Pilgrim's Progress

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCH

Lexington, SC

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

FROM PASTOR MARY

Dear Pilgrims,

Happy Thursday, Pilgrims! I’m just back from three days at Lutheridge, where I gathered with the other pastors and deacons of the SC Synod. Every October, we go up the mountain for continuing education, worship, time with the Bishop, and a little recreation.

This past year, I introduced many of you to Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, who taught Jewish studies and New Testament at Vanderbilt. Now, she teaches in Hartford, CT. At Pilgrim, we studied together her well-known book on the parables, “Short Stories by Jesus.” When our Bishop was introducing her on Monday, naming one educational degree and honorary position after another, Amy-Jill quickly yelled from the sidelines like only a Jewish mother can, “I have many titles. If I wasn’t qualified, I wouldn’t be here!” Then she marched barefooted up to the front of the room, grabbed the microphone from the Bishop, and launched into a high-speed, dense lecture that she could do like nobody else.

As an Orthodox Jewish New Testament scholar, she has been a crusader in Christian divinity schools, seeking to help Christians understand Judaism, especially 1st Century Jews like Jesus, much better. She helps to guide us out of our often-unintentional anti-Semitism. As she says, “You don’t have to make Jews look bad in order to make Jesus look good. Jesus looks very good all on his own.”

Peace to you. Peace to the Middle East. Peace Everywhere,

Pastor Mary

COUNCIL REPORT

The Constitution Task Force and the Finance Committee worked hard on the proposed constitution and ministry plan/budget for 2024. Thanks to their months of hard work, as we begin preparing for our Annual Meeting on Dec. 10, 2023.

Pilgrims, have you seen something that needs our attention?

As you can tell, our Property Committee has been very busy lately with projects around the church. We appreciate all their hard work and want to make things easier for the committee.

You often stop a council or property committee member and mention that something needs to be repaired. However, you do this when we are setting up for the service, testing the sound system, or dashing in or out of the door. Sometimes, that means we don’t quite catch everything you said. Here’s how you can help.

We’ve created a PLC Work Order Request form here: https://bit.ly/PLCWorkOrder to streamline the reporting process. Just click on this link and let us know about things you see that need our attention.

Doing this will generate a list in the office that the Property Committee can review and prioritize. This will also help the committee track when a job was completed, helping us keep up with frequently recurring problems, warranties, and other items related to the property. Thanks for helping us help them.

Put these dates on your calendar!

Prepare for our Dec. 10, 2023 Annual Congregation Meeting

We will hold two information meetings before our Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, Annual Congregation Meeting. The first of these information meetings takes place next Sunday, Oct. 29, right after our worship service.

We will provide copies of the proposed 2024 Budget/Ministry Plan, the biographies of individuals running for council member seats, the proposed PLC Constitution, and other information.

Someone will be at the meeting to introduce the proposed budget, while someone else will explain the process the Constitution Task Force went through to get to the proposed Constitution.

At that meeting, we will provide several different ways to ask your questions over the next few weeks.

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024

The first meeting of the 2024 Church Council, a retreat, takes place on Saturday, Jan. 13. Council and the Season of Renewal Task Force will spend the morning and lunch with The Reverend Rick Carter from the SC Synod. The council will stay after lunch to spend a few hours in the afternoon together going over some other information.

Worship Service Volunteers

Sunday, Oct. 29

Lector — Jimmy Smith

Ushers — Scott Grosse and Jimmy Smith

Worship Assistant — Ricky Wingard

Sunday, Nov. 5

Lector — Delores Steinhauser

Ushers — Don Kosanka and Ricky Wingard

Worship Assistant — Jimmy Smith

Sunday, Nov. 12

Lector — Ricky Wingard

Ushers — Carl Richardson and Kim Shealy

Worship Assistant — Carolyn Horner

Sunday, Nov. 19

Lector — Mary Beth Hill

Ushers — Kim Shealy and Jimmy Smith

Worship Assistant — Carolyn Horner

Sunday, Nov. 26

Lector — Greg Sommer

Ushers — Scott Grosse and Mary Beth Hill

Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway

EVENTS

CLICK FOR A 10-DAY CALENDAR

Reformation Sunday is this Sunday, Oct. 29

Information Meeting will follow morning worship

Reformation Sunday is this Sunday, Oct. 29.

Please remember to wear RED to celebrate, and following worship, plan to stay for the first of two information meetings in preparation for our Congregational Meeting on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Remember loved ones on All Saints' Sunday, Sunday, Nov. 5

November 1 is celebrated as All Saints’ or All Hallows’ Day each year. We will recognize this festival on the closest Sunday, which is November 5. On this Sunday, we will remember those we have loved and lost within our congregation since Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

All worshippers are invited to bring a framed picture of someone they have loved and lost in the past year or someone they lost many years ago. Please place the photographs on the Remembrance Table by the Baptismal Font as you enter for worship.

Sistercare will bring program at Nov. 7 Leah Circle meeting

A speaker from Sistercare will present information about that organization at the next Leah Circle meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 12:30 p.m. in the Prayer and Share room near the Fellowship Hall. Bring a sandwich/salad/lunch and join us (snacks, dessert, and drinks will be provided).

Sistercare's mission is to provide trauma-informed services, to advocate for domestic violence survivors and their children, and to promote the prevention of domestic violence through community awareness and training.

