Bulletin Announcements
April 10, 2016
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 21:6: “He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” Won’t the disciples ever learn? Jesus had done something similar before: when the odds seemed completely against it, the Lord gave them a command to let down the nets, a command that seemed crazy. But they complied and He blessed their obedience. When we will learn this lesson, too?
THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS, led by Pastor Lueck and meeting in the church basement at 9:15 a.m. is studying “Lutheran Doctrine and Practice Today”.
TODAY’S SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON IS: “Jesus Sends the Seventy-two” tells about Jesus sending His followers to go and tell others about Himself. God places us in various callings, giving us opportunities to serve Him and share our faith with others. As a family discuss, “What various callings (vocations) do each of us have? Who in your life needs to hear about the Savior?
NEXT SUNDAY is the deadline for items to be submitted for the MAY NEWSLETTER. Mandy Kluender is our Editor for the church newsletter and any announcements you want to be published in the Newsletter should be submitted to her at mgkluender@hotmail.com or you may call her at (309) 838-9868.
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.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The April-June 2016 Portals of Prayer are available on the bookrack located in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today.
OUTREACH: Good Shepherd is blessed once again this year to be providing a meal for International Students at Wittenberg Lutheran Center. The date of the meal is this coming Friday, April 15th and it begins at 6:15 p.m. Two sign-ups are available in the narthex. One is your participation at the meal and the other is for food items that you can bring. Thank you for your help in this outreach.
THE WALK FOR LIFE for the Pregnancy Resource Center is Saturday, April 23rd, at 9:00 a.m. at Christ Church in Normal. If you would like to walk, Pastor has the material in his office. Also, Pastor and family will once again participate in the Walk. If you would like to sponsor them with a cash donation, please speak with Pastor. Thank you.
GOOD SHEPHERD BLOOD DRIVE: Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Blood cannot be manufactured; it can only come from generous blood donors. This is where you and your left or right arm come in. Our Blood Drive for the American Red Cross is Monday, May 2nd, from 2-6:00 p.m. You may sign-up either on the sheets in the narthex or go to: www.redcrossblood.org. Put in the church’s zip code (61704-9103) and then follow the prompts. Also, we have posters available for those who can put them in their workplaces. Thank you for your help and if you have any questions, please speak with Pastor Lueck who is a long-time donor.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Confidence For Life” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 10:22-30. Jesus’ miracles were signs of God breaking into a sinful world, but the religious leaders saw it as a threat to their kingdom. The speaker is Reverend Gregory Seltz. 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 home # is (309) 661-6522; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582. The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.
† † † † † †
Bulletin Announcements
† April 3, 2016 †
TODAY: We welcome to out congregation this morning our adopted Seminary Student Brad Ferch. Brad will be preaching and conducting Adult Bible Class. We also welcome Brad’s wife Carole and daughters Madi and Lillie. Brad is in his 4th year of study at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN. We will conduct our monthly Door Offering for the Ferch family following both of our worship services this morning. Lord’s blessings to all of you!
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: John 20:19: “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Fear is the opposite of faith, that is, the kind of cringing fear we have in the face of something that is hostile to us and more powerful to us. Jesus spends a lot of His time telling the disciples to not be afraid. Our fears constantly hem us in and prevent us from following the Lord’s will. But there is no need to fear. Jesus has conquered. No fear can keep us locked up: we have been set free by Jesus for lives that declare His marvelous deeds.
LWML LADIES: We will have our monthly meeting this coming Tuesday, April 5th at 9:00 a.m.
FROM THE OFFICE: It is once again time to update the Church Directory. Please check the sheets on the table in the narthex. Provide any new information by noting directly on these sheets. There are two listings: 1) Church Directory; 2) Phone Book Listing of Individual Members. The Phone Book Listing contains your cell phone, home phone, work phone, household e-mail and personal e-mail. If any of these are missing and you want them to be included in the Directory, please provide that information. If any are listed and you would prefer not, please note that also. Contact Janet in the church office with any questions.
