The Anchor IMPORTANT! NOTICE OF SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH PLANO, ILLINOIS The Anchor IMPORTANT! NOTICE OF SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING At the request of the Congregational Council, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution for First Lutheran Church of Plano, a special Congregational Meeting is called for Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. in the nave. The sole purpose of the special meeting shall be to call a pastor, and no other business shall be transacted. Additionally, members of First Lutheran will have an opportunity to meet the call candidate on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. He will lead a brief devotional, and following that he will have an opportunity to introduce himself to the members of First Lutheran and answer questions. Following the question and answer period, there will be a social hour in the Fellowship Hall. Volume 30, Issue 1 January 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Annual Congregational Meeting, Flower Charts, LRFD Thank You, Recipe- Sweet Potato Bars, Thank you, PADS, Puzzle Ruth Ann Ramblings Reports Due!, Radio Techs Needed, Puzzle answer, Time & Talent, Pastor info, Prayer List, Prayer Chain info Book Club, Offering, Women s Bible Study, Golden Harvesters, Stewardship Task Force thank you, January Calendar January Volunteers, January Birthday & Anniversaries, January Prayer List Nov. Council Highlights, Happy New Year, Sunday School Snippets Readings for January 2017 1/1/2017 Name of Jesus Numbers 6:22-27 Psalm 8 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:15-21 1/8/2017 Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17 1/15/2017 Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-11 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42 2/3 4/5 6/7 8/9 10/11 1/22/2017 Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 1/29/2017 Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12

P age 2 V o l ume 30, I ss ue 1 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Sunday, January 29, 2017 10:45 AM The 2017 flower charts are now (or will soon be) posted in the Fellowship Hall (above the drinking fountains). Please sign up for those special dates. When you sign-up, you can indicate if the flowers are in honor of someone, or for a special event. The Quilting Group is taking a Christmas break. They will resume quilting, knitting & crocheting on January 3rd, 2017. Come and join them! From the Little Rock-Fox Fire Department.

The Anchor Page 3 Recipe Corner Sweet Potato Bars (contributed by Melissa Phillips) Ingredients: Bottom Cookie Layer 1 (18 oz) box yellow cake mix 8 Tbsp. melted butter 1 egg Top Sweet Potato Layer 2 ½ c. peeled mashed sweet potato 8 oz cream cheese, softened 4 Tbsp. softened butter 2 cups confectioners sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 3 eggs Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 0. Mix melted butter, cake mix and the egg in a mixer. Spread into a greased 13x9 baking dish and pack it down to form an even crust layer. Set it aside. Cream together the sweet potato, cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla, sugar and spices and continue blending. Beat the eggs, add to the mixture and blend until fully incorporated. Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly over the cookie layer. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the center is set, but still soft. Cool and cut into squares. They can be served warm, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. This dish was a big hit at a recent Fellowship Hour hosted by the Weeks and Phillips families. Thank You! The appeal for help to support the Funeral Luncheon Ministry here at First Lutheran was a huge success. We now have volunteers that will share in all aspects of service to keep this ministry strong. The co-chairs will serve a six month period and the phone committee members will serve a three month period. The list of members that will donate food increased significantly. Thank you to all members that volunteered to support this ministry. First Lutheran Church members have volunteered to cook, serve and cleanup evening dinner for PADS on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Methodist Church thru April 2017. Please consider volunteering by signing up on the sheet at the back of the sanctuary. If you have questions, please contact Diane Schlesinger. All who have helped with this program in the past have found it very rewarding. This is a way for us to be part of GOD S WORK, OUR HANDS.. Answers on page 5

