Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for the latest happenings at Saxe Gotha!
Fall Sermon Series and Small Groups: On Sunday, August 25, we started a sermon series called "Fruitfulness on the Frontline: Making a Difference Where You Are." This is an 8-week series that will encourage and challenge us to see how we are missionaries right where we are.
Families in Faith, meets in the Fellowship Hall.
Contact: Patricia Zeigler at pdmz@rocketmail.com
Foundations, meets in room 112/113 of the Light House
Contact: Sharon Capps at sharon@sharoncompany.com or 960-2264
The Explorers, meets in room 139 of the Light House
Contact: HH Ham at hhham@saxegotha.org or 359-7770 ext 40
Musicians in the Word, meets in the Choir Suite in the Main Building.
Contact: Hal McIntosh at hmcintosh@saxegotha.org or 359-7770 ext 13
In the Hope Ferry Rd/Corley Mill Rd area of Lexington, hosted by Jenni and Sean Gannon.
Contact: Jenni Gannon at jgannon129@gmail.com or 543-0097
Meets in room 155 of the Main Building
Contact: HH Ham at hhham@saxegotha.org or 359-7770 ext. 40
In the Oak Grove section of Lexington, hosted by Brian and Wendy Thies.
Contact: wdelmater@usa.net or cell: 803-479-1202.
Dinner at 5:30 / Classes at 6:30 - Please join us!
Menu for 10/23: Chicken with mushrooms, rice, salad and dessert.
Menu for 10/30: Ham, mac and cheese, salad and dessert.
Menu for 11/6: Lasagna, seven layered salad, garlic bread, marinated tomatoes and cucumbers and blackberry cobbler for dessert.
Cost: Adults $5, Kids 3-11 $3, Family Max of $20. Make reservations by clicking on the link below. Reservations due by noon on Monday.
October 20 (4:00 - 6:00 pm)
Trunk or treat, cakewalk, carnival games and inflatables! Wear your favorite costume! Free Event! Open to the Community!
Contact: Lori Lowman at llowman@saxegotha.org or 359-7770 ext. 28.
You can help support Mission Lexington by bringing a can of soup to donate at this event!
Sunday, October 27 - One Service Sunday at 11:00 am in the Sanctuary followed by a church picnic in the Gym.
Let us know you’re coming! Please help us plan for you and your family. Our church will provide the chicken, drinks and paper products, while members will bring the sides (list by last name):
A-O: Sides (Casseroles, Vegetables, Starches, Salads
P-Z: Desserts
Please bring enough food for your family plus five people. Please drop off items prior to the start of worship. Lunch served in the Gym immediately following the 11:00 Kirkin’ service.
If you are available to Volunteer to set-up, serve or clean-up, please email Jennifer Gibbons at jgibbons@lexington1.net.
Please RSVP by October 21.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month, so let's shower our pastors with thank you notes, a cup of coffee, a sweet treat or something special to show our appreciation.
(Girls and Boys: 5K - 6th Grade) Games are held on weekdays and practices are on Saturdays. Cost is $80; after October 21, $90. First Practice: Monday, November 4. First Game: Monday, November 25. Evaluations: October 17 (6-8 pm) / Make-Up Evaluations: October 19 (9 am-12 pm). Contact: Terry Cagle at 803-331-1622 or Pete Eckert at 803-608-9835. All players must be evaluated in order to participate. Registration is currently open.
To Register: https://registration.upward.org/UPW68798.
Thursday, November 7 at 6:00-8:00 pm (Saluda Shoals Park, Cattail Shelter)
An evening of food and fellowship for men of all ages.
Speaker: Adrian Despres, Former Team Chaplain of the University of South Carolina Football Team.
Tickets $10 at the door.
Contact: Gable Dulin at 803-318-9544.
