Cornerstone Newsletter

Transcription

1 Grace and Peace Lutheran Church Cornerstone Newsletter 7611 N Knoxville Peoria, IL January 2017 PASTOR S PAGE PASTOR LILLIE I N T H E B LEAK M IDWINT ER I am not a true lover of winter. I enjoy a fresh snowfall, and I don t mind using my new snow blower to clean the driveway. Actually, I enjoy scooping the snow, if the snow is light and fluffy. It s good exercise for me. However, I do not delight in the cold, gray skies of barren winter. January and February are not my favorite months, and I dislike the bitter cold. In fact, I dislike this cold, gray season so much that my wife and I often flee to Hawaii to live with our son for three or four weeks. It takes the edge off winter! Regardless of how bleak this season is I know that spring will come. It may be far off in the future, but spring always returns. Nature has a pattern. First there is the cold death of winter, and then the new life of spring follows. There is a renewal of our creation and the ritual reoccurs year after year. That ritual gives me hope that warmer days and green grass will return and all of nature will be renewed. In our church liturgies we find the same pattern repeated as we begin our worship with the confession and forgiveness of sins. We come into worship on Sundays, dragging our sins behind us. We bring all of our regrets, failures, and dreadful behaviors in with us. Our souls are a repository of our cold, bitter sins. Our lives are as frozen as the ground outdoors. Then in confession we deposit those sins at the feet of God. Our hearts are cold; our souls are frozen; our lives are barren. After confession the pastor assures us that all our sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus. God s forgiveness warms our hearts and souls and God s unconditional love for us propels us forward into new life. In our bleak midwinter God enters our lives in confession to warm us with the forgiveness that only God can give. There is always hope and spring will come to my soul. What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a wiseman, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give him give him my heart. ELW #294 In the Bleak Midwinter Pastor Lillie

2 Volunteers WK GREETERS ASSISTING MINISTERS LAY READERS 7 Sarah and Ken Armstrong Nan Goff Mark Golden 14 Juanita Allender and Winnie Lush Hilary Shirven Carol Gard 21 Addisyn and Collin Smet Roberta Groth Jeanne Wineland 28 Vicki Bittner and Jan Jarrett Deb Meyer Laura Tomblin WK COMMUNION ASSISTANTS PRAYER PARTNERS OFFERING COUNTERS 7 Sarah and Ken Armstrong Nan and Terry Goff Carol Gard and Pam Kovach 14 Roxanne and Wally Hochsprung Linda Ericsson and Andrew Loebach Carol Gard and Pam Kovach 21 Addisyn and Collin Smet Carol Gard and Ann Joyce Carol Gard and Pam Kovach 28 Vicki Bittner and Jan Jarrett Deb Meyer and Laura Tomblin Carol Gard and Pam Kovach WK COFFEE HOUR MISSIONARY SUPPORT 7 Still available for hosting Still available for sponsoring 14 Andrew Loebach & Cheriz Kunkel Still available for sponsoring 21 Still available for hosting Still available for sponsoring 28 Still available for hosting Still available for sponsoring If you need the church unlocked contact January Key Person Kelly Smet

3 Reserved parking Important dates NEWS FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE NEW YEAR S OFFICE CLOSED FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29 MONDAY, JANUARY 1 CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 6:30PM CORNERSTONE DEADLINE MONDAY, JANUARY 22 ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 10:30AM TWO SPECIAL NEED PARKING SPOTS HAVE BEEN ADDED Two Special Need parking spots, in addition to our existing Handicapped Parking are now designated in our lot. These spots may be used by anyone who feels they have a special need due to mobility, well-being, child care, or other reason. We hope these additional spaces improve access to the church for those who may have a need, but, do not meet the requirements for state-issued handicapped parking placards or plates. ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2018 The Grace and Peace Lutheran Church Annual Meeting will be held following the 9:00am worship service on Sunday, January 28, All members are encouraged to attend. Business will include: Congregational reports Approval of a 2018 budget Election of Church Council members Election of Endowment Committee members Election of Nominating Committee members Election of 2017 Central/Southern Illinois Synod Assembly Delegates Annual Reports will be distributed early in January Please plan to join us for this important meeting.

4 That infamous night at the Noel Critter Motel... as our young people presented Noel Critter Motel for this year s Youth Christmas Program. The story is built around a covert animal motel being run in a stable attached to the humans Bethlehem Inn. The animals discover that by including humans it thus became an even more special night as they welcomed the Messiah.

