May, 2016
When you see this-it means this
is a Volunteer Opportunity!
Pastor Brian Writes—
Restore Unto me the JOY
Before Paul wrote to the church at Galatia about the Fruit of the Spirit in chapter
5, he asked a very penetrating question
in Galatians 4:15: “What has happened
to all your joy…” That question needs to
be asked in the church today. What has
happened to all my joy? What has happened to all your joy? William Barclay
has said that “a gloomy Christian is a
contradiction in terms, and nothing in all
religious history has done Christianity
more harm than its connection with black
clothes and long faces.” Let’s look at
three common joy stealers that often
give us long faces.
1. Unsatisfied expectations. Do you
ever feel like you’re just going through
some joyless routines in life? If the truth
were known some of us are discontent
with the way our lives are progressing. It
could be that your expectations for your
marriage have not been met. Or, maybe
your kids aren’t living like they should.
Perhaps you don’t have everything you
want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a
better job.
I’m convinced that a spirit of discontentment can rob many of us of joy. Listen to
how Paul discovered the secret of being
content with what God had given him in
Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be
in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
2. Unresolved conflict. Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between
ourselves and another person to go on.
When someone’s offense against us
occupies our mental and emotional
attention, we have little left over for the
Lord. Anger clouds the eyes of our heart
and obscures our view of God, draining
away our joy.
Hebrews 12:14-15 challenges us to not
allow relational ruptures to fester because bitterness can set in: “Make every
effort to live in peace with all men and to
be holy; without holiness no one will see
the Lord. See to it that no one misses
the grace of God and that no bitter root
grows up to cause trouble and defile
many.”
I love how this Psalm ends. After David
owns his sin, his joy returns. Notice
verse 11: “Rejoice in the LORD and be
glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are
upright in heart!” Did you catch that? He
was not able to rejoice and experience
the joy of the Lord until he confessed his
sins! That’s very similar to what David
wrote in Psalm 51:7-8: “Cleanse me with
hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me,
and I will be whiter than snow. Let me
hear joy and gladness; let the bones you
have crushed rejoice.”
How can you and I battle these joy
busters? Lets take a couple minutes and
walk through these joy busters. Allow
God’s Spirit to prompt you to
acknowledge confess, and repent.
We can be helped by remembering that
love keeps no record of wrongs. If you’re
still itemizing people’s mess-ups, the fruit
of joy will be squashed in your life. Paul
recognizes the link between joy and
unity in Philippians 2:2: “Then make my
joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit
and purpose.”
• Do you have some unsatisfied
expectations that have led to a spirit of
discontentment? If so, determine to do
whatever it takes to learn the secret of
wanting everything you have and not
necessarily having everything you want.
When you do, you’ll begin to experience
joy in even the small things of life.
Confess your discontentment to Him
right now.
3. Unconfessed sin. This third joy
buster is perhaps responsible for chasing more joy out of lives than any other.
Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away.
• Are you involved in some conflict with
someone? If so, confess it to God and
make plans to meet with that person
face-to-face so that you can be reconciled and get back on your journey to joy.
David understood this very well when he
attempted to ignore the promptings of
the Spirit. Take a look at Psalm 32:1-5:
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are
I find it interesting to note that Paul calls forgiven, whose sins are covered.
contentment a “secret.” There’s a mysBlessed is the man whose sin the LORD
tery about it. He also had to “learn” how does not count against him and in whose
to live with unsatisfied expectations.
spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my
Likewise, we must learn to live with plen- bones wasted away through my groanty or with little. I’m sure through it all he
ing all day long. For day and night your
continued to give to the Lord and His
hand was heavy upon me; my strength
church. Now there’s a paradigm shift!
was sapped as in the heat of summer.
For those who have it, the spirit of an
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and
unsatisfied life or discontentment giving
did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will
to the church is almost non-existent!
confess my transgressions to the LORD’
Contentment doesn’t come when we
-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
have everything we want but when we
want everything we have.
1
• Is God’s hand heavy upon you right
now because of some sin that you’ve not
confessed and repented of? Don’t keep
silent any longer – it will only chew up
your joy. Acknowledge your
transgression and taste the joy that was
once yours. Then you’ll be truly glad and
rejoice in the Lord again.
Friends, I have some great news today!.
Lost joy can be restored. As a result of
some discontentment, some conflict, and
some open sin, David had bottomed out
spiritually. His joy was a long-lost
memory. And yet, he boldly prays in
Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of
your salvation…” God honored his
prayer, and He will honor yours.
With the Young Crowd
What’s going on with the High
School Youth?
May 1st – We have a special guest,
Nancy Carter, coming to talk to the
students about mental illness, more
specifically depression.
This is something that is very prominent in our society
today and it is important to talk about. It will be a relaxed
setting where the students are able to ask questions and
receive answers. Nancy is very qualified and deals with
these issues every day in her job. She is inviting other
members of the church if they are interested in hearing from her as well.
We will recognize this year’s graduates at the
10:30am service Sunday May 22.
We will meet Sunday May 1st at 7pm in the Sanctuary
or downstairs.
We are having a Youth worship service on May 15th!!
The students will be leading the readings, music, and
more. We are very excited for this opportunity. It will be
happening in both services (8:00am and 10:30am)
I, personally, am excited that you get to see how talented
these students are. They all have amazing abilities. And
they love using those abilities to praise Jesus. It is extremely encouraging to see in a group of students.
Because we are recognizing the youth on this Sunday,
there will also be an opportunity for free will donation that
goes towards the upcoming event this summer, the National Youth Gathering.
Monday-Friday June 20-24!
from 9:00-11:30am every day.
