The Lutheran Church of Saint Luke www.saintlukeitasca.org Phone: 630-773-0396 CONNECTIONS March 17, 2019 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. Everyone s Got Questions, led by Walt Schoenfuhs....Room 103 Confirmation, led by Pastor McReynolds Room 105 Youth Bible Study: please join us at 9:15 am......youth Room Did you Know Christian Care is open during spring break (3/25-3/29). Register soon! Please email Christian Care director at awitowicz@saintlukeitasca.org for more information.
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 Sunday Morning Bible Class Instructor: Walt Schoenfuhs Everyone s Got Questions is our new Bible study that meets in Room 103 during the Sunday morning Education Hour. It s a follow up to our Explore God series that we finished on February 24 th. What s happening is this: We will begin by expanding on a couple of the topics that were discussed during Explore God. After a couple of weeks of that, we ll switch over to discussing topics of the class s choosing! That s right YOU can have input into what topics, Bible passages, issues you want to talk about! The class is led by Walt Schoenfuhs and will continue until the end of April. Please join us and see how relevant Scripture is to the topics and issues facing us today! 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. NEW MEMBER CLASS Sundays at 9:15 AM Instructor: Andy Larson In this Adult Information class, we will go into an exciting Bible study entitled I Have Good News For You. We will look at God s answers on such subjects like: marriage, divorce, baptism, communion, the Holy Spirit, the person of Christ, death, hell, heaven, and many other topics. This class is required for all those who desire membership in our church that are not transferring from another Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, but it is also good for those who are currently members to review the basic tenants of the Christian faith. This class meets Sundays 9:15 AM in the Meeting Room. LIFT (LADIES IN FAITH TOGETHER) Tuesday s at 9:30am BIBLE STUDIES Our women s Bible Study is reading Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole by Angie Smith. We are currently meeting in homes, please contact Gwen Liska to join us! gwenliska@gmail.com 630-935-2297. YOUTH CORNER Wednesdays, 7:30-9:30 PM (Unless special events planned.) SR. HIGH GET-TOGETHERS Wednesdays during Lent, 4:45 PM LENTEN DINNERS Please come and help set up for our Lenten Dinners. Keep in mind, the time change for Lenten dinners and services. Dinner starts at 5:45, Worship services at 6:30, and Sr. High is at 7:30 PM. Desserts for every Lenten Dinner are needed. Please find Sign - Up sheet on the Youth board. Thank you!!!!! Friday, March 22, 6:30 PM Saturday, March 23, 1:00 AM JR HIGH LOCK-IN Confirmation class, get ready for this year s lock-in. We will be doing Bible Studies, games, snacks (remember to bring your pop and chips) and finish our night with Laser X. Cost is $10. Saturday, April 6, 6:15-9:30 PM JR. & SR. HIGH CHRISTIAN CONCERT, PAINTING FREEDOM AND THE BRYAN DRAKE SHOW Did you ever hear of the Bryan Drake Show? BRYANDRAKESHOW.COM. Look him up, google him, watch him, then sign your name up on the youth board to actually go see him in person. Yes, he is going to be live at Trinity in Roselle on Saturday, April 6 th, along with Painting Freedom and a Christian Concert. I guarantee that you will have a great night! Don t forget to sign up on the youth board, I need to order tickets ahead of time. Your cost $10 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. ENDOWMENT FUND The Saint Luke Endowment Fund was established as a perpetual memorial in which unrestricted gifts and bequests would be invested and the income used for the mission and ministry of the Lutheran Church of Saint Luke. The Bylaws state the principal may never be spent for any purpose and that the income can only be used for programs and projects recommended at least annually by the Church Council and approved by a simple majority of the Voter s Assembly. An addendum was added to the Bylaws, and approved by the congregation on February 27, 2000, stating that only the dividends and interest could be spent for the above programs and not the capital gains.
