THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Luke 2:24 – “… and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’ ”  Throughout the Old and New Testaments God gives us the pattern of proportional giving. If you look at Leviticus 12, you’ll see that the sacrifice for purification is either a lamb or this pair of birds if the family had no means to buy a lamb. God calls us to give in proportion to how He has blessed us, and, of course, Jesus sets the pattern by giving not only a portion but His all.

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.  Steve Parry will be conducting the class this morning.

OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2^nd level (the west side).

FROM PASTOR:  You are in capable hands today and we thank our Board of Elders for conducting worship this morning.  Where did Pastor and Toni end up?  Check with their sons, they might know!  Pastor will return to the office tomorrow morning.

NEXT SUNDAY, February 9^th, we will be our monthly door Offering for our Seminary student Aaron Wendorff.

GOOD SHEPHERD IS CHANGING WORSHIP AND BIBLE CLASS/SUNDAY SCHOOL TIME on Sunday, March 1^st.  Worship will be at 9:00 a.m., with Holy Communion each week and Bible Class/Sunday School will be at 10:15 a.m.  Please keep this change in your prayers as we make this transition.

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!

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.

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.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “Break Through the No-Go Zone” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Genesis 43-45.  Sometimes the difference between then and now, between what used to be and what is, comes in a single moment, a defining act.  We call that a breakthrough. 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.