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The April-June 2016 Portals of Prayer are available on the bookrack located 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.
OUTREACH: Good Shepherd is blessed once again this year to be providing a meal for International Students at Illinois State University. The date of the meal is Friday, April 15th and it begins at 6:15 p.m. Two sign-ups are available in the narthex. One is your participation at the meal and the other is for food items that you can bring. Thank you for your help in this outreach.
THE WALK FOR LIFE for the Pregnancy Resource Center is Saturday, April 23rd, at 9:00 a.m. at Christ Church in Normal. If you would like to walk, Pastor has the material in his office. Also, Pastor and family will once again participate in the Walk. If you would like to sponsor them with a cash donation, please speak with Pastor. Thank you.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Good Shepherd will host a Blood Drive on Monday, May 2nd from 2-6:00 p.m.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Breakfast With Jesus” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from John 21:1-14. Jesus shows up and shows us that God is close and God cares. The speaker is Reverend Gregory Seltz. 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 home # is (309) 661-6522; 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 for April 2016
Elder and Usher Schedules
| Apr 3 | Gene Fuller, Gerald Semelka, Nathan Kluender, Richard Ross | John Hardy | Mike Huth |
| Apr 10 | John Hardy, Mike Field | Randy Reinhardt | Bud Kessler, Curt Kessler, Holden Lueck |
| Apr 17 | Charles Nottingham, Craig Culp, Daryle Schempp, Paul Gerike | Nathan Kluender | Brian Dirks, Bryan Reichert |
| Apr 24 | Ben Holland, Jeff Piper | Mike Field | Greg McNeely, Theron Noth, Ryan Kleiboeker |
Acolyte Schedule
| Apr 3 | Garett Sheley | Pastor/Elder |
| Apr 10 | Pastor/Elder | Justin McNeely |
| Apr 17 | Chloe Hitch | Pastor/Elder |
| Apr 24 | Pastor/Elder | Christian Dowell |
Stewardship Corner April 2016
The greatest surprise about Easter is not that Jesus is alive, risen from the dead, out of the grave, that He conquered death and hell, and comes to meet you as He promised. The greatest surprise is that He did all that and is not angry. There is no fear for us in His return because He is not angry. He bears no grudge. He seeks no vengeance. He comes to give peace, with mercy and forgiveness and salvation.
Jesus lives and is not angry. Imagine that. He is not angry. He doesn’t blame those who killed Him. He doesn’t blame you. For no one takes His life from Him. He lays it down of His own accord. He gives Himself into death to win us back from sin, death, and hell. He does it willingly without coercion. He does it sacrificially, Him for us. He gave what was His to give. Thus His petition to the Father from the cross, “Forgive them” is granted to you in His resurrection. He comes alive out of death to forgive and to give His life to you.
There is nothing to be afraid of because Jesus is raised from the dead and is not angry. Thus we are free—free from worrying about how to make it up to Him, and free to give as He has given to us. He gave Himself as a gift, His life in exchange for our death, willingly and sacrificially. And so it is that we are now free to give in like manner: willingly, sacrificially, with what we have been given.
We give to the church because it is in the church where our eyes have seen and our ears have heard that Jesus lives and is not angry. It is here where we learn of God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ. It is here where we continually receive that message of life, where He visits us to give peace, with mercy and forgiveness and salvation.
So do not be afraid. Jesus lives, and He is not angry. The sacrifice has been made. The debt is canceled and forgotten. Righteousness is declared. Jesus lives. He lives, and He is not angry. You are restored. You are reconciled to the Father in the Son. Your future is assured: Jesus lives. It is not just death and Hell, the devil and his demons, that are undone. Your sins, your fear are undone. They are gone, forgotten, destroyed. Jesus lives. Hallelujah! Jesus lives. And because He lives, you are just. You are right with God, pleasing and delightful to Him. You are forgiven, clean, pure, holy, and filled with His good works and with His Name. He is not angry. He is glad to have you. He wants you. He loves you. He gave everything that is His to and for you, willingly and sacrificially. In faith and trust in Him, let us do likewise.