Page 4 Volume 30, Issue 1 Ruth Ann s Ramblings (contributed by Ruth Ann Hoehn) Lucas Cranach Lucas Cranach the Elder is a German painter and one of the most influential artists in 16 th -century German art. His vast output of paintings and woodcuts, include altarpieces, court portraits and portraits of the Protestant Reformers. He was born Lucas Müller in 1472 in Cranach, Germany. His father was the painter Hans Müller, with whom he worked from 1495 to 1498. The earliest of his preserved works date from about 1502, when he was living in Vienna. During his time in Vienna, he dropped the surname of Müller, calling himself Cranach after his hometown. While living in Vienna, Cranach was appointed as court painter to the elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony. In spring 1505 he arrived in Wittenberg, a university town on the Elbe River and seat of the electors. He remained in Wittenberg for 45 years as the court painter. Cranach received important commissions from three successive electors and caused many young artists to come to Wittenberg. Because of this, the town became an art center. The Protestant Reformation had begun in 1517 in Wittenberg with the posting of Martin Luther s Ninety-five Theses. Cranach was on friendly terms with Luther and painted numerous portraits of Luther, his wife Katherina von Bora, and Luther s parents. Cranach's presses were used by Martin Luther. The oldest reference to Cranach in Luther's correspondence dates from 1520. Cranach first made an engraving of Luther in 1520, when Luther was an Augustinian friar. Cranach was present as a witness at the betrothal festival of Luther and Katharina von Bora. He was godfather to their first child, Johannes "Hans" Luther, born 1526. Cranach created images of the Reformers and the Protestant princes in painted, engraved, and woodcut portraits. Cranach provided woodcut illustrations for Luther's German translation of the Bible. Cranach also did altarpieces and paintings for Lutheran churches. Hundreds of his paintings and more than 100 separate woodcuts by him are currently in museums and private collections. Cranach married Barbara Brengbier. She died at Wittenberg on December 26, 1540. Both of Cranach s sons, Lucas Cranach the Younger, and Hans Cranach, were members of his studio. Hans left a few signed works that are indistinguishable in style from those of his father. Cranach also had three daughters. One of his last works is the altarpiece, completed after his death by Lucas Cranach the Younger in 1555, for the Stadtkirche (city church) at Weimar. He died at age 81 on October 16, 1553 in Weimar, Germany

The An ch or P age 5 Committee Chairpersons Soon, it will be time to prepare the Annual Report! I am requesting that you submit your Committee Report to the church office no later than January 8, 2017. So, get your notes together, and start writing! Thank you for your effort in getting this completed in a timely manner. We are in great need of Radio Techs again. We promise you ll get trained in a timely manner and have fun!! If you have any interest, please contact the church office soon! Thank you! Don t forget to turn in your 2017 TIME AND TALENT SHEETS. We are asking that every member of your family complete a new Time and Talent sheet, as well as your Commitment Form. (If you need additional forms, or were inadvertently missed, please contact Ruth Ann Hoehn or the church office). Please pray about how you can use your gifts to help support the ministries of the First Lutheran Church. A big thank you to those who have already committed to share their gifts of time & talent, and to those who helped with the stewardship campaign. Answers to puzzle on page 3: PRAYER LIST: Carole Ardelean, Rose Tullock, Renee Lee, Leslie, Josie Hanlon, Mary Olson, Amy, Heather D., Scott Littlejohn, Linda Landis, Sherry Anderson, Sue Hyte, Alice Crawford, Mary Kincannon, Melody Black, Joyce Schmitt, Ann Hagemann (member), Aaron Weeks, LeeAnn McClennan, Jesse Koch, Jim Sorensen, Kelsey S., Mark Coffman, Karen DeBolt, Jesse Stonecipher, Jackie Anclam, Julie Warner, Sherry Ill, Terry, Matt Papaeliou, Pr Ernie, Bill & Joann Brown, The Nunez Family, Scott B., Paul Vammer& Greg Feitl; Please remember those serving in the military. Remember your own special needs as well. While Pr. Ernie is out on medical leave, Pr Paul will be in the office Tues, Wed & Thurs, and will be handling the weekend services. To contact him, call the church office (630-552-8263), or send an e-mail to flcplanopastor@gmail.com. In case of emergency, call (secretary) Ann Hagemann @ 630-300-8574, and she will contact Pr. Paul directly. PRAYER CHAIN PARTNERS 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM 1. Jane Hyte - 630-552-7095 2. Virginia Phelps - 630-552-3434 3. Diane Schlesinger 630-552-7533 4. Bev Vilmin 630-552-3550 5. Theresa Bagg 815-786-5069 * 6. Erin Gillman - 630-715-0843 * 7. Staci Smith - 630-999-4117 * 8. Karen DeBolt - 630-546-7451 * 9. Kathy Benoit - 630-816-3366 * 10. Brenda Albright - 630-277-6314 * Those with a * use texting capabilities.

