The Lutheran Church of Saint Luke www.saintlukeitasca.org Phone: 630-773-0396 CONNECTIONS December 2, 2018 Connecting People to Christ Ephesians 2:20 Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. It is our purpose at the Lutheran Church and School of Saint Luke to build on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ through word and sacrament to connect people to Christ and equip them to share the Gospel. 1st Peter Bible Study, led by Pastor McReynolds.....Room 103 Youth Bible Study: please join us at 9:30 am..youth Room Confirmation, led by Walt Schoenfuhs.Room 105 Did you Know PTL Snowed in with Santa is on Friday, December 7 from 6:00-9:00.pm
BIBLE STUDIES MEN S BIBLE STUDY Gospel of Luke Saturdays at 8:30 am Holiday Inn (860 W Irving Park Rd, Itasca, IL 60143) The Men s Bible Study on Saturday mornings is studying the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament and the most comprehensive of the four Gospels. It presents the works and teachings of Jesus that are especially important for understanding the way of salvation. Its scope is complete from the birth of Christ to his ascension, its arrangement is orderly, and it appeals to both Jews and Gentiles. Please come join us as we examine the major themes and teachings found in this fascinating book. ADULT BIBLE STUDY 1st Peter Sundays at 9:15 am Instructor: Pastor McReynolds By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter writes his first epistle to those concerned about living their Christian faith in a sometimes unreceptive and hostile environment. He focuses on What God has done to save us in Jesus Christ; An appropriate lifestyle for those who belong to Christ; The comfort and power God gives through the means of grace; Priorities for those who know the Lord is coming soon. Timely words of hope for today as it was for those who first heard it. SENIOR HIGH BIBLE STUDY Sundays at 9:30 am Instructor: Patti Andrzejczak Join us in the youth room each Sunday at 9:30 AM as we prepare for the 2019 LCMS National Youth Gathering. We are going to begin experiencing the value of the Book of Psalms for our lives as we prepare to learn more about our Real. Present. God. MONDAY NIGHT SMALL GROUP Mondays at 7:00 pm - Room 103 Instructor: Peggy Schoenfuhs Advent. What does that mean to you? What do you do about Advent? The Monday Night Small Group would like you to join us as we take time to mindfully consider this season of the church year. This year we will do this by taking a look at several significant works of art and seeing how those artists conveyed their thoughts on the coming of Christ. The dates for this are November 26, December 3, December 10, and December 17. We meet here at St. Luke in room 101, the music room, beginning at 7:00 p.m. and we end around 8:30 p.m.. Hope to see you there. LIFT Ladies In Faith Together Tuesdays 9:30-11:00 am Currently meeting in homes LIFT is a women s Bible study that welcomes you to bring small children along! No need to find a babysitter. We meet from 9-11am, every other Tuesday. Join us on 9/4 as we begin another study together. To find which home we will be meeting at or ask any other questions, contact Gwen at gwenliska@gmail.com or 630-935-2297. YOUTH CORNER Wednesdays, 7:30-9:30 PM (Unless special events planned.) SR. HIGH GET-TOGETHERS Wednesday, December 5, 5:00-6:30 PM ADVENT DINNER We will be helping with Advent dinners. Please feel free to come help set-up tables and chairs. I will need volunteer bakers for desserts too. Please sign up on the youth board in the gym. Wednesday, December 19, 5:00-7:00 PM ADVENT BY CANDLELIGHT This last Wednesday in Advent we will be celebrating with an Advent by Candlelight. The youth can feel free to sign up and participate. If anyone is willing to help set up tables and chairs, please also sign up. Please sign up on the youth board in the gym. Wednesday, December 19, 7:30-9:30 PM SENIOR HIGH CHRISTMAS PARTY With the busyness of Christmas week, I hope you find time to celebrate with our annual Christmas Party! Hopefully we can get some of our college youth to come join us in celebrating. I will have a sign-up sheet for snacks and goodies and you will need a grab bag gift NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING Save these dates. Before you make plans for next summer, get these dates on the calendar. The LCMS National Youth Gathering will be in Minneapolis, MN next year. These are the dates of the convention. The NYG is for any youth entering high school. Sign-up sheet is on the Youth board. Watch for more information and meetings to come. THURSDAY NIGHT SMALL GROUP Currently meeting in homes The Thursday PM small group will be moving into a new study titled, God s Trustees. Stewardship that s about budgets and fund-raising. Right? Few Biblical teachings are more misunderstood than stewardship. Please join us. Contact Andy Larson andy_larson@mac.com for meeting information. Please bring your gently used jackets and coats to St. Luke in the next few weeks to help keep many homeless people warm this winter. If you have any extra blankets, we will bring those there too. Pacific Garden Mission will offer our donations to anyone in need at no cost. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Patti A.
