You can download a copy of the Messenger with graphics, or if you just want to read the text, keep scrolling! The September 2025 Events Calendar at St. James Lutheran Church is below.

All of our community events are posted on our events page, be sure to check them out!

A Message From Pastor Libby

It is hard to believe that summer is over, and September is here. School is back in session, summer vacations have ended, and the promise of cooler weather is (hopefully!) ahead of us. Here at St. James, we are looking forward to a busy fall season. We will host Rally Day and God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday on September 7th, starting a new Sunday School and Confirmation year with our adults and young people. The end of the month will bring with it a presentation from our Guatemala Volunteers, and our annual Fall Festival at the Vossler’s Farm, both on Sept. 28th.

As we step into this season, I am reminded of the words of 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Scripture reminds us that giving of our time, our resources, and our talents is not as simple as it may seem. It requires giving of time and personal energy. God has given each of us unique abilities, passions, and experiences. Some of us are organizers, others are teachers, encouragers, builders, or caregivers. Each role matters because each is an expression of God’s grace at work through us.

Each quarter, Council President Mark Withrow shares an update on the financial health of our congregation. We are deeply grateful to our members and guests who have faithfully and generously supported our ministries and building, through their financial gifts. This generosity allows St. James to sustain our programs, maintain our facilities, and extend Christ’s love beyond our walls, to be the church in the world.

We are incredibly thankful for the many members who faithfully give their time to our ministries, but we are in need of a larger group of people to share their time and talents in all areas of church life. As 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us, each gift we offer is a way to serve others and steward God’s grace.

If you love cooking for others, consider joining our Caregivers Ministry, helping to coordinate and prepare funeral meals for grieving families. Your hospitality can be a tangible expression of comfort and compassion. If you have teaching experience, or enjoy encouraging young people in their faith, speak with Adam or me about getting involved in our Confirmation and Youth programming. Your presence and guidance can shape lives in lasting ways. If you love the outdoors and want to put your faith into action through creation stewardship, consider joining our Creation Care Taskforce. Together, we plan and participate in local projects that care for God’s earth. If you feel called to advocacy and want to help make our church’s welcome visible in the community, talk with us about serving on our Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Taskforce. This ministry works for inclusion and justice, helping us live out our call to love our neighbors boldly and publicly.

Or perhaps you will choose to help with a project or event without joining a formal, organized team. Volunteers are always welcome to lend a hand in setting up for events, coordinating and planning community activities, assisting with special worship services, or pitching in wherever an extra set of hands is needed. These one-time or short-term commitments can be a wonderful way to serve if your schedule is busy, or your availability is limited. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, please ask any staff member. We are happy to work with you to match your gifts to our church’s needs.

This season, we ask you to consider ways that you can give of your time and talents to our congregation. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see opportunities to get involved and volunteer. Some may be small tasks, others are large projects. My prayer is that each of us will consider how God is calling us to be “faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms,” so that our ministries and activities continue for years to come.

With love,
Pastor Libby

ST. JAMES STORYTELLING:
A MESSAGE FROM TOM BENDER

My journey as an employee at St James began rather auspiciously. After losing my job at the car dealership and being unemployed for several months, the news of full-time work came as a blessing and I started three days before Christmas in 2008. Tim said it would be a trial by fire, but I quickly settled in to the daily routines. One might think that life surrounded by mundane tasks would be free from out of the ordinary excitement. I would beg to differ. I was about to see how St James embraced the unexpected.

It was a familiar morning for me as I had prepared the worship space for a funeral service and set up the dining room for the reception following the service. I would be offering my voice in song for the family and was making my way into the service in a white robe with music in hand, when a familiar young woman’s cry for help came from the lower level of the church. “Mr. Tom, come down here! There is water coming in the basement!” The timing of the event could not have been worse. The church reception caregivers had finished their preparations only minutes before, and the children were scurrying to find safe harbor amid the ensuing flood waters moving across the dining room floor. Somehow, through the assistance of childcare staff, caregiver volunteers, property committee members and the Holy Spirit, we managed to relocate the reception, bring order to the children’s safe space, clean up all the water, and salvage the day. This is just one example of how the St James community came together in a time of crisis.

A few years later, after learning there would be an extensive recovery following my shoulder surgery in 2017, the people of St. James again rose to the occasion. Several volunteers painstakingly took over my schedule for several weeks until I could return to my duties following my rehab.

