Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

Here are some things happening this week:

• When Robin Sandwich delivered our donated canned goods to Good Neighbor Cupboard last week, they asked her to express a word of thanks to the congregation for our continued support of their mission to feed the hungry.  They stressed that donations are especially important now, after the holidays, and that our recent donations will be put to good use.

• The Statements of Giving for 2023 are now in the room off the narthex.  You may need these for your tax preparations.

• We are needing another person (or possibly two) to deliver the altar flowers to shut-ins.  You would be responsible for one month at a time and depending on the number of volunteers we get, perhaps 3-4 months each year.  If you are interested or would like more information, please reach out to me.

• After going through all the Time and Talent Sheets that were recently turned in, Pat has informed me that the following dates for Altar Flowers are still open for this year:  April 21, April 28, May 12, June 30, August 11, September 22, October 27, November 24 and December 8s.  if you would like to provide altar flowers In Memory Of someone or In Honor of someone, please contact Pat in the Church Office. You may send her an email, leave a message on the answering machine, or call her on Monday of next week when she returns to the church office.  In needed, Pat will also be able to give you a list of those florists in our area whom we recommend.

• Now for some South Carolina Lutheran history.  The following was written by Susan McArver, Professor of History and Archives at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary:  On January 14, 2024, we will mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the South Carolina Synod. The South Carolina Synod is one of the oldest synods in the ELCA, and observing our anniversary gives us an opportunity to look back at our history – in order to propel us more hopefully into God’s future. Before January 14, 1824, all Lutherans throughout the Southeast belonged to just one Synod: the Synod of “North Carolina and Adjacent States,” as it was called. Basically, that included all Lutheran churches from Virginia all the way down the Eastern Seaboard. But on January 14, 1824, four pastors who served in the state of South Carolina, along with two candidates for ordination, and five lay men, met together at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, now in Irmo, to form an independent Synod of their own – the Synod of SOUTH Carolina – and Adjacent States . . . The meeting was opened with “singing and prayer,” exactly as we open our Synod Assemblies today, 200 years later. They elected the Rev. Godfrey Dreher as the first President of the Synod until the next meeting – what we today, would call, a bishop. The Synod was small:  it reported the presence of just 24 Lutheran churches in South Carolina (and 6 of them were vacant). There were 2 in Georgia[i] and only about 1700 members[ii] in the whole territory. The Synod expressed great concern about the shortage of qualified pastors, and “lamented” that while “the harvest is plenteous, the labourers are few”.[iii] The stated reason for the formation of the new synod was that it simply took too long to travel all the way to North Carolina once a year to hold synodical meetings, and the Minutes record that the separation was a “friendly”[iv] one.

• Please mark your calendars for our Community Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, which will take place again at Boulevard Baptist Church, on Tuesday, February 13 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. Ticket information will be forthcoming.

• Sunday, I will be preaching on the Gospel text, John 1:43-51 as we hear those enticing words, “Come and see.”

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

NOTICE OF SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING
Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation will be held Sunday, February 11TH at 9:50 a.m. in the
Fellowship Hall. At this meeting the officers of the congregation, staff, committee chairs,
organization presidents/leaders will present a brief report highlighting the accomplishments of
the previous ministry year. There will be a light breakfast provided.