January 6, 2019
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Matthew 2:11 – “And going into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Worship and the giving of gifts go together. This makes sense because God is the great Giver of every good gift and we worship Him and desire to grow into His image. We receive His gifts in worship and then, being conformed to the likeness of His image, we imitate His generosity.
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.
FAITH IN ACTION OF BLOOMINGTON/NORMAL: One ride, one visit, one Senior at a time. Need a ride? Want to volunteer? Need more information? Call (309) 827-7780; or email: office@bnfia.org or contact Barry Hamlin at (309) 750-9424.
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.
TODAY: We will have the Installation of 2019 Officers and Board Members and Holy Communion will also be in both worship services today.
IF YOU ORDERED A POINSETTIA you may take your poinsettia home TODAY following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Thank you!
NEXT SUNDAY, January 13th, will be our 2nd Sunday door Offering for our Seminary Student.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES begins again on January 18th at 6:30 p.m. The movie that will be shown is titled: “SAVING FAITH”. “In this Gospel-driven drama, poor Faith is ready to give up hope. Her struggling small-town theater is about to get foreclosed on by the bank when her charming Uncle Donny convinces his famous friends to play live and save the business. But when a local developer decides to sabotage the concert, it’ll take a miracle to make the show go on.” Join us Friday, January 18th at 6:30pm for another fine movie, good food and great fellowship. See you there!
CAN YOU HELP: John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN. It will be sometime after the holidays, hopefully mid-January. The Seminary needs clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. Please be sure all donated items are clean and in good repair. Please bring your donations to the church. 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!
FROM THE OFFICE: The congregation received a Christmas letter from the Reverend Jacob Hercamp family. Jacob was the seminarian we supported last school year. It is posted outside the church office.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The January – March 2019 Portals of Prayer 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: “Reason To Believe” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 1:19-51. Do you have a reason to believe that everyone should believe what you believe? John did. Coe and see. The speaker will be Reverend Dr. Michael Zeigler. 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.
FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE: If you miss church, please be reminded that copies of the previous week’s sermon are available on the table in the narthex. Also, the sermon will be available on our web site at www.goodshepherdblm.org. Thank you.
PRAYER CIRCLE: 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.