Over the years, my relationships with staff members, childcare personnel, and the children in the childcare continued to flourish. Some of my interactions come to mind. There aren’t many places where you can be vacuuming the carpet as you enjoy the sounds of the pipe organ, or be mopping the dining room and be asked by a three year old “What are you doing Mr. Tom?” or better still, “Hey Mr. Tom, we are out of soap in the bathroom!” Imagine a three-year-old boss! Or to be assembling the Christmas tree in the worship space and out of the blue be serenaded with the old time favorite “Oh Christmas Tree” from the organ console.

The St. James family is one that has reached out to me in so many different ways, and so it is with a heart of gratitude that I am announcing my intention to retire at the end of this year. It has been my great pleasure to serve as the building superintendent here at St. James for the past 17 years. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside many gifted and dedicated staff members and caregivers who have been so supportive and appreciative of me and the work I have done. There has always been a thank you or a kind word of appreciation that has meant the world to me.

Finally, I am grateful to the people of St. James who have always graciously and generously encouraged me to serve in this capacity. The blessings I have received through this experience are ones I will cherish throughout the coming years in my retirement. May God bless all of you and continue to bless the mission of this wonderful place.

Young At Heart:
Keeping Up With The Kids
Adam Michael, Dir. of Youth & Family Ministry

In Bible stories, God’s voice comes across in many ways. Sometimes it’s a talking bush, sometimes it’s a voice in a character’s head, other times it seems like it’s a response to prayer.

Some kids hear this and assume, mistakably but understandably, that the voice of God will be so abundantly clear that they’ll know it when they hear it. Some adults still walk through life with that assumption.

But the voice of God often comes in a whispered thought, a sick feeling in our gut, a memory of a previous abuse or trauma and a wish that it had been handled in a more graceful, loving, or justice-filled manner. As I was preparing for this season of youth group and Sunday School, I was reminded of something important. In a world of influencers, the reason we read the Bible, memorize passages, and retell these stories is so that our kids learn to recognize God’s voice above all others.

This year, our youth education will be listening to a lot of different voices inspired by God. Our preschool through fifth grade Sunday School will be taking a crack at the Whirl Lectionary every Sunday from 9:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. in rooms 306 & 307. Our K-3 elementary school will be using a well-established, non-denominational curriculum called Orange. Our newly established Grade 4-5 youth group will work with the Actually Fun curriculum that worked so well with middle and high school last year. Our teens and tweens in grades 6-12 will use lessons from a curriculum called Reframe to start the year.

Some might ask why we’ve decided to try four curriculums at once. For the last few years, I’ve played to my strengths and tried to cover stories and scripture that I feel confident teaching. This year I want to grow out of my comfort zone. To do so, I hope to see how others have approached concepts and stories I feel less certain about. My hope is that our teachers and I will be inspired and energized by this exploration, and moved to create a unique St. James vision, once again in 2026-27.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events !
Sept. 7 – Sunday School Rally Day (more info below)
Sept. 28 – Fall Festival & Blessing of the Animals
Oct. 11 – Recycle Bicycle Collection
Oct. 19 – Apple Gleaning In Christ’s love, Adam Michael Youth and Family Director

In Christ’s love,
Adam Michael, Youth and Family Director

MUSIC NOTES
Jonathan Noel, Minister of Music

During the week of August 4-8, I had the privilege of attending the 19th Biennial Conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians held in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. The conference theme, For All That is to Be, reflects upon the ongoing mission of the association as it begins to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its formation. During the opening worship, held in the splendor of Duke University Chapel, we sang a new hymn, “O God, You Saw My Early Being,” written by the Rev. Stephen Starke and set to music by Robert Hobby. Commissioned for the anniversary of ALCM, the text reflects upon the passage of time and God’s continual presence with us.

The days were filled with choices of workshops, panel discussions, choral reading sessions, and keynote speakers covering a variety of topics of interest to those involved in church music. Conferences like this provide opportunities to talk with other church musicians from across the country. At dinner one evening I struck up a conversation with someone at the table and discovered that we had been college classmates!

The evening events were inspirational. After dinner on Tuesday, we were treated to a performance by the Raleigh Ringers, one of the nation’s premier handbell ensembles. Wednesday evening, we traveled to Holy Name Cathedral in Raleigh for a hymn festival artistically created by Tom Trenney. We all wondered what the Catholics thought of hundreds of Lutherans singing a full-throated “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in their new cathedral. On Thursday evening we were deeply moved at a concert by highly acclaimed British choral ensemble, Voces8, their lush harmonies enhanced by the soaring acoustic of the Duke Chapel. I also attended one of the workshops offered by Voces8, which gave me the opportunity to learn directly from them about their approach to vocal blend.