Wednesday, November 13
Dinner: 5:00-5:45 pm in Gym / Packing: 6:00-7:30 pm in Light House
Help us reach our goal of packing 500 shoeboxes to be sent around the world! Drop off at the church office receptionist desk labeled Lori Lowman. If you would like to make a monetary donation to this ministry simply write your check to Saxe Gotha with OCC in the memo line.
Please click here to see the Amazon Wish List of items needed for the OCC Packing Party:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/114SL831MUF2M?ref_=wl_share
These poinsettias will be used to decorate our Sanctuary and the Light House Auditorium during the holidays. You may dedicate them in honor in memory of someone.
Sunday, November 10 at 4:00 PM in Fellowship Hall. The Women in Ministry Council invites all women of SGPC to come and enjoy fellowship with one another, learn or perfect the making of Advent Wreaths and share some sweet treats.
Nov. 27 from (3:30 - 8:30 pm) and Nov. 28 from (10:00 am - 1:00 pm). You can serve others by: donating money to purchase foods, cook/slice turkeys, help with food preparation and kitchen duties on Wed. afternoon or Thur. morning or by delivering meals to the needy on Thanksgiving morning. Email Mary McIlwain Fuller at scmcilwains@gmail.com to volunteer.
It hurts to lose a loved one. GriefShare is for people grieving the death of a family member or friend and offers a weekly support group led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. This group offers understanding and ideas to help you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Saxe Gotha will be holding our GriefShare group meetings Sundays, January 5, 2020 through March 29, 2020 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. You can register online, or contact Renee’ Starnes at Rstarnes@saxegotha.org for more information. There is a cost of $15 for the workbook. Please share this information with friends and neighbors that may be dealing with a loss.
Join us on Wednesday Nights from 6:30 - 7:30 pm in the Light House Cafe - Ends November 6.
We’ve all wished that our children came with an instruction manual or handbook. Parenting is wonderful, but also extremely difficult. It only seems to get harder in an age of rapidly changing technology, new pressures, and emerging dangers. We are all trying to figure it out! God may not have given us all the instructions, but He did give us community. The old African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is very true. We need all the help we can get, and it is time to pool our collective knowledge and wrestle with these big topics together!
This Fall we are offering a new opportunity for parents to have discussions around the big topics of our day. We are calling it “The TALK”. Yes, we will likely discuss the birds and the bees in today’s highly sexualized culture, but we are going to talk about much more. This is not a class or a lecture. There will be no workbook. What we will have is some battle worn parents, some coffee and drinks, and some open conversations about the things that really matter to today’s parents. Come talk and join the discussion!
Sunday, October 20 (9:45 - 10:30 am, Light HouseCafé)
We invite new members and active guests to discover your spiritual gifts, what it means to be a Presbyterian and how to "Give God Joy" as a fully engaged member of Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church! Periodically throughout the year, SGPC offers a Discovery Class to help new members and guests get plugged into Saxe Gotha. The class lasts for about an hour, but it is extremely helpful in introducing individuals to all aspects of our church and its ministries. Please contact Gaby Gonzalez Hackett at ggonzalez@saxegotha.org or 803-359-7770, ext. 45 if you would like to attend.
Last week our South Sudan Ministry team met and began planning for our annual mission trip to South Sudan. Here is an overview of what we expect. We plan to fly into South Sudan on Saturday, January 25 from Nairobi, Kenya on an AIM Air Charter flight; one week later we will depart on Saturday, February 1. The entire trip including time for travel to and from the United States is about 11 days. Our focus area will be Pibor in Boma State of South Sudan, as it has been for about 11 years. Some of our team members will split their time between Pibor and Gummuruk, a neighboring village. On the return flight, we plan to stop at Akobo in Akobo State of South Sudan for about two hours to get familiar with the location and determine whether it is a candidate for a second mission location for us in the future.
Team Leader: Greg Force*
Two Pastors: This will involve preaching, teaching scripture, and teaching pastors preaching techniques.
