Month: January 2017

Bulletin Announcements

January 8, 2017

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Matthew 3:15:  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  The reason God sent His Son into the world is to fulfill all righteousness for us, to do what we could not do. So here Jesus plunges Himself into our sins and soaks them up in His baptism, so that in our baptism we might be cleansed and renewed. The whole of Jesus’ life, everything He did and said, was one great offering to the Father in our stead to fulfill all righteousness for us.

THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meeting at 9:15 a.m. this morning will study “The First Rosa – Teacher, Confessor, Church Planter”.  It tells the story of LCMS member Rosa Young and her work to bring the Gospel to different parts of the church in the southern part of the United States.

TODAY IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, the lesson is, “Jesus Calls Disciples.”  Jesus preached, taught, and healed, and He called His first disciples to do the same.  The children learn that Jesus chose ordinary, sinful men to follow Him and be His disciples.  In Baptism, Jesus chooses us to be His children. Underscore that in Jesus’ forgiveness we find peace and favor with God, whose Word testifies repeatedly and consistently that Jesus is His Son and our Savior.  Ask your children, “Through whom does Jesus continue His saving work where His Word is preached and His Sacraments are administered today?”

TODAY is our monthly door Offering for our Seminary Student Jeremy Hercamp.  Jeremy is a student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN and is completing his studies this winter/spring and will receive a call into the pastoral ministry in April.  We will also have Jeremy preach and conduct Adult Bible Class sometime in spring.  A Christmas letter from the Hercamp’s is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.

POINSETTIA PICK UP: You may pick up your poinsettias TODAY following the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. worship services. There are plastic covers on the coat rack at the north end of the narthex which you may use to protect them.  Thank you for your participation in decorating our Church for the Christmas season.

THIRD FRIDAY MOVIE NIGHT IS BACK!  On Friday, January 20th at 6:30 p.m. we will show the movie “THE FINAL SEASON”.  It is a true story of an underdog coach and the team that must defend their legacy against insurmountable odds.  The high school baseball team in Norway, Iowa is led by legendary Coach Jim Van Scoyoc.  When talk of a school merger gets serious it threatens to rob them of their 20th State Championship.  “The Final Season” will inspire and entertain everyone.  Join us for a great movie, good food and great fellowship.

LIFE SUNDAY:  Two weeks from today, January 22nd, will be Life Sunday.  We will have a special Order of Worship that day and also take a door Offering for “Lutherans For Life”.

2017 OFFERING ENVELOPES:  Your 2017 Offering Envelopes are available on the cart that is located in the narthex.  We encourage everyone to pick up your envelopes!

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

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.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “Looking for God?  Look to the Lamb” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from John 1:29-42.  Jesus’ love, suffering, sacrifice, and triumph are all expressed in that most precious of titles: The Lamb of God.  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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Stewardship Corner January 2017

Celebrating New Years is a celebration of the past and the future. We take stock of the past with thanksgiving and sometimes even relief (that it’s over), and we look to the future in the hope and anticipation and perhaps even worry of what it holds.

The point is that New Year’s celebrations remind us of who we are as opposed to who we would like to be; what we have done in comparison to what we want to do. It reminds us of our accomplishments, but mostly it reminds us of our failures. What we’ve lost. Who we’ve lost.

New Years is our own version of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. And we all play Scrooge. We are visited by the ghosts of our pasts, presents, and futures.

St. Paul writes: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:6–15).

St. Paul tells us that the Lord of all will both supply and increase what you need to give to the church for its work in and for the world. He tells us that this work that God is doing in us will enrich and bless us in every way and through this it will produce thanksgiving to God. With this in mind, here is some practical advice to help you take stock of your giving of years past, which will help you to change what needs to be changed, improved, or done away with altogether.

First, attend the Divine Service to receive God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. If you’ve not been faithful in attending worship to hear the preaching of God’s Word, to receive forgiveness, and feast of the rich food of our Lord’s body and blood for the eternal benefit of your body and soul, then repent and come to receive the gifts God freely gives. God doesn’t want your money. He wants you—all of you (Matt 22:20–22).

Second, pray for the Lord’s help. Your right as a Christian is to speak with your Father, the King of all creation, freely through His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Go to the throne of grace and ask for strength and wisdom to follow His bidding faithfully (John 15:1–16).

Third, consider what the Church is and what the Church does. The Church is a mercy place. It inhales the mercy of the Father by the death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son through the preaching of the Gospel and the Sacraments. It exhales this mercy in love toward the neighbor. You are a member of the Church, of God’s family. Thus, you are not only a recipient of God’s mercy, but a bearer of that mercy for the life of the world. You spread that mercy in showing mercy through the generous giving of your income to support the work of the Church in and for the world, as the Israelites did in the Old Testament (Lev 27:1–34).

Fourth, take stock of your current giving in light of the New Testament’s teaching on supporting the work of the Church. Are you giving of your first fruits, taking it out of your paycheck first, or does God get what’s left over? Are you giving voluntarily and cheerfully? Are you giving proportionally and generously? The Old Testament required a tithe, ten percent. The New Testament gives freedom to be generous, to give more for the Church’s work. Are you relying on God’s promise to provide and increase what you need to do His work? If your answer is no to any of these, repent. If God gave you His only Son, will He not provide for you all things, even physical things? Trust Him, His Word, and heed it.

So, don’t let your past define your future. Rather, commit for the year a generous proportion of your income, which is God’s gift to you for this body and life.

Celebrating January 2017

Birthdays

1/1 Carin Henson
1/2 Nicholas Hitch
1/4 Bud Kessler
1/6 Donald Gronert
1/6 Mary McEleney
1/9 Cathy Cloyd
1/9 Robert Hanner
1/19 Nancy Thomas
1/20 Gregory McNeely
1/20 Beth Mosier
1/28 Linda Dirks
1/31 Jill Holland

Baptismal Birthdays
1/1 E. F. Bud Barnett
1/1 Charles Nottingham
1/1 Shirley Potter
1/2 Chloe Hitch
1/11 Jacqueline Kwasny
1/12 Jessica Isaac
1/21 Bud Kessler