I am grateful to the people of St James for providing the funding to attend continuing education events so that I can stay current and be refreshed in my ministry.

God’s Blessings,
Jonathan Noel

Worship Previews

SEPT. 6TH & 7TH:
13TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Called to contemplate the cost of discipleship, we might be helped by translating Paul’s request to Philemon into our prayer of the day: Refresh my heart in Christ. Strengthened by the company and forgiveness of Christ in holy communion and recalling God’s grace in remembrance of baptism, we can be strengthened in this hour to “choose life”—to choose life in God as our own .

Preacher: Pastor Andrew R. Geib
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Philemon 1-21, Psalm 1, Luke 14:25-33
Fellowship, hosted by the World Outreach and Endowment Committees

SEPT. 13TH & 14TH:
14TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The grumbling of the religious leaders in today’s gospel is actually our holy hope: This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. That our God seeks and saves the lost is not only a holy hope, it is our only hope. As the writer of 1 Timothy reminds us, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Thanks be to God.

Preacher: Pastor Libby Baker-Mikesell
Readings: Exodus 32:7-14, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Psalm 51:1-10, Luke 15:1-10

SEPT. 20TH & 21ST:
15TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recognize that we are bought with a price. “Christ Jesus, himself human, . . . gave himself a ransom for all.” Apart from the generosity of God we have nothing—we are nothing. By God’s gracious favor we have everything we need.

Preacher: Pastor Andrew R. Geib
Readings: Amos 8:4-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Psalm 113, Luke 16:1-13

SEPT. 27TH & 28TH:
16TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Consideration of and care for those in need (especially those “at our gate,” visible to us, of whom we are aware) is an essential component of good stewardship. It is in the sharing of wealth that we avoid the snare of wealth. It is the one whom death could not hold—who comes to us risen from the dead—who can free us from the death grip of greed.

Preacher: Pastor Libby Baker-Mikesell
Readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Psalm 146, Luke 16:19-31

COUNCIL CORNER: AUGUST 20
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

En Bloc Agenda: Approved
* Approval of Minutes from July 16, 2025
* Acceptance of Treasurer’s Report, Church Financials & ELC Financials

Acceptance of New Members – New Members Class to be held Sept. 14, 2025

Committees Reports & Updates:
* Executive Committee appointed Daniel Bringman to the Personnel Committee.
* Endowment Committee asked Council to reconsider action taken at the Council meeting on 4/16/25, that approved paying for the boiler at the Boy Scout Cabin from the principal portion of the endowment fund. Committee recommended these funds be taken from the Good of The Church dividend portion of the endowment fund instead. The April vote was rescinded. A motion was made, seconded and passed to reallocate payment to the Good of the Church dividend portion of the endowment fund.
* Council outlined the role of Council representatives to committees and task forces which include attending committee meetings, bringing information/motions to Council if necessary, disseminating information to committees after Council meetings, and following up on items approved by Council.
* Update on the Security Task Force: The Security Task Force will be forming a subcommittee to create a draft policy manual (including a mission statement and goals) along with staff priorities regarding security protocols for the public and private areas of the church building to be ready by the November Council meeting, with a final vote taken at the December meeting.
* Barbara Vossler of the ELC Committee is looking for someone with marketing/social media experience to help with the upcoming ELC Anniversary fundraiser.

Unfinished Business

• Church Vision – Meeting the needs of the community: Council discussed using some of the St. James endowment money to purchase properties to house low-income people in Gettysburg along with ideas on how to possibly repurpose church buildings whose congregations have closed.
  
  New Business
• Council approved the wedding of Elizabeth Baker-Mikesell and Hunter Kauffman, scheduled for 1/3/26, at the United Lutheran Seminary Gettysburg Chapel.
• Appointment of Creative Financial Task Force: Council President M. Withrow will form an eight-member task force (Pr. Andrew, Pr. Libby, M. Withrow, D. Bringman, K. Clowney, L. Bringman, D. Wells & J. Dunlop) to create a holistic overview of St. James financials so that anyone can easily read and understand how church finances work.
  
  Open call for other new business
• Karen Lentz noted that hospice & home care services at SpiriTrust in Adams County have ended. What can we do now to help?
• Pr. Andrew and M. Withrow will attend ministry training for Common Ground later this year, with funding provided.
  
