THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 1:29 – “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” The Israelites of old offered a lamb to God at Passover so that death might pass over them and do no harm. Over those long centuries of sacrifice, did they understand that this was actually God’s gift? Did they understand that God would be the true Giver of the true Lamb? Truly, we can never outgive God, for all that we have is His.
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.
THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meets in the basement at 9:15 a.m. and will be studying “Did God Really Say . . .?” in conjunction with Sanctity of Life Sunday.
OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).
TODAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER. Any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted via email to: office@goodshepherdblm.org, mail, hand-delivered, or you may call (309) 662-8905. Thank you!
NEXT SUNDAY, January 26th, we will have Holy Communion in both worship services. This is being done because Pastor will be gone on Sunday, February 2nd, and there will be no Communion that morning.
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-February. 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!
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: 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.
FROM THE OFFICE: The congregation received a letter from Reverend Michael Kearney. It is on the table in the narthex. Reverend Kearney is a former member of Good Shepherd and one of the many seminarians we have supported. He is now a Chaplain in the Army and will be deployed to Afghanistan in the near future. Please keep Reverend Kearney, his wife and their growing family in your prayers.
FROM THE OFFICE: The church received a brochure on the Summer Offerings in 2020 at Camp CILCA. Camp CILCA is the camp of our Central Illinois District and you may peruse the brochure located on the table in the narthex.
YOU ARE INVITED: Celebrate 70 years of outdoor adventure at Camp CILCA’s 3rd Annual Banquet on NEXT SUNDAY, January 26th from 5-8:00 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Springfield. The evening includes a live brass ensemble and dinner from Nelson’s Catering, guest speaker will be Reverand Jonathan Fisk, and a look at CILCA’s future. Tickets are $40.00 and must be reserved by Thursday, January 23rd by contacting the Camp Office at (217) 487-7497 or email to: camp@cilca.org.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Call It a Comback” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Genesis 41. (New Series) In Christ, God is writing a comeback story for you. But we don’t call it a comeback if it’s the same old you that’s been here for years. You call it a comeback because life in Jesus means the death of the old you, and through faith in Jesus the real you can truly live. The speaker will be Reverend Dr. Michael Zeigler. 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.
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Please notify the church office if someone in the congregation or any family or friends are ill or hospitalized.
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.