Bulletin Announcements September 29, 2019
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Matthew 18:3 – “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Children trust their parents. They look to their parents to bless them and care for them. We are children of the heavenly Father, and He invites us to trust Him. He has given us proof of His trustworthiness by sending His Son to save us. Children delight in giving their parents gifts – cards and crafts that come home from school, bouquets of dandelions from the front yard, etc. Parents don’t need any of these things; such things don’t add to their parents’ wealth. But parents delight in receiving these signs of love and thankfulness. Can you see how this applies to us giving gifts to our heavenly Father?
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.
TODAY: The family of Cleo Korte cordially invite you to an Open House in celebration of her 90th birthday. The gathering will be in the church basement today from 2-4:00 p.m.
FROM THE OFFICE: The church now has a new email address. Our new email address is: office@goodshepherdblm.org.
FROM THE OFFICE: We received a thank you note from our Seminary Student, Aaron Wendorff. It is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The October—December 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 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.
YOU ARE INVITED: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eureka is hosting their 30th Annual Hog Roast this coming Saturday, October 5th with serving between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. Pastor has two complimentary tickets if you would like to go. The menu: roast pork, baked beans, potato salad, applesauce, dessert and drink.
FROM THE OFFICE: Christ wants you to know who He is and what He has done for us. Concordia Publishing House is here to help you with that. We are dedicated to helping Christ’s families read, study, teach, and learn about the miracles that God has shown us. Our newest releases, such as the Portals of Prayer; Devotional Bible, Enduring Faith Sunday School Curriculum, The Mighty and The Mysterious, and The Growing in Faith Bible Storybook, in addition to thousands of other resources, allow for families of all ages and stages to share in Christ’s love. CPH is overjoyed to be able to offer these resources for your family to grow with Christ for generations to come. To see all we have to offer, please visit us at cph.org.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Homeward” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Genesis 11—12:9. The spiritually homeless people of the modern world have written God out of their story, but God remains the one Way home. Reverend Dr. Michael Zeigler is the speaker. 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.
Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules October 2019
Elder and Usher Schedule
| Oct 6 | Nick Hitch, Paul Gerike | Nathan Kluender | Randy Reinhardt, Theron Noth |
| Oct 13 | Gerald Semelka, Steve Parry | Brian Hoop | Bob Love, Brian Dirks, Mike Field |
| Oct 20 | Barry Hamlin, Gene Fuller, Richard Ross | Randy Reinhardt | Greg McNeely, Will McNeely |
| Oct 27 | Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper | Craig Culp | Mike Huth, Randy Reinhardt, Theron Noth |
Acolyte Schedule
| Oct 6 | JT Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| Oct 13 | Pastor/Elder | Justin McNeely |
| Oct 20 | Chloe Hitch | Pastor/Elder |
| Oct 27 | Clayton Piper | Matt Williamson |
Stewardship Corner October 2019
In the early morning hours of Feb. 18, 1546, Martin Luther closed his eyes forever. And the hand that hammered the 95 Theses into the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, penned its final words: “We are all beggars. This is true.”
And this is the truth that our Lord says makes you free. Ironic, isn’t it? That, in order to be free, you must be a beggar; you must be utterly dependent and reliant upon God. This makes us uncomfortable – the way we’re uncomfortable when someone gets us a Christmas or birthday present when we haven’t gotten them one. We feel we owe them. And we don’t much like being in someone’s debt.
But what Luther would remind us is that we are all indeed beggars. But we’re not just anyone’s beggars. We’re God’s beggars. And this is His legacy to the Christian Church. Christ came for sinners. He came to seek and save the lost. He came to heal the sick and raise the dead. He came for sinners, and He dwells only with sinners.
And, if we are to be where He is, we must be willing to be counted among the lost, the sick, and the dead. We must be willing to be beggars. We must cry out for mercy, for grace, and for his undeserved love and kindness. We must be dependent solely on Him and what He gives.
And here’s the beauty: He gives us everything. Everything – forgiveness of sins, salvation from death and the devil, and eternal life. This is not because of any worthiness or merit in us, but it is because of His divine goodness, mercy, and grace.
On account of Christ’s death and resurrection, the Father forgives you, saves you, and is pleased with you. And you receive. You receive His love, His righteousness, His holiness, His acceptance, and His inheritance. We are all beggars. This is true.
This is the heart and soul of Christianity and the life-blood of the Christian Church. God justifies us, and He declares us innocent and righteous by His grace received through faith for the sake of Christ. This is not because of our works; this is because of His work on the cross. We, who once were enemies of God, are reconciled to Him and made to be His children.
This is what Luther would point us to when He took up his pen for the last time and scribbled “We are all beggars. This is true.” We are beggars. But we are beggars of the God who does not ignore us, who doesn’t pass by us on the other side. We are beggars of the One who descended from heaven to make His dwelling with sinners.
We are beggars of Him who deigns to dwell with us, among us, and – yes – even in us by grace for Christ’s sake. For in the bread and cup that we bless, we share together with Christ and each other the riches of God’s grace.
So inexhaustible are the riches of this grace – the Gospel in sermon and absolution, in Baptism and Holy Communion – that our cups overflow. We, who are God’s beggars, are not only inexhaustibly satisfied but have something to give back in thanksgiving and praise.
Celebrating October 2019
Birthdays
| Thomas Anderson | 10/1 |
| Fern Noth | 10/10 |
| Barry Hamlin | 10/11 |
| Jessica Isaac | 10/11 |
| Payton Biddle | 10/12 |
| John Hardy | 10/12 |
| Travis Henson | 10/15 |
| Maria Kirchner | 10/15 |
| Jackie Semelka | 10/17 |
| Cindy Sheley | 10/19 |
| Shane Miller | 10/21 |
| Chloe Hitch | 10/23 |
| Teresa Casselman | 10/24 |
| Helen Jensen | 10/24 |
| Abby Biddle | 10/25 |
| Yvonne Hoop | 10/28 |
| Cheryl Reichert | 10/28 |
Baptismal Birthdays
| Eli McNeely | 10/2 |
| William McNeely | 10/2 |
| Chad Lueck | 10/3 |
| Brian Dirks | 10/4 |
| David Marlow | 10/5 |
| Andrea Brown | 10/9 |
| Bill Huber | 10/9 |
| Cleo Korte | 10/20 |
| Steve Davis Benjamin Holland | 10/27 10/30 |
| Hope Kirchner | 10/30 |