St. Matthias Lutheran Church (ELCA)

CALLING ALL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

 In early September (right after Labor Day) an Evening of Orientation to the Confirmation Program at St Matthias will be held. All parents of youth in 6^th through 8^th grades who have not yet participated in confirmation are encouraged to register their children for this very important chapter of their faith journey. We will continue to use the Faith Inkubators program which blends multimedia learning with small group sharing, fellowship and service projects. Register by contacting the church office as soon as possible (859-0639 or belinda@st-matthis.org).

Sunday – August 29th

 “Journeying with Jesus:  An Expedition to New Life”

 What is Rally Day?  Rally Day is St. Matthias Lutherans’ annual day to kick-off the new Sunday School year!

 Worship will begin at 10:00 am, followed by a pork BBQ lunch with all the fixings in the Parish Hall (provided by the Learning Committee).  The congregation is asked to bring side dishes and desserts.

 The children will receive a passport for their Journey with Jesus.  They will take their passport to a water fun station and hear about a story that represents that water station and the miracles of Jesus!  So be prepared with your swimsuit and towel while we travel through the stations and hear about Christ’s awesome work!

 Sunday School for all ages will resume on September 5, 2010 at 9:00 am.

The congregation is invited to join the Fun Flock, Club 456 & youth on Sunday, August 22, from 2-5 pm at the Keowee Key picnic shelter.  Everyone should bring a snack or dessert.  Drinks & finger sandwiches will be provided.  Sign up in the Narthex.

St. Matthias will once help with parking cars at the Clemson Tiger home football games.  12 volunteers are needed to work each home game.  Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age.  Khaki shorts or pants & tennis shoes required, yellow “parking” shirt is provided.  You will work for a few hours prior to the kick-off and then be free to leave.  Tailgating is necessary!!!  The church will earn $500 per game, plus a bonus of $700 if we work all seven of the home games!  If you would like to help with this effort, contact the church office (859-0639 or belinda@st-matthias.org).  You may also sign up on the list in the Narthex.

On Thursday, May 13th the Church marks this 40th day following the resurrection of Jesus as the time to commemorate our Risen Lord’s ascension into heaven. On this day, when the Risen Christ met his disciples “as he had told them,” Jesus leaves his disciples with a commission, a blessing and a promise of the Holy Spirit. The evangelist Luke relates the encounter:

⁴⁴Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, read more » »

On Sunday, the first of six Sabbath days that we will gather for worship during this Lenten tide, we heard the story of the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Luke writes, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” The wilderness, for many, represents a place of discomfort, of dis-ease – a place where our weaknesses become more apparent to ourselves and to others – a place of increased vulnerability. Most of us would not, given our choice of places to head off on retreat, choose to go willingly into the wilderness. And yet it is precisely the place where the Spirit leads this newly baptized beloved one of God. read more » »

An Invitation to a Holy Lent

It’s February! Ever since 1994 I have been unable to shake the memory of going out into that extraordinarily cold winter morning of February 18. It was snowing, the wind was blowing and the temperature was a brisk 48° below zero not counting wind chill.  My three day sabbatical among the community of Benedictines at Blue Cloud Abbey came as a much needed respite from my internship parish was nearing its end. Many have asked what I could have done so terribly wrong or who I had gotten so angry at me as to warrant such a remote assignment as northeast South Dakota. Actually, though, isolated as it may sound or seem, read more » »