CALENDAR of EVENTS. S t. M a t t h e w L u t h e ra n C h u rc h C o n n e c t i n g Fa i t h W i t h L i fe! SAT., MARCH 9 SUN.

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1 Connections S t. M a t t h e w L u t h e ra n C h u rc h C o n n e c t i n g Fa i t h W i t h L i fe! CALENDAR of EVENTS SAT., MARCH 9 10am-12pm Concord Rm Reserved/ 10am-2pm Al-Anon Mtg. ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship SUN., MARCH 10 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:50 am Sunday School 10:45 am Worship 6:30 pm High School Youth Group MON., MARCH 11 8:30 am Morning Prayer Group 9:00 am Pastors Text Study 5:45 pm Council Meeting 7:00 pm Girl Scouts TUES., MARCH 12 9:00 am STM Quilters in the Fellowship Hall 7:00 pm Bell Choir 7:00 pm Gentler Yoga 7:00 pm Boy Scouts WED., MARCH 13 6:00 pm STM Choir 7:00 pm PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS Lenten Service in the Sanctuary THURS., MARCH 14 6:00 pm Community Choice meeting in the Fellowship Hall FRI., MARCH 15 9:15 am Chairish Yoga SAT., MARCH 16 10am-12pm Concord Rm Reserved/ 10am-2pm Al-Anon Mtg. ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship SUN., MARCH 17 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:45 am Adult Forum 9:50 am Sunday School 10:45 am Worship In the second temptation, the devil shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and promises them to Jesus if he would simply worship the devil. Jesus resists, reminding the devil to worship God alone. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and calls for people to repent and turn back from the temptations of this life and turn towards God. The first Sunday of Lent focuses on Jesus in his forty days in the desert. It is a time of prayer and discernment as Jesus claims his mission, but first he must resist the wiles of the devil and all his empty promises. Jesus sets aside a little over a tithe (10%) of the calendar year for solitude, prayer, and discernment. It is a time when he faces the demons both the wild beasts of the desert and his internal demons. During Lent, we are invited to follow the model of Jesus and set aside the forty days of Lent for prayer and discernment. Not many have the luxury to go away to a retreat center or a monastery for forty days of prayer, but there are other ways to set aside the season. Like anything, it takes a concerted, intentional effort to allow Lent to become a blessing to you. Since the theme of Daily Discipleship during the spring is Prayers of Discipleship, consider a personal Lenten theme of prayer for your own life. Today, you are invited to make a covenant with God to set aside Lent for God. (Lent ends on Easter, April 8, 2007.) During Lent, prayerfully ponder how God is calling you to follow Jesus Christ as a disciple. Consider your own path of discipleship as you strengthen your commitment to follow Christ. Now that you have a plan, discuss ways to support each other during the Lenten journey. Blessings on your Lent! Prayer Gracious God, send your Holy Spirit to be our guide during this Lenten season, Sustain with your grace as you draw us closer to Christ. Help us to serve only you. Amen.

2 Prayer Requests Specialist Sean Splittstoesser, grandson of Ruby & Dan Splittstoesser Brody Welshofer, friend of Danielle Deck Donna Gehrt, aunt of Jill Daly Virginia, Meghan & Chris, friends of Chris Bedford John Sheehan, grandfather of Walker Westfield Gloria & family, aunt of Jill Daly Nathan Koplinski & 3rd Battalion India Company, son of Beth Koplinski Tom & Beth Graham, family of Dorothy Graham Polly Morrow, Saupe family relative Rita, aunt of Cheryl Light-Shriner Carmen, aunt of Cheryl Light-Shriner Sharon, aunt of Cheryl Light-Shriner John Light, father of Cheryl Light-Shriner Keegan Morfey, friend of Garris Graham Melissa Frye, sister of Tanya Haenny-Ya Reagan, friend of Beth Koplinski DeCoda, son-in-law of Chris Bedford The family of Shirley Graham, friend of Angela Stivers John Gantz Isabella Gonzalez Danielle Deck Bruce Carroll Hervin Buhr Gerald Smith Pr. Bill & Kathryn Harum Garris Graham Cherylin Stivers Don Saupe Lana Wegeng Mary Jane Rasmus Joyce Hayn Randy Alumbaugh Dave Tjaden Brad Hedrick Judy Wilson Remember our shut-ins: Elaine Ebeling Leona Saathoff Please note: Names on the list for prayers will be posted for one month unless otherwise requested. Please contact the church office with any updates or extensions. Thank you. STAFF OF ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCH PHONE: Pastor Office Manager Nursery Parish Nurses Robert J. Rasmus Gayla Pellum Ruby Splittstoesser & Emma Lacefield Aziza Awate, Kathie Pound, and Beth Riddle Connections Deadline: Submit announcements in writing to the church office or by to no later than 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. Thank you!

