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
Every Sunday we offer two worship options. We are worshipping IN PERSON FROM OUR CARS in our parking lot - with Communion! - every Sunday at 11:30 AM. In order to ensure the health and safety of our congregation, we will continue our on-line church service at 10:00 as well. Please join us for worship online HERE. More information about online activities is described below. Stay tuned for updates as we learn more.
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The Pastor's Perspective
And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
~Matt 25:40
This past Wednesday we had protesters on River Drive, right outside Reformation. They were protesting against LSC and the Lutheran Church because of our involvement in the Afghan refugee program. I have to say their protest was very convoluted, to say the least. They had anti-vaccine signs, anti-mask signs, and anti-Covid signs and yet their loudest protest — yes they had a megaphone — against the Afghans coming to this country was they were not being vetted for Covid. Wait a minute! Whiplash! I thought… nah, don’t bother to think.
That’s right, they didn’t believe in vaccines, they didn’t believe in masks, they didn’t even believe Covid was real, but yet, they didn’t want Afghans who may have Covid to come to this country. For me, that was no surprise. Over the last 22 years of ordained ministry I’ve come to realize hate, prejudice, bigotry, racism, etc., does not rely on rational thinking. It cannot, because hate is not rational, but yet hate is a uniquely human trait. Other living animals may aggressively respond to fear or hunger, but hate is a human emotion. To counter that misplaced human hate God introduced compassion, that is feeling and responding to others pain and suffering.
That goes all the way back to the beginning, the Genesis story. When our first parental figures were given misinformation about God’s intent for knowledge. Misinformation that was not even rational, with knowledge “You will be like God.” and they were deceived into disregard and disobedience to God’s guidance. Instead of God responding in hate and vengeance, God introduced them to compassion. Yes, God reminded them there were repercussions for their mishandling of knowledge — they had to leave the garden — but God was going with them, and God was also willing to sacrifice a beloved animal to cover their foolish use of knowledge. That’s compassion! No vengeance. No hateful acts. Throughout the rest of the Bible God will call humanity to reflect that compassion through acts of righteousness for each other, with the cornerstone of love. Love of God, love of self, love of neighbor, stranger, and even love of those we may perceive as our enemies — Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount. This is where the importance of agencies like LSC and churches like Reformation comes in.
We have a unique opportunity to reveal God’s compassion in the love for others, especially the most vulnerable, like the Afghan refugees coming to the US. In a country brewing with hate, such as ours, what a wonderful time to stand for the righteousness of God, driven by compassion, manifested in a selfless love of serving “the least of these”. Jesus reminded his disciples, which also includes us who proclaim to be Christlike when we care for the least of these, we care for him. That is the goal of being a Reconciling In Christ congregation, to reconcile God’s compassionate love for all. That’s why I believe such a church as this needs the support of the congregation to continue to live that compassion out in Columbia.
Peace,
Pastor Tim
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Prayers of the Church
Sick and Homebound: Tracy Hamiter; Barbara Prosser; Connie Pool; Bobbie Black and Beth Mayer.
Health: Emmy Reeves; Bobbie Prosser; Barbara Prosser; Sarah Trani; Colleen Clark’s family and Sharon Baldwin’s mom, Martha Bolton.
Christian Sympathy: To the Perry family, at the death of Dorothy Perry, a member of Reformation Lutheran Church. Dorothy passed on Saturday, September 18. Dorothy became a member of Reformation in 1990. She leaves behind a daughter, Lynn. Funeral plans are incomplete.
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Safe Space Dinner Update
We are so happy to have several members of the congregation asking about how they can help with Safe Space Dinners. To answer that question, YES, there are several opportunities for you to make this ministry a great success. Everyone, by now, is probably very aware of the on-line giving options. If you’d like to make a financial donation or a purchase from our Amazon Wish List, all of the information you need is included on our website. But, aside from this, we have three other ways you can contribute. Ways that will be very valued by our committee.
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Thanks to your donations, we have been able to design and order these UV stable stickers with our logo and QR code (Shown above). We are beginning the process of placing these stickers all over town, usually on the back of stop signs. You can ask businesses and organizations if they will display these in their window and you can put them on your car. Getting these posted all over town is no small task and we would gladly accept volunteers. We encourage everyone to be creative about where to place these stickers, somewhere likely to be seen by homeless youths. It would be most beneficial if we can get this project completed before the Pride celebration on October 22.
Another hands-on opportunity exists on Saturday, October 30. Our committee is currently planning to distribute water and snacks directly to the homeless in downtown Columbia. We will share with them, the details of our ministry for homeless youths and hand out business cards. We will also encourage them to share this information with anyone they are aware can benefit from our service. Obviously, we will provide these items and information directly to any youths we encounter as well. We will keep volunteers updated with more information.
Meal preparation for our monthly dinners is also a great way to contribute. It’s a very necessary function of our ministry and we are currently in need of some volunteers. We’ve asked, for previous dinners, that those who provide the food prepare for about 12 to 15 people. We also suggest you think about things youths stereotypically enjoy and items that go a long way, so to speak. We currently have openings for our December 9th, January 13th, and February 10th dinners, at 6:00 pm. Again, all necessary information will be shared with volunteers.
We’d like to thank you all, once again, for your willingness to be a part of doing God’s work. We are all blessed to have such a giving, loving, and supportive congregation. You are the heartbeat of all ministries. Your efforts and contributions allow us to serve our community and we invite each of you to be the living gospel message of love.
