– Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 –
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 20:1 – “Now on the first day of the week …” All is made new by the Resurrection of Jesus! Even the day of worship has transitioned from the Old Testament’s Saturday Sabbath to the Lord’s Day of the New Testament. For the Lord has made all things new: He has begun a new week for a new creation in rising from the dead as the New Adam. We are also made new in Him – a new heart, a new life, new desires, a new outlook toward God: all this comes from our Risen Lord’s grace.
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.
FROM THE OFFICE: It is time again to renew our Lutheran Witness subscriptions. If anyone is not currently receiving Lutheran Witness and would like to do so, please contact the church office. There are 11 monthly magazines for an annual fee of $15.96. Please renew by TODAY! Thank you.
FROM OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Because we no longer have the Soccer Club our lawn mowing budgeted for 2018 is $500.00 short of the bid the Board of Trustees have been working on. If you would like to contribute to this, mark your contribution accordingly and thank you!
APRIL FAMILY MOVE NIGHT: “The Stray” tells the true story of a dog who saves a struggling family in more ways than one. “Pluto” comes out of nowhere and quickly makes himself at home with the Davis Family, who are on the brink of falling apart. In just a short time, Pluto the “wonder dog” manages to save a lost toddler, bring comfort and companionship to a hurting nine-year-old boy, helps to restore a marriage and repair a broken father-son relationship. Pluto is not only a guard dog – he’s a guardian angel. Join us Friday, April 13th, for another great movie, fine food and wonderful fellowship.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Good Shepherd is once again privileged to serve a “Talk Time Meal” to International Students on the campus of Illinois State University. We will do this on Friday, April 20th at 6:30 p.m. To sign-up to prepare and serve the meal look for the sign-up sheet in the narthex.
“WALK FOR LIFE”: Pastor and Toni will once again participate in the Pregnancy Resource Center’s “Walk For Life” on Saturday, April 21st. The Walk will be held at Christ Church, PCA in Normal. If you would like to pledge a dollar amount to their walk or if you would like to walk please speak with Pastor. Thank you!
OUR CHURCH DIRECTORY: It’s time once again to update everyone’s address, phone numbers, email, etc. Please check the reports on the table in the narthex and make any changes necessary to the listing. Thanks!
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR for a Special Service scheduled this summer. On Sunday, July 15th, we will have one worship service at 9:00 a.m. outside on our north lawn, under a tent, to give thanks to God for having paid off half the cost to build our church! What a blessed milestone. We have a few other things planned that weekend and we will get those details to you as they become available.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The April – June Portals of Payer are available on the book rack in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today.
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: “It’s Really Real” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from 1 John 1:1-3 Here’s the deal. If Jesus actually rose from the dead, it would be wise to believe in Him because there will be salvation in no one else. If He didn’t rise, we’re all toast. Hear why you can be confident Jesus’ resurrection is really real. Reverend Dr. Ken Klaus 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.
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Please notify the church office if someone in the congregation or any family or friends are ill or hospitalized.
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.