3 Welcome! St. Matthew Lutheran Church is a fellowship of Christian believers called to: grow in Christ, share the Gospel, serve God s people. Do come again to St. Matthew Lutheran Church where you are always welcome. Worship with Us Saturday, 5:00 pm A relaxed & informal worship held in the Christ Chapel. Sunday, 8:30 am Spirited traditional worship that focuses on participation through the liturgy, the great hymns of the Church, & corporate confession of our faith. Sunday, 10:45 am Praise & worship in an open & accessible style. Christ Chapel The chapel is always open for individual or group prayer. PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS Join us on March 13, 20 & 27 and April 4 & 11 at 7pm in the Sanctuary

4 Today we welcome new members to STM. Please take a moment to say Hello! Anne Anderson, Cynthia Cope, Janet Johnson, Matt, Mindy & Khloe Orrison, Al & Jennifer Byers-York ALTAR FLOWERS The flowers on the altar this weekend are in celebration of the wonderful members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church. We are a great church family! Help make our altar beautiful! Celebrate a birthday, anniversary, someone s life or just because. The sign up sheet is located on the bulletin board in the narthex. There are many open dates still available this year. THE GIVING TREE! The high schoolers have put together a giving tree to help raise funds for their Service Learning Trip! Please take an envelope with an amount on it off the tree, place cash or a check matching that amount into the envelope, and turn it into the office! Don't see the amount you want to give listed? Take a mystery ($??) envelope and place your desired giving amount in it! This will be an ongoing fundraiser and every dollar helps! The funds will go towards gas, food, and lodging for our trip to Montana! WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY will resume after Lent. Please join us for PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS Lenten service at 7pm. MEN S COFFEE Our Men s Coffee group has decided to meet twice a month! All available STM men are invited to gather for a cup of coffee & conversation on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 19 at 10:00am at Harvest Market on South Neil St. in Champaign. Men of all ages are welcome & encouraged to join our discussions. PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY The next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will be Wednesday, March 20th at 9:30 a.m. in the Concord Room at church. We welcome all who knit. If you know of someone who would be comforted by a prayer shawl, please contact Joan Peterson ( ), Mary Anderson ( ), Pastor Bob or the church office ( ). The stories from the recipients are beautiful & filled with gratitude for the prayers & love that goes into making them. LADIES... LET S PLAY BUNCO Play a fast paced game, win great prizes, and have a lot of fun. Please bring your drink of choice. The next BUNCO Night will be Thursday, March 28th starting at 6:00pm in the Augsburg Room. No need to sign up... everyone is welcome. We have a great time! Join the fun & bring a friend!!!

