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Thursday, August 20, 2026
What’s New for You?
- Leah Circle September Gathering
- Wear Your Work Clothes this Labor Day Sunday!
- Stewardship Fall 2026, Woven Together in Generosity
- Register now for Question Marks: Doing Theology by Asking Big Questions.
- A Hot Mess: A workshop on Church Record Keeping with Pastor Mary Anderson
- Parent Pro Tip
- Tickets are now available for Transitions Homeless Center’s annual Reconstructing Home Art Show and Awards!
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Happy Thursday, Pilgrims!
After a long drive back from Illinois, I’m back in the office today. It’s good to be back! Thank you again for your generosity during this time away. As you can see in this edition of Pilgrim’s Progress, we have many opportunities to serve, learn, give, celebrate, and grow this Fall. I hope you’ll participate in these many possibilities we have before us. It’s exciting to launch our Call Committee and to begin this important process as we enter deep discernment with our congregation, the Bishop’s office, and most importantly, with the Holy Spirit.
I’m looking forward to worshiping together this Sunday!
Pastor Mary
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Council President’s Page
Mary Beth Hill
Mark your calendars
Pastor Mary Anderson will be back on Sunday, August 23.
Our soon-to-be-next-door neighbor, Mission Lexington, will hold a groundbreaking on Friday, Aug. 28, at 8:30 a.m. to mark the beginning of construction of their new 30,000-square-foot building.
The new property is located at 1426 N. Lake Dr., right next to us here at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. If you are facing the church, their location is to the right.
Before, during, and after the Aug. 28, 8:30 a.m. event, they will use our parking. If you have something that you need to do at Pilgrim on that morning, you may want to reschedule.
On Sunday, August 30, during Worship, Pastor Mary will install the Call Committee, and you will learn who the eight extremely qualified people are who have agreed to serve. We know that their special skill sets will benefit the entire committee and its work.
We are so thankful they have agreed to serve. This is a wonderfully qualified group.
Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., St. Nicholas Festival, at Pilgrim in the Fellowship Hall.
Saturday, December 12, from 3 to 5 p.m., Cheers to the Years Retirement Party for Pastor Mary Anderson.
Sunday, December 27, is Pastor Mary Anderson’s last Sunday here at Pilgrim.
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We need YOU!
We are hoping that now that summer is over, plenty of you will volunteer to serve as worship assistants, ushers, communion assistants, hospitality table providers, Children’s Time teachers or assistants, and AV and sound providers. We teach you all you need to know, and we aren’t looking for perfection. We are looking for those willing to serve.
If you are interested in serving or have a question about one of these, please reach out to Pastor Mary or Courtney Coker about serving as worship assistant or Children’s Time teacher or assistant; Linda Corley about serving as communion assistant; Jimmy Smith about ushering; or Kathleen Shutt about blessing the Hospitality Table.
| | Leah Circle September gathering | | |
All ladies are warmly invited to join the Leah Circle for our upcoming monthly gathering!
This month, we are pleased to welcome a guest speaker from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, who will present an important discussion on everyday safety issues and the latest scams targeting our community. It is a great opportunity to gain valuable tools to protect yourself and your loved ones, ask questions, and connect with fellow sisters in Christ.
Details
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Prayer and Share Room (located behind the kitchen in the Fellowship Hall)
Lunch: Bring your favorite sandwich or salad. Our hostess will provide dessert, drinks, and the rest!
Whether you are a longtime member or joining us for the first time, we would love to see you there.
For questions or more information, please contact Linda Corley at 803-348-7519. We look forward to sharing this time of fellowship with you!
| | Wear Your Work Clothes this Labor Day Sunday! | | |
Labor Day is September 7 this year. To celebrate and recognize the many ways we live out our vocations and professions in the world, all are invited to wear something to church on September 6 that reflects their work in the world.
This might be your work uniform, company shirt, school or workplace ID, etc. If you are retired, you might wear something or carry something representative of your area of service and expertise. If you don’t have anything to distinguish you in your current work or past work, we’ll have stickers you can write on and wear during worship to share how you serve or served in the world. Our “Labor Lives” will be fun to share before and after worship. Thanks for joining in!
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Stewardship Fall 2026
Woven Together in Generosity
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A Moving Story of Generosity from the Church in Macedonia, 55 C.E.
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
At Pilgrim this Fall, your Generosity Team is inviting all mission partners/members and friends of the congregation to pray and consider our financial stewardship for the coming year. Stewardship campaigns and stewardship letters are as old as the New Testament.
