Bulletin Announcements – November 1, 2015

November 1, 2015 by OfficeStaff

† Bulletin Announcements †

November 1, 2015

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: “With angels, archangels, and with all the company of heaven….” When we gather around the altar of the Lord in His House we pray and praise God with “all the company of heaven.” Those we have lost in the Lord are not truly lost to us – they have simply entered their rest with the Lord. As we gather to worship our Lord, we gather along with them. On the Last Day everything that God has given into the care of our stewardship will fade away – everything except our brothers and sisters in Christ. Caring for one another in love and grace is our highest calling.

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 IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, the children will learn about how God saved the Hebrews by parting the waters in “Crossing the Red Sea.” Ask your children to tell you what they know about this story. Talk about, “How does God fight for us and save us from sin, death, and the devil?” Discuss Baptism and how water combined with God’s Word washes you clean from sin and gives you eternal life.

THIS TUESDAY, November 3^rd, Good Shepherd and Pastor Lueck will be hosting the Bloomington South Circuit Pastor’s Conference. This will be going from 9:00 a.m. until noon.

NEXT SUNDAY, November 8^th, will be our monthly Offering for our seminary student Bradley Ferch. Bradley is a student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

NEXT SUNDAY: Please pick up your Stewardship Envelopes from this past year on the table in the narthex. Next Sunday, November 8^th, the Stewardship Board will hand out the new envelopes and we will bring them back to be dedicated to the Lord on Stewardship Sunday, November 15^th. Thank you.

FOOD COLLECTION: Our Food Collection for the Home Sweet Home Mission will continue now through NEXT SUNDAY, November 8^th. Members of our congregation will deliver the food and serve a meal at the Mission on Saturday, November 14^th.

VOTER’S MEETING: Good Shepherd’s annual Voter’s Meeting (Budget, Elections, etc.) will take place after the 10:30 worship service on Sunday, November 15^th. We will have a meal with the church providing meat and drink; members will bring other items that tickle their palate.

DEAR CHURCH FAMILY: As everyone is aware, Laura Kessler’s health issues continue with mounting medical costs. The Kessler family is requesting your help as you are able. A Go-Fund-Me Site has been setup for those who wish to assist and this can be done anonymously. The site is: www.gofundme.com/laurasjourney with the goals and specifics detailed. Thank You, The Kessler Family

CHOIR PRACTICE: Choir is meeting every Wednesday from 7-8:00 p.m. and we always need more voices. If you would like to learn more about choir, contact Steve Parry at drparry68@outlook.com or (309) 533-5200. Come make a joyful noise until the Lord!

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 to the 2015 Fall Bazaar at Christ Lutheran Church, 311 N Hershey Rd., in Normal this coming Saturday, November 7^th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Join us for food, fun, fellowship, and fantastic finds!

THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “Do You Know THIS Jesus?” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Hebrews 9:24-28. If you think Jesus is just one of those very good and capable people who show us a better way to treat others, you haven’t really captured who Jesus is. The speaker will be 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.

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Stewardship Corner November 2015

October 31, 2015 by GoodShepherdBLM

“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard” (Gen 4:2). Why did the Lord not have regard for Cain and his offering, but did regard Abel and his offering? Was it because Abel’s offering was better intrinsically than Cain’s? No. The Book of Hebrews tells us: “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts” (Heb 11:4). The thing that distinguished Abel’s offering from that of Cain’s is faith. By faith, Abel offered a more acceptable offering.

Faith and giving are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin. It is faith in the promises of God that leads us to give. By faith we trust that God will do what He says. By faith, we receive everything God gives as a gift from His divine mercy and goodness. For what do we have that we have not received (1 Cor 4:7)? Nothing. Everything we have comes from the Lord. By faith we give to others because God has first given to us, and by faith we trust that He will continue to provide for us all that we need for this body and life. And when by faith we give, God accepts our offerings and commends us as righteous. For by faith we are accounted righteous before God on account of Christ. Giving is a spiritual issue.

But there is a flip side to this two-sided coin: Cain didn’t give an offering to God by faith. His offering did not come from faith but from someplace else. And since it didn’t originate with faith in God and His promises, it was not regarded by God. And he was not accounted righteous. This is a warning to us. Pay attention to your faith and your offerings, and from where they come.

From where do your offerings come? Like all good works, offerings acceptable in God’s sight flow from faith in Christ. They are given in response to the gifts God has given to us, especially the gift of forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. And since they are given by faith, they will be the target of Satan’s attacks to ruin the church, do damage to the gospel of Christ, and to weaken your faith in Him. For sin is crouching at our doors, and the temptation to sin in giving is great because of the fallen world and our sinful flesh. But Jesus is greater than our hearts. Jesus has overcome the world. And by faith, so have we. By faith, we rule over them.

Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules November 2015

October 31, 2015 by GoodShepherdBLM

Elder and Usher

Date	8:30	Elder	10:30
Nov 1	Charles Nottingham, Craig Culp, Jeff Piper, Joshua Parry	Paul Gerike	Greg McNeely, Nick Henson
Nov 8	Ben Holland, Daryle Schempp	Curt Kessler	Bud Kessler, Theron Noth
Nov 15	Gene Fuller, Mike Field, Richard Ross, Steve Parry	Nathan Kluender	Bryan Reichert, Holden Lueck
Nov 22	Gerald Semelka, Nathan Kluender	John Hardy	Brian Dirks, Mike Huth, Ryan Kleiboeker
Nov 25 (Thanksgiving Eve)	7:00 PM	John Hardy	Jeff Piper, Joshua Parry, Paul Gerike
Nov 29	Ben Holland, Charles Nottingham, Craig Culp, John Hardy	Barry Hamlin	Greg McNeely, Marvin Huth, Nick Henson

Acolyte

Date	8:00 AM	10:30 AM
Nov 1	Chloe Hitch	Pastor/Elder
Nov 8	Pastor/Elder	Cruz Kleiboeker
Nov 15	J.T. Piper	Pastor/Elder
Nov 22	Pastor/Elder	Christian Dowell
Nov 25	Thanksgiving Eve 7PM	Jessica Isaac
Nov 29	Summer Sheley	William McNeely

Pastor’s Notes November 2015

October 31, 2015 by GoodShepherdBLM

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 3:17)

This missive is being composed on the day after we celebrated “Pastor Appreciation Day.” This is always a spiritual lift and I am appreciative of everything done. One of the things that touch my heart and soul are the personal notes in the cards I receive. Your kind and encouraging words are a great support for myself and my family in this ministry. Each year a couple of these are saved and put into a notebook. Periodically I will get the notebook out, read previous notes and be moved by the gracious hand of our Lord.

I recently did this one evening while sitting at my desk at home. It was a note from several years ago that said they appreciated that God’s Word is brought “every” Sunday. That warmed my heart. In my vocation, the Lord has led me to know that God’s people deserve the best effort “every” time the Word is preached. I have preached to as few as 4 (Circuit Pastor’s Conference). I have also spoken in front of 14,000 (Synodical Convocation). In between I have served a small, rural church; a large, suburban church; and one in between those two here at Good Shepherd. You never know who is listening that day so through the Holy Spirit, I strive to do my best.

One of the blessings in over 24 years of ministry is to have never missed a Sunday of work. I remember in Texas being up all night but the Lord allowed me to perform my duties on Sunday morning. I think I slept the rest of the day! A lot of my thinking came as a result of my athletic background. The Lord gave me the talent and the ability and through the Holy Spirit it was my responsibility to use it to the fullest. Whether at a nursing home or a hospital bedside, you never know who is listening; the Lord wants my best because He gives the best.

What is your vocation? Are you encouraged by our Lord to see that you are working for Him no matter where He has placed you? People are watching and listening and the Lord is using your witness. Our work is the same in the eyes of the Lord no matter what we are doing. May He lead you in honest and hard work knowing that your labor for the Lord is not in vain. In all things we serve Christ our Lord and Savior.

You are all a blessing and I thank God for you!

In Christ,

Pastor

Good Shepherd Election — Identified Needs

October 29, 2015 by TechCommittee

Fellow Members,

Below is a listing of the needs of the church, as identified by the Nominating Committee. If you or another member of the church may be interested in filling one of these positions, please contact myself or one of the other members of the nominating committee.

Curt Kessler: (309)826-7171 or 71fenderpbassman@comcast.net
Mary Anne Kirchner: makirchner@yahoo.com
Carin Henson: cndhenson@ymail.com

Summary of Nominees Needed for 2016 Positions

President _____________________________________

Vice President _____________________________________

Secretary _____________________________________

Assistant Treasurer (to move to Treasurer in 2017) _____________________________________

Financial Secretary _____________________________________

Elders – 4 Nominees Needed ______________________________________
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Trustees – 2 Nominees Needed ______________________________________
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Education – 5 __________________________________________
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Evangelism – 5 __________________________________________
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Stewardship – 5 __________________________________________
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Nominating Committee – 5 __________________________________________
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"But God demonstrated His love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8