5 SUPPORTING THE STM FOOD PANTRY The first full weekend of every month, we ask the members of our congregation to bring in items for our food pantry. Our food pantry provides a week's worth of meals to families within the community on a regular basis. You can pick up a full list of the items you can choose to donate in the narthex following our weekend service. A basket for your donations will be placed in the narthex Saturday and Sunday morning. STM Food Pantry Thank you all for your continued support to STM Food Pantry. The Food Pantry is in need of restocking several things, remember these needs when you go to the grocery store.the following items are most needed at this time: Please remember to take along this list of our needs.the following items are most needed at this time: canned fruit cocktail, peaches, pears, pineapple, applesauce, pork & beans, peas, canned & bottle juices, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, hot cereal, cornbread mix, boxed mashed potatoes, saltine crackers, complete pancake mix, pancake syrup, boxed rice, large bars of soap. Note: Please do not donate shampoo. You are welcome to place items in the food box at any time throughout the month also. If you have any questions about the Food Pantry or would like to become a volunteer to help make deliveries call the Church office at or Doris Gebauer at RELIT The selection for the March Re-Lit meeting is The Soul of America by historian Jon Meacham. Ken Burns says of this book: Rather than curse the darkness, Jon Meacham, with his usual eloquence and surpassing knowledge of our history, has offered us all the sublime and calming reassurance that, as threatening as so much of the present moment seems, Americans have weathered such storms before and come out on the other side with fresh and progressive horizons. This is a beautifully expressed and convincing prayer to summon our own better angels to meet the obvious challenges of today. Please join the Religion and Literature group at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 29th over desserts to discuss this timely and thought-provoking book. KEEPING THE FAITH CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE There are so many in our congregation who have shared many years being part of a Christian community, be it decades of membership at St. Matthew or a life of Christian worship that has now led you to this congregation. Leaving a legacy to your Christian family is a way to give thanks for the benefits received through the years from the clergy and fellow friends in Christ about you. You can see that the goals of the current campaign at our church are not for any decorations. The tasks are focused on making those building improvements which will support and expand the mission of this Christian community, those things which interested you and kept you a part of this church family. Our Keeping the Faith Capital Campaign has $403,488 in pledges which is almost 90% of our goal of $450,000. Only $46,512 or 10% still to go! So if you have not already done so, or now are able to increase your giving, please make that campaign pledge as a way of giving back for the blessings you received and help secure the future service of St Matthew. PLEASE LET US KNOW WHERE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS NEED TO BE CREDITED! Our church receives funds for many purposes. Please help us to count your contributions accurately. For any checks from you (or investment companies) towards our capital campaign, general offering, mortgage, flower fund, etc., please make note on the memo line so that we can get your giving accounted for correctly Thank you for your generosity.

6 ICE CREAM CONTAINERS NEEDED Do you buy ice cream in the 1 gallon plastic containers? Nancy Schneider and I are looking for some containers for transporting soup to St. Andrew s Lutheran Student Center for their Lenten Sunday soup and bread dinners. If you have empty (or soon to be empty) containers you would like to share, please contact either one of us, Nancy Schneider, nancyschneider@hotmail.com, or Kathy Wallig, kjw1951@ comcast.net, and we ll make arrangements to get them from you. LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD COOKS! Nancy Schneider and I have been providing a monthly Wednesday meal for the St. Andrew s student chat and chow Bible study this school year and last. We would love to have someone join us. It s not complicated and the cooking can be done to fit your schedule. The students love having a home-cooked meal. Please call me and I ll be happy to share the details with you, Kathy Wallig, , if you are interested in this ministry. Thank you. STM GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE COLUMBARIUM Take a brisk walk around the STM Garden of Remembrance and enjoy the winter grasses. Plants are dormant for the winter. Consider it a place of celebration of life and important people in our lives, because it is. Memorial pavers may be ordered to honor or remember a family member or friend, pavers are available for $150 or $200. The form is on the table by the coffee bar. Niches are available for $1200 which includes two urns and engraving. The form is available in the office. STORYBOOK PROJECT COULD USE YOUR HELP The work of Storybook Project goes on year round. You can help with this ministry by donating gently used books and cash to pay for mailing supplies, new CDs, and postage to mail the books and the recordings. Your prayers for this project are welcome as are new volunteers. The Storybook Project team also collects men s clothing to be given to the inmates who are released every two weeks to give them a more dignified appearance and feeling of confidence when they go back home. Particularly needed are large-sized jeans, trousers, shirts, and light jackets. Occasionally there is a need for suits and dress jackets as well as shoes. Underwear is not accepted. Donation boxes or laundry baskets are located in the narthex. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering please contact Jon Gunderson or Nancy Schneider HAVE YOU NOTICED?? It has been very noticeable that many of our notices have not been noticed. We've also noticed that reaction to the notices has been noticeably unnoticeable. Therefore, this notice is to remind you to notice the notices & react to the notices because we do not want the notices to go unnoticed. ARE YOU A Snow BIRD? HAVE YOU MOVED? Are you moving to a new address or enjoying a sunny, warm climate this winter? Please let the office know! We need your new mailing address or if you will temporarily away we need to know when you will be leaving AND when you return. We need update our mailing labels with your new address. If you re just away for the winter months, we can hold your newsletter or we can send it to your warm address. The post office charges us and the mailman collects cash from the office for our returned mail.