November 5, 2017
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.
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” This is one of many Bible passages that remind us that we reap what we sow. Likewise, what God puts into us (His own love, mercy, kindness, and generosity) – flows back out of us. For it all starts with His self-giving!
TODAY: In our 10:30 worship service we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for Gracie Aurora Mosier daughter of Randy & Beth Mosier. Sponsors are Kelly Whitkanack and Jackson Whitkanack.
TODAY: You may pick up your Commitment Envelope from last year located on the table in the narthex. Today we will hand out the New Commitment Cards and we will collect them in the worship service next Sunday, November 12th.
TOMORROW: The Funeral Service for Joan Renken will be tomorrow, November 6th, here at Good Shepherd beginning at 10:30 a.m. Visitation is one hour before the service and today at Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Funeral Home from 3-5:00 p.m.
ANNUAL VOTER’S MEETING: Our Annual Voter’s Meeting is next Sunday, November 12th, following the 10:30 worship service. We will precede the meeting with a church potluck. The 2018 Budget and Slate of Candidates are on the table in the narthex.
NEXT SUNDAY, November 12th, will be our monthly door Offering for our Seminarian. We were finally sent some information about our Seminary Student and he also wrote the congregation a letter, which is posted outside the church office on the bulletin board. Mr. Brent Keller is from Sanger, TX and a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in (get this), Keller, TX. He is married to Hanne and they have a one-year old daughter, Annalise. He is in his fourth year of study at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN.
THANKS BE TO GOD! We met our goal and even surpassed it with $7,850.00 for our new Church Sign. Start formulating those pithy Outreach messages as we involve the membership in the next few months with ideas for the sign.
FOOD COLLECTION: The food box collection for Home Sweet Home is in the narthex. We will collect until Saturday, November 18th when we will be serving a meal at the Mission.
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 clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. Please bring them to 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!
SHARING TREE: We know that it is early in the process, but wanted to let you know we will have a Sharing Tree this year. We are getting a name from the Baby Fold and will have tags on the tree with specific requests. We also will be collecting money to purchase items not received, any additional money collected will be used to purchase gift cards. These gift cards will be given to the Baby Fold to supplement other needs in the system. Last year we were able to give a handful of cards because of the generosity of our church family. The look on the faces of the staff said it all…. It was priceless. Thank you very much for helping to share the love this coming holiday season. Please contact Toni Lueck (309) 530-8666 or Paula Hardy (309) 829-8432 with questions. Thank you!
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “More Than a Wish” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. Not so long ago over 370 million tickets were sold for a Powerball drawing. Each person who made a purchase had hope that they might become rich. Most were disappointed. In 1 Thessalonians 4, St Paul explains how the resurrection hope of Christmas is better than the hopelessness of the world and far more solid than groundless wishful thinking.. Reverend Dr. Ken Klaus 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.