Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules for April 2018

Elder and Usher Schedule

Date
8:00
Elder
10:30
Apr 1
Easter Sunday		7AM:
Jeff Piper, Nick Hitch		Craig CulpBud Kessler, Curt Kessler, Mike Huth
Apr 8Daryle Schempp, Joshua ParryMike FieldBob Love, Brian Dirks, Randy Reinhardt
Apr 15Craig Culp, Nathan Kluender, Steve ParryPaul GerikeHolden Lueck, Theron Noth
Apr 22Gene Fuller, Richard RossCraig CulpBob Love, Greg McNeely, Mike Huth
Apr 29Jeff Piper, Lucas Piper, Paul GerikeRandy ReinhardtBrian Dirks, Holden Lueck, Randy Reinhardt

Acolyte Schedule

Date
8:00 AM
10:30 AM
Apr 17AM Lucas PiperWill McNeely
Apr 8Pastor/ElderJustin McNeely
Apr 15Chloe HitchPastor/Elder
Apr 22Pastor/ElderMatt Williamson
Apr 29JT PiperWill McNeely

Stewardship Corner April 2018

Our Father in heaven sent His Son, Jesus, to be our savior. His atoning sacrifice is the firstfruits of all the dead, a pleasing aroma to His Father – and ours – so that His perfect life and death count for all who believe in Him.

He claimed us as His own children in Holy Baptism. He sustains and strengthens our faith with His Holy Word and His Body and Blood. As new creatures, who have put on Christ, we bear good fruit. We do the good works prepared for us, which He makes known to us in His Word.

By faith then, trusting in the Word of God, we do what he says because He does not lie and always keeps His promises. For “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

And so the Lord promises: “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Prov. 3:9-10).

How do we honor the Lord with the wealth that God has given us in His generosity? By giving it generously to those whom the Lord has called us to love and support: your family, your society, and your church. And His promise is that in so doing, you will never lack.

I can almost hear it now: “But that’s from the Old Testament!” But our Lord Jesus Himself gives us similar promises in the New Testament. He says, at the conclusion of the parable of the talents, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance” (Matt. 25:29).

And then at the end of the parable of the dishonest manager, he says: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:10–13).

And in His sermon on the mount, he says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).

We have become conditioned against these promises because of their misuse by the peddlers of the prosperity gospel – the guys on TV who say you get rich by putting God in your debt. And thus, we miss out on the fact that God does reward temporal faithfulness in temporal matters with temporal blessings.

It’s no quid pro quo. It’s all from God’s grace, His fatherly divine goodness and mercy. But those Bible passages just quoted do in fact say what they say! It’s not the Old Testament’s problem. It’s ours. It is almost as if we have become so jaded against this that we think it a virtue to be stingy with our offerings.

But our Father in heaven still loves to bless those who bless others. He loves to give to those who give freely and generously. In fact, he challenges us to challenge Him: “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10).

And so, while we don’t give so that we would get, we do receive from the Lord in order to give, and He will bless your giving with more receiving. For “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)?

Celebrating April 2018

Birthdays

Nancy Fuller                    Apr  2

Finley Mosier                   Apr  3

Dorothy Herberts             Apr  4

Craig Culp                       Apr  6

Sarah Lange                    Apr  7

Matt Williamson               Apr  7

Carol Schroeder              Apr  9

Carly Benjamin                Apr 12

Drew Kemp                      Apr 12

Gerry Semelka                 Apr 13

Garett Sheley                  Apr 14

Summer Sheley               Apr 14

Justin Lange                    Apr 16

Harriet Campbell             Apr 20

Angelina Isaac                Apr 21

Marvin Huth                     Apr 22

Ethan Bliese                    Apr 25

Daryle Schempp              Apr 27

Baptismal Birthdays

Fern Noth                        Apr  1

Herb Renken                   Apr  3

Justin McNeely                Apr  6

Mary Anne Kirchner        Apr  9

Toni Lueck                      Apr 11

Michael Anderson           Apr 13

Nancy Thomas                Apr 16

Garett Sheley                  Apr 18

Audrie King                      Apr 25

Kyryth Kessler                 Apr 29

Bob Bier                          Apr 30

Pastor’s Notes April 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Two unbelievers were on a train together to Indianapolis.  One was an agnostic Colonel, the other an unbelieving Union General.  They were discussing Christ’s wonderful life and debating religious theology.  One said, “I think an interesting novel could be written about Him.”  The other replied, “You are just the man to write it.  Set forth the correct view of His life and character.  Tear down the common feelings as to His divineness and paint Him as He was, a man among men.”  The suggestion was acted upon and the novel was written.  The man who made the suggestion was a Colonel Ingersoll; the author was General Lew Wallace, and the book was BEN HUR.

Wallace did extensive research on the life of Christ and the book became the best selling novel of the 1800’s.  It was not surpassed on the all-time best-seller list until 1936 and “Gone With the Wind.”  Once the movie came out in 1959 and won 11 Academy Awards in 1960 the book was once again at the top of the best-seller lists.

