THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Luke 11:11 – “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?” A generous, giving spirit comes from knowing that you have a generous, giving Father. He will care for our needs. We are therefore free to reflect His generosity in our lives. We can be generous in raising our children, supporting the Church, and serving our neighbor in the community. In these three areas – home, Church, and society – the Lord has called us to show His grace and generosity to those around us.
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.
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.
THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the door Offering for Seminarian Will Fredstrom two Sundays ago. The total was around $380.00.
THANK YOU: It was a great pleasure to be with you in Services on Sunday, July 14th. Your encouragement and kind words were a blessing to me, and the generous door Offering you gave to support my studies are a big help as I continue at Concordia Seminary in the fall. Please keep me and all seminarians and deaconesses preparing for church work at both of our seminaries, in your prayers. The encouragement and support we receive from local churches means so much to us. God bless, and I hope to be back with you very soon. Seminarian Will Fredstrom
SCHOOL KITS: The LWML will be making School Kits for the Lutheran World Relief again this year. Each bag has (4) 70 sheet notebooks; (1) ruler with centimeters on one side; (1) pencil sharpener; (1) pair of blunt scissors; (5) #2 pencils; (5) ballpoint pens; (1) box 16 or 24 crayons; and (1) 2 1/2″ eraser. Your help is much appreciated. LWR will be sending them to places around the world that need our help. Thank you!
FROM THE OFFICE: We received a letter from Reverend Jacob Hercamp and family. We supported them two years ago as part of our adopt-a-seminarian. He is now a pastor in Missouri. The letter is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.
THANK YOU to everyone who signed up for the Picture Directory Update. We reached our goal and have our date. The pictures will be taken on Monday, August 19th. More details to follow.
FROM THE OFFICE: If your son or daughter is going away to college or they no longer live at home, please fill out an Information Sheet located on the table in the narthex. As their church home, we like to stay in contact during these important years by sending them Pastor’s Sermon and the monthly Church Newsletter. Please return the form to Sandy in the church office when completed. We lift our young people up in prayer as their spiritual journey continues.
AUGUST FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: Life with Dog — After losing his wife Alice (Marilu Henner) in a mysterious bike accident, Joe Bigler (Corbin Bernsen) is left alone without FAITH to help him grieve. That and the circumstances of Alice’s accident leave more questions than answers, and Joe begins a fast descent into the dark abyss of uncertainty. But his salvation arrives when a Dog wanders into his garden and won’t leave despite Joe’s many attempts to rid him. Without so much as a single bark, “Dog,” as Joe has named him, shares His voice, a deep love and comfort that Joe has never experienced before. With Dog’s love comes the discovery of God’s love, and a Faith that not only helps Joe toward the road to recovery, but also the unsolved mystery surrounding his wife’s accident, and the ability to finally grieve her passing. Join us Friday, August 16th at 6:30pm for another fine movie, great food and wonderful fellowship. See you there!
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: In order to get more people involved in our Coffee/Donut Fellowship for 2019 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 sheet is by the door by the north stairwell.
CHURCH SERVICES AT THE STATE FAIR: You don’t have to miss Church Services if you go to the State Fair on Sundays. There will be a LC-MS Church Service at 9:00 a.m. upstairs in the Illinois Building each Sunday of the Fair. Enter thru the south doors for easy access.
GOLF OUTING: Christ Lutheran Church Shining Lights Preschool is having a Golf Outing on Friday, August 16th at Ironwood. The $100.00 cost includes green fee, cart, range galls and lunch. Shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. For more details and how to sign-up please speak with Pastor.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Live Life, Traveling Well” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from 1 Peter 1:17-25. August Archives – God’s Word guides us along life’s journey, where Christ is the Way and heaven our destination. We revisit a classic message. The speaker is Dr. Gregory Seltz. 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.