Weather Alert: We are keeping an eye on the winter weather moving into the southeast this weekend. If it seems necessary to cancel worship, we will notify our members using our robo call system on Saturday or early Sunday morning. We will also post a notice on Facebook! Stay tuned! | | |
Thursday, January 22, 2026
What’s New for You?
- Remember our Council elections!
- Heroes and Villains of the Bible: A New Bible Study Adventure! It’s time to RSVP!
- Looking Ahead with Mission Lexington
- Pastor’s Discretionary Fund
- Peek into Preschool
| | |
Happy Thursday, Pilgrims!
We’re prepping around Pilgrim for whatever the forecasted winter storm brings. I was supposed to be at Lutheridge on Friday and Saturday for a leadership planning meeting, but was just notified that the whole camp will be closed for the weekend.
But those of us who live in central South Carolina know that predictions of ice and snow can come and go quickly. That’s why we’ll wait as long as possible to decide about worship at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Please answer any calls from the church office number, 803 359-9421, throughout the weekend. Stay in your home and stay home. If you could use a casserole from our church freezer to get you through, call us right away or just come by.
| |
You have one week left to register for Heroes of the Bible on January 30. See details below. We’ll talk about some lesser-known heroes like the Daughters of Zelophehad in the book of Numbers. I’m coming as Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars, pictured here. This alone will be worth the price of admission! You might want to bring a Bible or have it on your phone for this event.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Mary
| | |
Council President’s Page
Mary Beth Hill
Remember our Council elections!
This Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, we hold the vote on Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s Congregation (Church) Council.
Council currently consists of Pastor Mary Anderson, Treasurer Wade Miles, Congregational President/Council Chair Mary Beth, Vice President Jimmy Smith, and Members Keith Galloway, Melissa Hendrix, Joe Kaminer, Jennifer Schwabe, Kathleen Shutt, and Wally Steinhauser.
Joe Kaminer has two more years remaining on his term, while Wally Steinhauser has one more year remaining on his term. Keith, Melissa, Jennifer, Jimmy, and Mary Beth Hill were elected in 2022, making this the last year of their 2023–2025 term. Kathleen was elected in 2024 to finish out someone else’s term (2025).
Because we believe that a council with Pastor Mary Anderson, Joe, Wally, and Peter Reinhart, who is willing to serve, is too small to provide a fair representation of the members and, quite frankly, to finish the work we have begun (eliminating the mortgage; positioning the congregation to enter the call process with more stability, financial strength, and focused mission; renewing trust in our congregational leadership, developing new leaders in the congregation, developing a deeper culture of hospitality, finishing our new constitution process, welcoming new members, and deepening our relationships with the Lexington community, Mission Lexington, the SC Synod, and our churchwide partners), we offer this solution.
Congregational President/Council Chair Mary Beth Hill and Members Melissa Hendrix, Jennifer Schwabe, and Kathleen Shutt are willing to continue for at least one more year. Our recent change to the church’s constitution (updating one paragraph of our Constitution to a paragraph (C12.02) recommended by the ELCA in their 2025 August Model Constitution) allows that to happen.
By amending Chapter 12 (C12.02), we reduced council members’ terms from 3 years to 2 years. This change also allows members already on the council to serve a consecutive term while remaining in compliance with the Constitution.
On the ballot for (2026–2027) will be Melissa Hendrix, Peter Reinhart, Jennifer Schwabe, Kathleen Shutt, and Congregational President/Council Chair Mary Beth Hill.
| | |
Heroes and Villains of the Bible
It’s time to RSVP!
| | |
Hero and Villain characters are big with Disney these days and have always been big in the Bible. Join us for a Dutch Treat dinner at O’Hara’s in a private space in this popular restaurant in Lexington.
Pastor Mary will teach us about several significant Biblical heroes in January and several villains in March to expand our repertoire of scriptural characters. For fun, participants are encouraged (but hardly required) to wear a costume reflecting a favorite hero or villain from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, history, literature, TV, movies, and more. Because seating is limited, this will be an event just for teens and adults.
