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Pilgrim’s Progress
The weekly newsletter of Pilgrim Lutheran Church
Thursday, December 11, 2025
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What’s New for You!
- Pilgrim’s website has a fresh new look!
- St. Nicholas Festival—snapshots from a magical evening with our community.
- Advent and Christmas at Pilgrim
- Welcoming New Members on December 21
- Parent Pro Tip
- Peek into Pilgrim Community Preschool
- Presiding ELCA Bishop Yehiel Curry’s Christmas message.
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Happy Thursday, Pilgrims!
Some of you have seen the broadcast on WIS-TV’s Soda City Live of the interview that Bishop Aebischer participated in to invite the community to attend one of our Lutheran congregations in the Midlands for Christmas Eve worship. Some of you have seen this on one of the Synod’s social media platforms as well.
This has been part of the synodical strategy for living into our vision that “Everyone in South Carolina experience the grace and love of Jesus.” The costs for this partnership project between the Synod and WIS are covered by a grant from the ELCA to support our joint ministry in evangelism and mission.
The Council at Pilgrim agreed to be a part of this effort. The times of our Christmas Eve worship will be advertised by WIS. The project asks us to come up with a creative way to welcome new visitors when they arrive, beyond just saying, “Merry Christmas!” The Worship and Music Committee has a plan in the works, and we’ll let you know about it soon. Then in January, we’ll be asked to report back to the Synod what we did, if we had any responses from these new visitors, or if any returned for worship in Epiphany.
We’ll need three people to be greeters that night in addition to our regular ushers. Let me know if you would be willing to do this greeting ministry.
I hope to see you at my house on Saturday for a Christmas Drop-In from 3-5 p.m. December 13 is also Santa Lucia day, as we remember St. Lucy, a teenager who supported the early church in Rome and who was martyred for it in 304 C.E. I’ll have as one item on the refreshment table ginger cookies that are often handed out on this day in Sweden. I won’t be wearing a crown of lit candles, but my face will be aglow when I see you coming in the door!
Continued Advent Blessings,
Pastor Mary
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Put Pilgrim Lutheran on your Christmas list with an end-of-the-year gift. Consider a gift to the mortgage pay down, to our General Fund, and/or to one of our many ministry partners like Lutheran Disaster Relief, World Hunger, Mission Lexington, or Newberry College. Let us know how to divide or distribute your gifts, and we’ll be glad to do that for you! Many thanks for your partnership all throughout this year!
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Council President’s Page
Mary Beth Hill
Thanks for your donations!
Pilgrim Lutheran Men in Mission shared your donations, and their love and grace with the men at the House of Peace in Lexington on Sunday afternoon. The men there were very grateful to receive donated hygiene products and a nice warm meal.
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Where do you find lots of energetic children and their parents?
Why, at the December 6th St. Nicholas Festival, of course!
Many seems the best word to describe last week’s St. Nicholas Festival.
Many children attended and enjoyed the vendors, crafts, food, singing, the story of St. Nicholas, and the appearance of the man himself.
Each child brought a can of hearty soup or chili, which resulted in around 100 cans. In turn, St. Nicholas gave each of them a bag of candy containing many chocolate coins, tangerines, and peppermint sticks. He also received many hugs.
Many people volunteered. Thank you! We appreciate your service helping the vendors set up, setting up the Fellowship Hall, preparing the crafts, helping the children do the crafts, and getting on and off the stage safely. We also thank those who helped with vendor and parent parking, and those who cleaned up and put everything back together again.
We can’t leave St. Nicholas out. Our many, many thanks to you, St. Nicholas!
We have so many blessings here at Pilgrim, and we are so grateful.
Recapping our Second Information Session
On Sunday, immediately after Worship, we held our second information session ahead of the Annual Congregation Meeting. Our attendance at Worship was 70, and our attendance at the second information meeting was 20.
This Sunday, December 14, we hold our annual congregation meeting. At that meeting, the congregation will vote immediately after Worship on the 2026 Proposed Ministry Plan (Budget).
You can read about the 2026 Proposed Ministry Plan (Budget) here.
