​St. Paul's Lutheran Church

 

 

 

 

                                                             St. Paul’s Spotlight - July 02, 2015

There probably isn’t a kid out there playing ball who doesn't dream of someday playing for their favorite team. For Drew Moyer, that dream became a reality when he signed to play with the Clemson Tigers Baseball team in the fall of 2012 while he was a senior at Gilbert High School. Drew has been playing baseball for almost his entire life, starting with T-ball when he was just five years old.

“I’ve been playing ball ever since I can remember,” Drew said. “There hasn’t been a year I haven’t played...It’s pretty much year round now. It’s like a job.”

Drew has done very well at his “job” earning such accolades and statistics as Top-500 player in the nation by Perfect Game, No. 12 player and No. 5 pitcher in South Carolina by Diamond Prospects and tied for eighth in Tiger history in relief appearances and tied for ninth in appearances.

After lettering multiple times in baseball at Gilbert High School, Drew almost didn’t sign with Clemson. He had committed to Winthrop University going into his senior year because many schools hadn’t considered him. He made the tough call to decommit in order to talk to other schools, eventually landing the position of Right Hand Pitcher on the Tiger team.

Playing on the college level means tougher training, better players, intense coaching, more fans and more notoriety. He depends on his family to help keep him focused on the important things and not let it all get to him. His parents Mike and Dana Moyer make sure of that. Dana says it’s hard to see her child struggle when things aren’t going so great. She tries not to let him get too discouraged and reminds him how fortunate he is to have this opportunity.

“With my dad having played college ball, he's been able to give me pointers as to what my focus should be. He and my mom both tell me. They have a lot more experience than I do, but they can only tell you so much. You have to go out and learn yourself, too,” Drew said.

Part of that learning experience has included dealing with a shoulder injury this past season. The pain kept him from playing at 100% but he’s been doing therapy, yoga and working out multiple times a week to help get him prepared for next season. Although he was invited to play this summer in Cape Cod, an opportunity offered to only three players, Clemson wanted him to take this time to recover.

Speaking of next season, the Tigers recently announced the hiring of new head baseball coach Monte Lee. Drew hasn’t met with him since the announcement, but was recruited by Lee while he was the head coach for College of Charleston’s baseball team. He says he’s looking forward to training with coach Lee when he returns to school this fall to begin his junior year.

While he stays focused on school and baseball, the possibility of a professional baseball career looms in the background.

“I try to stay in the now and do with what I can, but I know that time is approaching. I’m trying to enjoy myself. I would rather stay at Clemson as long as I can and get my degree, but if the opportunity presents itself, I’d like to do that,” he said. “But if I have one year left and I’m offered an unbeatable contract, I’d probably accept that.”

For now, Drew is enjoying his summer at home until he has to go back to school. In addition to his training and therapy schedule, he works part time and likes to hang out with his friends and go to the lake.

 

 

St. Paul’s Spotlight - April 28,  2015

We will “outreach with the gospel message...caring for the needs of others,” is part of the mission statement of St. Paul’s. With 123 people in action on April 18, the congregation certainly achieved this goal during Operation Inasmuch 2015.

For the seventh year in a row, St. Paul’s has participated in the nation-wide day of service which motivates congregations to go out in the community and serve others. More than 120 volunteers working on sixteen project teams did everything from trimming bushes and cutting grass to visiting homebound and elderly members.

It is the simple notion to serve and love others that motivates people to give their time towards this project. In fact, 663 volunteer hours were put into this year’s projects, with 1008 total people served.

Nancy and Rebekah Timan visited Agape in Irmo to see Helen Price who has dementia.

“I gave her communion and she responded when I said ‘peace be with you,’ she said ‘and also with you,’  and she prayed the Lord's Prayer with us.  It gave me chills! What a blessing  for us,” Ms. Rebekah said.

Wheelchair ramps were constructed at two homes and grab bars added to the tub of another home, increasing the safety and security of it’s residents.