- January 30 at 6:30 p.m. for Heroes of the Bible
- March 27 at 6:30 p.m. for Villains of the Bible
O’Hara’s Restaurant, 131 E. Main St., Lexington, SC 29072
Hero and Villain costumes encouraged!
Click here to RSVP. Seats are limited!
| | Divine Echoes children’s choir | | |
The Divine Echoes children’s choir will continue and expand under the leadership of Music Director Susan Caffety and Laura Hibbs.
They will meet this Sunday, January 25, after the quick Congregation Meeting which follows Worship.
| | Looking Ahead with Mission Lexington | | |
Pictured (left to right): Ron Williams, Pastor Mary, and Nikki Smith. Pilgrim recently hosted a Lutheran Men’s gathering with leaders from Mission Lexington, who shared plans and answered questions about the new Mission Lexington building being constructed next door. We are grateful for their time, openness, and partnership as we continue serving our community together.
Founded in 1978 by four churches, including Pilgrim, Mission Lexington serves as Lexington County’s central resource for crisis assistance, providing food, clothing, shelter, and supportive guidance. In 2025 alone, Mission Lexington addressed more than 39,161 needs. Mission Lexington is supported by local partners and 63 member churches, and is headquartered at 216 Harmon Street in downtown Lexington.
| | 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 tuned to this space for a new occasional feature in Pilgrim’s Progress. Taking It Out the Door! will feature a member of our church community and the volunteer work they do during the week.
Pastor Mary will be contacting some of you whose work in the community is known to her, but we invite you to tell us your own volunteer story. Doing that helps us encourage one another and gives us all ideas of how we can serve, too.
Oh, and what’s the “it”? That would be Jesus, your faith, and the gospel, as you live out the Word you have heard in worship with the Service you do in the world.
| | Generosity Team Mortgage Update | | |
Thanks to everyone who contributed toward our mortgage principal in December and January. Together, we raised $9,500. As of this week, our mortgage with First Community Bank stands at $133,000. This will drop our monthly payment by $500 to $1,130. As a point of reference, in 2019, our monthly payment was $20,000. In 2023, our mortgage stood at $919,000.
We continue to pay on our interest-free loan with the SC Lutheran Men in Mission, and that loan stands at nearly the same amount as our bank loan. We are going to refinance this bank loan with a 20-year note, so the numbers above are expected to drop somewhat.
With amazing generosity and smart financial stewardship, we have accomplished great things here. Your continued contributions to this loan and your financial stewardship to our on-going ministry needs is encouraged. Thanks be to God for all good gifts!
| | The Season of Lent is almost here | | |
Please mark your calendars as we prepare to enter the Season of Lent. Our Ash Wednesday worship service will be held on February 18, a meaningful time to begin this sacred season of reflection and renewal.
This Lent, Jane Park and Pastor Mary are teaming up to offer Lenten Suppers and a discipleship-building program on Sunday evenings at 5 p.m. Together, they will focus on strengthening both body and spirit. Jane will nourish us with delicious meals, and Pastor Mary will lead a program designed to help us build and strengthen our “disciplining muscles.”
Our Sunday evening gatherings will take place on:
- February 22
- March 1
- March 8
- March 15
- March 22
We hope you’ll join us for this time of fellowship, learning, and spiritual growth as we journey through Lent together.
| | The Festival of Candlemas is February 1 | | |
We will celebrate this festival in the traditional way by bringing candles from home to be lit and blessed. During worship, we will bless all the candles (and oil) used to bring light to our sanctuary for the coming year. You are then encouraged to take your candle home and use it throughout the rest of the Epiphany season as a reminder of Christ’s light in your daily life.
This festival, held on February 1, marks the church’s official end of the Christmas season.
| | |
It’s been chilly! But, let’s talk CHILI.
A bright Golden Ladle hangs on the wall just inside the Narthex. Last year, the Golden Ladle honor went to Becky Wingard for her outstanding chili.
