S*1181 Concurrent Resolution, By Courson
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR SAINT JOHN'S EVANGELICAL
 LUTHERAN CHURCH, UPON THE CELEBRATION OF ITS ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF
 SERVICE TO CHRIST AND THE COMMUNITY.

   04/01/14  Senate Introduced, adopted, sent to House
                     (Senate Journal-page 6)
   04/01/14  House  Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence
                     (House Journal-page 34)

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR SAINT JOHN'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, UPON THE CELEBRATION OF ITS ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE TO CHRIST AND THE COMMUNITY.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to learn that Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Irmo will celebrate one hundred years of "Welcoming, Worshipping, and Witnessing" in a service led by the bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on July 6, 2014, followed by fellowship and lunch; and

Whereas, in 1905, when the people of the Folk community in the Dutch Fork area recognized their need for more accessible religious instruction, they decided to have Sunday school every other Sunday in the one-room Folk School; and

Whereas, people participated in the Sunday school regardless of their denomination, and the success of the Sunday school prompted families with Lutheran backgrounds to form a congregation and erect a chapel; and

Whereas, on Saturday, July 4, 1914, the South Carolina Synod formally organized the small congregation as a Lutheran church, and many descendants of those sixteen charter members still worship regularly at St. John's; and

Whereas, after a storm damaged the original chapel in 1922, a new building was erected on the old foundation. Since that time, a Sunday school building, a fellowship hall, and a prayer garden with a gazebo have been among the remodels and additions; and

Whereas, many gifts to the church have blessed the congregation through the years, such as land donations, an organ, a grand piano, and fourteen beautiful stained-glass windows and a stained glass over the altar depicting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, all fifteen donated by some of the founding fathers; and

Whereas, also adorning the chapel are the red doors into St. John's, reminding all worshippers, as Martin Luther instructed, that they may enter the Church only through the blood of Christ; and

Whereas, the steeple of this lovely white rural church set atop a hill beside a babbling creek has beckoned its congregants into its peace for decades; and

Whereas, called and shaped by the ministry of St. John's to serve Christ, the church congregation has provided religious instruction, care for the elderly, and assistance to many in need; and

Whereas, children of St. John's learn at an early age to help others through their participation in the monthly gathering of donations, fondly called the "Noisy Offering," which are then distributed to organizations and individuals outside of the church; and

Whereas, from the original founding fathers of St. John's, three descendants have become pastors in service to Christ, along with three others from the church's membership; and

Whereas, activities, such as Vacation Bible School, bi-annual fish fries, and Christmas pageants, have impacted the local community, as well as an annual Sunday evening community-wide Thanksgiving service held in cooperation with a neighboring Methodist church and followed by food and fellowship; and

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly is pleased to celebrate with St. John's its centennial anniversary of ministering to the spiritual needs of the Irmo community. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, upon the celebration of its one hundredth anniversary of service to Christ and the community.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to the church council of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church.