January 7, 2018 – The Baptism of Our Lord
Installation of Officers
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Mark 1:7 – And John preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” John is right: Jesus is immensely greater than any of us, yet behold how He came to serve! That is the upside down, outlandish grace of God: the innocent Jesus takes our sinner’s place. This is the greatest act of giving the world has ever known or will know: The Father gives His Son to die in the place of sinners.
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.
POINSETTIA PICK UP: You may pick up your poinsettias TODAY after the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. services. There are plastic covers in the narthex on top of the coat racks at the north end which you may use to protect them. Thank you for your participation in decorating our Church for the Christmas season.
NEXT SUNDAY, January 24th, will be our monthly door Offering for our Seminary student.
2018 OFFERING ENVELOPES: Please pick up your 2018 Offering Envelopes today. They are located on the table in the narthex.
WE NEED YOUR IDEAS for our new church sign. Sheets are available on the table in the narthex. We will take submissions until Sunday, February 11, 2018. You may drop them in the box in the narthex. Thank you!
TODAY: John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN this coming Friday, January 12th. Please bring your items to church TODAY, January 7th. The Seminary needs clean usable clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. 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!
PORTALS OF PRRAYER: The January – Martch 2018 are available on the book rack in the narthex. Please pick up your free copy today.
MARK YOUR 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.
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.
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED to Camp CILCA’S first Annual Banquet on Sunday, January 28, 2018 from 5-8:00 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 2645 Old Jacksonville Rd., Springfield, IL. Tickets are $40.00 each, and must be purchased before January 20th. Purchase tickets by calling the Camp Office at (217) 487-7497, or by email at: camp@cilca.org.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “How Well Does Jesus Know Me?” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 1:48-51. It’s nice to have someone know and understand you. Today the Lutheran Hours asks, “How do you feel about Jesus knowing you?” 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.
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 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.