Two Medical: Amy Smith, RN* plus an ophthalmologist
Christian Educator: Lee Ann Alexander*
Farmer: Role is to assess the area to determine locations appropriate for farming and potential crops
Educator: One who can coach teachers, identify needs and serve as a liaison for the ministry and the church-sponsored Kondako School between visits.
Videographer:
* Indicates people who have made this trip before.
Our hosts are (1) a domestic non-profit called Serving and Learning Together (SALT) whose founder and executive director is Rev. Orozu Lokine Daky. Orozu has been a partner and friend since 2005 and (2) Eastern Jonglei Presbytery whose General Secretary is Rev. James Aleyi Zeelu. Zeelu has been a partner and friend since about 2010.
This is advance planning information. If you are interested in going or know someone who is, please contact Bill Andress or Greg Force. We have been seeking an ophthalmologist for several years and particularly need assistance with this. Projected personal costs are about $2,500 including airfare.
Those considering joining the team should understand that:
This is physically a demanding trip. Daytime temperatures routinely exceed 100/38 Degrees F/C and may reach 110/43 Degrees F/C. There is minimal electricity and no air conditioning. We stay at the SALT compound where there is a sleeping building, but most take their beds outside because it is cooler. Food will be basic. No hotels or restaurants. Much like camping. Toilets are outhouses; and a bath is using a washcloth and bucket of water.
The U.S. State Department considers it unsafe to travel to South Sudan and recommends no travel there. This has been the case for several years.
We are confident because we know that: (1) our hosts will alert us in advance if we need to divert; (2) the peace-building efforts of our hosts over the years have resulted in Boma State being among the safest states in the country, and Pibor is much safer than the nation's capital; (3) we fly a charter flight with a Christian organization which independently assesses the situation; and, (4) if we ever lose total confidence, we will cancel, divert or withdraw the team immediately.
While we can never guarantee total safety, what we can guarantee is, the exceptional welcome, hospitality and love you will feel. You probably will experience a miracle; and you definitely will experience the Holy Spirit and want to return.
Bill Andress (803-546-9099) or BillAndress75@gmail.com or
Greg Force (803 960 5957) / gregorylforce@gmail.com
Meets on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month in Room 154, MB (10:00-11:30 am). If you like to knit, or would like to learn to knit, this group is for you. Questions? Call Polly Askew at 803-359-7263.
Did you know that when shopping Amazon they will make a donation to Saxe Gotha that will go towards Debt Free in Three, with no additional cost to you? The only requirement is to go through smile.amazon.com instead of Amazon.com and choose Saxe Gotha as your charity of choice. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service, but with each purchase you help reduce the debt.
Lexington One Backpack Program:
Saxe Gotha partners with Lexington School District One to support the Backpack Program. Items Needed for Backpacks: juice boxes, cereal/granola bars, snack crackers, single serving cereal boxes/bowls, raisins, peanut butter, fruit cups/pouches (please no applesauce cups), pudding cups, oatmeal packets. If you or your small group is interested in donating food or packing bags to assist with this effort, please contact Holly Waldrip: waldrip@sc.rr.com. Also, you can place donations in the blue bin in the church main office.
The Compassionate Care Meals Ministry provides meals to our families when they are going through the loss of a loved one. This ministry is in need of additional members. If this is an area you could help with, please call Renee’ Starnes at 359-7770 ext. 37 or send her an email.
We are looking for new acolytes this fall. Any child that will be in 3rd grade
or above can by an acolyte. It is a great opportunity for your child to serve during worship. If you are interested, please contact Meredith Cully at mcully@saxegotha.org or sign up online via the link below.
The local Meals on Wheels program provides many services for seniors all around Lexington. The program is in need of additional volunteers to deliver meals as part of their Meals on Wheels service, which delivers about 500 meals a week. If you would like to volunteer, please call Ann or Loretta at 803-957-7979 at the Lexington Senior Center.
10/27: Team 4,11/3: Team 5, 11/10: Team 6, 11/17: Team 1, 11/24: Team 2.
To listen to past sermons, please go to our audio sermons page.
