Bulletin Announcements
July 2, 2017
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Mark 10:42 – “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” The tithes and offerings you give to the Lord’s work in His church go to supporting all manner of discipleship: they provide for a minister of the Gospel to preach, teach, and conduct the Sacraments; they provide for our missionaries and ministries of mercy here and abroad; and they make sure that the folks in your area have a place to go to worship the Lord. The Lord is pleased with this work – and He wants to bless you through supporting it.
NEED A RIDE? If you are unable to drive to church, we have an option that is available. Please speak with Pastor who has the details. Thank you.
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. In conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we are studying about that time period with “The Word Endures: Lessons From the Lives of Powerful Politicians”.
FROM THE OFFICE: The Church Office will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th as we celebrate Independence Day. Careful with those fireworks!
PASTOR’S SCHEDULE: Pastor will be on vacation this coming week.
CAN YOU HELP? We have a sign-up on the table in the narthex for Summer Sunday School. The dates and lessons are listed. We would like to have someone covering and to give Sarah Lange a break for the summer. Once you sign-up, please speak with Sarah who will have the lesson for you. Thank you for helping in this way.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The July-September 2017 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today!
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: The sign-up for help with coffee/doughnuts is posted on the wall by the north stairwell. We need an individual/family to sign-up each week to pick up the donuts and make the coffee. If no one is signed up by Friday of each week, the order will be cancelled. We thank everybody who continues to help with this part of our church fellowship.
YOU ARE INVITED: In celebration and thanksgiving to God, you are invited to attend the Ordination & Installation Service for Charles A. Bahn next Sunday, July 9th at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 801 S Madison St., Bloomington IL. A reception at the church will follow the service.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Living as Christ’s Person in Repentance and Faith” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Romans 7:14-25. Life out of control? Turn to God in repentance and faith. Let Him act before you do. Reverend Dr. Gregory Seltz will be the speaker. Hear this Sunday’s 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.
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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Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules July 2017
Elder and Usher Schedule
| July 2 | Craig Culp, Jeff Piper, Joshua Parry, Lucas Piper | Nathan Kluender | Brian Dirks, Karson Lueck |
| July 9 | Gene Fuller, Richard Ross | Bud Kessler, Greg McNeely | |
| July 16 | Daryle Schempp, Gerald Semelka, Paul Gerike, Steve Parry | Mike Field | Mike Huth, Theron Noth |
| July 23 | Ben Holland, Mike Field | Paul Gerike | Brian Dirks, Greg McNeely, Karson Lueck |
| July 30 | Jeff Piper, Joshua Parry, Lucas Piper, Nathan Kluender | Barry Hamlin | Bud Kessler, Curt Kessler, Mike Huth |
Acolyte Schedule
| July 2 | Chloe Hitch | William McNeely |
| July 9 | Elders | Elders |
| July 16 | JT Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| July 23 | Pastor/Elder | Matt Williamson |
| July 30 | Summer Sheley | Justin McNeely |
Celebrating July 2017
Birthdays
7/4 Joann Nottingham
7/10 Bob Love
7/14 Nick Henson
7/22 Joann Hart
7/24 Katey Parry
7/25 Andrew Benjamin
7/25 Stephanie Schempp
7/27 David McEleney
Baptismal Birthdays
7/8 Isabella Kessler
7/11 Richard Ross
7/12 Keyyon Pleasant
7/13 Kathy Hitch
7/13 Summer Sheley
7/14 Bryan Reichert
7/16 Jennifer Cloyd
7/20 Ruth Gerike
7/21 Anna Holland
7/24 Finley Mosier
7/28 Eugene Fuller
7/31 Erin Dirks
Stewardship Corner July 2017
“I will bless you …, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). The Lord blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing. How did He bless Abraham? He promised that from His seed would come the Savior of the nations. And Abraham believed that promise, trusted that the Lord would provide it just as He had promised. Thus, everything Abraham did was colored by that promise. He willingly gave of himself and his household in service to the Lord in view of that promise.
Our Father in heaven has richly blessed us. Not only has He given us everything that we need to support this body and life, but He has also provided, that promised seed in His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of the nations. He is the Redeemer of the world. He is the one who has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil by His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Just as we are richly blessed, we are also thereby freed to be a blessing. Since God has endowed us with His gifts, we are set to endow others. Thus, we give of the blessings we have received so that others may be blessed. We do this in our homes, our communities, and our churches. We press the blessings God has lavished upon us in service to those around us. We use our time, our talents, and our treasures to be a blessing even as they have been a blessing to us.
The Lord blesses us. And He enlists us to be a blessing to others. So, whenever you put that envelope in the collection plate, when you set out to serve at the local food pantry, when you sit down to help your kids with homework, think of this: The Lord has blessed you, so that you will be a blessing.