St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church 800 South Division Street Chenoa, Il 61726

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1 St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church 800 South Division Street Chenoa, Il October 31, 2017 When it comes to the church and the month of November, the focus is generally on the very American holiday of Thanksgiving. And certainly it s a day worthy of our attention and celebration as we give thanks to God for all of his many blessings. However, Thanksgiving is not the only holiday this month. Another, much older holy day is on the church calendar every November 1, though it s not one that usually comes with special greeting cards or festive decorations. It is, however, a commemoration of the family gathering to end all family gatherings. I speak, of course, about All Saints' Day. What exactly is All Saints Day? And why is it a special (if somewhat overlooked) event in the life of the church? First of all, it s a day in which we take special remembrance of the fact that we are edified by the lives of the saints of ancient times. We recall the faithful men and women of both Testaments of the Bible and praise God for their examples. On top of that, the church's nearly 2,000-year history is full of the stories of faithful Christians. Some of them are relatively well-known (like Augustine or Luther), but the vast majority are today known only to God. We commemorate these holy ones as well.

2 remain. It s also a day to remember the saints of the more recent past. All Saints' Day worship service (which we will observe on November 5th) is an especially personal celebration as each one of us recalls the loved ones, friends, and mentors whose faith in Christ inspired us and gave us joy. We give thanks to God for the grace he worked in their lives and for the testimony of faith that they passed on to us who Finally, on this day we glorify God most of all for His faithfulness to the saints. All Saints' Day reminds us that it is only by the perfect life and saving death of Jesus Christ that Christians are made saints in the sight of the God. Who are the saints? They aren t just those formally declared so by the pope for their super-holiness. No, God declares everyone who has been baptized and believes the promise of the Gospel to be justified, holy, and blameless. That is, all who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord are considered saints of God. The communion of saints includes both those still living on earth and those who have died in the faith who are now awaiting the resurrection and the eternal marriage banquet of the Jesus Christ, Son of God. May God bless you, His saints, as you live in faith and grace each day. Pastor Jeremy ANNUAL VOTERS MEETING will be held Sunday, November 12 th after worship. Plan to attend.

3 St. Paul s Discipleship Date Attendance Offering Missions New Entry way doors Seminary Students Confirmation classes continue on Wednesdays, 6:15 7:30 PM. October Perfect Attendance PreSchool-Kindergarten Jarret Gooding First-Second Grade Jacsen Gooding Third-Fifth Grade Alexis Gooding Isaac Latzke Brooklyn McBride Peter Schuler Dylan Verdun Sixth-Seventh Grade Clayton Beitz Aaron Verdun Eighth Grade-High School Chase Beitz Elijah Beitz Hannah Norris Nathan Reed Seth Reed Nolan Verdun Paige Weber

4 Please keep the Third Fifth Grade teacher and students in your prayers during the month of November. For our teachers: Mrs. Krista Verdun, pray that God may grant them wisdom, strength and knowledge to share His Word with the children and to help them grow spiritually. For our students: Alexis Gooding, Isaac Latzke, Brooklyn McBride, Peter Schuler, Chase Simpkins, Dylan Verdun and Cole Weber, that they may understand the depth of God s love for them as they grow to become strong men and women who live for God s Glory. Growing in Christ for Preschool Seventh Grade 10/1: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal served as the focus for this lesson. Just as the true God revealed Himself on the altar of Mount Carmel, so on the cross-shaped altar of Mount Calvary Jesus revealed, once and for all, that He alone is the real God who loves us enough to die for us. Something to consider:? How does God reveal Himself to you? 10/8: This Sunday School lesson focused on Elijah Is Taken to Heaven. Elijah, like Enoch before him, was taken into heaven alive. Jesus, who is our great Elijah, ascended alive into heaven for us and our salvation. Something to consider: In what way was Jesus ascension into heaven different from Elijah s? 10/15: For the third Sunday in October, the Sunday School lesson studied, Naaman and Elisha. The word of God spoken by the prophet was in and with the water of the Jordan to restore the flesh of Naaman. The word of God spoken by the pastor is in the water of Baptism to cleanse us of our sin and restore us as children of the heavenly Father. Something to consider: How have you been healed with water?

