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Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
1915 Pine Street
Murphysboro, IL 62966
October
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
Pastor Josemon Hoem
October 2014
“If one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must
forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”
(Colossians 3:13-15)
Dear Saints,
Over the last several weeks, we have been talking about Jesus’ command for us to forgive one another. While it might be easy to forgive a friend who forgets to call you back, it is not so easy to
forgive those who have hurt us in a major way. The greatest hurt seems to come from those who
play the most significant roles in our lives. I guess it is true—“we hurt the ones we love the most.”
In this article, I want to discuss the benefits of His forgiveness.
The Benefits of His Forgiveness
When we forgive……
1. We are forgiving with the forgiveness that Christ secured for us on Calvary. It is HE who went
to the cross and endured the sin of the whole world. It is not our forgiveness--to give or to withhold----it is Christ’s forgiveness.
2. We say, “It’s time for healing. It’s time to let go and move on.” The weight of hurt and anger is
lifted off of us. We can, in turn, move forward with our lives.
3. We are not sacrificing nor giving up our sense of self-worth. The guilt and fear we hold inside
are removed. Indeed, forgiving one another demonstrates the gifts of freedom and strength we
have in Christ Jesus.
4. We allow Jesus to have His way in our life.
5. Finally, when we forgive---we receive Christ’s forgiveness.
“Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
Thanks be to God! Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior, has taken all of our sins to the cross and
remembers them no more. As we continue to walk in His forgiveness, may we also forgive one
another!
Keep up the good work; continue the positive momentum; and let’s always “walk in the light of
Christ” in all that we say and do.
Cheers!
Pastor Hoem
Stewardship Article
Giving is a spiritual issue. The Scriptures are replete with how giving and believing go hand in hand, that our trust
and faith in God are commensurate with our giving. In 2013, the Religion News Service reported that the average
annual percentage of income given to the church had fallen to 2.3 percent
(http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/24/report-church-giving-reaches-depression-era-record-lows/). So, what
does this confess about our trust in the God who has given us all that we need for body and soul, not sparing His
own Son into death so that we would not die but live? What does this say about our faith, when even the Jew gave
at least ten percent, while we, having received the fullness of God’s generosity barely give one fifth of that?
Meanwhile, churches and schools fall into disrepair or close their doors because of lack of funding; pastors and
teachers live at or under the poverty level; and the State replaces the Church as the source for care of the widow,
the fatherless, and the poor. Something is wrong with this. Though we have received generously from our generous
God, we have not given in like manner. How can this be? How can we, as Christians and especially as Lutherans,
who stake everything on that most beautiful doctrine of justification—that God, out of His divine goodness and
mercy, has saved us by grace through faith on account of Christ’s death and resurrection without works of the
law—not help but give of our income just as generously? How can we who have received so much give so little?
It is a shame, and we need to repent. As the Lord spoke through prophet Malachi, “Return to me, and I will return
to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But
you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are
robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour
down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal 3:7b–10).
Do not these words even cut us to the heart? Are they not true for us even as they were for them? Are we not now
reaping what we have sown in faith? We have sown little, we have sown sparingly, and so is our harvest. But what
if we were to take the Lord at His word? What if we, like them, were to put Him to the test and give to
support the work of the church as our generous God has given all things to us? Would not the storehouses burst
open? Would not the windows of heaven pour out blessing upon His church so that they could be a blessing and a
light to the world? Imagine it.
But doing it takes faith. It takes trust that the Lord will be faithful just as He promised. For if God has given you
His own Son, will He not give you all things? Yes, He will. This is His sure and certain promise. God provides for
His people. He provides everything we need for this body and life and for the life that is to come.
Christ’s merits have set us free from the tithe. Giving is no longer something we have to do. It is what we do
because of what God has first done for us. We give not because we must in order to keep the law. We give as a response of faith, a confession of faith in deed about what God has done and continues to do for us. For in Christ, we
are freed from the tithe, freed that our giving is not out of compulsion or reluctance but generously from a cheerful
heart and a life richly lived in the forgiveness of all our sins and for the good and blessing of those around us. And
a life so lived enriches us all with blessing until there is no more need and thanksgivings to the One who promised
to make it happen.
Special Income
Bible Class—$135.00
Frances Heintz Chair Lift Memorial—$120.00
Rural King—$19.99
Target—$38.45
Mildred Brkljach Chair Lift Memorial—$90.00
LWML MITES AT WORK
•
$1,345712
Mission grants approved by National LWML for 2013-2015
•
$ 866,984
Given to mission projects in Southern Illinois District by District LWML since 1940
•
$ 56,000
total of Mission Grants awarded by in Southern Illinois District LWML
These are not just numbers, they are mites at work!
