Bulletin Announcements

December 31, 2017

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Luke 2:39 “And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord. . .”  The Law of God is good. Of course, it always shows us our sins: but that is good, too!  We need to be driven back to the forgiveness of Christ.  But the Law also shows us the truly blessed way to live – as Mary and Joseph found their joy in a godly life, so should we see the Law as a guide for Christian living, as the roadmap for saying thank you to the Lord for all His grace and mercy to us.

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.

DINNER FOLLOWING NEW YEAR’S EVE WORSHIP SERVICE:  We will be going to dinner at the Ozark House this evening following the 7:00 New Year’s Eve Worship Service.  Anyone interested going to dinner please see or contact Linda Lange (309) 339-9930.  Thank you.

NEXT SUNDAY, January 7th, we will have the Installation of Church  Officers at both worship services.

2018 OFFERING ENVELOPES:  Please pick up your 2018 Offering Envelopes today.  They are located on the table in the narthex.

WE NEED YOUR IDEAS for our new church sign.  Sheets are available on the table in the narthex.  We will take submissions until Sunday, February 11, 2018.  You may drop them in the box in the narthex.  Thank you!

CAN YOU HELP:  John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN on Friday, January 12th. Please bring your items to church by Sunday, January 7th.  The Seminary needs clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies.    There is a closet located in the hall upstairs where items are collected, and packed for our trip.  If you need help finding it just contact John (309) 310-7917.  Thank you!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  Please mark your calendar for 2018 – Saturday, February 10th.  Wittenberg Lutheran is hosting a Speaker’s Forum with the theme, “Cultural and Governmental Influence On God’s Design For the Family”.  The speakers are Tim Goeglein an LCMS Laymen who worked in the Bush White House and now is employed by “Focus On The Family”; and John Rosemond a family psychologist whose syndicated newspaper column appears in The Pantagraph on Saturdays.

FELLOWSHIP HOSTS:  In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2018 we have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up.  We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other.  You may also sign-up for both if you wish.  The sign-up is by the door by the north stairwell.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “Breaking News!” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Isaiah 60:1-6.  Epiphany calls us to believe that the Light has come into the world.  A New Year’s message about confidence, if you’ll believe it!  Reverend Dr. Dale A. Meyer is the speaker.  Hear his 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.

†  †  †  †  †  †

Stewardship Corner January 2018

It’s a new year. It’s a time when we take stock of the year past in order to improve the year to come. It’s a time when we sit down to plan and implement what we want to accomplish and even change. Part of that is planning our stewardship for the coming year.

Often we find this difficult and daunting and even joyless. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it is really quite simple and full of joy. So here are some tips to make that planning less stressful. You begin by answering these three questions: Who are you? To whom do I give? And how much?

So, who are you? The Table of Duties in the Small Catechism informs us. Are you a hearer of God’s Word? Are you a citizen of society? Are you a member of a family? Stewardship covers these three estates: church, society, family. We don’t particularly struggle to give to society or family. Our struggles, our difficulties and our questions arise in giving to the church.

So, what is our duty as members of the church with regard to giving? The Table of Duties, again, gives us a guide. If you are a hearer, a member of the church who receives instruction, St. Paul taught: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor” (Gal. 6:6). This means the local congregation is primary.

Your pastor is the one called to preach the Gospel to you and administer the Lord’s blessed sacraments to you. Your congregation is the place where those things happen. Thus, when God calls us to give to the church, He has the local congregation in mind. For “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).

How much do we give to the local congregation? Our only instructions are these: to give regularly (1 Cor. 6:1–2), proportionally (1 Cor. 16:1–2; 2 Cor. 8:12), and generously (2 Cor. 8:20) of our first fruits (Gen. 4:4; Prov. 3:9; Lev. 27:30) with a spirit of eagerness (2 Cor. 9:2), earnestness (2 Cor. 8:7), cheerfulness (2 Cor. 9:7), and love (2 Cor. 8:23).

In other words, giving to the church is not to be an afterthought, given after everything else is spent. In this way, it is deliberate. We give regularly – weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly – keeping in mind our own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. We set it aside beforehand – before anything else is spent.

