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Olive Leaves August 2017

The 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation

Its Lasting Effects on Public Education Pastor Paul C. Sizemore

October 31st will mark the 500th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther’s nailing of his 95 Theses to the Door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Far from hoping to incite any kind of division within the Medieval Church, Luther was hoping instead to foster some healthy debate, centered on what he believed should always be the Church’s primary message. For Luther, the gift of God’s eternal salvation offered to the whole lot of our fallen humanity, through the perfect life, death and resurrection of God’s only-begotten Son, our only Savior, had become frightfully blurred.

What many of us too easily forget, however, is that Dr. Luther was very much a “Renaissance Man;” the very opposite of that kind of person people in our day used to label as: “A jack of all trades, but master of none!”

In addition to being a brilliant theologian, Luther was also extremely well versed in Aristotelian Philosophy. He was a skilled musician, who played a keyboard, writing 37 different hymns, mostly in celebration of the major feast days on the Church’s liturgical calendar. But Martin Luther was also an educator.

In a passionate letter that Luther wrote to the political leaders of Germany in 1524, he asked them to create an educated nation from a largely illiterate and impoverished populace. While the request seemed completely preposterous to many who read it, who could have known that a letter penned by a professor from a little-known university would serve to one day reshape not only education but also global cultures?

From that small beginning on October 31, 1517, there emerged during the subsequent 500 years, an international network of academies, colleges, and universities marked by

FromPastorSizemorePage1

Table of Contents TheAltarGuildPage7

PastoralActsPage2

SpecialDatesinAugustPage4

Thoughts,Prayer,Calls,CardsPage5

TheBoardofStewardshipPage8

Mt.OliveLutheranPreschoolPage2

BoardofChristianEducationPage4

BoardofEvangelismPage6

MusicalNotesPage8

MightyFortressVBS2017Page3

RallyDayPage4

BoardofSocialMinistryPage6

Birthdays&AnniversariesPage9

StephenMinistryPage3

CircleofFriendsPage5

BoardofPublicRelationsPage7

Kid’sKorner&ReformationTriviaPage10

YouthGroupPage4

AugustSundaySchoolClassesPage5

TheBibleProjectPage7

Calendar&WorshipSchedulePage11

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the vision of Martin Luther (1483-1546), together with the help of his reforming collaborator, Phillip Melanchthon (1497-1560) and their colleagues at the University of Wittenberg.

For the first time in human history, girls joined boys in a basic education program, ensuring their ability to read and write and opening to them a previously unknown world of knowledge. For the first time in human history, education became the responsibility of all citizens. Therefore, in this 500th Anniversary Year, Luther’s great contribution to public education, worldwide, might be something worth celebrating!

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Pastoral Acts

Holy Matrimony

Eric Weed & Megan Eargle July 1, 2017

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Preschool News Anna Brent, Preschool Director

803-781-7180, preschool@mtolivesc.org

It is hard to believe that we are entering into the last stretch of summer and we are excited to welcome new and returning students at the end of August!

In the past, we have offered Kindergarten Kamp for rising kindergarten students. However, with the transition involved in becoming the new director, we will not be offering Kamp this year. It will return next summer before the 2018-2019 school year. This information is also posted on the church website, mtolivesc.org/preschool.

We have a few spaces in our three-year-old and two-year-old classes available for the regular school year. Our special needs two-year-old class will also be offered this year. If you know families in need of a preschool, please direct them our way!

Also, as a part of outreach from this church into the community, we like to be able to offer scholarships to children who are unable to afford preschool tuition. If you would like to be a part of this outreach, please contact me as listed above. A full scholarship amount for the school year is $1350 and half scholarships are also available for $675.

Thank you for supporting your preschool. I feel privileged to be a part of your ministry and I am so thankful for the warm welcome that I have already received from many of you!

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Mighty Fortress VBS: Thank You!

Beth Strickland, VBS Coordinator

Mighty Fortress Vacation Bible School is at an end. While for the adults it often feels like Johnny Depp being chased down a beach by a bunch of hostile pirates, the rewards for those who volunteer their time are immeasurable. This year the children learned through stories that in Christ our Victory is won. More importantly we spent 5 nights getting to know our church family and how rewarding and enriching it is to be among other Christians. For me personally, these lessons of fellowship and Christian bonding at VBS are extremely important and the ones that last a lifetime for the children. One day, our children will become adults and continue our legacy of using their talents in VBS and other ministries in their church families. I pray that what we accomplish in VBS is building a love of Christian fellowship as we begin to develop our future church leaders.