LENTEN SEASON THE BOOK OF EXODUS: LET MY PEOPLE GO! Our Sunday emphasis in Lent will be the sermon series Let My People Go! In the Sundays of Lent until Easter the sermons will focus on this fascinating book of the Old Testament. Lent begins March 6th with Ash Wednesday and so does our emphasis on Exodus. In it, Moses asks Pharaoh to let God s people go seven times (Ex 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3) and Pharaoh finally does it! When he does, God s salvation is so amazing that the event becomes the Gospel of the Old Testament. Israel s Scriptures mention the exodus 125 times! Throughout the book of Exodus God reveals who he is through his absence and his presence, through his silence and his speech, through his wrath and his mercy, and through his judgment and his amazing grace. In doing so, the book paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus. Sermon plans are as follows: Lent Two Stop Trying and Start Trusting (Ex 14:1 29) Lent Three Strike the Rock! (Ex 17:1 7) Lent Four Mine! (Ex 20:1 17) Lent Five Digging Ourselves into a Hole (Ex 32:1 14) Palm Sunday A New Beginning! (Ex 34:1 8) Maundy Thursday Access! (Ex 24:1 11) Good Friday Agnus Dei (Ex 12:1 13) Easter Against All Odds! (Ex 15:1 18) WEDNESDAYS IN LENT SERMON SERIES Life Together This series strives to address popular assumptions of postmodernism. Postmodernism is an elastic term, not easily defined, but it meets us almost daily in ministry. Its subtle influences are found in all age groups, not just young people. No longer is there one morality or myth or ritual or dance or dream or philosophy or concept of self or god or culture or style of art that predominates. The explosion of new communications technologies and the continuing fragmentation of cultures into thousands of little cultures has forced us to view our world as simultaneously expanding and shrinking. How do Christians respond to postmodernism? That will be the focus of our sermon series on Wednesdays in Lent. Lenten dinners start at 5:45 pm. Lenten services begin at 6:30 pm. March 20 This Is It??? March 27 Who Am I? April 3 I Can t Believe in a God who Would... April 10 I Need This...and This...and This... LENTEN DINNERS AND SERVICES The following menu will apply for Lenten Dinners. Keep in mind the time change for the Lenten dinners and services. Dinners begin at 5:45-6:15 pm and Worship Services start at 6:30 pm. March 20 - Pizza, Salad and Dessert (Room 103) March 27 - Chili, Baked Potato, Salad and Dessert April 3 - Sloppy Joe, Mac and cheese, Salad and Dessert April 10 - Tacos, Salad and Dessert
NEW MEMBER CLASS MINISTRY NEWS We would like to invite you to join our New Member Class. If you have been worshiping with us, and you would like to learn more about our church, or if you think you might be interested in becoming a member, we invite you to consider attending our current New Member class. This six to eight week course meets every Sunday at 9:15 am in the meeting room. You can still join us. Participation in the class does not commit you to church membership, but it is an opportunity for you to find out more about the life and ministry of our church and to give prayerful consideration to whether you want to enter into membership. Childcare can be provided if that would make it possible for you to attend. If you are not yet ready to join Saint Luke s membership you might like to continue to participate in our worship services, join a Bible study, the choir, or enjoy any of our fellowship events. If you are interested in attending our next New Member class, please contact the parish office or Pastor McReynolds. Or at least think Christian Care entrance March 18-21 3:30-6:00 pm COMING TO MOVIE THEATERS MARCH 29TH "Unplanned" Inspiring story of Abby Johnson, who believing in a woman's right to choose, was one of the youngest clinic directors and spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. Then one day she saw something that changed her life's path forever. First a book now a movie. Go to unplannedfilm.com for theater locations and times. p.s. another movie coming in August "Interview with God" more on that later. CONFIRMATION MAKE-UP Each Saturday in March at 11:00 am COMPASSION SUNDAY On the weekend of April 27-28 th, we will be participating in Compassion Sunday. Here at St. Luke we are going to have an opportunity to change the lives of children living in extreme poverty. In 2012 the youth group got involved in sponsoring a child and they continue with this sponsorship knowing how important it is to help children that don t have food, clothing or clean water. Since then, members of our congregation have sponsored more than 20 children through Compassion! These children don t know that they have been created in an image of God, who has a purpose for their lives. We know the Gospel will be shared with them, maybe for the first time. After church we will have packets (photos) of children on display in the gym. We pray that as we look forward to Compassion Sunday here at St. Luke, that you will also pray