MINISTRY NEWS CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE CHILDREN OF ST. MATTHEWS CHRISTmas is just around the corner and what a wonderful time of the year for children! For many years, St. Luke has collected gifts for babies through teens, for St. Matthews, our sister church in Chicago. This year, delivery will be made on December 20, when we will present the gifts and serve lunch. Please make sure to drop off your gift by December 19. We are asking that your gift be wrapped and marked "Boy" or "Girl", with an appropriate age. If your gift requires batteries, please include them. All monetary gifts should be dropped off, in the parish office. All checks should be made out to St. Matthews Lutheran Church. A table will be set up in the Narthex for drop off of all gifts. Thank you and God bless you for bringing joy to the children of St. Matthews! January 13, 2019 Have you ever wished that you could just raise your hand during a sermon and ask a question or two or three? I have. On January 13, our church will be starting a new series called Explore God. Over the course of 11 weeks, we re going to tackle some of life s big questions, like: Does life have a purpose? Why does God allow pain and suffering? Does prayer really work? We ll get together once a week to watch a few videos and discuss them openly. We all have questions, and our Explore God Discussion Group will be safe place to explore answers with others. So invite your friends, and come explore with us! KIDS CONNECTION HELP WANTED Saint Luke is looking for volunteers to run Kids Connection on the second and fourth Sundays of the month during the 10:30 service. Volunteers will be asked to lead children ages 5-5th grade in VBS music videos, Bible stories and prayer. Kids Connection volunteer will then assist children back to their families during the last song of worship. If you are interested, please contact Pastor McReynolds. CHRISTIAN CARE HELP NEEDED Christian Care is looking for substitute-teachers who can be on call and able to cover 7-9 AM and/or 3-6 PM shifts. You will be working with children ages 3 through 12. If interested, please contact CC Director Allie Witowicz at 630.773.3838. Advent by Candlelight is an evening of Advent preparation and fellowship among the families and friends of St. Luke. It will be held in the gym on the third Wednesday evening in Advent, December 19. The evening will begin with fellowship at 6:30PM followed by a program of Advent/Christmas songs and readings. Dessert will be served after the program. The intent is to have the evening's events concluded by 8:00PM. Although this evening will provide an excellent opportunity for fellowship, it is primarily an evening of worship and preparation for the coming of Christ. Therefore, we hope to set a tone for the evening that is joyful, yet solemn, not unlike the Candlelight worship service on Christmas Eve. Everyone is welcome to attend the Advent by Candlelight service. Registration is required prior to the event to ensure that enough seating is available. Hosts/hostesses who have volunteered to be responsible for a table or tables of guests will set their tables before the event begins. As well as for providing food/snacks to his/hers table participants. Prior to the service of music and readings a brief time of fellowship will take place. Punch and small dishes of "munchies" will be available at this time. Promptly at 6:45PM, the gym lights will be turned off and the service will take place by candlelight. After the service, the lights will be turned back on and dessert will be served by the hosts to their guests. SAINT LUKE PHONE DIRECTORY We are working on the 2019 Saint Luke directory. If you have changed your name, address and/or phone number within the last year or wish to be part of it, please contact the parish office at 630-773-0396 with your updated information.
SCHOOL HAPPENINGS MISSION OF THE MONTH FUN PASTA FUNDRAISER The 5 th 8 th graders are Fun Pasta fundraising to offset the costs of their class trips. These fun bags of pasta make a great gift and even quick, easy meals. The students will be selling the pasta ONLINE ONLY November 26- December 31, just in time for your holiday needs. Or you can easily order online at https://www.funpastafundraising.com/shop/st-luke-lutheranschool-2. Thank you for always supporting our school! Cost is $15 per family. Event includes: A Christmas movie, popcorn bar, cookie walk and pictures with Santa. (children can wear pajamas and bring a blanket/sleeping bag) Food and raffle tickets will be available for purchase. Children and families give back by participating in a service project, help us pack Christmas boxes for the homeless for Christmas day when Saint Luke serves at the PADS shelter. We hope to see you there. Please call the parish office at 630.773.0396 to RSVP before Wednesday, December 5. EARLY CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS PROGRAM Join us on Tuesday, December 11th, at 6:30 PM as our Preschool, PreKindergarten and Kindergarten students present their Christmas program Our Jesus Tree. ALASKA MISSION FOR CHRIST During the month of December, our Mission of the Month is Alaska Mission for Christ, founded in the early 1990s. And we are pleased to welcome Jan Bruick, AMC s Servant Event Coordinator, who will be presenting between services TODAY in the Gym. To give you a bit of introduction, here is a description of who they are from their website (www.alaskamissionforchrist.org): Alaska Mission for Christ is the mission arm of the 14 Alaskan congregations of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. We are working together to make a bold witness for Jesus in every community in Alaska. We believe in that every Christian is called to be a part of God's mission. Therefore, we encourage volunteers to be involved in sharing the Gospel as leaders of Vacation Bible School programs, Sports Camps, hammer and nails projects and other programs that share the love of Jesus. We recognize that the huge distances, small population, and varied cultures of Alaska bring special challenges. We believe in training lay people to be involved in all aspects of ministry to meet these needs. Eight lay people trained by Alaska Mission for Christ have gone on to be ordained as Pastors in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Five of Alaska's 14 LCMS Congregations have their roots in the work of Alaska Mission for Christ. Please join us as we work to make sure that every person in Alaska has the opportunity to know the Good News of Jesus. See you in the Gym! SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR The PTL will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair next week on December 10-12th after school from 2:45-3:45 and after the advent service. Please make sure to stop by and check it out.