Thank you to everyone who donated items, created decorations, stayed late after church to help, told stories, were adult guides, the youth, and everyone who volunteered their time and talents to make VBS a special week. You all are a special group of people that help to put on VBS and I thank God for sending each and every one of you. Thank you to Barry Bost and Pastor for agreeing to have two adult classes this year and being open to my zany ideas.

Stephen Ministry: Preparing to Serve Learn, Grow, and Serve by Becoming a Stephen Minister

Bill Boykin, Stephen Leader

Do you have gifts for caring, encouragement, and listening? If so, please prayerfully consider becoming a Stephen Minister. Mt. Olive will be training another class of Stephen Ministers beginning in January 2018 on Monday evenings. Stephen Ministers provide emotional and spiritual support and care to people who are going through a difficult time, such as divorce, grief, hospitalization, unemployment, terminal illness, relocation, chronic illness, or loneliness.

Mt. Olive also offers training for persons who don’t plan to become Stephen Ministers! If you serve on a board that involves using caring skills such as the Board of Elders or Board of Social Ministry, or if your job involves caring for others, please consider taking Stephen Minister training even if you don’t want to become an active Stephen Minister. The training will provide insight and skills into becoming a better caregiver to our congregational members and to those in need. Who knows? You might really like it so much that you will stay on. There is no obligation, of course.

To find out more about becoming a Stephen Minister or how you or someone you know could be matched with a Stephen Minister, talk with one of our Stephen Ministry Leaders: Bill Boykin, Aresa Boykin, Dianne BouFawaz or Charlie Sandt.

“STEPHENMINISTRYISCHRISTCARINGFORPEOPLETHROUGHPEOPLE.

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Youth Group, Grades 5-12

Johnna Duncan, Laura Lapr i s e , Lisa S izemore

Summer is coming to a close and the start of the school year is just around the corner! In July, we sent August and Noah to try out Higher Things in NC. This is an LCMS mini youth gathering that is held every summer. The guys had a great time and really got to dig deep into theology. We will definitely be considering this for next summer!

The Sunday School Kick Off will be held at the Irmo Community Park after church on Sunday, August 27th. Please plan to attend! We are going to have a blast! The High School Sunday School class will also start back this same day in the Wagner House. I can't wait to catch up with you all after your busy summers!

Youth Group will start back on September 17th and will always be the third Sunday of the month. For this first meeting we will go to lunch, play life-sized games, and plan for the year. Please bring money for lunch. Pick up is at 2:30 outside the fellowship hall.

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Special Dates in August

August 21st – Total Solar Eclipse @ 2:34 PM

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Board of Christian Education Beth Strickland, Chairperson

Lisa Sizemore, Sunday School Superintendent

With the warmer summer days ahead and our teachers taking vacation, there will be no Preschool 3-4th grade Sunday School classes until the first Sunday in September. Until then, we encourage families to continue in their church attendance and spend some moments each day making sure their children have learned the Lord’s Prayer and are learning the Apostles’ Creed. Once your child is ready to recite in class, please let us know, so we can have the appropriate pin award ready to give to him or her. Rising fifth graders should also be memorizing the Ten Commandments. On the first Sunday in September the new 5th graders will move over to the Wagner House to begin catechism classes with Mr. Bill Boykin.

Rally Day is Sunday August 27th

Rally Day will be at Irmo Community Park this year. The location will be much closer to the church, making it easier for everyone to attend! With this intergenerational event we will kick off the new Sunday School year. People of all ages are invited to attend whether or not you have children. There will be food, fun, fellowship, and games for the whole family! The following Sunday, our children will advance to the next Sunday School classes and start new materials. Watch the bulletin for details and sign up to attend Rally Day at Irmo Community Park on August 27th after the late service!

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Circle of Friends Lisa Sizemore , Sunday Schoo l Super in t endent

Using a variety of tactile experiences is necessary to engage our learners. We thank the Boykins for their great find of the water table that the boys have loved in this hot weather! Water is a great way to talk about God’s special love for all of us! We can use it to discuss Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark and Jonah and the Great Fish. It also gives us the opportunity to talk about each child’s special baptism and how we are washed and cleansed through Jesus’ blood. We continue to focus on God’s gift of weather through the month of August.