Page 6 Volume 30, Issue 1 BOOK CLUB NEWS The Book Club will meet on Wed., Jan 4 th, 2017 at 9:15 AM. You will have the opportunity to discuss your favorite book! The next meeting of the Women s Bible Study Group will be Thursday, January 19 th at 1:00 PM here at the church. We will continue our study using the book Together in Grace Introducing the Lutherans. This book is a resource for getting to know who Lutherans are, what they teach, where they came from, and where we are today. Please join us as we explore the rich legacy of Martin Luther and the witness of many individuals who have shaped the Lutheran tradition. Please join us! Do you know of someone who would be comforted by a PRAYER SHAWL or LAP ROBE? These are wonderful gifts to give anytime of the year, especially now that the weather is getting cooler! Please feel free to take one from the quilt rack at the back of the sanctuary. These beautiful items are made by members of First Lutheran Church. Please remember to pick up your 2017 Offering Envelopes at the back of the sanctuary. If you don t have any, and need some, please contact Norm Schlesinger There is no Golden Harvesters potluck in January. The next meeting will be Feb. 10 th. Call Candy at 630-273-8083 if you have questions. The Stewardship Task Force wishes to thank the members of First Lutheran for your active participation in the fall Stewardship program. Generosity was the theme. Your generosity in sharing in the six week emphasis was much appreciated. Everything from the personal faith talks, to the coming forward and of offering yourselves, your time, your talent, and financial treasures was certainly the power of God s Spirit working in this place. It was a pleasure to have the vice president of our Northern Illinois Synod, Mr. Bill Bartlett, with us on Commitment Sunday. This year we celebrate that more commitment forms were received this year than last. Participation in sharing time and talent commitments as well as financial commitments exceeded last year. Generosity Sunday was a highlight as the gift for the fire department thermal imagining camera exceeded $2500. The Generosity of God to the members of this congregation empowers us to be generous and cheerful stewards of Christ. Thank you for your participation in the life and ministry of this congregation. The task force is always open to hear how you experienced the fall stewardship emphasis. Newsletter Offering Report OFFERINGS RECEIVED 11/27 $ 3,609.97 12/4 $ 3,861.13 12/11 $ 1,544.27 12/18 $ 3,465.28 GENERAL FUND BUDGET Need Per week $3,113.37 (Annual Budget divided by 52 weeks) YTD YOUTH DIRECTOR DONATIONS: $1,443.00 THROUGH Dec. 18 th Received $ 145,837.95 Need $ 158,781.87 Over $ (12,943.92) 1/01/2016-11/18/2016 CHECKING ACCOUNT Beginning Bal. $4,932.23 Income $160,281.50 Expenses $137,809.33 Ending Balance $ 27,404.40

The Anchor Page 7 Januar y 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Food Pantry Collection 9:00 AM - LBW Worship 10:00 AM - Coffee Fellowship?? NO SUNDAY SCHOOL 2 Office Closed 3 9:00 AM - Quilting / Crocheting / Knitting 6:30 PM - Worship & Music 4 9:15 AM - Book Club 7:00 PM - Sr. Choir Practice 5 6:30 PM - Stewardship 6 7 8 8:15 AM - Contemporary Worship 9:15 AM - Fellowship 9:30 AM - Sunday School 10:45 AM - Contemporary Worship 2:00 PM - Pastoral Candidate Meet & Greet 9 7:00 PM - LMM 10 9:00 AM - Quilting / Crocheting / Knitting 6:15 PM - Social Concerns 7:00 PM - Church Council 11 7:00 PM - Sr. Choir Practice 12 13 14 COMMITTEE REPORTS DUE!!! 15 Anchor Deadline 8:15 AM - LBW Worship 9:15 AM - Coffee Fellowship 9:30 AM - Sun. School 16 17 9:00 AM - Quilting / Crocheting / Knitting 18 19 1:00 PM - Women s Bible Study 20 21 9:30 AM - Congregational Meeting 10:45 AM - LBW Worship 7:00 PM - Property 7:00 PM - Sr. Choir Practice 7:00 PM - Education / Youth 7:30 PM - Outreach 22 8:15 AM - Contemporary Worship 9:15 AM - Coffee Fellowship 9:30 AM - Sunday School resumes 10:45 AM - Contemporary Worship 23 24 9:00 AM - Quilting / Crocheting / Knitting 25 7:00 PM - Sr. Choir Practice 26 7:00 PM - Long Range Planning 27 28 29 8:15 AM - LBW Worship 9:15 AM - Coffee Fellowship 9:30 AM - Sun. School 10:45 AM - ANNUAL MEETING 30 31 9:00 AM - Quilting / Crocheting / Knitting

