Helping You Deepen Your Faith
48 Colony Church Rd, Newberry, SC 29108Worship Sundays @ 11:00am in the Sanctuary and on Facebook
Church office hours:
Monday through Friday
9 am to 1 pm
Thanksgiving Service
Grace joins with Colony Lutheran for a Thanksgiving Eve Service
Wednesday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church
Led by Pastor Dave Adams of Grace Lutheran Church and
Rev. Dr. John L. (Jan) Setzler – Interim Pastor at Colony Lutheran
Church
All are invited! Spread the word!
An offering for the evening will go to the Lutheran Disaster Fund
to help in restoration of the Carolinas following Hurricane Helene.
Homecoming 2024
ASHER JAMES BOULWARE, born March 3, 2024 child of John Albert and Hannah Nicole Boulware, was reborn as a child of God through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism Sunday, August 18th at Colony. Pastor Jan Setzler officiated. Caroline Morris was the acolyte assisting in the service. His parents were supported by grandparents, great-grandparents, extended family and congregational friends. The extended family celebrated with a lunch in the Crosson Fellowship Hall after worship in honor of Asher’s baptism.
Sunday, July 21, Colony recognized and honored three members who are recent graduates. Jacob Clark graduated this spring from Mid-Carolina High School and is heading to Newberry College this fall on a baseball scholarship. Drew Dominick graduated from Newberry College this spring and with his degree in physical education began his teaching career. Angela Derrick earned her BSN degree late last year from USC Upstate.and is seeing the benefits of added training in her nursing career. Jacob and Angela were present for worship and described for the congregation what they’ve accomplished and what’s next in their futures. Colony’s Vice-President Jennifer Nichols presented each graduate a gift from the congregation, a $50 gift certificate
Sunday, May 19th, four Colony young men affirmed their Baptism in the rite of Confirmation. Benjamin Morris, Conner Black, Cooper Dowd and Milum Sinclair each received a sterling silver “Luther Rose” pendant and a leather bound edition of The Lutheran Bible as gifts of the congregation in honor of this step in their faith formation. An overflowing covered dish lunch with a special cake followed worship to honor the confirmands and their families.
ONLINE GIVING IS ALWAYS AN OPTION!
LEADERSHIP RETREAT
A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF COLONY’S present and future leaders spent a very productive time June 21 & 22 on retreat to the Dowd’s home on Lake Murray. That retreat produced a mission statement and a vision statement to guide Colony’s mission and ministry ahead. A special grant from the SC Synod’s Mission Endowment Fund brought Mr. Keith Johnson, retired CEO of NovusWay, to lead the event and a Thrivent Action Team grant helped fund the meals. There is much to share and celebrate and we will in the weeks ahead!
Sunday Services
We offer Holy Communion on the first Sunday of the month and occasional festival Sundays.
There is no dress code. Some people wear suit jackets and ties, others wear blue jeans. Jesus wore a long robe, so who are we judge?
We are a liturgical church, meaning portions of our service are part of the ancient tradition passed down from the early church.
As Lutherans, we talk a lot about “grace.” For Lutherans, God’s grace is the divine mercy, love, and forgiveness we are offered daily. It cannot be earned or bought. We do not deserve it in any way and yet it is given to us daily.
Join us, we would love to have you.
About Us
Members of St. Luke’s and St. Paul’s Lutheran churches in Prosperity and Pomaria founded this congregation in 1845 as a “colony” located halfway between their former churches. Its founding pastor was Rev. William Berley. The first Colony church was built in 1846 using wood from the old St. Luke’s church. Congregants joined the South Carolina Synod on March 2, 1848.
By the early 1850s, Colony members began using the land just NW of the church as a cemetery. A second frame church was constructed here c.1884. In 1957, it was replaced by a brick Gothic Revival sanctuary, where congregants still worship. A year later, Colony called its first full- time pastor, having previously been part of Beth Eden parish. Colony’s fellowship hall was built in 2000.
Colony is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
But what does the ELCA teach about the Bible?
The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world. We accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life.
How do you use the Bible in worship?
Our worship is steeped in biblical songs and prayers. Sermons at Colony often used the Bible to interpret the Bible. We following the Revised Common Lectionary.
Why do we follow the Revised Common Lectionary?
Each week, we are reading the same lessons as millions of others around the world. Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and so on. It is an expression of our unity in Christ.
What do I have to do to be saved?
This is the crux of our theology. We cannot save ourselves. If we could save ourselves, if we could be good enough, holy enough, faithful enough, then the Jesus would not have needed to die for us, his sacrifice would have been unnecessary. But we human beings are fallible and foolish. We often choose what is in our best interest over what is in God’s interest, or the interest of our neighbors. The Law acts as a mirror to show us our sinfulness and drives us to our knees so that we will cry out “Lord Jesus save me.” God chooses to save us, not because we are good or righteous. God loves us, and because God loves us, Jesus came to us. Jesus, God-With-Us, dwelled among us, and then allowed himself to be put to death on the cross, to show us the depth of God’s love. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day as proof that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are saved by the grace of God alone.
Our Mission & Vision
Colony’s Mission
Colony’s Vision
About Our Interim Pastor, The Rev. Dr. John L. (Jan) Setzler
Pastor Setzler, with his paternal family roots in Pomaria, SC is a native of Kingstree, SC, a product of a worshipping group of Lutherans too small to organize.
He is a graduate of Presbyterian College, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
Pastor Setzler served parishes in Clinton, SC; Trenton, NJ; Columbia, SC and Greenwood, SC. He was a member of the staff and faculty of Newberry College from 1979-1993; Dean of the College and VP for Academics when he left to return to parish ministry.
He retired in 1994 after 27 years of active and reserve service as an Army Chaplain (COL).
Pastor Setzler retired in 2009 after 40 years of rostered service in the Church. He served as Interim Pastor of Crossroads Lutheran Mission, Indianland, SC in 2009-2010. From Jan. 2010-Dec.2023 he served as a member of the NovusWay Development staff. He began his service as Colony’s Interim Pastor (part-time) March 3, 2024.
He is the husband of Deacon Staci Gillespie Setzler, an Emergency Room Nurse; father of 2 sons, 8 grandchildren and 3 step-children.