Circle of Friends will continue to meet during the month of August, but with a different time. We will begin at 10:15 and continue until parents come to take their child to the completion of the worship service. It has been extremely hot in our classroom! If anyone has a tower style fan they no longer use, we would be happy to put it to use!

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Join us for a Sunday Morning Bible Class!

August2017SundaySchool&BibleClasses–9:15AM

Infants–age2 Nursery BrittniBeerman LovingCarePK3–4thGrade OnSummerbreakduringthemonthofAugust

ClassesresumeSeptember3rd.CircleofFriends DownstairsClassroom

(August:10:15AM)FaithfulGroupofVolunteers BringingJesustoSpecialNeeds

Children5thGrade&Older WagnerHouse

DavidBuckTheWagnerHouseClassesarecombiningforthesummerandwillstudytopicsofinterestforyouthusingaBiblicalmindset.

MiddleSchoolers WagnerHouse

HighSchoolers WagnerHouse

Adults FellowshipHall BarryBost TheWeeklyLectionary

Adults DownstairsClassroom SandyOsborne TheBibleProjectVideos&StudyDownstairsClassroomsareaccessiblebystairsandelevator.

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Thoughts, Prayers, Calls, & Cards

“Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’” John 21:16b

As summer winds down, continue to remember our homebound! Make a special effort to pray for, send cards, phone, and visit them. You may include others who are on the weekly prayer page in the bulletin. Contact information is in the church directory.

David Bartles Mary Green Bonnie Jones Anita Meetze Grace Miller Adena Fuller Betty Hunter Ruth Koon Gladys Meetze Mary Schott Virginia Gable Caecilia Jirowitz Elsie Lorick Lucile Meetze

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Board of Evangelism: A Traveler’s Opportunity Richard Shealy, Chairperson

“I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!” Psalm 119:19 (ESV)

We are nearing the end of summer vacation time. It is that time of year when we experience worship services where there are seemingly fewer and fewer people as the summer progresses from June through August.

Recently, I read an article about how a drop in Sunday attendance during summer vacation time can impact a church. The author, a pastor, talked about how church leaders, especially pastors, can get frustrated with the situation. He goes on though, to offer a solution that I would call a paradigm shift in which I think all of us can participate.

Instead of viewing those whom we miss seeing as absent, we should view them as missionaries on a journey. But that would only work if we who are absent, view our vacation time as an opportunity to remember Whose we are and to witness wherever we are. Travel can put us in places that will test us. Travel delays, poor service at hotels, restaurants and other public places can test our patience and spoil our vacation. How we handle these situations as well as the good times is part of our witness to others. We say we have a God who is always around us. Let us never forget that, and always remember we are called through our Holy Baptism to be about His work.

Here’s a thought: Have you ever attended a church service while on vacation at a church where you were a complete stranger? Try it and take note of how you were treated. Then when you return, share the good treatment you received with the visitors at our service. Imagine, if every Christian attended a worship service while on vacation, maybe there would be no empty seats at any church!

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Board of Social Ministry Shari Selke, Chairperson

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" is a quote from Henry S. Haskins. I could not agree more when it comes to all who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because what lies within us is the power of the Holy Spirit. Praise God who has called us all to be His light in his world.

Sharing God's Love is asking for our help with Back to School items for our area children. There are over 1500 children being served through our local ministry and our donations go a long way in helping. This also includes gently used clothing and shoes. So I encourage our members with young’uns to consider donating their old wears when updating their school outfits. SGL is also collecting new and used book bags as well as Loose leaf paper, composition notebooks, 1&2 inch binders, index cards, pencils, pens, highlighters, protractors, glue sticks, washable markers, and 2 pocket folders. You may place your donations in the special bin in the hall outside the church office.

Many thanks to all who participated in stocking the USO pantry, Cards of Compassion for our military service men and women, and the American Red Cross Blood Drive.

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Board of Public Relations Charlene Meetze, Chairperson

The Board of Public Relations is planning for a busy fall! There will be another Bible Project celebration after we complete the Old Testament reading. Plans are underway for the new pictorial directory, too. Then, there is the 500th Anniversary of The Reformation! The “behind the scenes” updates to the website continue, making it more secure and visible on the Internet.

Board members and church leaders are often asked questions about items that can be found on the church website. If you have a question about the church calendar, serving schedule, sermons (audio or print), Sunday School classes, the newsletters, and much more, be sure to look for your answers on our website at http://mtolivesc.org. The site is full of information for both members and visitors! And, if you are on Facebook, like our page at www.facebook/mtolivesc, where the current events are listed and weekly scripture readings are posted most every day.