Page 8 Volume 30, Issue 1 January 2017 Worship Volunteers

The Anchor Page 9 JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 2- Jesse Stonecipher 4- Colin Anderson Erik Englehart Denise Krause Michael Miller 5- Joe Anderson 8- Megan Johnson 10-Sharon Brue Anna Wennmacher 11-Doug Boring Jacob Burchianti 12-Franklin Read 13-Noah Abazi Coleson Blackwell 14-Ava Martin Ryan Phillips 15-Scott Englehart Jazmin Tullock 16-Halie Baker Don Baker 19-Karen DeBolt Renee Mahoney Dakota Malert Alex Porter 20-Jim Stevens Tim Miller Tom Huhn 21-Tim Kern 23-Ali Martin 25-Mikayla Schmidt Jeff Hoehn Garrett Sanmann 27-Braylon Schmidt 28-Marge Briggs 29-Donielle Anderson 30-Mike Grommes Erin Johnson JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES 11 Ron & Kerin (Meyer) Skarr The world is a chaotic and confusing place. Prayer is the conduit that connects us to God and opens up the possibilities of direction and understanding. Prayer is not just for pastors. All of God s people are invited to pray on the behalf of others. Please include the following members of the First Lutheran family in your daily prayers: JANUARY 1 - Jack & Kathy Koteles 2 - Dean & Denise Krause 3 - Mitchell & Hannah Krause 4 - Tyler & Maria Krause 5 - Gilbert & Shirley Krause 6 - Sarah & Dan Kuntzman 7 - Tim & Diane Kupp 8 - Katie Lalor 9 - Linda Landis 10 - Curtis & Lydia Larsen 11 - Martin & Valerie Lincoln 12 - Lucas & Ashley (Harmon) Losic 13 - David, Julie, Taylor & Rylie Loux 14 - David, Cindy, Jacob, Lucas & Ellen Maaske 15 - Bruce, Kristi, Trevor, Darren & Lindsay Magnotti 16 - Dakota Malert & Candice Rose 17 - Brad, Holly, Ava & Ali Martin 18 - Nancy Martin 19 - Bill & Judi Meier 20 - Shirley Melin 21 - John, Norma, Tristan & Lillian Meszaros 22 - Rose Meszaros 23 - Darrell & Kathy Meyer 24 - Lee, Kelsey, Carter & Cullen Meyer 25 - Daniel & Sharon Mikelson 26 - Michael, Liz, Timothy & Matthew Miller 27 - Robert, Erika & Katelyn Miller 28 - Zachary Miller & Caleb; Nicolette Cope 29 - Richard & Barbara Munson 30 - Andy, Laura & Sara Nicoletti 31 - Susan Norem PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE AND LET US KNOW YOUR BIRTHDAY OR ANNIVERSARY DATE, AND WE WILL UPDATE OUR RECORDS. THANK YOU.

V o l ume 30, I ss ue 1 P age 1 0 Council Highlights November 8, 2016 (see complete report on bulletin board at back of sanctuary) Reviewed minutes, Pastor s report and Treasurer s Reports; there was a question as to why insurance was over budget, and this will be checked; Worship report available; rd Property Meeting date moved to 3 Tuesday of the month; Stewardship Faith talks are wrapping up; Bill Bartlett, the VP of the Synod Council will be speaking on Commitment Sunday Nov 20th; Social Concerns Prayer chain is going well; Christmas gifts & visits for shut-ins being planned; trying to organize a meal train; planning for potential church event Feed My Starving Children for Feb or March; Education no report; Outreach & Long Range Planning did not meet; Call Committee update one candidate remains committee will visit the candidate; Nominating Committee to meet soon; New Business Annual Meeting set for Jan 29, 2017 Next meeting: Tues, December 13th at 7:00 PM Sailing into the New Year God built and launched this year for you; Upon the bridge you stand; It's your ship, aye, your own ship, And you are in command. Just what the twelve months trip will do Rests wholly, solely, friend, with you. Your logbook kept from day to day My friend, what will it show? Have you on your appointed way Made progress, yes or no? The log will tell, like guiding star, The sort of captain that you are. For weal or woe this year is yours; Your ship is on life's sea You act, as captain, must decide Whichever it shall be; So now in starting on your trip, Ask God to help you sail your ship.