about sponsoring a child. Jesus said Let the little children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18:16 PERSONAL CARE KITS Project Promise Personal Care Kits are shared with people who have lost everything from a natural disaster or lifethreatening violence. As part of the Mission of the Month, this Lenten season, our congregation is taking part in Lutheran World Relief s (LWR) Project Promise campaign once again. Each week in Lent, we are collecting items to form LWR Personal Care Kits. These kits help impoverished people stay healthy in life s most challenging situations. You can drop off your donated items starting each Wednesday or Sunday through Lent. A donation basket will be in the Narthex. If you have any questions please contact Patti A. Here s our collection Schedule: March 6-10 Bath size Towels (no bigger than 52x27) Dark color recommended March 13-17 Two or three bath size bars of soap. Equaling 8-9 oz. any brand in original packing March 20-24 Toothbrushes (adult size, individually wrapped, one per kit) March 27-31 Sturdy comb, one per kit, remove packaging April 3-7 Nail Clippers, one per kit (metal, attached file optional) April 10-14 Chace to bring any of the previously collected items, in case you forgot. April 14 (Palm Sunday) Assemble all care kits
SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2019 Sign Up today and Save! General Registration (Ends 4/2/19) Adults: $25 Kids (Under18): $20 Late Registration (up to day of) Adults: $30 Kids: $25 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL OF SAINT LUKE All proceeds to benefit school s STEAM lab. 410 S. Rush St. Itasca, IL 60143 630.773.0509 www.saintlukeitasca.org
OPERETTA PERFORMANCES A NOT SO TERRIBLE PARABLE We would like to invite the members of the congregation to attend one of the three operetta performances. The children have worked really hard and are excited to show off their talents. Performances are Wednesday, March 20 at 1:45 pm and Thursday, March 21 at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm. BOOKFAIR There will be a Book Fair held during Grandparents Days on Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21 after the three operetta performances. Book Fair will be located in Room 109. SCHOOL NEWS SPRING BREAK Our Spring Break will begin on Friday, March 22. Everyone is ready for some rest and relaxation. God s blessings for all during the break whether you may be traveling or staying home. Get some rest and return to school on Monday, April 1 energized to finish the school year. CULVERS FUNDRAISER Culver s in Addison is hosting a fundraiser on March 21 st from 10 am - 10 pm. Present flyer located on the back of the church, below or mention Saint Luke at checkout for Saint Luke to receive 15% of all sales proceeds. HONOR ROLL We would like to congratulate the following students for academic achievement for the 2nd trimester. Honors Roll recognition is given to students in grades 5-8. It is based on a 4 point grading scale with 3.25-3.49 receiving Honorable Mention, 3.50-3.74 receiving Honor Roll and 3.75-4.00 being High Honors. High Honors Rachel Ebert Rachel Livesay Lucy Rizzi Natalia Loncar Savanna Nicely Ethan Schnabel Honor Roll George Liska Eliska Zvak Honorable Mention Nikolas Loncar Brooklyn Shapiro
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 Joy Gibellina, Preschool / Two Little jgibellina@saintlukeitasca.org Ext. *818 Linda Baylor, Art Teacher Events for this week March 17-24 Sunday 3-17 Second Sunday in Lent 8:00 AM Traditional Worship 9:15 AM Educational Hour 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship, Holy Communion Monday 3-18 9:00 AM Saint Luke Quilters Tuesday 3-19 6:00 PM Praise Band 7:00 PM Evangelism Meeting Wednesday 3-20 Early Childhood PM - Grandparents Day and Operetta 1:45 PM Operetta Performance 5:45 PM Lenten Dinner (Room 103) 6:30 PM Lenten Worship Service 7:30 PM Sr. High Get Together Thursday 3-21 Grandparents Day and Operetta 10:30 AM Operetta Performance 12:00 PM Noon Dismissal 6:30 PM Operetta Performance Friday 3-22 No School / Spring Break Saturday 3-23 8:00 AM Men s Bible Study 5:30 PM Contemporary Worship Sunday 3-24 Third Sunday in Lent 8:00 AM Traditional Worship, Holy Communion 9:15 AM Educational Hour 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship CHURCH COUNCIL Congregational President, Stephen Durante Vice President, Andy Larson Council Secretary, Mark Phillips Treasurer, Kevin Ziesemer Finance Committee Chair, John Binneboese Board of Education Chair, Nathan Baylor Board of Elders Chair, Randy Pyde Board of Evangelism Chair, Michelle Ziesemer Board of Parish Ministry, Gwen Liska Board of Social Ministry Chairperson, Janelle Jakubowski Board of Stewardship Chair, Karen Zdeb Trustees Chair, Michael Conidi Week Ending: March 10, 2019 Total Church Attendance Last Week: 183 Total Church Attendance Last Year: 169 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 March 10, 2019 $5,117.17 $61,385.97 Budget $5,669.00 $64,826.00 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