Month: September 2017

Bulletin Announcements

October 1, 2017

NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available.  Please speak with Pastor who has the details.  Thank you.

OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).

THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meets in the basement at 9:15 a.m. As we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we continue studies on that time period.  We are studying “A Man Named Martin”, a video-based study on the reformer Martin Luther.

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Matthew 21:26: “But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd. . .”  Foolish Pharisees!  They fear men more than they fear God, and so they miss out on the great blessing of knowing Jesus and His love.  All our sins are like this: we fear something more than we fear God.  And how foolish that is!.  Just think of the blessings we miss out on whenever we place our fear or trust in something other than God.

TODAY IS LWML SUNDAY (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) and we thank the Lord for their 75 years as a Mission Society of the LCMS.  May He continue to bless their work into the future.

NEXT SUNDAY, (October 8th) will be our monthly door Offering for our adopted Seminary Student.  This year’s student is Mr. Brent Keller.  Mr. Keller is a fourth year student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN.  He is married with one child.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  Please keep these important dates on your calendar.  On Sunday, October 22nd we will have Mission Festival Sunday.  Reverend Charles Olander who does prison ministry work in our district will preach and conduct Bible Class.  There will also be a meal after the late service.  On Sunday, October 29th we will celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in both worship services.  That afternoon at 3:00 p.m. will be a circuit-wide Reformation 500 Festival Service at Christ Lutheran in Normal.  Then on November 12th, we will conduct our Annual Voter’s Meeting and have a meal after our 10:30 worship service.

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT:  The October FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES will be held on OCTOBER 20th at 6:30 p.m.  The feature movie that will be shown is “HIDDEN FIGURES”.  This movie was inspired by a true story. “HIDDEN FIGURES” tells the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the Space Race.  The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial lines and inspired generations.  Join us for a great movie and good food and fine fellowship!  See you at the movies.

FROM THE OFFICE:  If you do not currently receive “The Gatepost”, the Monthly Newsletter  from our Central Illinois District of the LCMS you can sign-up to receive it by e-mail or regular mail at cid@cidlcms.org.

PORTALS OF PRAYER:  The October—December 2017 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex.  Pick up your free copy today.

FROM THE OFFICE:  The AED (Automated External Defibrillator) has now been mounted on the south wall in the narthex.  Please take an opportunity to visually locate it.  Saying prayers that we never need to use it, but if we should: 1) Call 911; 2) Have someone grab the AED; 3) Turn the equipment on and the AED will walk you through what you need to do.  A CPR class will be scheduled at a later date.  Speak with Mary Anne Kirchner if you have any questions.

FELLOWSHIP HOSTS:  The sign-up for help with coffee/doughnuts is posted on the wall by the north stairwell.  We need an individual/family to sign-up each week to pick up the donuts and make the coffee.  If no one is signed up by Friday of each week, the order will be cancelled.  We thank everybody who continues to help with this part of our church fellowship.

YOU ARE INVITED:  Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eureka has their 28th Annual Hog Roast thic coming Saturday, October 7th from 4-7:00 p.m.  Pastor Lueck has two complimentary tickets for you and a pig loving guest, please speak with him.  (Pastor, not the pig!)

FREE TICKETS:  The church office has free tickets for the ISU Women’s Volleyball Game against Valparaiso on Saturday, October 7th at 7:00 p.m. The tickets are available on the table in the narthex.  Enjoy!

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “No Selfies Needed” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Philippians 4:4-14.  God isn’t afraid of messy people.  He loves the broken, embraces the outcast, and seeks the lost.  Reverend Dr. Gregory Seltz is the speaker.  Hear this Sunday’s message on the Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Tune in!  You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.

PRAYER CHAIN:  If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582.  The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.

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Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules October 2017

Elder and Usher Schedule

Date
8:30
Elder
10:30
Oct 1Gene Fuller, Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper, Richard RossCraig CulpGreg McNeely, Theron Noth
Oct 8Gerald Semelka, Nathan KluenderRandy ReinhardtBrian Dirks, Bud Kessler, Curt Kessler
Oct 15Craig Culp, Joshua Parry, Mike FieldNathan KluenderGreg McNeely, Mike Huth
Oct 22Daryle Schempp, Steve ParryMike FieldBrian Dirks, Bud Kessler, Theron Noth
Oct 29Gene Fuller, Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper, Richard RossPaul GerikeBrian Dirks, Greg McNeely, Mike Huth

