November 12, 2017
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Matthew 25:4 “… but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” Why did they take flasks of oil with them? Because they listened to the Bridegroom’s words and believed them. Our actions always start with and flow from our beliefs. What do your actions in the realm of stewardship say about what you believe?
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.
ANNUAL VOTER’S MEETING: Our Annual Voter’s Meeting is TODAY 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.
TODAY we will have 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.
NEXT SUNDAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the DECEMBER NEWSLETTER. Janet Evans is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at goodshepherdblm@frontier.com or you may call her at (309) 838-9868.
OUR THANKSGIVING WORSHIP SERVICE will be on Wednesday, November 22nd, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Holy Communion will be celebrated. We will have a special Order of Worship and the message “Taken For Granted?”
THANKS BE TO GOD! The final total for our Church Sign is $8001.16. 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.
FROM THE OFFICE: It’s time again to order your copy of “The Lutheran Annual”. The cost is $25.00. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please contact Janet or Sandy by phone (309) 662-8905 or by email: goodshepherdblm@frontier.com, or even by person.
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!
MARK YOU CALENDAR: Please mark your calendar for 2018 – Saturday, February 10th. Wittenberg Lutheran is hosting a Speaker’s Forum with the theme, “Cultural and Governmental Influence On God’s Design For the Family”. The speakers are Tim Goeglein an LCMS Laymen who worked in the Bush White House and now is employed by “Focus On The Family”; and John Rosemond a family psychologist whose syndicated newspaper column appears in The Pantagraph on Saturdays.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “The Reckoning” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Matthew 25:14-30. You hear little talk about the “Fear of God” anymore, but it you don’t in some way fear your Creator who judges you down to your most being, why would you love your only Savior whom He sends You? A message about fearing and loving God. Dr. Dale Meyer 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.