WORSHIP SCHEDULE Mid-Week Advent Worship Services Wednesday, December 5 9:00 AM Advent Worship led by 1st - 8th Graders 5:45 PM Advent Dinner 6:30 PM Advent Worship led by 1st - 8th Graders Tuesday, December 11 6:30 PM Advent Worship led by Saint Luke Early Childhood Our Jesus Tree Wednesday, December 12 5:45 PM Advent Dinner 6:30 PM Advent Worship Wednesday, December 19 6:30 PM Advent by Candlelight Worship Christmas Worship Services Sunday, December 16 8:00/10:30 AM Christmas Festival of Music Lessons and Carols Monday, December 24th 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Contemporary Family Worship 7:15 PM Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship 11:00 PM Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion Tuesday, December 25th 10:00 AM Christmas Day Festival Worship with Holy Communion New Year s Eve Worship Service Monday, December 31st 5:30 PM New Years Eve Worship with Holy Communion
SCHOOL RECYCLING PROJECT Saint Luke School has selected a project that will be sponsored by PTL, but mentored by the teachers, families and friends in their community. This project will allow students to take ownership and pride in participating in a recycling, education and achievement project. What is this project? We will be collecting 200 pounds of plastic lids and caps to recycle into a bench for our playground. What do Adults need to know? below is a list of acceptable/unacceptable plastic caps and lids that we are asking Saint Luke members to bring in. Kids will sort through the caps and lids with their teachers, weigh them as a school and collect them until we have saved enough to take to the recycling center where our caps and lids will be turned into a bench. History about this project- This project was developed in 2010 by 6 eighth graders who partnered with Green Tree Plastics to develop this project into a global opportunity for children to learn about recycling. We saw this project as a way for our kids to also use teamwork and math skills and establish ownership and pride for what they will accomplish. Please enlist the help of family members and friends to help us get to our goal! If you would like information cards to pass along, please contact the parish office. We will be keeping track of the weight on a thermometer so everyone can see our progress. Check out their website greentreeplastics.com or on FB Green Tree Plastics.
SERVING YOU AT SAINT LUKE Rev. Terry McReynolds, Pastor tmcreynolds@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *814 Patti Fagalde, Principal /5th & 6th Grade principal@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *819 David Kellen, Music Director dkellen@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *822 Patti Andrzejczak, Youth Director pazak@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *840 Lisa Hahn, Business Manager lhahn@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *815 Allison Witowicz, Director of CC & PE Teacher awitowicz@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *816 Katherine Lopez, Administrative Assistant Church klopez@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *810 Cathy Zaccaria, Administrative Assistant School czaccaria@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *836 Jonathan Genson, 7th and 8th Grade jgenson@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *824 Lila White, 5th and 6th Grade lwhite@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *829 Mary Vogel, 3rd and 4th Grade mvogel@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *832 Erica Hegarty, 1st & 2nd Grade ehegarty@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *828 Karen Peters, Kindergarten kpeters@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *826 Kirsten Schnabel, PreKindergarten kschnabel@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *817 Events for this week December 2-9 Sunday 12-2 First Sunday in Advent 8:00 AM Traditional Worship 9:15 AM Educational Hour 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship, Holy Communion Monday 12-3 9:00 AM Saint Luke Quilters 7:00 PM PTL Meeting Tuesday 12-4 6:00 PM Praise Band Wednesday 12-5 5:45 PM Advent Dinner 6:30 PM Advent Worship Service 7:30 PM Sr. High Get Together Thursday 12-6 Friday 12-7 3:30 PM Chess Club 6:00 PM PTL Snowed in with Santa Saturday 12-8 8:00 AM Men s Bible Study 5:30 PM Contemporary Worship Sunday 12-9 Second Sunday in Advent 8:00 AM Traditional Worship 9:15 AM Educational Hour 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship Joy Gibellina, Preschool / Two Little jgibellina@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *818 Linda Baylor, Art Teacher CHURCH COUNCIL Congregational President, Stephen Durante Vice President, Jerry Snick Council Secretary, Dale Allor Treasurer, Bob Dohse Financial Committee Chair, John Binneboese Board of Education Chair, Nathan Baylor Board of Elders Chair, Andy Larson Board of Evangelism Chair, Michelle Ziesemer Board of Parish Ministry, Gwen Liska Board of Social Ministry Chairperson, Richard Storck Board of Stewardship Chair, Karen Zdeb Trustees Chair, Larry Baylor & Michael Conidi Week Ending: November 25, 2018 Total Church Attendance Last Week: 169 Total Church Attendance Last Year: 206 Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God s family, the church, in managing all of life and life's resources for God's purposes." Weekly Giving Year to Date Giving November 25, 2018 $6,068.00 $303,957.34 Budget $7,248.75 $311,681.00 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5