All ages were able to help including some of the youngest members. Dale and Charlotte Swygert led the children in making placemats which will be used for the local Meals on Wheels program. Many of the youth shared the gift of music with two area retirement homes.

One family was especially appreciative of the clothing they got at the Open Closet.

“We were evicted on Easter and all our stuff was inside,” said a mother who was shopping for her two-year-old daughter while their father was feeding their six-week-old baby.

The home improvements made by Dana Fulmer’s and Mike Lowry’s team are life-changing for a Batesburg woman and her family.

“When we were there doing the underpinning, she mentioned her daughter who lives next door did not have water and had not had water for two months. Her daughter and granddaughter had been coming to her house for water, to bathe, etc. We went back last night and repaired it so she now has water back on her house,” Dana said.

Even small gestures made the day for some folks. While volunteers worked in her yard, a 91-year-old Batesburg woman asked if someone wouldn’t mind checking something inside her home. Her smoke detector had been beeping for three days and she couldn’t reach it to change the batteries.

Other teams made or collected items for organizations and people in the community. The sewing team made “fidget mats” for alzheimer's patients from donated placements and various notions. Carol Ann Green selected a Clemson-themed mat for husband John Green. The amount of can tabs collected tripled compared to last year and 519 more pounds of food were collected compared to last year.

“At the end of the day it’s such a good feeling to know we’ve helped others,” said project coordinator Brooke Keisler.

             

                                                                 St. Paul’s Spotlight - April 09, 2015

 

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the biggest names in social media these days and you’ve likely used any of these outlets to get the latest news, catch up with a friend or find advice. Don’t even ask about “hashtags” (formerly known as the pound sign)! But before everyone under the sun had a smartphone, people did these tasks in person, often at the local store. Even though the small, family-owned stores have nearly disappeared, there are still a few places where you can find folks hanging out and discussing the day.

At Wayne P. “Buddy” Taylor Family Farm on Augusta Highway in Leesville, you can find a group almost everyday at the “Gathering Circle,” as Buddy Taylor calls it.

“There have been people gathering in this corner since before the market was established in 1985,” he said.

H.B. Keisler, Wendel Price, Bill Lybrand, and James “Fat” Price are regulars at the “fruit stand” as it is commonly called. Customers can buy locally-grown produce such as peaches and squash and other items like old-fashioned cheese, candy and hanging flower baskets. The men gather in the front corner of the store near the register and sit on old plastic chairs beneath a wall-mounted TV so they can watch the news and chat with customers as they check-out. Bill Godshall stopped by to make a delivery and get advice about a rodent problem. Most of the time they chat about the weather, sports or the local events, all while enjoying a cold drink and a Moon Pie.

A sign hanging in the corner reads, “Enjoy yourself. It’s later that you think.” It was given to Buddy by Wyman Sease, who used to hang out at the store along with Coleman Keisler, Tally Rauch and Henry Jake Sease. Although many of the original regulars have passed on, men still come here each day, sometimes twice a day to sit and visit.

“It’s something to do. It gets you out of the house,” said Ray Hite.

The weather may deter some like Bobby Keisler from going everyday, but they do have a heater in the winter and the breeze coming in the open doors in the summer.

Elaine Eargle, who has worked at Taylor’s for almost 30 years, has seen it all. She says the men argue sometimes or give her a hard time, but she just takes it all in as part of the job.

Buddy doesn’t seem to mind either. As someone once told him, “That’s the best security you can have.”

A car hitting the building and a collapsed light ballast are some of the more exciting things that have happened at the fruit stand.

With the road construction and the growth of the area, they don’t know everyone that stops at the market. Sometimes folks come to buy peaches and take them to places as far away as New York, Ohio and California.

Buddy doesn’t anticipate the current construction to widen the highway to affect his business. He may have to adjust here and there for parking and the driveway. Otherwise, it’s business as usual at the fruit stand.

For the record, none of the men present that day had a smartphone.