Humbly,
Michael Watson
Safe Space Dinners Committee Chair
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Servant’s Committee Update
Blessing of the Animals
When — Sunday, October 10 @4:00 PM
Where — Reformation Lutheran Church
Who — All your furry, feathered, scaly friends
Co-sponsored by Temples-Halloran Funeral Services
The Servant's Committee has rescheduled the indoor yard sale to March 2022. The yard sale was to be held indoors this month. However, due to the rise in COVID numbers, it was deemed in everyone's best interest to reschedule the event. More information will be provided in the future.
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This year's SC Pride
Reformation WILL be participating in Pride once again on Saturday, October 23. For those who wish to, we will walk in Friday Night’s Pride Parade, and we will have a Reformation/Safe Space Dinner booth during the Saturday Festival.
We will have two volunteers at a time to make sure we practice safety measures as this pandemic hopefully winds down. So, if you wish to volunteer, please contact the church. We will be setting up between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, Saturday morning.
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October Lector and Usher/Greeter Schedule
October 2
Lector - Gary Parish (Streaming & Parking Lot)
Ushers/Greeters - Ginny Eiwen & Lynn Black
October 9
Lector - Sarah Trani (Streaming & Parking Lot)
Ushers/Greeters - Gary Parish & Eddie Ritchie
October 17
Lector - Colleen Clark (Streaming & Parking Lot)
Ushers/Greeters -Daniel Stackhouse & Shirl Lamontagne
October 24
Lector - Keating Clark (Streaming & Parking Lot)
Ushers - Raymond Cook & Sam Ruff
October 31
Lector - Carlotta Stackhouse (Streaming & Parking Lot)
Ushers - Jim Prater & Michelle Couri
Lector volunteers are needed for the worship service. Can you volunteer and lend your voice? If you cannot volunteer on the scheduled day, please inform Gloria Preslar, so that a substitute can receive the worship materials in advance of the worship service. Contact Gloria Preslar for more details on how you can serve.
If you have any questions about the volunteer duties of a greeter or an usher. Please contact Shirley Lamontagne for more information.
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October Celebrations
Birthdays
Rev. Karin Culp, October 2
Elizabeth Smith, October 4
Colleen Clark, October 6
Bobbie T. Black, October 6
Frank Hawkins, October 7
Keith Adams, October 8
Jim Prater, October 8
Rhett Culclasure, October 9
Tim Vige, October 17
Mark S. Rowland, October 17
Luke Young, October 18
William Starrett, October 18
Lindsay Hawkins, October 20
Anthony Miles, October 22
Kyra Ritchie, October 24
Hiedi Cribb, October 25
Lynn Scott, October 27
Anniversaries
Brian & Denise Derriso, October 6
Joanna & William Ryan Marcella, October 14
Elizabeth Smith & Tiffany Caruso Smith, October 15
John B. IV Clarey & Marty White, October 19
Clayton King & Jeffery Schwalk, October 22
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From the ELCA Website -
Living Lutheran Magazine
Selena Wilkes
I’m a Lutheran because I’m third-generation in our Lutheran church. I’m very comfortable within our congregation and community—that’s where I feel most connected to God.
I was born profoundly deaf. My parents were both schoolteachers. Taking the advice of the doctors, they wanted me to be mainstreamed in public school. I had speech therapy for years and learned by lip-reading. I wore hearing aids to assist with sound awareness.
In elementary school, a teacher looked at me and said, “You’re not going to make it through high school.” That crushed me, yet motivated me. Elementary to the beginning of middle school was very difficult from a social aspect. People can be mean. God was with me all the way to overcome those obstacles. I persevered, graduated from high school and went to college.
Growing up, sports was my life. Golf was my thing on Sundays with my dad. I wasn’t physically present at worship, but I had a really good relationship with my congregation. My childhood pastor always reached out to me. I never lost touch with my faith—I prayed and followed God’s word.
I joined the LPGA Futures Tour (now the Symetra Tour) right after college, when I was 21 years old. I had a job opportunity to be a physical education teacher, but I had this riskier route to play golf. I was torn. Then I thought, “Wait a minute! This is a no-brainer. I can teach the rest of my life. I have to try to qualify on tour.” The experience was fantastic. I felt highs and lows throughout the seven years I played. I met some wonderful and faithful people along the way.
After I retired from tour in 2004, I received a cochlear implant. What a life-changing experience! I gained even more confidence and expanded my knowledge. I realized how much I had missed out on. I got my second cochlear implant done in 2016, and I’m now hearing 94%, which is better than most people. It’s been a blessing.
One of my goals after I retired from the golf tour and returned to my roots was to give back to my community and church more since I missed that element when I was younger. I made that a priority, and it still is.
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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.
Adult Sunday School
Virtual Adult Sunday School is held each Sunday via ZOOM from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM. The Zoom ID for the meeting is 859 4578 5914. The book I Can Do No Other: The Church's New Here We Stand Moment, by Anna M. Madsen, a Lutheran freelance theologian, is the foundation for our Adult Sunday School discussions. Purchase a copy of the book (a few copies are available at the church for $15.00 to cover shipping), or order your copy from Augsburg Press at this link and start reading!
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 officeofreform@gmail.com.
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,
call (803-252-1507)or email (officeofreform@gmail.com) the church office.
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 officeofreform@gmail.com.
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1118 Union St. Columbia, SC 29201
803-252-1507
Tim Bupp, Pastor
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