5 Celebrate special dates A day of art Friends Epiphany THE GIFTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN Once again it will soon be time to take down the beautiful garland, brightly lit trees, and precious manger scenes. Mark your calendar to help with the Unhanging of the Greens on Sunday, January 7, after the worship service. If many people help the re-boxing can be done very quickly! MIRIAM CIRCLE TUESDAY, JANUARY 9 7:00PM Miriam Circle will meet the second Tuesday, January 9 at church. Everyone is encouraged to bring their favorite snack. We may even have soup. Ann will lead our Bible study. We will decide our projects for the year, sign up for hosting, decide on coffee hours, etc. Carol Gard + FIFTY PLUS FOOD AND FUN FELLOWSHIP To give us a slight break after the New Year, we will meet at church on Tuesday, January 9th. We will have sandwiches and chips and play games. It is also Senior Wednesday on January 10th at the Riverfront Museum, at 10:00am. The program is by Bill Conger, the new Curator at the museum. He will talk about his art and share some of his favorite art. Refreshments at 10:00am with program at 10:30am. People may enjoy the museum after that. Parking is available at the museum. Carol Gard FELLOWSHIP DURING OUR COFFEE HOURS Our time of fellowship and treats is such an important part of our Sunday mornings. Why not host a coffee hour or get together with others and host one as a group or ministry! The signup sheets for 2018 are in the Great Room. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings any special events. Also, show your support for our missionary Kirsten Laderach in Tana Madagascar. The 2018 signup sheet is completely empty reserve those special dates before someone else takes them! BAPTISM CELEBRATION We celebrate the baptism of Liam Cole Livingston, son of Natalie and Scott Livingston. He was baptized on December 24. Sponsors include Haley and Joseph Hughes. Proud grandma is Sue Hughes. Christ s blessing on Liam and the family.

6 Grace and Peace outreach program Finding Financial Peace DAVE RAMSEY'S FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY RETURNS TO GRACE AND PEACE WHEN: Thursdays, January 11 - March 9, 7:00pm WHAT: What if you knew where all your money was going each month? What if you were debt-free, investing, and making wise spending decisions? With Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace University class, you CAN take control of your money whether you re just starting out or whether you are retired and on a fixed income. Learn how to live and give abundantly without worry. HOW: To register, go to Contact Hilary Shirven at or BabyBodyBirthPeoria@gmail.com with any questions. HAVE YOU LIKED US ON FACEBOOK? Facebook is now a very active and effective part of the Grace and Peace outreach to our community. With over 260 people liking our page, most of whom are from outside the immediate Grace and Peace family, we touch thousands of people each week with our messages and news. We now regularly post video of Pastor Lillie s sermons, news of the Grace and Peace family, inspirational links, events, and a range of news and content from ELCA church wide. When you like our page (you can find us by searching in the Facebook search bar you extend our coverage and reach to your own social network. This is a small step you can take to extend our ministry and message at no cost to you or the congregation.

7 Loving our four-legged friends! Making the holidays special CHRISTMAS FOR LSSI FOSTER CHILDREN We were pleased to take 73 names from the pool of children in foster care at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. We were able to give each child a stuffed animal, toys, usually an outfit, a fleece blanket and other desires such as dolls, building blocks, puzzles, and games. Thanks to the Action Team cards from Thrivent we were able to provide generously for each child. We had: 11 infants Ages one month to eight months 16 Age one 13 Age two 10 Age three 12 Ages four to five 6 Age six 1 Age eight I can t help but wonder what is ahead for these little ones. Also we need to thank the 28 or so people who participated in buying a gift from the table or giving money towards the project. We got money from several individuals and from the Women of Grace and Peace to finish out the rather long list of gifts. Thanks also to those who stayed on Sunday, December 10, to sort the gifts, bag them, put bows on, add candy canes, and sort through the stash of hats, mittens, and scarves. Ann and Dick Joyce along with Julie Smith made the matches. Thank you also to those who brought all the gifts back downstairs for sorting. Another thank you to Deb Meyer, Mike Love, Dave Dietrich, and Barbara Purple who got the gifts to the LSSI office on Monday, December 11. It takes quite a few to accomplish this ministry. We look forward to playing Santa Claus again next year. Roberta Dietrich A FUR BABY CHRISTMAS Thank you, Thank you! With my Thrivent Team Action Card and your donations, on December 19, I was able to deliver the following items to TAPS: 28 pounds Cat Chow 45 pounds of Dog Chow 48 cans of cat food 24 cans of dog food 1 large container of cat treats 1 big bag of soft dog treats 90 pounds of cat litter 1 box of 100 puppy pads 8 packages of cat toys 8 dog toys 28 pounds of Kitten Chow 100 pill pouches 2 fleece blankets for the kittens 1 pair of gloves for the dog walkers 1 gallon of Fabulose $120 in cash or checks Once again, thank you for helping all the Fur Babies at TAPS! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2018! Bobbie Yoder

8 News from our missionary

9 Continued News from our missionary

10 NOVEMBER Church Council Minutes

11 Continued NOVEMBER Church Council Minutes

12 Continued NOVEMBER Church Council Minutes

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14 Grace and Peace Lutheran Church 7611 N Knoxville Ave Peoria, IL A closer walk with God through Spirituality, Evangelism and Community Involvement January Sherry Thorn, Suzanne Walsh, Emily Smith, Abby Jackson Craig Lorentz, Barb Hanson, Esther Shirven, Joan Winter February Hannah Shirven, Jim Claude, Rhonda Lorentz, Lana Staelens Ethel Theinert, Lauren Huskins, Ron Groth, Jonathan Goff Coral Quitschau, Cheryl Rauhaus, Ken Jackson Don t forget to sign this month s birthday cards in the Great Room!