Our key Bible story for this campaign is Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, Greece. Paul writes to them, encouraging them to contribute to a collection he is gathering among all those little churches scattered around the Mediterranean Sea to send to the church in Jerusalem. Think of it as the church headquarters of the day. Read 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15 here.
Our Ministry and Mission Generosity Goals
- To increase our capacity to provide a compensation package to our new pastor that meets the SC Synod Guidelines for a full-time pastor.
- To increase our capacity to comfortably provide for the necessary repair and maintenance of our facilities that support our many ministries.
- To increase our generosity in giving to the wider church as we live out our commitment to be a connected church.
All these goals can be achieved with an overall increase of 15% in congregational giving in 2027 over giving in 2026.
Kickoff: September 8
A paper letter and email will be sent with the full information about this Generosity campaign.
Temple Talks: September 13, 20, and 27
Each talk during the announcement time in worship will be centered on one of our ministry goals to provide us with information and inspiration.
Stewardship Stories and Scriptures from Pastor Mary in Pilgrim’s Progress in September.
Pledge Sunday: October 4
We will receive Generosity Pledges during our Offering Time in Worship.
The final deadline for turning in these pledges is Thursday, October 15.
| | Pizza, Planting, and Popsicles! | | |
Join us at Pilgrim on Saturday, September 19, at 12:30 p.m. for a special afternoon where families grow together!
Enjoy an afternoon filled with food, faith, and fun. We’ll kick things off with pizza before breaking into groups, and then we’ll all reunite at the end for popsicles and community celebration.
Children will get to explore nature, plant seeds, help our garden grow, and discover how God helps us with worry and builds our hope. Parents will connect with other parents and discuss practical ways to help kids thrive, based on the book Balanced and Barefoot.
This event is completely free, and every family will receive a complimentary copy of Balanced and Barefoot to take home!
Space is limited. So, please register today.
| | Question Marks: Doing Theology by Asking Big Questions | | |
We’re diving deep this fall with Question Marks: Doing Theology by Asking Big Questions, led by Pastor Mary.
In-Person: Tuesdays, 10 a.m. –11:30 a.m., in the Prayer and Share Room, Pilgrim Administrative Building
On Zoom: Tuesdays, 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. The Zoom link will be in Pilgrim’s Progress and on Facebook.
Anytime: Watch the recorded Zoom session. The link to watch will be published in Pilgrim’s Progress, on the website, and on Facebook.
Overview: In these four sessions, both in-person and on Zoom, Pastor Mary Anderson will lead us in theological conversation about some of the big questions we have about God, Christ, the scriptures, and our contemporary lives. We’ll combine scriptural interpretation, church doctrine, Lutheran theology, and our own experiences as people of faith and simply as human beings, as we speak about and listen faithfully to these four big questions.
September 22: How Can We Understand the Ancient Scriptures in Modern Times?
In this first session, we’ll lay the groundwork for how we, as Lutheran Christians, understand scriptures from an ancient time and culture and experience them as relevant to our contemporary lives. We’ll also touch on ways that Christians differ on their interpretation of scriptures and how we can manage that in our conversations with one another.
September 29: How Can We Share Our Faith with Others?
In this session, we’ll talk about how to share our story of faith with openness and respect with others who are faithful members of other religious communities, those who are seeking how to have a spiritual life, those who are skeptical about any faith, and those who have declared themselves “done” with the Church. We’ll also talk about what it looks like to preach the gospel without words!
October 6: How Does God Show Up in Our Lives?
In this session, we’ll honestly and faithfully ask the question of how God abides with us in ways seen and unseen. We’ll also talk about our experiences of feeling that God is a “no-show” in some of our darkest times.
October 13: How Do We Understand Death and Resurrection?
In this final session, we’ll speak about the end of our mortal lives and our hope that as Christ was raised, we too will have new life. We’ll also reflect on how to talk about these questions with the young children in our lives.
| | A Hot Mess: A workshop on Church Record Keeping with Pastor Mary Anderson | | |
The ELCA Virginia Synod is once again offering a workshop on church recordkeeping to support congregational pastors, parish administrators, and archivists.
Many congregations discover, especially when they have big celebrations coming up (like an anniversary) or have a crisis (like a problem with their building or a request for someone’s baptismal date), that they suddenly need records they can’t easily find.
This introductory/overview session will be September 21, 7 – 8:15 p.m. EST. Depending on continued interest, we may hold a four-part series in October to detail how to keep our vital records and how to find and organize them when they're a “hot mess!”