2026 Plan for Council Elections
In the second presentation, Mary Beth Hill led us through the Council’s recommendation that the Council Elections move to 30 days from November 30 (January 11).
You can read about the 2026 Plan for Council Elections here.
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We’re excited to share that Pilgrim’s website has a fresh new look! Visit wearepilgrim.com to explore the updated design, clearer navigation, and new features that make it easier to stay connected to what’s happening at Pilgrim.
This is still a work in progress, and we’d love your help fine-tuning it. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please email Courtney at PLC@wearepilgrim.com.
Thanks for taking a look and helping us keep improving!
| | Pilgrim’s St. Nicholas Festival | | From festive crafts to delicious treats and a joyful visit from St. Nicholas himself, our Fellowship Hall was full of holiday cheer! Check out these snapshots from a magical evening with our community. | | Advent and Christmas at Pilgrim | | |
As we continue this beautiful Advent season, we give thanks for the many musicians and artists who bless our worship with beauty, joy, and reverence. Their gifts, offered through voices, instruments, movement, and creativity, help prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, and we are deeply grateful for each one who contributes to our worship.
A special word of gratitude goes to Lou Galloway, our Bearer of the Light, whose graceful and elegant dance continues to enrich our Advent services.
We also look forward to the celebrations still to come this month:
- Welcoming New Members on December 21
- Christmas Eve Worship on December 24 at 5 p.m.
- The Baptism of Tilman Schwabe on December 28, during a special service of Christmas Lessons and Carols with reflections from Martin Luther, as we gather for the First Sunday after Christmas.
May this season of waiting draw us closer to Christ and to one another. Merry Advent!
| We Welcome New Members on Advent 4, December 21, 2025 | |
Pilgrim is honored to welcome Irmo residents David and Amber Marshall. They first came to Pilgrim at the invitation of David’s sister, Music Director, Susan Caffery. Amber is a physician with Prisma Health at Richland Hospital. She also volunteers with the Good Samaritan Clinic in Chapin, which provides healthcare to the uninsured. David is a licensed realtor and has volunteered in the past with the SC Department of Juvenile Justice. He was raised in Lexington United Methodist Church, and Amber has been part of the Baptist denomination previously. We’re glad they are here and look forward to our partnership in the Gospel we share!
On this day, we’ll also happily welcome Johan and Hestermarie Jansen van Vuuren. They have been visiting with us for several months since their move to Lexington. They moved to the U.S. a few years ago from South Africa, where he was raised in the Dutch Reformed Church Pretoria. She was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. Johan is a businessman in Columbia, and Hestermarie is an interior designer. They volunteer in the biker community and with animal rescue. As newcomers to Pilgrim, to Lexington, and to the United States, they appreciated the welcome they received here from their first visit forward.
| | Christmas Cards for Shut-Ins and Just Older Youth | | |
This Advent season, we invite all Pilgrim members and friends to help share Christmas cheer with our Shut-Ins and Just Older Youth.
We invite you to help share Christmas cheer by placing Christmas cards in the greeting bags located in the Narthex. A list of names will be available at the Welcome Desk or by clicking here.
The deadline is Sunday, December 14. You’re also welcome to drop off your cards at the church office anytime before then.
Members of the Visitation Team will personally deliver your cards and brighten the season for those who can’t easily be with us.
| | Poinsettias for Christmas | | |
Orders are now being accepted for poinsettias to adorn our sanctuary this Christmas season. You may purchase a plant in memory or honor of a loved one, or to the glory of God.
- Cost: $15.50 each (including tax)
- Order Deadline: Sunday, December 14
- Pickup: Plants may be taken home after the Christmas Eve service.
To ensure your dedication is included correctly, please complete and return the order form with your payment.
All orders must be prepaid by sending cash or a check to the church office, or by paying online, and selecting “Poinsettia Fund” from the drop-down menu.
If you have any questions, contact the church office at 803-359-9421 or plc@wearepilgrim.com.
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St. Nicholas (Bishop of Myra in modern Turkey, March 15, 270 – December 6, 343) was an example of generosity to those who have little in this world. Teach generosity at home in all sorts of ways.