Acolyte Schedule

Date
8:30 AM
10:30 AM
Oct 1Chloe HitchPastor/Elder
Oct 8Pastor/ElderWill McNeely
Oct 15Clayton PiperPastor/Elder
Oct 22Pastor/ElderMatt Williamson
Oct 29Lucas PiperJessica Isaac

Celebrating October 2017

Birthdays

10/1 Thomas Anderson
10/2 Bud Barnett
10/10 Fern Noth
10/11 Barry Hamlin
10/11 Jessica Isaac
10/12 Payton Biddle
10/12 John Hardy
10/15 Travis Henson
10/15 Maria Kirchner
10/17 Jackie Semelka
10/19 Cindy Sheley
10/21 Shane Miller
10/23 Audrey Gronert
10/23 Chloe Hitch
10/24 Teresa Casselman
10/24 Helen Jensen
10/25 Abby Biddle
10/28 Cheryl Reichert

Baptismal Birthdays

10/2 Eli McNeely
10/2 William McNeely
10/3 Pastor Lueck
10/4 Brian Dirks
10/5 David Marlow
10/9 Bill Huber
10/20 Cleo Korte
10/27 Steve Davis
10/30 Ben Holland

Pastor’s Notes October 2017

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After many years hearing and talking about the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we have now arrived at the month.  Lutheran churches around the world and other Christian denominations will celebrate this turning point in the history of the Lord’s Church.

This month of October 2017 is a very busy one for Good Shepherd and I would like to let you know of the many happenings at our church and within the circuit.

Sunday, Oct. 1 – LWML Sunday.  We worship together and thank God for this mission society within our LCMS.

Sunday, Oct. 22 – Mission Festival Sunday.  Rev. Charles Olander who is involved in prison ministry in our district will be here to preach and conduct Bible Class.  We will also have a meal after late service and learn more about our Central Illinois District’s Mission.

Sunday. Oct. 29 – Reformation Sunday.  Special Worship Service and our last collection for the new church sign we have planned on the south end of our property.

Sunday, Oct. 29, 3:00 p.m.  – Circuit-Wide Reformation 500 Festival Worship Service at Christ Lutheran Church, 311 N. Hershey Road.

We thank the Lord for these opportunities to gather and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We join in grace alone, faith alone, and scripture alone.  We are blessed to be part of this historic event and we look forward to your participation.

In Christ,

Pastor

Stewardship Corner October 2017

We are nearing the 500th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, All Saints’ Eve, 1517, when Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. So, let’s hear from Luther himself on the topic of giving and stewardship.

In the Small Catechism under the Table of Duties, Martin Luther gives specific Bible passages to help Christians know their duty in their various vocations as members of their family, society at large, and in God’s family, the Church. Under the heading “What Hearers Owe Their Pastors,” Luther lists five passages from the Bible, three of which have to do with giving to your local congregation. They are these:

“The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).

“Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:6–7).

“The elders [presbyters, i.e., pastors] who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages’” (1 Timothy 5:17–18).

Luther comments on these passages in his 1535 Lectures on Galatians. He wrote:

When Paul says “all good things,” this is not to be taken to mean that everyone should share all his possessions with his preacher.  No, it means that he should provide for him liberally, giving him as much as is needed to support his life in comfort. . . . The apostle is so serious in advocating this topic of support for preachers that he adds a threat to his denunciation and exhortation, saying: “God is not mocked.”. . . All this pertains to the topic of support for ministers.  I do not like to interpret such passages; for they seem to commend us, as in fact they do.  In addition, it gives the appearance of greed if one emphasizes these things diligently to one’s hearers.  Nevertheless, people should be taught also about this matter, in order that they may know that they owe both respect and support to their preachers.  Christ teaches the same thing in Luke 10:7: “Eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages”; and Paul says elsewhere (1 Cor. 9:13–14): “Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?  In the same way the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel.”  It is important for us who are in the ministry to know this, so that we do not have a bad conscience about accepting for our work wages . . . it happens when those who proclaim the glory of God and faithfully instruct the youth derive their livelihood from them.  It is impossible that one man should be devoted to household duties day and night for his support and at the same time pay attention to the study of Sacred Scripture, as the teaching ministry requires.  Since God has commanded and instituted this, we should know that we may with a good conscience enjoy what is provided for the comfortable support of our lives from church properties to enable us to devote ourselves to our office. (LW 27:125–126).

In other words, pastors are not to suffer from low wages just because they are servants of Christ and the Word. They are to share in the livelihoods of all to whom they preach the gospel and instruct in the faith, so that the Word can be proclaimed and the faith carried from one generation to the next.