If you or your congregation are interested, here’s the registration link: Register for Records.
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In preparation for the Navigating the Pressure Creek Walk last month, our preschool parents shared their most pressing parenting questions with us. We passed these along to Counselor Jill Smith and her team, who provided a wonderful handout summarizing expert insights from the event.
Over the next several issues of Pilgrim’s Progress, we are continuing to share these valuable takeaways. Pass it on!
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Jill Smith, Counselor, responded to our parents’ question about how parents can get on the same page around consequences following bad behaviors.
She says the simplest and most durable model is to focus on natural or logical consequences over punitive ones. For example, when a child breaks a toy by throwing it, the consequence is that it doesn’t get replaced immediately. Misusing screen time means less screen time, not just a general “grounding.”
It’s also important to reinforce good behaviors. Catch them being good specifically and immediately. For example, say, “I noticed you shared with your sister” rather than just saying, “good job” in passing. The real work comes, however, in those 15-minute conversations between parents on these responses before the situation arises, not in the moment.
You got this, parents!
| | A generous offer to Pilgrim Church and Preschool | | |
Counselor Jill Smith, Psychotherapist, CEO of Jill Smith Associates in Lexington and Columbia, has been a wonderful donor, both financially and with her counseling services, to our Navigating the Pressure series.
Jill Smith is now offering to all families in our congregation and our preschool a 25% discount on a first counseling session with her or one of the other counselors. They see clients of all ages. They do not take insurance but offer a receipt that clients can submit to their insurance. They will soon be taking Medicare.
You may contact them at (803) 814-5559. They are located at 426 South Lake Dr. in Lexington, or at 1717 Bull Street in Columbia (next door to St. Paul’s Lutheran).
Thanks, Jill, for this generous offer to us!
| | “Meat the Need” this August | | |
Throughout August, Pilgrim’s Leah Circle is hosting the “Meat the Need” drive to support the Pilgrim’s Food Pantry with nutritious, easy-to-prepare protein options.
A single can of meat goes a long way toward creating a satisfying, complete meal for a family in need. Whether it’s a quick tuna wrap for lunch, savory chicken over rice for dinner, or a cozy beef stew, shelf-stable protein is the heart of a hearty dish.
Suggested items to donate:
Canned Tuna and Salmon (perfect for quick wraps and salads)
Canned Chicken and Turkey (Great served over rice or in casseroles.)
Canned Beef Stew (ideal for fast, warm meals)
Canned Pork and Ham (Great added to basic rice dishes or mac and cheese.)
Look for the Food Pantry donation bin in the Narthex. Thank you for your continued generosity and support!
| | Join us at Reconstructing Home 2026 | | |
Tickets are now available for Transitions Homeless Center’s annual Reconstructing Home Art Show and Awards!
Reconstructing Home is a special evening celebrating resilience, community, and lives being rebuilt. Attendees will enjoy a silent art auction, live entertainment from the Easy Does It Duo, local food, and inspiring stories of impact.
We are so proud to share that Pastor Mary Anderson will be honored with the prestigious Cathy Novinger Award for her outstanding service to Transitions and dedication to supporting those experiencing homelessness in our community.
Event Details
When: Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: Columbia Museum of Art (1515 Main St, Columbia, SC)
Tickets: $25 per individual or $45 per couple
| | Bishop Wade Roof’s Installation Service | | |
An exciting new chapter is beginning for our synod, and you are warmly invited to be a part of it!
The installation of The Rev. Wade Roof as Bishop of the South Carolina Synod will take place this fall. All are invited to join in the celebration.
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Stretch, breathe, recharge, and pray with yoga led by Sister D’Etta Broam. These welcoming sessions will include a chair/mat combination to accommodate different abilities and comfort levels.
Details
When: Saturdays at 10 a.m. (45 minutes) on September 5, 12, and 19
Where: Pilgrim’s Fellowship Hall
Cost: $50 for a 5-session package or $12 drop-in (Venmo, cash, or check accepted at class).
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If you would like to participate or learn more, please contact the church office. Participants can also reach out to Sister D’Etta directly with any questions.
| | SCLMM Beach Weekend is October 2-4, 2026 | | |
South Carolina Lutheran Men invites you to their upcoming beach weekend at the Lutheran Coastal Retreat Center! They have an incredible lineup for Saturday, including breakfast, a testimony by Josh Carter, lunch, a beach day, and evening entertainment. Full weekend meals are $20.