The Anchor Page 11 Sunday School Snippets Sunday School Takes Winter Break There will be no Sunday School classes on December 25 th, January 1 st & 8 th. Classes will resume on January 15 th. We wish safe travels to all during the holiday season. Collections for Kendall County Food Pantry Sunday School children are invited to donate canned goods and non-perishable food items for the Kendall County Community Food Pantry. First Lutheran is always a drop-off location for these items. Food pantries experience shortages after the holidays, so January is a great time to donate. Holiday Thank You s What a delightful Sunday School Program!! Thanks to the students for choosing very appropriate and meaningful readings and performing them in a delightful manner. Thanks to all the music leaders and teachers for preparing and practicing special performances. Sunday Morning Live skit was well done and so meaningful!! Especially thank you to the students for doing such a great job singing, speaking and performing! Special thanks, too, to the adult secret pals who showered Christian love and special gifts to their Sunday School Secret Pals. What a joyful day as the children smiled from ear to ear while they opened their cards and gifts from their special anonymous angels. New Year s Resolutions by Michael Foust So what type of resolutions should parents make this year? Here are five suggestions that if followed are sure to change your family life for the better: 1. Read the Bible with your child, each day. It s never too early to begin this, and there are plenty of board storybook Bibles for toddlers. For children exiting the toddler stage, get the The Big Picture Story Bible (2004, Crossway). After that, buy them The Jesus Storybook Bible (2007, Zondervan). Both do an amazing job of telling the Gospel story on a child s level, and both show how the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of Christ. 2. Get home from work earlier, each day. This one is for me. I m as guilty as anyone of trying to do one more thing, send one more email, finish one more task. Those five-minute chores add up, and pretty soon, I m leaving work 30 minutes late. For an entire week, that s two and a half hours of missed family time. It s no fun to take work home, but occasionally I ll do it just so I can see my kids sooner. And when they re in bed, I ll finish that task. 3. Say more positive words around your child, each day. Do you spend hours throughout the day telling your child what not to do correcting them, reminding them, disciplining them? There are certainly moments when that s needed, but this year, try doing less of that and apply verses normally reserved for adult relationships to the relationship with your child. Such as: Encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Use positive words more each day. Great job. I m proud of you. Even: Wow! Smile more. Laugh more. It s a guaranteed relationship-booster and it lessens stress. Each night, I tell my son as he s falling asleep that he s the best first-grader in the world. It s fun ending the day on a high note. 4. Spend less time on your smartphone, each day. A 2014 study by Ericsson predicted that by 2020, 90 percent of the world s population age 6 and older will have a cell phone. That s nothing to celebrate. Face it: Smartphones are addictive, delivering right into the palms of our hands nearly every temptation you and I deal with. Remember those hobbies you once enjoyed? They ve been replaced by Facebook. This year, set boundaries. No smartphones at the kitchen table. No smartphones after (for example) 9 p.m. And no smartphones in bed. Your family will thank you. 5. Love your spouse more in front of your children, each day. Sadly, too many children in today s culture rarely see their own parents displaying godly love. And they definitely don t see godly love portrayed on television, where the depictions of parenting, particularly of dads, is abysmal. The Bible says a marriage is to be the ultimate form of earthly love (Ephesians 5), but do my children see that love modeled in my home? This year, hug and kiss your spouse more and more in front of your kids. It can just be a peck, and they ll think it s disgusting, but they ll walk away knowing that mommy and daddy love one another. And they ll grow up thinking it s normal and wanting the same.

First Lutheran Church Plano, Illinois 200 N Center Street Plano, IL 60545 Phone: 630-552-8263 Fax: 630-552-7198 Email: churchsecretary1@ sbcglobal.net Return Service Requested Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit #3 PLANO, IL "First in Spirit, First in Faith, First in Outreach" Statement of Purpose Because God loves the world, we live and work together to: *Grow As Disciples *Nurture other Disciples *and Make New Disciples for the Kingdom of God! We are on the Web! firstlutheranchurchplano.com And on Facebook: https:// www.facebook.comfirstlutheran ChurchOfPlanoIl & Hit the LIKE button! Deadline for the February Anchor: Sunday, Jan. 15 th! Please be ready to submit articles by this date! Sunday: WORSHIP TIMES Coffee Fellowship: Sunday School: 8:15 AM 10:45 AM 9:15 AM 9:30 AM Communion offered at both services. A nursery area is available. Interim Pastors: - Rev. Ernie Rex - Rev. Paul Carlson e-mail: flcplanopastor@gmail.com Office Hours - Pr Ernie - (on leave) Pr Paul - Tues, Wed & Thurs Secretary: Ann Hagemann E-mail: churchsecretary1@ sbcglobal.net OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri 6:30 am-12:30 pm