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The 2017 Bible Reading Challenge Charlene Meetze, Sandy Osborne, & Aresa Boykin

August is an exciting time for those of you who are reading the Bible in a year! We will quickly move through the last of the prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. On August 8th-23rd, we will recap the Old Testament history by reading 1st & 2nd Chronicles, our last OT books! Success! Beginning August 24th, we will begin reading the New Testament synoptic Gospels starting with Matthew. We will be midway through Matthew at the end of the month!

Please remember that you can begin reading at anytime. If you would like to join us in reading the New Testament, please contact Charlene Meetze who will help you get started. She even has paper copies of the Bible reading plan for those who do not have Internet access. You can learn more at www.thebibleproject.com.

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Altar Guild Joy Fletcher Co-Chairperson

We are in the non-festival half of the CHURCH-YEAR-CALENDAR that is called THE SUNDAYS AFTER PENTECOST. This season will continue until Nov. 26th. This is the longest season on that calendar.

One of the first customs the early Christian Church adopted was to hold Sunday as the day of worship to commemorate our Lord’s resurrection on that day. The early church fathers also stressed the value and importance of keeping the “traditional liturgical forms, such as the order of the lessons, prayers, vestments, etc.” These have been handed down for centuries.

THE SUNDAYS AFTER PENTECOST continue with the green paraments. This color symbolizes growth, nourishment and life. To grow in faith, service, and love, the people of God study the life, words, and works of Jesus so that through the power of the Holy Spirit they may receive the nourishment God’s Word provides.

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Board of Stewardship David Buck, Chairperson

The August issue of Stewardship is full of explanations of what Christian stewardship really is. Listen to one writer’s thoughts: “Christian stewardship is the means by which we make the church and the Kingdom of God a joy rather than a burden.” Another writer wrote the following: “Whenever we consider Christian stewardship as a response to God for the salvation we have through Christ’s love and sacrifice we want to respond. Giving becomes not a duty but a joyful privilege.” We should remember that stewardship is not always about money. Money is obviously important for the church and the Kingdom of God but offering our time, our talent, our labor, and our thoughtfulness are also needed.

Some years ago the gifted painter, Norman Rockwell, painted a picture of a Cathedral with 19 people walking in front of it. What is unusual about the people is that every one of them was walking with their head bent down as though each one had a heavy burden and was without hope. But if each of those sad people had looked up toward the big door of the church they would have seen a sign of hope. The door was opened and a priest was standing there as if he could have offered hope for each of the people. There is one more sign of hope to be seen in that painting. A workman was standing on a ladder having just finished putting words on a sign. The sign read: “Lift up thine eyes.” Lift up thine eyes. That sign offered hope. The clergyman offered hope. The church offered hope.

Prayer: Dear Lord, as you know, your world is full of wars and woes. Help us to be good servants bearing your words of love and wisdom to an aching world. Amen

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Musical Notes

Karen Meetze, Choir Director

Summer is flying by and it will soon be time for choirs to start up again. Our singers and ringers are wonderful and we always appreciate the kind appreciation and encouragement that the congregation shares with us! However, we are truly in need of some reinforcements! New members are needed and are very welcomed!

Our members have experienced illnesses, injuries, surgeries, family events, vacations, etc. in the past year. There have been many Sundays when we have struggled to have enough singers and ringers to present our anthems and special music.

Please prayerfully consider joining our Adult Choir or Handbell Choir. I know there are some of you who have musical gifts (I've been listening during services and you guys can sing!). We would love to have you be a part of the musical ministry here at Mt. Olive! We are blessed to be able to sing God's praises and have a really great time while doing so! We would love for you to join in the FUN!!

Call Karen Meetze at 240-8710 if you would like more information or have questions. It is my great joy to serve as your choir and handbell director and I would love to talk with you about the opportunities available for you to serve also!