As General Wallace wrote his book, first in Crawfordsville, Indiana and then in New Mexico, he found himself facing the unaccountable Man Jesus.  The more he studied Jesus’ life and character, the more completely he was convinced that Jesus was more, exceedingly more, than a man among men.  The power of the Holy Spirit had worked on the heart of General Wallace until at length, like the centurion under the cross, he could not help but cry out, “TRULY, THIS IS THE SON OF GOD.”

A Blessed Easter!  TRULY, THIS IS THE SON OF GOD.

In Christ,

Pastor

Bulletin Announcements

March 25, 2018

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Zechariah 9:9 – “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  No king ever rode to war like this. But no king had ever come to wage battle by dying. In His Passion, our Lord Jesus gives everything He has and is; He does this to bring us from death to life and to make us His own people.

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. As we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we continue studies on that time period.  We are studying “A Man Named Martin”, a video-based study on the reformer Martin Luther.

EASTER LILIES:  If you would like to purchase an Easter Lily for the altar for Easter Sunday, there is signup sheet on the table in the narthex.  Lilies are $10.00 each. You may pick them up after late service on Easter Sunday.  Cash or checks made to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.  On the memo line write “Easter Lily”. Contact Jackie Kwasny at (309) 662-4995 if you have any questions.

OUR HOLY WEEK WORSHIP SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:  Maundy Thursday Worship w/Holy Communion at 7:00 p.m.  We continue our “Gospel In Seven Words” Lenten theme throughout Holy Week.  The Message: “Jesus Comes to Feed My Hungry Soul”.  Good Friday is our brief Tre Ore Service at noon.  The evening Tenebrae Worship w/Holy Communion that is especially meaningful will have the sermon, “Jesus Is Lord, Even Over My Death”.  On Easter Sunday, both the 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Worship Services celebrate Holy Communion.  The Easter message is: “Jesus Christ Rose, So We Might Live”.  Sunday School and the Adult Bible Class is 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.  Easter Breakfast served from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

EASTER SUNDAY:  One week from today is Easter Sunday (April 1st).  In our 7:00 a.m. worship service the beginning of our worship will begin in the lower parking lot as we dedicate our new Church Sign.  For those unable to traverse the incline we have made arrangements for transportation up and down the hill.  Please speak with Pastor if you need this assistance.  Thank God for our Church family as we keep everyone involved.

FROM THE OFFICE:  It is time again to renew our Lutheran Witness subscriptions.  If anyone is not currently receiving Lutheran Witness and would like to do so, please contact the church office.  There are 11 monthly magazines for an annual fee of $15.96.  Please renew by next Sunday, April 1st.  Thank you.

CAMERA MALFUNCTION:  Curt and Kyryth Kessler are experiencing technical difficulties with the Sanctuary camera used to record the weekly service and sermon for your viewing. For two weeks in a row, the camera failed to record and we are working to discover and correct the problem.    We greatly apologize for the inconvenience to all of you who look forward to the weekly viewing of the service and sermon.  Please be assured our priority is to get this fixed as soon as we can!  In His Service, Curt and Kyryth (Kat) Kessler

FROM OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES:  Because we no longer have the Soccer Club our lawn mowing budgeted for 2018 is $500.00 short of the bid the Board of Trustees have been working on.  If you would like to contribute to this, mark your contribution accordingly and thank you!

APRIL FAMILY MOVE NIGHT:  “The Stray” tells the true story of a dog who saves a struggling family in more ways than one.  “Pluto” comes out of nowhere and quickly makes himself at home with the Davis Family, who are on the brink of falling apart.  In just a short time, Pluto the “wonder dog” manages to save a lost toddler, bring comfort and companionship to a hurting nine-year-old boy, helps to restore a marriage and repair a broken father-son relationship. Pluto is not only a guard dog – he’s a guardian angel.  Join us Friday, April 13th, for another great movie, fine food and wonderful fellowship.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  Good Shepherd is once again privileged to serve a “Talk Time Meal” to International Students on the campus of Illinois State University.  We will do this on Friday, April 20th at 6:30 p.m.  To sign-up to prepare and serve the meal look for the sign-up  sheet in the narthex.

OUR CHURCH DIRECTORY:  It’s time once again to update everyone’s address, phone numbers, email, etc.  Please check the reports on the table in the narthex and make any changes necessary to the listing.  Thanks!

PORTALS OF PRAYER:  The April – June Portals of Payer are available on the book rack in the narthex.  Pick up your free copy today.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “They Were Afraid, You Know?” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Mark 16:1-8.  It takes a lot to overcome fear, a lot of words, in fact a lifetime of words.  Let this Easter Day be a new beginning of trusting Jesus’ Words of resurrection and life!  Reverend Dr. Dale Meyers 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 CHAIN:  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.

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Camera Technical Glitch

Curt and Kyryth Kessler are experiencing technical difficulties with the Sanctuary camera used to record the weekly service and sermon for your viewing.  For two weeks in a row, the camera failed to record and both are working to discover and correct the problem.  If they fail to solve it, Curt will purchase a new camera this week.  The new one may not be available in time for Palm Sunday, however, we promise it will be for Easter, the most wonderful Holiday of the Church Year!  We greatly apologize for the inconvenience to all of you who look forward to the weekly viewing of the service and sermon.  Please be assured our priority is to get this fixed as soon as we can!

In His Service,

Curt and Kyryth (Kat) Kessler