This Christmas season, when you are shopping with your kids for food or gifts, encourage them to pick out one thing that can be given to others, such as a food item to put in the Pilgrim Food Pantry or a pair of gloves to donate to Mission Lexington or elsewhere. Focus on gratitude on a regular basis, and generosity will naturally follow.
Teens and Screens will probably be together a lot during the school winter break. Maybe they can use those phones to make a family Christmas movie and then let them show it to the gathered family during the holidays (with hot chocolate and cookies, of course!)
| | Pilgrim Community Preschool | | |
Those who own a square(s) in the Cemetery are reminded that the annual contribution of $50 per square is now due. These contributions help ensure the continued upkeep and care of our Cemetery grounds.
Please make checks payable to Pilgrim Lutheran Church Cemetery.
If you have any questions, please refer to the Cemetery Rules and Regulations, or contact a member of the Cemetery Committee.
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Pastor Mary Anderson has published her newest Super Quick Bible Study. These short, faith-filled reflections are perfect for carpool lines, lunch breaks, or quiet moments when you need a reminder of God’s love. Read it here.
| | Stay updated with Lutheran publications | | |
Have you ever heard a whisper?
View and share Presiding ELCA Bishop Yehiel Curry’s Christmas message.
| | 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.
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Worship Service Volunteers, please read!
You can check the 2026 list of Worship Volunteers by checking the schedule here. It is currently 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 Courtney Coker in the office, and she can make those needed changes online, in Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Sunday Bulletin.
December 14, 2025, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Peter Reinhart
Ushers — Scott Grosse and Brenda Sommer
Communion Assistants — Darlene Clark and Margie Bundrick
Counters — Todd Hendrix and Don Kosanka
Hospitality Table — Volunteer Needed
Children’s Time — Volunteer Needed
December 21, 2025, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway
Ushers — Joe Kaminer and Tyler Mears
Communion Assistants — Kathleen Shutt and Mary Beth Hill
Counters — Jamie Kosanka and Delores Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Volunteer Needed
Children’s Time — Volunteer Needed
December 24, 2025, 5 p.m.
Worship Assistant — Kathy Boivin
Ushers — Mary Beth Hill and Jimmy Smith
Communion Assistants — Carl and Debra Richardson
Counters — Volunteers Needed
Hospitality Table — No Table on Christmas Eve
Children’s Time — Volunteer Needed
December 28, 2025, 10 a.m.
Worship Assistant — Lou Galloway
Ushers — Carl Richardson and Volunteer Needed
Communion Assistants — Carolyn Horner and Kathy Boivin
Counters — Melissa Hendrix and Wally Steinhauser
Hospitality Table — Volunteer Needed
Children’s Time — Volunteer Needed
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Pilgrim’s Prayer List
Anne Addy
Myra Boyd
Wayne and Gail Buff
Mary Ann Crawshaw
Tonya Creamer’s mother, Linda Townsend
Marty Dashiell
Norma Drafts
Raiza Gonzalas at the death of her sister-in-law
Walt Hallman
Laura Hibbs and Laney Strickland’s mother
Claudine Hope
Family and friends at the death of Yvonne Isola
Jimmy Metts
Bill Sanders
Wally Steinhauser
Wally and Delores Steinhauser’s cousin-in-law, Jill Sanders
Brenda Sommer’s Nephew, Lars
Greg Sommer’s brother-in-law, Ben Green
Joan Trawick
Friends of Pilgrim
Bishop Ginny Aebischer
Friend of Mary Beth Hill, Geena Beerman
Friend of Karl and Carolyn Horner, Nadine Greene
Friend of John Merritt, Robert
Friend of Wally and Delores Steinhauser, Trey Soud
Friends of Ricky and Becky Wingard, Cindy Dooley and Dave Stout
| | Worship is at 10 a.m. each Sunday. | | |
Scriptures for this Sunday
The First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10
The Psalmody: Psalm 146
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:2-11
| | Worship Service replay from Sunday, December 7, 2025 | | | | |