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August 2017 Anniversaries

8/1 Richard&ClaudiaSchneider 8/18 Merle&PeggyWeed8/4 Nelson&NancyThompson 8/23 Geoffrey&PhyllisGriesch8/9 Robert&RachelLeBlanc 8/24 Chuck&MarilynBauer

8/10 Carroll&BettyBarrett 8/26 Calvin&CharleneMeetze8/11 David&JoyFletcher 8/30 Harold&KathrynMeetze8/17 Terry&LuanneRodgers 8/31 Thomas&TiffanyMeetze

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August 2017 Birthdays

8/1 AugustKibler 8/11 MeganGotz 8/19 ChrisBoykin8/2 CharlieStuck 8/11 C.J.Meetze 8/20 ElizabethGriesch8/2 MeganWeed 8/14 SavannahLewis 8/20 SandyOsborne8/4 BarryBost 8/15 BeckyBass 8/22 GradyCrosland8/5 PaulSelle 8/15 VirginiaGable 8/22 TwilaSandt8/6 MikaelaWeed 8/15 DaveOsborn 8/23 AresaBoykin8/7 RichO’Dell 8/15 MikePrater 8/23 JacobGepfert8/8 AbbyKibler 8/17 WalterArnold 8/24 ErikaDominick8/8 TomMcCoy 8/18 CalvinMeetze 8/24 CaeciliaJirowetz8/8 BrianSmith 8/18 GenevaMeetze 8/25 KarlMartensII

8/10 BobbyLewis 8/29 MaryBethSchultz

Announcements & Opportunities

Summer Series: The Bible Project Topical Videos Beginning August 6th TheLowerLevelAdultBibleClasswillbeginaseriesoftopicalBiblestudiesbasedonsomeofTheBibleProject'svideosandstudynotes.WewillbeginwithHeavenandEarthandcontinuewithTheCovenants,SacrificeandAtonement,andTheMessiah.PleasejoinusforthisseriesinAugustaswegrowtogetherinGod'sWord.

September Newsletter Deadline: Sunday, August 20th ThedeadlineforsubmittingarticlesfortheSeptemberissueoftheOliveLeavesisSunday,August20th.Ifyouknowthatyouwillbeonvacation,pleasesendyourarticleearly.IhaveafolderwhereIkeep“earlyarticles”untiltheyareneeded.Pleaseemailyourannouncementsandarticlestoaresaboykin@sc.rr.com.

Nursery Reminder ThechurchnurseryisopenduringtheSundayschoolhourandthesecondWorshipServicefrom9:00-Noonforchildren,agesbirthto2years,duringSundayschool,andthroughage3duringWorship.Thenurseryislocatedinsidethebackentranceof thechurch,across fromtheWagnerHouse. Remembertobringyourdiaperbagwithdiapers,clothes, sippycup,etc. A lightsnack is served. Ifyourchildhasallergies,please tellMs.BrittniBeermanournurseryworker.

September Youth Group Ouryouthgroup,grades5-12,willbeginmeetingonthethirdSundayofeachmonth,beginningSeptemberl17th.Theywillmeetafterthelateserviceforlunch,devotions,andactivities.SeetheYoutharticleformoreinformation.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – Summer Break Aftertheusualsummerbreak,prayerbreakfastwillresumeonSaturday,September16that8:00AM.Markyourcalendarssothatyouwillbereadyinthefall!Allmenandboysareinvitedtopartakeofahome-cookedbreakfast,fellowship,anddevotionbyPastorSizemore.Comeandbringyourfriends!

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Secure E Giving

Mt.OliveLutheranChurchandPreschoolbothoffersecureelectronicgivingalternatives.Youmaysetupyouraccountsfromthewebsite links,http://mtolivesc.org (top rightcornerofhomepage),oruseyourphone toscan theQRcodes in theOliveSeedsbulletininsert.Bothrecurringandone-timegiftoptionsareavailableviacreditcardsorbankdraft.Whynottrysomethingnewin2017?Ifyouneedhelpsettingupyouraccountormakingchangestoyourexistingaccount,pleasecontactAresaBoykin,FinanceCommitteeMember,whowillbegladtohelp.

Kid’s Korner

Reformation Trivia Contest

from The Board of Public Relations

Lutherans are celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017! To make this celebration exciting and ongoing, the Board of Public Relations is sponsoring a monthly Reformation Trivia Contest in the newsletters! Entering the contest is easy. Just write your name and answer on a slip of paper. The Sunday after the newsletter is received, bring your answer slip and place it in the box in the narthex. There will be a box for children and a box for adults. A slip will be pulled from each box and the winners will receive Reformation prizes! What a great way to learn more about The Reformation! Get your Google on and find the answer!

The June Question: What did Martin Luther learn about pleasing God during his time as a Monk?

Answer: Martin Luther learned that he didn’t have to punish himself because God loved us and sent his Son to save us.

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August Reformation Trivia Question:

What was one of the first songs written by Martin Luther?

Answer: ____________________________________________

Your Name: ____________________________