February 3, 2019
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.
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” Love is the greatest of the three “theological virtues” because God is Love. That is why love is the fulfillment of the Law, because the Law is the reflection of God’s being and God is love. St. Paul urges the Corinthians to grow in love, to grow up into the image of Christ who demonstrates what love looks like with His sacrifice on the cross. For love always seeks the good of the other, always seeks to serve, to give, to bless.
NEXT SUNDAY, February 10th, will be the regularly scheduled door Offering for our Seminarian.
NEXT SUNDAY is Lutheran Hour Ministries Sunday. “Bringing Christ To The Nations and The Nations To The Church”. Support the Ministry with your gifts and your prayers.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES for February will show a very interesting movie, “THE PERFECT STRANGER”. Nikki Cominsky is a successful attorney – troubled by the fact her life isn’t perfect. One day, a mysterious invitation shows up on her desk that reads,“You are Invited to Dinner with Jesus Christ.” Thinking it’s a prank, she shows up…only to find herself in the middle of a whirlwind evening of debate and revelation – with the most unforgettable man she would ever meet. Join us on Friday, February 15th, at 6:30 p.m. for a very interesting movie, good food and wonderful fellowship. See you there!
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2019 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 sheet is by the door by the north stairwell.
IN OUR PRAYERS: Please keep Trinity Lutheran Church of Bloomington in your prayers. They have called Reverend David McBurney of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in St. Louis as their Senior Pastor.
WORKSHOP ON DEMOGRAPHICS AND CHURCH PLANNING: The facts are stark – Christians make up a smaller and smaller proportion of the American population every year. Every District of the LC-MS has experienced numerical decline in the past decade. But every city or county is different and experiencing different challenges and opportunities. What’s going on? What does the future hold? What should churches be doing to respond? Join the Synod’s Coordinator for Stewardship, Reverend Heath Curtis, at Trinity in El Paso, IL on Monday, February 18, 2019 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. for a workshop exploring these issues and how our congregation should be planning for the future. Refreshments will be served.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Where Heaven Meets Earth” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 3:1-21. Jesus is the place where heaven and earth overlap and intersect. So what does this mean for us? It means that the night is over and it’s time to stop snoozing and wake up! 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.