December 23, 2018
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Luke 1:45 – “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” The Lord always fulfills what He promises. We can be certain of that, and He has proven it over and over again. This faith in the Lord’s own faithfulness is what gives us the courage to follow the Lord’s commands in the face of the world’s anger and resistance. The same faithfulness in God gave Mary the courage to carry on in her seemingly embarrassed circumstances.
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.
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.
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.
THIS WEEK’S WORSHIP SCHEDULE: Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion is tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. Christmas Day Worship with Holy Communion is Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m.
PASTOR’S SCHEDULE: Pastor, Toni, Karson and Holden will be out of town after Christmas enjoying a few days away in Nashville, TN. Lord willing they will be back next Sunday!
NEXT SUNDAY, December 30th, is a 5th Sunday so we will celebrate Holy Communion in both worship services. Two weeks from today (January 6th) is Epiphany. We will have the Installation of 2019 Officers and Board Members and Holy Communion will also be in both worship services.
THE ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKLETS, “The Coming King”, is available on the table in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today!
FROM THE OFFICE: The congregation received a Christmas letter from the Reverend Jacob Hercamp family. Jacob was the seminarian we supported last school year. It is posted outside the church office.
IF YOU ORDERED A POINSETTIA: You may take your poinsettia home following the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, January 6, 2019. Thank you!
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 clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies. Please be sure all donated items are clean and in good repair. Please bring your donations to the 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!
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The January – March 2019 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today.
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.
EARN A RETURN AND HELP OUR LCMS CHURCHES: The Central Illinois District Church Extension Fund (CID-CEF) provides resources to churches in our Central Illinois District that wish to grow God’s ministry through building or expansion. We are able to do this because of conscientious LCMS members like you who support our churches by investing in the CID-CEF – we need your continued support and investments! As an added blessing for your investment, we are now offering a 24-Month SPECIAL RATE of 2.35% (minimum investment $500) to you as well as our church organizations to support the LCMS ministry. Please contact Chris Anderson or Susan Short at the CID-CEF: phone: (217)793-1802, e-mail cef@cidlcms or visit our website www.cidlcms.org, (see link in lower left corner) for this special interest rate and other recent rate increases for our investment options. Thank you for investing in the future of our LC-MS!
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “A Long Good-Bye” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Luke 2:27-32. As the year comes to a close, we likely have regrets and quilt. We can beat ourselves up over work left undone, but Jesus Christ has assured us that He is your hope. His grace is more than sufficient to take us into another year and give us peace. The speaker will be Dr. Dean Nadasdy. 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.