ALTAR FLOWERS
The altar flowers are given to the glory of God and in honor of Pastor Michele’s work with the children of our community, by Sam and Jan Samson.

YOUTH GROUP
The Samsons will host a pool party for all people at their home next Sunday, July 19, 2026, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.

MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY
Join us on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM in the Sunday School building as we use Martin Luther’s Large Catechism to explore what the Ten Commandments mean and how they continue to shape our lives of faith today. Luther’s Large Catechism was originally written for local pastors, many of whom had little formal education, with the aim of helping them teach the Christian faith in simple and practical ways. Nearly 500 years later, Martin Luther’s words still have much to teach us.

COUNCIL MEETING
Council will hold its regular monthly meeting today following the worship service. One item on the agenda will be the review of Chapters 12 – 20 of the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as of August 2025. During the May and June meetings, Council reviewed Chapters 1 -11. The Council’s objective is to modernize St. John’s current constitution, adopted in 1999, by aligning it with the Model Constitution and making revisions to streamline operations and make it easier to conduct business.

Congregation members are always welcome at any of our Council meetings. We invite you to join us at the meetings during the next few months as we continue to review and update St. John’s constitution.

NOISY OFFERING
Next Sunday we will collect our monthly noisy offering to benefit a worthy cause. The noisy offerings collected in July and August will benefit Restoration Chapel, an outreach ministry of the SC Synod. Restoration Chapel provides physical, spiritual, programmatic, and relational support for women in addiction recovery at Kinard Manor in Greenwood, SC. The program has a three-phase journey toward sobriety and independence. It begins with a safe, supportive environment, progresses through evidence-based therapy and life skills education, and culminates in a transition to sustainable employment and community.

Our former pastor, John Derrick, and Dupre Percival are a part of the team that supports this organization. The Rev. Chris Christoper, Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenwood, serves as Pastor and Chaplain to the ladies and staff at Restoration Chapel. In addition, Pastor Christopher also services as coordinator of facility services at Restoration Chapel.

You can obtain more information about the program by visiting Restoration Chapel’s website at https://restorationchapelgreenwood.org.

ON-LINE GIVING THROUGH TITHE.LY
If you choose to give to St. John’s through Tithe.ly by selecting the “Give” button at https://stjohnsirmo.org, you will notice a slightly different look for the giving form. Multi-fund giving is now available for one-time donations. A donor can split a donation across a maximum of five funds in a single transaction. However, a donor wishing to set up recurring gifts for multiple funds must set up each recurring gift individually by fund.

JOINT SERVICE
Pomaria Lutheran Church has invited us to join them for their worship service on September 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM. During the service, our new bishop-elect, Wade Roof, who officially becomes bishop on September 1, 2026, will participate in the dedication of Pomaria’s newly completed building addition. The dedication service will be followed by a reception.
Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend. Not only will you get to see the new building addition, you will also get to meet the new bishop and to enjoy fellowship with members of our sister church.