
Jerry Huber, July 20
Libbie Poole, July 23
James Dekle, July 23
Amanda Inman, July 25
Luis Guzman, July 29
Anniversaries
Jesse & Amanda Inman, July 8
Brian Lorimer & H.B. Eleazer, July 10
Kevin & Saran Hasinger, July 22
Pastor Tim & Kathy Bupp, July 24
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Summer Wired Word
The Wired Word group will meet virtually in July and August. Please join the group and stay connected. Contact Steven Asbill with any questions.
Summer Wired Word
July 27
7:30 pm – 8:45 pm
Meeting ID 845 2527 8834
Summer Wired Word
August 24
7:30 pm – 8:45 pm
Meeting ID 723 783 6505
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Quote of the month
Be curious, not judgmental.
Walt Whitman
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ELCA NEWS
Perspective: Have we been keeping Jesus’ greatest commandment?
The impact of Lutheran Campus Ministry's LGBTQ+ acceptance
When I was 12 years old, my father came home from a church council meeting a bit disheveled. The church members were torn, he told me, over allowing same-sex marriages in their sanctuary. Many were conflicted, saying that the Bible condemns homosexuality and that we can love our neighbors without encouraging their “sins.”
Ten years later, so much has changed. The ELCA now welcomes all, regardless of sexuality. The “footer” for the church’s website proclaims, “We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person—questions, complexities and all.” People may debate theology and accurate interpretation of the Bible all day long, but ultimately no one can argue with John 15:12: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
For years, Christians hid away LGBTQIA+ people as if they should be some big, dark secret. But my friend Angela found the opposite in her campus ministry experiences at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. Angela is an early education major and religion minor. She joined Weaver Chapel Association (WCA) as a freshman and served as vice president in the 2020-2021 academic year.
“I was still carrying that shame with me as I came to [campus], and it’s been a very nice process to let go of that shame.”
Angela finds affirmation to be immensely important to both self-acceptance and acceptance of others. “I can validate other people until the end of time, but for myself it’s still a challenge. I’m still working on it and trying to build myself up with the right people,” she said. The friends she made at WCA became those “right people” through earnest conversation, authentic expression and open fellowship.
A favorite tradition of WCA students involves writing positive notes to one another, sealing them in envelopes and dropping them in the student mail at random times during the semester as surprise pick-me-ups. This speaks to our motto: “Our strengths cover each other’s weaknesses.” When we can’t affirm our own value and potential, we can count on others to help.
When some have refused to accept her pansexuality, Angela has encountered her share of “bumps in the road.” Regardless, she said, “I also realized that it’s really not something to be ashamed of, because I was still carrying that shame with me as I came to Witt, and it’s been a very nice process to let go of that shame.”
Angela said she was refreshed to see WCA members accept the LGBTQIA+ community. “There’s a lot of groups that just kind of avoid it and pretend it doesn’t exist, but we were able to talk about the controversies and why they are the way that they are.”
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The 2022 schedule and listing of Zoom meetings and ID numbers are on the RLC website and updated as necessary. |
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Announcements and Reminders
Calendar Updates
Check the calendar on the church's web page (www.reformationcae.org) for the latest updates, changes, cancellations, and postponements in church activities and meetings.
Keep in Touch with Your Church Family
Do you need a Reformation Lutheran Church Membership Directory? To request a copy, please contact Mikita at the Church Office at (803.252.1507) or via e-mail at [email protected].
Updating Our Records
Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date with the church office. Our records include your birthdate and anniversary date (if applicable), mailing address, email address(s), phone(s), and family members. If there is any change, be sure the church office knows. If you want to check to be sure the records are up to date,
Reformation Lutheran Church Newsletter
The Reporter is published monthly at Reformation Lutheran Church and is sent electronically or mailed to members and friends who wish to have a copy. A link to The Reporter newsletter is also posted on the church website: www.ReformationCAE.org and on Reformation's Facebook page. A mid-month newsletter is also published and sent electronically with timely information and updates.
The deadline to submit articles or items to be updated, announced, or published is the eighteenth of the month. If you have news to share, please send it to the church office. Please email to [email protected].
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1118 Union St. Columbia, SC 29201
803-252-1507
Tim Bupp, Pastor
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