Celebrate the Festival of St. Nicholas on Wednesday, Dec. 6

5:30 p.m. - Service in the Sanctuary

We will welcome St Nicholas to Pilgrim at this brief worship service. All children and youth are asked to bring gifts of canned goods for our Food Pantry to give to Nicholas. He will have a small gift for each child as well.

6 p.m. - Food for Purchase and Local Art Vendors will be available outside the church doors for all to enjoy.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Deadline is Sunday, Nov. 12

It's time to order Poinsettias for the Christmas season

Orders are now accepted for poinsettias to be used this Christmas as decorations in our sanctuary. Poinsettias can be purchased in memory or honor of a loved one or to the Glory of God. The deadline for orders is Sunday, Nov. 12, and each plant costs $15 (including tax). The plants will be available for buyers to pick up at the Christmas Eve service that you attend. Please use the form below to order plants. All orders must be prepaid. You may attach a check to the form, use the QR Code on the form, or pay online at the church website (www.wearepilgrim.net/online-giving). Please select 'Poinsettia fund' from the drop-down menu when paying online. Questions? Please call the church office at (803) 359-9421 or email [email protected].

Click for Poinsettia Order Form

Pray and Give

Middle East Crisis leads to severe humanitarian crisis

Due to escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel, a severe humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Holy Land. The ELCA has a longstanding relationship with partners in the region, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and Augusta Victoria Hospital. Lutheran Disaster Response has a history of providing support for our partners and will be prepared to answer calls for assistance when the time comes.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a letter of solidarity to Bishop Dr. Sani-Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In it, she writes, “I encourage the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to unite in prayer for the families of innocent civilians whose lives were lost, as well as pray for healing for all the injured, fearful, and traumatized.

“I pledge our accompaniment and support to you as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and its ministries provide ‘critical and timely assistance (psychological and otherwise) to those affected by this war.’”

What you can do:

Pray

Please pray for people in the Middle East who have been impacted by the conflict. May God's healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.

Give

Your gifts designated for Middle East Crisis will be used entirely (100%) to provide long-lasting support to those whose lives have been impacted by disasters in the region.

Preschool Corner

The Pumpkin Raffle has returned!

As some of you know, every October, the classes of Pilgrim Community Preschool decorate a craft pumpkin and hold a friendly competition.

The pumpkin with the most tickets (votes) wins a pizza party. This year's pumpkins might be the most creative yet! We also added the ability to vote remotely via the Preschool's Venmo Account! If you want to vote for your favorite pumpkin, please email [email protected].

The Preschool is also looking for substitute teachers.

Our teachers and students call this amazing place 'home' for four mornings each week, and we would love to have you join us as a substitute teacher. If you are interested in seeing the day-to-day events of the preschool and meeting our teachers and students, please reach out to Meredith at ([email protected]).

Study of Acts continues during Tuesday's Prayer and Share

Holy Innovation! The Spirit’s Super Power

In the Prayer and Share Bible Study hour, Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. We continue our study of the Book of Acts. Please feel free to jump in anytime. There’s always something to learn and something to contribute!

Pictured, right, Pastor Mary at the Areopagus in Athens, where Paul preached.

Casseroles are ready for delivery to those in need of care

How many times have you enjoyed the gift of a home-cooked meal when you were troubled or sick? Do you know someone who could use the same gift of love?

We are well underway delivering casseroles to people in our community. We're hearing about delightful visits taking place as these meals are being delivered. Some folks are planning group cooking times to re-supply the freezer, Thank you. We are also working on a system to make casseroles available to those who use our Food Pantry.

We have 6-8 (8" x 8") casseroles in the freezer in the Fellowship Hall kitchen. These casseroles are available for you to take to someone needing a loving, caring gesture.

The casseroles are labeled with names, ingredients, and cooking instructions. All the ingredients are pre-cooked, so reheating in an oven or microwave is easy.
If you take a casserole, there is a legal pad in the freezer. Please write the name of the casserole you are taking, the date, and the recipient's name.
If you would like someone else to deliver the casserole for you, please email [email protected] with the recipient's name, address, and telephone number.

Children's Time in the Word meets each Sunday morning

Our children’s ministry continues to grow. The children and their parents seem to enjoy our Children’s Time in the Word during our Sunday service, and we love having children at Pilgrim. This past Sunday, the children created a “Table of Happiness” where they enjoyed a little after-service social time.

Pictured, Ellis and Zayn Turpen, and Erika Schwabe enjoy time with each other, sweets, and fruit after church Sunday.

October's Noisy Offering will support Pilgrim food pantry;

Food, toiletries accepted at the office or Sunday mornings

During the coming weeks, the fall focus for our food pantry will be toiletries. The next time you are out shopping, please pick up a few items to include in our pantry. Shampoo, deodorant, bar soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste are always needed. Thank you for your continued support.

Lutherock Advent Festival is scheduled for Dec. 1-3

Advent Festival - Dec. 1-3, 2023

Adults, $125; Youth - $75

Activities include Christmas crafts, carols, cookie and recipe exchange, pictures with Santa, and cutting your Christmas tree (additional fee)—comfortable lodging at Crow's Nest Retreat Center and delicious meals.

For more information, please visit https://lutherock.org/fall_spring_programs/advent-fest/