THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL

Sunday (1/18)

• 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
• 10:30 am—Bible Class & Sunday School
• 11:30 am—Welcome Pot Luck for Allison Gummerus
• 2:00 pm—Mattoon Circuit Forum

Monday

• 7:30 am—Matins
• 9:00 am—Classical Conversations Home School Coop
• 7:30 pm—Voters’ Assembly Meeting

Tuesday—Thursday

• No Matins

Saturday

• 5:30 pm—Divine Service with Holy Communion

Sunday (1/18)

• 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
• 10:30 am—Bible Class
• 11:30 am—Catechism Class

IN OUR PRAYERS

HEALTH CONCERNS: Mia Anderson (great-granddaughter of Joan Vukelich); Jack Appleby (surgery); Kathleen Boerngen (wife of Leonard Boerngen); Brenda Bunting (friend of Ann Carroll); Ellie Crawford (daughter of Laran Crawford); Darrell Ford; Jim Harbaugh; Erica Kremitzki; Steve Leonard (son of Betty Leonard); Laurie McMillen; Mike Merna (friend of Joan Vukelich); Sandra Oehmke (sister of Joan Vukelich); Barb Pearson (friend of Joyce Alexander); Virginia Poke (sister of Anne Koss); Fred Rahn (son of Joan Rahn); Walter Roe (friend of Ronald Legg); Harold Wattjes.

SEMINARY STUDENT: Dustin Fry.

DEACONESS STUDENT: Allison Gummerus.

HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Bessie Benson; Cora Jahnke; Joan Mulligan; Corinne Oye; Art Rahn; Ruth Rentschler.

MILITARY: Jeremy Gordon; Jack Leonard; Sam Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Joey Pollock; Chase Reifsteck; Blake Stokes; Paige Stokes; Ruben Wilson.

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Exodus 34:29–35; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Matthew 17:1–9.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . The coming of the Messianic kingdom means the restoration of creation. The sign of this restoration is that “the mountains shall drip sweet wine” (Amos 9:11–15). When the elements of a fallen creation fail and run short at a wedding feast, our Lord Jesus steps in to restore creation and miraculously changes water into an abundance of the very best wine (John 2:1–11). With this sign, Christ manifests His glory. The “back” of God (Ex. 33:12–23) is revealed to those who believe. The hour will come when Jesus will again manifest His glory by taking creation’s curse into His own body to release us from its power. The Bridegroom will give His life for the Bride (Eph. 5:22–32), and from His side will flow water and blood, the holy sacraments by which she is cleansed and made one with Him. Through this sacrificial love of Christ we are enabled to “love one another with brotherly affection . . .” and to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:6–16).

THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” What must Mary have thought when Jesus replied, “What does this have to do with Me?” But she knew this: whatever her Son said to do would be a blessing, so she knows what advice to give to the servants: Do whatever He tells you! That’s still good advice for us in every aspect of our lives – including in our generosity toward the Lord’s work in the Church.

ATTENTION LADIES OF ALL AGES . . . you are invited to a night of fun and games. Join us Sunday, February 1,  6:30 – 8:30 pm, at the parsonage for Bunco! If you’ve never played, don’t worry. The game is easy to learn and fun to play. Please bring a dessert or appetizer to share and be prepared to have a great time. If you have questions please talk to Celeste Nau, Jaimee Whitson, or Lauren Braaten.

HELP IMMANUEL’S YOUTH GO TO HIGHER THINGS . . . And it never tasted so good. Through Schwans-Cares.com, you can order from Schwan’s Home Delivery and help our Youth Group meet its fundraising goals. When you order by February 25, 2015, 20% of product and 40% of eGift Card sales will go back to our Youth Group. In addition, Schwan’s will contribute 5% of all orders to our organization for the rest of the year! Helping Immanuel’s Youth Group never tasted so good, indeed. See Immanuel’s website for more information on how to order.

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED . . . We are still in need of one teacher for the 4^th–6^th grade class. If this position is not filled those grades will not have Sunday School. Also beginning in January, we will need one teacher for the 1^st–3^rd grade class.

POINSETTIAS . . . If you forgot to take home your Christmas Poinsettia, they are in the kitchen on the counter.

PASTOR WILL BE AWAY . . . January 20–23 for the annual pastors’ conference at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If you need assistance you may contact him on his mobile phone or call one of the Elders (Steve Hilgendorf, Ronald Legg, Bryce Reifsteck, Mark Whitson).

BE SOMEONE WHO MATTERS TO SOMEONE WHO MATTERS . . . January is National Mentoring Month. Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for new mentors for their mentoring program. Mentoring relationships are basic human connections that let a young person know that they matter and mentors frequently report back that they get much more out of their relationships than they ever expected. You can be anywhere from 18 to 108 years old to volunteer. Come find out how a couple of hours of your time each week can have a significant impact on a child’s life. For more information, contact Lauren Hutton, Mid-Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, (217) 3488741, huttonbbbs@consolidated.net.

GREETERS

THIS WEEK

• Donna Campbell (West)
• Harold Wattjes (East)

NEXT WEEK

• Jim Dyer (West)
• Joan Vukelich (East)

COMMUNION HELPERS

THIS WEEK

• Steve Hilgendorf
• Judy Legg; Cassie Russo

NEXT WEEK

• Steve Hilgendorf
• Judy Legg; Mackenzi Bowles

ACOLYTES

THIS WEEK

• Gunnar Campbell (Crucifer)
• Caleb Stumeier (Torches)
• Jake Dyer (Torches)
• Ethan Stumeier (Gospel)

NEXT WEEK

• Gunnar Campbell (Crucifer)
• Ethan Stumeier (Torches)
• Coulson Poffenberger (Torches)
• Caleb Stumeier (Gospel)

COFFEE COMMITTEE

• Pastor & Lauren Braaten—January
• Craig & Carol Munson—February