May 13, 2018
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: 1 John 5:12 – “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Jesus is the foundation, the bedrock, the beginning and the end. To have Him is to have it all. In Him we have life. And we are called to live in Him, to live this new life He has given us, to grow up into His image. This is a struggle in this sinful world. But His grace is sufficient as He refreshes us through Word and Sacrament.
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.
ADULT INSTRUCTION CLASS begins tomorrow, May 14th, at 7:00 p.m. The class will run on Mondays through the end of June (taking off on Memorial Day) and lasts about an hour each evening. This class is designed for non-members who would like to learn more about the Lutheran Church and its teachings. It is also a good refresher course for members. If you know of someone you would like Pastor to invite please call him at (309) 838-0306 or e-mail him at: revbci@yahoo.com.
NEXT SUNDAY, May 20th, is Pentecost Sunday and we will have Holy Communion in both worship services.
NEXT SUNDAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the JUNE 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) 838-1552.
GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: World-famous atheist Dr. Sol Harkens (Kevin Sorbo) delights in debating and defeating Christians, but is emotionally empty. Isolated from Katy (Sam Sorbo), the wife he divorced following the harrowing loss of their first son, and a lousy part-time dad to their two younger boys, his self-destruction culminates in a car crash that leaves him clinically dead for four minutes. The four-word message from that experience challenges his convictions, sending him into a panicked tailspin. Reluctantly leaning on his family’s forgiveness, love and faith, Sol struggles to find meaning and purpose in the words “LET THERE BE LIGHT”. Join us this coming Friday, May 18, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. for a great movie, good food and fine fellowship.
YOU ARE INVITED: On behalf of Holden Lueck, 2018 Normal West graduate, the congregation is invited to his graduation party on Sunday, May 27th from 2-5:00 p.m. at the GE Clubhouse located at 1750 GE Road in Bloomington.
THANK YOU to everybody who supported Pastor and Toni in the Pregnancy Center’s “Walk For Life” on April 21st. The “walk” raised $54,580.00 for the work at the Center.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIP GIFT: If you would like to donate you can pick up an envelope located on the table in the narthex.
GROUP OUTING FOR BASEBALL GAME: Good Shepherd is planning a group outing at a Normal CornBelters game on Sunday, June 10th. Game time is 6:05 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 per person and will include a reserved box seat and a concession voucher that can be used for a hot dog, small drink and bag of chips. Good Shepherd’s own Katey Parry will sing the national anthem and Pastor Lueck will throw out a first pitch. For more information or to buy tickets, contact Randy Reinhardt at (309) 826-0448 or randyreinhardt1@gmail.com
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR: We have a big weekend planned this summer so please get these dates on your calendar. Saturday, July 14th, we will host a Red Cross Blood Drive from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with breakfast served. Sunday, July 15th, we will have one worship service outside under a tent at 9:00 a.m. to celebrate and thank God for having paid half of the cost of our building. Sunday School and Bible Class will convene inside at 10:15 a.m.
MARK YOU CALENDAR: The date for our Annual Church Picnic has been set! It will be held on Sunday, August 19th. More information to follow.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Functional Atheist No More” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27. Christians like to think of themselves as flollowing the first disciples. That’s uncomfortably true. The first disciples had trouble believing the promises of Jesus for their daily lives. Too often we do too. On Pentecost the Spirit of the Risen Lord Jesus gave the first disciples faith like they had never had before. Today the same Spirit is ready to do the same for us. The speaker will be Reverend Dr. Dale Meyer. 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.
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.