The following mission grant proposals from the Southern Illinois District will be funding by the Southern
Illinois District LWML:
1. American/International Campus Ministry—Our Savior, Carbondale, IL $5,000,
2. Unity Lutheran Christian Elementary School, East St. Louis, IL, $5,000,
3. Operation Barnabas—LCMS/SID, $4,000,Seminary Student Scholarships/SID, $8000,
4. Lutheran Braille Workers Center (Sight Ministries), Baldwin, IL, $4,000,
5. Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School, Centralia, IL—Rev. Tim Mueller Mentor Grant, $5000,
6. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO—Food Bank $2,500,
7. Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, IL—Lutheran Student Fellowship-New Campus Ministry
Initiative, $4,000,
8. SIUE Lutheran Campus Ministry, Edwardsville, IL—Outreach Program, $2,500,
9. Task Force in Prison and Jail Ministry/SID, $7,000
10. Metro-East Lutheran High School, Edwardsville, IL—Mentor Grants, $5,000,
11. Camp Wartburg’s “Shepherding Sheep” Camp for People with Disabilities, $4,000.
Most of the Mites collected at Immanuel will be used to fund these mission projects in the Southern Illinois
District. Some will be sent to national to fund mission projects.
Mites will be collect on Sunday, October 5 and 12.
October Service Participants
Greeters
October 5 -Lawanda Fager and Bernadine Ihle
October 12 -Don and Alice Svanda
October 19 –Lawanda Fager and Pat Cottonaro
October 26 -Roger and Carolyn Guetersloh
Acolytes
October 5 –Olivia Herring and Rewn Stearns
October 12—Ashley Stanton and Faith Svanda
October 19 –Molly Batson and Jared Lawrence
October 26 –Devin Eovaldi and Maxwell Hoem
Altar Guild
Donna Elbrecht and Marilyn Imhoff
Elders
October 5 – Shawn MacFarlane
October 12— Terry Estel/Kent James
October 19 – Jeff Streuter
October 26—Jim Alvey
Ushers
Forrest Miesner, Jeff Streuter, Steven Draves, Scott Imhoff,
Kent James, Anthony Batson, Ken Seibel
Meals on Wheels
Virginia Lewis/Ruth Boese and Al Haake
Bible Study Refreshments
October 5 – LWML
October 12— Susan Closson and Ruth Mueller
October 19 – Jeremy Larson
October 26—Don and Alice Svanda
26
27
Leah MacFarlane
Len and Cindy Novara
Brett and Lindsey
Closson
28
Judy Dempsey
21
Elizabeth VanOver
29
Roger and Esther Draves
22
30
Mark and Lana Graff
23
20
Audrey Vaughn
16
Eric Hollmann
19
15
Bernadine Ihle
Carsyn Karg
8
2
1
Carter Voss
Scott and Paula Wheeler
Larry and Joann Troue
9
Aiden Boese
Thu
Wed
Scott and Valerie Draves
Gerald and Donna
Strothmann
14
Brian Manwaring
Lynn Mueller
7
Doris Williams
Tue
Scott and Angie Imhoff
13
6
Julie Sellers
Sara Streuter
Richard Weber
5
Arlou Hartmann
Len Novara
Carl Rothe
Jeff and Bertha Presutti
12
Charles Williams
Mon
Sun
31
Richard Arbeiter
24
Sarah MacFarlane
17
10
Lloyd Mueller
Jeff Presutti
3
Carolyn Guetersloh
Jason Jarrett
Fri
25
Cindy Dawson
Will and Jennifer Fox
18
Brenda Fox
Charlie Hoem
Forrest Miesner
Sue Williams
11
Eli Pittman
Gage Pittman
4
Erica Clendenin
Sat
October 2014 Birthdays and Anniversaries
6
6:00 p.m. School Board
Meeting
13
6:15 p.m. Evangelism
Committee meeting
7:00 p.m. Board of
Directors
5
LWML Sunday
9:00 a.m. Divine Service—
Kids Sing
Mites Collected
10:15 a.m. Bible Study &
Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Confirmation class
12
9:00 a.m. Divine Service
Mites Collected
10:15 a.m. Bible Study &
Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Confirmation class
1:30 p.m. Jr & Sr Youth Group
trip to Pirate Pete’s
20
27
19
9:00 a.m. Divine Service
10:15 a.m. Bible Study &
Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Confirmation class
26
9:00 a.m. Divine Service
10:15 a.m. Bible Study &
Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Confirmation class
No School
Mon
Sun
28
11:00 a.m. Seniors
Meet
21
14
7
Tue
29
8:00 a.m. Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Chapel
1:00 p.m. Quilt Tacking
22
8:00 a.m. Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Chapel
1:00 p.m. Quilt Tacking
15
8:00 a.m. Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Chapel
1:00 p.m. Quilt Tacking
31
5:00-8:00 p.m. Trunk or
Treat
30
12:00 Dismissal
24
17
No School
10
3
Fri
23
16
9
2
1
8:00 a.m. Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Chapel
1:00 p.m. Quilt Tacking
6:30 p.m. Elders Meeting
8
8:00 a.m. Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Chapel
1:00 p.m. Quilt Tacking
Thu
Wed
25
18
11
5:00 p.m. Little Egypt
Barbershop Chorus and
Quartets Concert
4
Sat
October 2014 Events