Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to Pilgrim Lutheran’s web blog, our newest way to let all of our church family and friends know about Pilgrim’s latest news and events, and occasional musings from the pastor!  We hope you’ll check back often to keep up-to-date.

Winthrop University Choirs to Perform

The Winthrop University Chorale and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Katherine Kinsey, will perform at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Lexington on November 15 at 4:00 pm. They will be joined by the Lexington High School Chamber Singers, under the direction of Mr. Gary Calloway. Both of the Winthrop choirs are upper-level, auditioned ensembles from the university that specialize in quality choral music from all periods of history. Works by Schutz, Brahms, Whitacre, Stroope and Argento will be performed during this portion of their 2009 Fall Tour. The concert is FREE and open to the public.

Get Connected!

Are you looking for a way to build and deepen Christian friendships and relationships?  How about studying the Bible or having a deeper prayer life?  Are you looking  for a group of Pilgrim folks that go into the community and serve?  How about a small group of folks learning more about Christianity?  To “Get Connected” join a small group today!  Please see Dawn McCloy in the Narthex every Sunday Morning following service.  OR contact her for questions or concerns please email her at dawnmccloy@gmail.com or call her at 803-439-2005.

Children’s Worship

WOW! Worshipping our Way – an alternative worship opportunity for children during the sermon time has begun.  Join us at the back of the Sanctuary after the Children’s Sermon for Worshipping our Way!  Children will be brought back into the Sanctuary in time for Communion.  WOW is for children preschool through 5^th grade.

PLC Yellow Pages

Do you have a skill or service to offer? Then advertise in the PLC Yellow Pages!! Babysitters, cake baker, electrician, plumber, or handy man, any and all welcome. Why not use the resources we have in our own congregation. Do you know a good heating and air or lawn care company? Give us your references so we can get them to advertise with us as well. We are only helping each other. Donations for ads are requested but not required. Sign up sheets are in the Narthex or call Clifford Ross 864 430 5641 or Ken Largent 803 309 2618.

N.O.T. Sundays on Wednesday nights

Wednesday nights this fall will be a time of relationship building in the Kingdom of God, supporting our Baptismal commitments and our desire of right living.

Come join us at NOT Sunday from 6:30 – 7:30– there are programs for ALL ages — you’ll be glad you did!

Dinner will be served from 5:30 – 6:30. Check out the programs to choose from under the programs tab on our webpage.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

We are beginning a new ministry here at Pilgrim called the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Members of the congregation will knit/crochet prayer shawls and members of the congregation will personally take them out as a tangible sign of our prayerful support during times of sickness, grief, struggle and life transitions.

If you crochet or knit, and would like to use your gift for ministry, or would like to learn how, we meet on the 2nd Friday of each month in the parlor at 10:00am

PILGRIM PRAISE BAND BECOMES “6:33”

Riding the wave of our church’s “strive first for the kingdom” prayer time, our PLC band has adopted the name “6:33″, AND we’re headed to the studio to record a worship CD!  The CD will be a tool for evangelism as well as a worship aid so y’all can practice singing those tunes and praise God ALL THE TIME!  

 Songs we’re planning to include are:         Alive, Forever, Amen

                                                             Here I Am to Worship  

                                                             My Redeemer Lives

                                                             Mighty to Save

                                                             Jesus Messiah

                                                             Hands to Jesus

                                                             Worthy Is the Lamb

                                                             Let God Arise

 Got a favorite that’s not on the list yet? We want your input! Look for the display on Sunday morning in the narthex – you can fill out a form and drop it in the basket.  

 A minimum donation of $10 guarantees that a copy of the CD will be reserved for you! Order extras for your family, friends and all the folks you’re inviting to Pilgrim! Any additional donations to help offset the expense of our recording session will be thankfully received.

Pray at 6:33pm

Join us in prayer each day at 6:33pm.  Take a minute to stop, and pray for God’s Kingdom!

A look back at 2008

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

 

            Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)

 

 

We have been truly blessed with a vibrant and growing church that continues to make a difference in the lives of our members and visitors, and in our community. Our accomplishments in 2008 are directly related to the generous time and any many talents of our dedicated members and staff.

 

Pilgrim continued to grow its membership from 558 members in 2002 to 755 members at the end of 2008. More importantly, we our worship attendance continued to grow with worship attendance exceeding 46% of our membership on a weekly basis in 2008 as compared to about 32% for other Lutheran churches in our area. Bible Study groups, our Sunday School, and our mid-week NOT Sundays continue to grow. We are truly blessed not only to have our worship leaders, but members that often work tirelessly and always joyfully to make all of our worship services the highlight of our week.

 

We understand we are commissioned to make a difference in this broken world. In 2008, Pilgrim was instrumental in formation of LifePoint, a Christian-based family counseling center that operates in our parsonage facility. Through the efforts of many, we were also able to endow a Samaritan’s Fund for LifePoint to help defray counseling expenses for those unable to pay. Our Pilgrim Community Pre-School continues to be a source of pride for our Church and an important outreach ministry for our Church. The pre-school operated at or near capacity for the entire year. Even our new electronic sign serves to invite others to share in our experiences here.

 

Our growth requires our leadership to address the issues at hand and to set goals for years to come. In 2008, the Church Council set five-year goals regarding our worship experience, member participation in the ministries of the Church, financial stewardship, and the growth of our individual faith. This is a roadmap, if you will, to help identify needed ministries, and equip those that will provide those ministries. “Equipping Ministries” was started in 2008, and will drive this process for years to come.

 

Growth and expanding ministries create opportunities and challenges. Our infrastructure—worship facilities and staff, particularly—are in place to continue to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Lexington community. This foundation requires us to manage our personnel and financial resources as best we can—to meet the commitments we have made as a congregation and to look forward to meeting future needs.  With a strong fourth quarter response from the congregation, we ended the year budget year at 95% of our budget. We also met our mortgage obligations for the year and actually reduced our mortgage principal by over $100,000.  However, we enter 2009 with a lower cash position than we had at the same time in 2008, so as a congregation, we must continue to carefully manage our resources to meet our commitments and to provide the needs of Pilgrim and the community.

The dedication of the Pilgrim family never ceases to amaze me. We have much to rejoice about in 2008 for we have been truly blessed. As we continue to move forward in Faith, the possibilities have few boundaries.

 

 

Ken Brock

Congregational President