  Good for Church/Good for God/Good for Council
• Pr. Andrew encouraged all St. James congregants to attend the Unfailing Light memorial service and Eagle Scout Award ceremony for Trae Brownley at 5 pm on August 24.
• Prayers were asked for all those returning to school this week.
  
  Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 17 @ 6:30 pm

Thanks For Your Support of Relay For Life

Dear St. James Family,
Relay For Life of Adams County is held each year in August. It is a culmination of a year of work for the Planning Committee and the teams that are a part of the event. It is a major fundraiser all over the world for the American Cancer Society (ACS). I would like to thank everyone for your support of fundraisers, for donations, for those who helped many hours throughout the day of the event, and for those who attended. A special thank you to Pastor Andrew, John Hartzell, Kevin and Lori Varish and Troop 79. It is appreciated by me, the ACS and all involved in this event! We will be back in 2026!
Thanks again!
Shirley Sanders

Children’s Books in the Church Library

If you are attending St. James for any service, and bringing children or grandchildren (6th grade and under), please remember the extensive children’s collection in our church library is available for borrowing during services. Books may be taken directly from the cart or the library without a checkout, and returned to the back table on the rear left library wall ( in front of the small window ). If you want to check out a book to take home, fill out a card at the book cart near the door, or that same rear table in the library proper. We ask that books be returned within two weeks.

Books for our young readers are on the front left hand shelves near the small window, and are labeled from A-E depending on age/grade level. We also love to accept children’s book donations in good condition. Please label donations in a bag or box, and place them in the library closet.

Many thanks,
St. James Library Committee

Fall Quilting begins on September 8th!

Please join the St. James Quilters every Monday morning from Sept. 8th – Nov. 24th from 9:30-11:30 am in room 309. Our group has expanded and so have our goals! Thanks to our high-spirited team of volunteers, this season we plan on stitching 50 quilts! There is plenty to do for novice and skilled sewists and we welcome anyone who wants to learn!

We accept donations of used and new cotton flat sheets. The church office is very busy, so please call Claire Anderson (717-779-6280) or Judy Seilhamer (717-321-3555) to schedule dropping off your donation. Additionally, LWR requests cotton only; we do not accept microfiber sheets.

A huge thank you to our summer volunteers: Shirley Sanders, Barbara Nicks, Sally Kopp, Pegg Gardner, Paula Shoemaker, Sandy Waybrant, Jean Uhlig, and Judy Seilhamer. They have created a rather challenging and beautiful four panel Christmas tapestry that will be presented as a gift to St. James. It’s an inspiring piece to add to our Christmas Art collection!

LOOKING FOR AN ELC
MEDIA SPECIALIST !

The Early Learning Center (ELC) Governance Board NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Early Learning Center will be celebrating 35 years of service here at St James in January of 2026. We are planning to share and celebrate all that the center has contributed to our community on the first Sunday of January.

We are in need of a person or persons with media related skills (taking pictures & videos, creating a video presentation, reaching out to the congregation & the community, and promoting a fund raiser, etc.). Creativity is a real plus! We will need help with these tasks in the next few weeks.

We can use several volunteers. Please contact Barbara Vossler at barbvossler@comcast.net or 717-752-6822 if you are able to help in this capacity !

PARISH RECORDS

50+ Wedding Anniversaries
September 11, Joe & Kay MacDowell, 60 Years
September 12, Ed & Sam Main, 50 years
September 17, John & Mary Stevenson, 64 Years

Baptisms
August 17, Walker Philip Snyder

Deaths
August 14, Kathy Platzer

VISITING ST. JAMES
OR CALLING (717-334-2012)

Office Hours:
Monday—office closed
Tuesday—Friday, 9:00 a.m.—3:30 p.m.
Wednesdays until 5:30 pm

201, Katy Clowney, Church Administrator, kclowney@StJamesGettysburg.org
202, Julie Albert, Administrative Coordinator, jalbert@StJamesGettysburg.org
203, Adam Michael, (off on Fridays) Director of Youth & Family Ministry, youth@StJamesGettysburg.org 
205, Pr. Libby Baker-Mikesell, (off on Fridays) Associate Pastor, lbakermikesell@StJamesGettysburg.org
206, Pr. Andrew R. Geib, (off on Fridays) Lead Pastor, ageib@StJamesGettysburg.org
207, Jonathan Noel, (off on Fridays) Minister of Music, jnoel@StJamesGettysburg.org
215, Tom Bender, (off on Fridays) Building Superintendent, sexton@StJamesGettysburg.org