Who will take that honor on Super Bowl Sunday, February 8? Will Becky repeat? Or, will another PLC member intercept that award with their stupendous chili moves?
Just bring a crockpot or other container of your homemade chili for the congregation to sample!
Please use this link to sign up to bring Chili.
Mark your calendars! February 8 is also our PLC’s “Souper Bowl.”
We will be gathering cans of soup and other substantial foods for our PLC Food Pantry in the weeks leading up to February 8. Get your competitive spirit on!
| |
Cookie Season has arrived! | | |
When placing an order on the troop website, please use Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s address instead of your own. This helps the Troop Cookie Manager identify and approve church orders.
Once the cookies arrive, they may be delivered to your home or to the church. The Troop Cookie Manager will contact you by text to arrange delivery.
If you need help placing an order, please contact Troop Leader Amber Chavis at 803-238-3237.
| | Pilgrim Community Preschool | | Stay updated with Lutheran publications | | Click here to read the latest edition of the ELCA Seeds Monthly emailed newsletter. | | |
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, visit us online at www.wearepilgrim.com, 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.
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 for our ministry needs right away, and it also involves fewer fees than online credit card donations.
| | |
Worship Service Volunteers, please read!
You can view the 2026 list of Worship Volunteers in the schedule here. It is currently a work in progress. If the column is colored, it is finished. 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 Courtney Coker in the office, and she can make those needed changes online, in Pilgrim’s Progress, and in the Sunday Bulletin.
January 25, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway
Ushers — Joe Kaminer and Ted Wingard
Communion Assistants — David and Jane Park
Counters — Melissa Hendrix and Delores Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Debra Richardson
Children’s Time — Terri Lemke
February 1, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Carolyn Horner
Ushers — Tyler Mears and Ricky Wingard
Communion Assistants — Lou Galloway and Kathy Boivin
Counters — Jamie Kosanka and Scott Grosse
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Allison Hallman and Lou Galloway
February 8, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Jackie Kaminer
Ushers — Carl Richardson and Brenda Sommer
Communion Assistants — Carolyn Horner and Margie Bundrick
Counters — Melissa Hendrix and Wally Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — No Table (Chili Cookoff)
Children’s Time — Ryan Mears and Sheila McCullough
February 15, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Ryan Mears
Ushers — Rick Harris and Wally Steinhauser
Communion Assistants — Wally and Delores Steinhauser
Counters — Todd Hendrix and Don Kosanka
Hospitality Table — Lou Galloway
Children’s Time — Jackie Kaminer and Amber Chavis
February 18, 2026, Ash Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Worship Assistant — Peter Reinhart
Ushers — Mary Beth Hill and Brenda Sommer
Communion Assistants — Myron Corley and Kathy Boivin
Counters —
Hospitality Table — No Table
February 22, 2026, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Kathleen Shutt
Ushers — Scott Grosse and Stephen Mears
Communion Assistants — Jamy Claire Archer and Jackie Kaminer
Counters — Jamie Kosanka and Delores Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Need Volunteer
Children’s Time — Terri Lemke
| | |
Pilgrim’s Prayer List
Anne Addy
Myra Boyd
Linda Corley
Mary Ann Crawshaw
Tonya Creamer’s mother, Linda Townsend
Marty Dashiell
Norma Drafts
Claudine Hope
Jimmy Metts
Bill Sanders
Joan Trawick
Mark Weaver
Friends of Pilgrim
Bishop Ginny Aebischer
Friend of Mary Beth Hill, Geena Beerman
Greg Sommer’s brother-in-law, Ben Green
Friend of Karl and Carolyn Horner, Nadine Greene
Brenda Sommer’s Nephew, Lars
David Marshall and Susan Cafferty’s Aunt Nancy
Wally and Delores Steinhauser’s cousin-in-law, Jill Sanders
Friend of Wally and Delores Steinhauser, Trey Soud
| | Worship is at 10 a.m. each Sunday. | | |
Scriptures for this Sunday
The First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:12-23
| | Worship Service replay from Sunday, January 18, 2026 | | | | |