Can’t stay the whole weekend? You can still join them for just Saturday evening’s Seafood Boil at 5 p.m. with a suggested donation of $15 per person.
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They do need an accurate head count for the boil, so please let Jimmy Smith know ASAP if you plan to attend!
A few overnight rooms are still available for $100 per night on a first-come, first-served basis.
| | Pastor’s Discretionary Fund | | A reminder that our church maintains a Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, which is used to provide confidential assistance when needs arise within our community. If you would like to contribute, please note “Pastor’s Discretionary Fund” in the memo line of your check or on your envelope. Thank you for your generosity and care for one another. | | Stay updated with Lutheran publications | | | | If you’re looking for inspiring stories and updates about the ELCA and happenings around the world, be sure to check out the Living Lutheran magazine. Just click here. | | |
If you’d like to stay connected with what’s going on in South Carolina, don’t miss the weekly newsletter from the South Carolina Synod, the Lutheran Living in South Carolina eNews. Just click here to read it. Enjoy!
| | How Can I Give to Pilgrim? | | |
We offer multiple ways to give that make supporting us easy and convenient. You can give in person or online. Send your donation by mail to Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1430 N. Lake Drive, Lexington, SC 29072. Or, set up recurring giving with Simply Giving, our electronic automatic giving program.
As you think about your contributions, please consider electronic giving. It’s simple, reliable, and helps us plan better for the future. With Simply Giving, your donation is ready to go toward our ministry needs right away, and it also involves fewer fees than online credit card donations.
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Worship Service Volunteers, please read!
You can view the 2026 list of Worship Volunteers in the schedule here. It is always a work in progress. If you notice an error or suspect a conflict, please notify us. We need your help keeping up with them.
Remember, if you can’t cover your assigned job, please find someone to take your place. If you ask, other volunteers will swap weeks with you. Then, once you’ve found someone to take your place, call or text Courtney Coker in the office, and she can make those needed changes online, in Pilgrim’s Progress, and in the Sunday Bulletin.
August 23, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway
Ushers — Scott Grosse and Tyler Mears
Communion Assistants — Myron Corley and Carol Murray
Counters — Delores and Wally Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Ryan Mears and Terri Lemke
August 30, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway
Ushers — Joe Kaminer and Ricky Wingard
Communion Assistants — Jackie Kaminer and Jimmy Smith
Counters — Melissa and Todd Hendrix
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Allison Hallman and Terri Lemke
September 6, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Jackie Kaminer
Ushers — Carl Richardson and Need Volunteer
Communion Assistants — Delores and Wally Steinhauser
Counters — Delores and Wally Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Need Volunteers
September 13, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Ryan Mears
Ushers — Jimmy Smith and Wally Steinhauser
Communion Assistants — Carl and Debra Richardson
Counters — Melissa Hendrix and Scott Grosse
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Need Volunteers
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Pilgrim’s Prayer List
Alan Addy
Myra Boyd
Norma Drafts
Rick Harris
Shelia McCullough
Jimmy Metts
Bill Sanders
Greg Sommer
Johan Jansen Van Vurren as he grieves the death of his son.
Friends of Pilgrim
Annie Allen, Shelia McCullough’s mother
Joyce Czarnecki
Diana Davis, sister of Lisa Davis
Ben Green, Greg Sommer’s brother-in-law
Nadine Greene, friend of Karl and Carolyn Horner
Joanna Kirkland, sister-in-law of Debra and Carl Richardson
Tina Krause, friend of Pastor Mary
Lars, Brenda Sommer’s Nephew
Eileen and Ronnie Leaphart, dear friends of Myron and Linda Corley
LeMaster Family, family of Melissa Hendrix
Louise Newton, friend of Ricky and Becky Wingard
The family, friends, and colleagues of Master Deputy Jillian Hope Olson, as they mourn her death.
Jill Sanders, Wally and Delores Steinhauser’s cousin-in-law
Heidi, Wolfram Schwabe’s sister
Trey Soud, friend of Wally and Delores Steinhauser
Louise Velky, the newest member of Mary Beth Hill’s family, as she is facing a rare genetic diagnosis.
Pastor Carl and Debra Yost, as his health struggles continue.
Please contact the church office if you would like someone added or removed from the prayer list.
| | Worship is at 10 a.m. each Sunday. | | |
Scriptures for this Sunday
First Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6
Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
| | Worship Service replay from Sunday, August 16, 2026 | | | | |