From those first fruits, we set aside a proportionate and generous amount. Ten percent was the standard for the Israelites. This was a command for the ancient Israelites. We can give as much as we want, but ask yourself: do we really want to be less generous than was commanded of the Israelites? Is the job of the New Testament Church bigger or smaller than the job given to Israel?

And how are we to give it? We give it with eagerness and earnestness. We give it cheerfully and with love, not out of compulsion. For through the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, God has made us His children, forgiven us all our sins, given us grace upon grace, promised us life everlasting with Him in His kingdom, and filled us with His own Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This makes giving a joy, as Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

It’s that easy. And it is joyful. For in stewardship, our gracious and giving Lord invites us to take part in the work that He accomplishes here on earth, providing for the ongoing preaching of the gospel as well as those who are in need. Taking part in that makes all our work holy – work that is done in service to the Lord as priestly members of His kingdom.

Celebrating January 2018

Birthdays

Carin Henson                  Jan  1

Nicholas Hitch                 Jan  2

Pat Orr                             Jan  3

Bud Kessler                     Jan  4

Mary McEleney               Jan  6

Cathy Cloyd                     Jan  9

Bob Hanner                     Jan  9

Nancy Thomas                Jan 19

Greg McNeely                 Jan 20

Beth Mosier                     Jan 20

Cooper Mosier                 Jan 27

Linda Dirks                      Jan 28

Jill Holland                       Jan 31

Baptismal Birthdays

Bud Barnett                     Jan  1

Charles Nottingham        Jan  1

Shirley Potter                   Jan  1

Chloe Hitch                      Jan  2

Jackie Kwasny                Jan 11

Jessica Isaac                  Jan 12

Bud Kessler                     Jan 21

Bulletin Announcements

December 24, 2017

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT WORSHIP:  Tonight will be our Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion.  The Service begins at 6:00 p.m.  We continue with our theme of: “The Word Becomes Flesh”.  Tonight’s message: “We Have Seen His Glory”.

CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP:  Tomorrow morning will be our Christmas Day Worship Service with Holy Communion beginning at 9:00 a.m.  The message: “The Word Dwelt Among Us”.

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  2 Samuel 7:4 – “But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan …”  Nathan thought David’s idea was great, so he blessed it with the Lord’s name.  But later that night, the Word of the Lord set him straight.  The Word of the Lord must be the basis for what we think, say, and do in God’s Kingdom: not our own desires or whims.

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.

THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS AND SUNDAY SCHOOL will be from 10:15 – 11:00 a.m. this morning.  The adults meet in the basement and the Sunday School in our Choir Room on the upper level.

PASTOR’S SCHEDULE:  Pastor, Toni, Karson and Holden will be in Wisconsin on Tuesday and Wednesday surviving another family Christmas.  Pastor will be in the office on Thursday.  A Blessed Christmas!

DINNER FOLLOWING NEW YEAR’S EVE WORSHIP SERVICE:  We will be going to dinner at the Ozark House on New Year’s Eve following the 7:00 Worship Service.  Anyone interested going to dinner please see or contact Linda Lange (309) 339-9930.  Thank you.

2018 OFFERING ENVELOPES:  Please pick up your 2018 Offering Envelopes today.  They are located on the table in the narthex.

WE NEED YOUR IDEAS for our new church sign.  Sheets are available on the table in the narthex.  We will take submissions until Sunday, February 11, 2018.  You may drop them in the box in the narthex.  Thank you!

FELLOWSHIP HOSTS:  In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2018 we have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up.  We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other.  You may also sign-up for both if you wish.  The sign-up is by the door by the north stairwell.

CAN YOU HELP:  John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN on Friday, January 12th.  Please bring your items to church by Sunday, January 7th.  The Seminary needs clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies.    There is a closet located in the hall upstairs where items are collected, and packed for our trip.  If you need help finding it just contact John (309) 310-7917.  Thank you!

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “Children Of Promise” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Galatians 4:4-7.  Our identity as God’s children encourages us to live in His grace,  to embrace the freedom Jesus won and to resist the ways of the world that strive to keep us captive. Reverend Dr. Anthony Cook 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.

†  †  †  †  †  †