5 10/22: For the final Sunday in October, the Sunday School lesson studied, Jonah. Just as Jonah was swallowed up in the belly of the fish for three days, so Jesus, in His crucifixion, was baptized into the sea of death, drowned in our sin, devoured by the grave, and spewed forth alive again on the third day so that He might save us all. Something to consider: What does God do when sinful people repent? 10/29: Preschool Seventh grade met as a whole group to learn about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Luther based in reasoning on Scripture and ask the Roman Catholic church to do the same. When asked to recant what he wrote, Luther would not submit. He believed and professed that we are saved by grace alone, faith alone, and Word alone. Something to consider: How have you expressed your faith to others? Offering This year, Preschool High School will send our Sunday School offerings to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Disaster Response. The LCMS Disaster Response responds to immediate and long-term needs following natural and man- made disasters. Working through LCMS districts and congregations as well as with international Lutheran churches and other partners, LCMS Disaster Response builds capacity of the church s partners to respond to needs with Christian care. The ministry reaches out to LCMS congregations and their communities with services that include on-site assessment, emergency relief and development grants, pastoral care for LCMS church workers and members, and other resources. The goal is to raise $500 for the year. For the month of October, we reached 15% of our goal.

6 From Our Parish Nurse Pam Norris Blood pressure checks will be done after worship on Sunday, November 5 th. How much thought have you given how you can help others? Organ and tissue donation is one way to offer help. It can be as simple as donating a pint of blood every 6 months or as complicated as donating a kidney to a relative. Even at death you have an opportunity to share life-giving measures since thousands of people across the country wait every day for another chance at life through organ donation. Through multiple tissue and organ donation, one donor has the potential to help from 1-to over 35 people. Some common organs that are removed include the heart, eyes, skin, bones, liver, lungs and kidneys. The people waiting for these organs suffer from conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, cancer or accident reconstruction surgery, corneal damage, incurable lung diseases, and even curvature of the spine. A donation of bone, tissue or organ is their only change at a better quality of life. Although approximately 90% of Americans say the support organ donation, waiting lists continue to grow because the availability of organs and tissue is extremely low. Only 35% of those who support donation have taken steps to do so and about a third of them do not donate because of family dissention or misunderstandings. May times the problem is the misunderstanding that donating organs creates a cost to the donor family and prevents the option of an open casket at the funeral. Neither is true. Educating people about organ donation is an important part of the solution. If you choose to be an organ donor, discuss it with your family. Help them understand why it is important to you and how it can help others. The Lutheran Faith approves of organ and tissue donation (this does include adult stem cell transplants. We are opposed to embryonic stem cell use/research) and see it as a gift to humanity. Act now to sign up to become a donor. Talk with your family today about this important act of faith hope, and love.

7 VETERAN S DAY IS NOVEMBER 11 TH, we remember our members who served or are serving in the Armed Forces. Gary Bashford Terry Bittner Earl Ellinger Duane Haney Loren Poppe Jim Raymond Fred Rhoda Roger Seeman Pat Wahls Mitchell Ward Joe Bertsche Robert Brucker Ron Erdman Bob Nylander Greg Pulaski Darwin Rhoda Gerald Schuler Ken Shane Roger Wahls We have received a Thank You from the Chenoa Food Pantry: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: For the kindness you ve shown! Thank you so much for all you collected for the Chenoa Food Pantry. Our shelves had gotten quite low. We appreciate your donations. Kathleen Bounds Family and friends of Prairie Central students are invited for Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 16. Parents and grandparents may join their children or grandchildren at the PC Primary East [815[ ] or PC Primary West--[ ] or PC Elementary School--[815] ] and Senior Citizens are welcome to eat the Prairie Central High School-- [815] ] at 1:30 PM. Please make a reservation by Thursday, November 9 th. An adult meal-$5.10; sibling-$3.15