Go spelunking through dark caves with Jesus as your light
at Cave Quest Vacation Bible School! Kids learn Jesus is
the one who lights our way and gives us hope for each
new day. His love illuminates when the path is dark. Cave
Quest VBS encourages kids to follow Jesus where ever he
will lead them! Registration forms are ready and
located on the church secretary’s desk!
We need your help!
We need people to be the ‘Leaders’ of all the different
sections that make VBS work. So, if you have a passion
for VBS or know of anyone that would be great, let us
know. There will be a training session on Saturday June
11 or Saturday June 19.
Youth Nights are every Sunday night from 6-9,
All High School Youth are welcome and bring friends!
We’d love to see you all there!
Specifics…We need 1-2 people to be in charge of each
area:
-Pre-school
-Arts & Crafts
-Snacks
-Bible Studies
-Games
-PR (advertising)
-Closing
-Decorating the Building
-Music
Scrip sales will continue, please
prayerfully consider becoming
involved in the program to help our
youth programs! If you need an
order form, would like to place an
order, or need more information,
please contact the Church Office.
Let Katrina know if you are interested and spread the
word to all your friends, neighbors and relatives!
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CHURCHWIDE UPDATES
Mission Sunday
Last month’s Mission Sunday was a wonderful
success. Thank you Allison for sharing your cd
with us. Track #9 was really meaningful. Over
$300 was collected. This is the monthly amount
we need for the support of Pascal & Mary. Thanks
to you all who made that possible.
Mission Sunday will be
Sunday, May 29, the last
Sunday of this month. We
have changed it this month
only due to Mother’s Day.
We will feature Panera
Bread this month. The
bread will not be sold but
will be available for all to
take. Free-will donations to
go to Missions will be accepted.
LWML
Next LWML meeting will be Wednesday, May 4
at 7:00 pm on the lower level.
The TWO Shall become One
…… Worship
NO, this isn’t an article about marriage. But it is about joining the two worship services into one during the summer
months. Many people have expressed excitement about
seeing the two services come together. We have some
new faces among us.
Starting Sunday June 5th Friendship Lutheran Church of
JOY will hold a single Worship Service. It will be held at
9:00 am and Sunday School immediately following.
This schedule will run until the last week in August.
On labor day weekend we will be returning to our two
service format.
Please continue to pray and lift up your Friendship family.
May God exponentially bless His children as we lift Him up
in divine worship and praise!
Open Office hours will change beginning
on Monday, May 2, 2016.
They will be 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Pastor and Katrina will be available during
normal hours Monday through Thursday.
I, Katrina, will be leading the Adults in Bible study the month of May!
I am excited to get into the word with a different group at Friendship. This will begin Sunday May 1st and carry
through Sunday May 29th .
I will be focusing on growing closer to Christ in our faith life, but also how we can be better for one another
because of that relationship with Him. It is important to me that people know who they are in Christ, find purpose
and passion in that, and are able to share that with those around them. It goes far beyond meeting every week for
worship or during the week for Bible Study. And through this, it is important to learn how to care better for those
people immediately around us. I am excited to go on this journey with you in the month of May. Bible Study begins
around 9:20 and goes until 10:20.
Thank you for the opportunity.
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FLCJ will not have a DCE for the 2016-2017 term
because of the high demand for DCE interns.
What does this mean?
This means that the ministries of Family Life , Youth, and Education here at FLCJ will need to be filled with You!
What might this look like?
Family Activities Director - organize one church-wide family activity per month.
Youth Activities Director – lead or co-lead on youth night per month and/or one youth activity per month.
Education Director – With the assistance of an education team step in and help with Sunday school
coordination and Small group and Adult education.
It is said that many hands make light the work. This may be a perfect option as we move forward.
In the know
the Gospel to all creatures!” [Mark 16:15].
The church has always allowed people to come to its
If we desire to understand Luther’s concern and the
Divine Service on the basis of these basic principles,
concern of the old Evangelical [Lutheran] Church to
upon which is based the right to the free, public proclamaintain the Sacrament of the Altar and keep it pure,
mation of the Gospel, acknowledged by all peoples of
then we must realize a fact which the majority of people Christianity. Even the civilized pagan states do not conin our church generally no longer understand: the fact,
test this.
namely, that there would be no church at all without the
Holy Supper. Where the church is, there the supper is
But the Supper was never for all those present, rather
also celebrated; where the Supper is celebrated, there
for the baptized and later confirmed. Only one who beis the church. When it is no longer celebrated, there the lieves in Christ can understand the Supper. For everychurch dies. Our fathers knew this when in the great
one else it is necessarily inconceivable, senseless, and
confessions of the Reformation they placed the Lord’s
offensive. “Take, eat; this is my body…Take and drink
Supper together with Holy Baptism immediately along- all of it; this cup is the new testament in my blood” [Matt
side the Gospel as an essential mark of the church
26:26-28]. What should the world say to such words?
which could not be surrendered.
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up on the last day” [John 6:54].
Many people, also many Evangelical [Lutheran] Chris“This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” [John 6:60]. If
tians, no longer understand this at all today. But it must many of the disciples spoke thus and left him forever,
indeed give [one] much cause to consider that the expe- what shall the world say to these words? Are not the
riences of the history of the church simply prove the
most foolish rumors which circulated in the ancient
Reformers correct. Can we conceive of the church at
world understandable? According to these rumors the
the time of the apostles without breaking of the bread of Christians in their secret Divine Services practiced
the early congregation of Jerusalem, without the Lord’s cannibalism. In a similar way Frederick the Great, one
Supper of the Pauline congregations? Anyone who is
of the least Christian great men of our people, ridiculed
familiar with the NT must answer no! A Sunday without the Supper because there a man “should eat his God!”
the supper, a Lord’s Day without the Lord’s Supper is
The church of all ages, misunderstood by the world, has
inconceivable in the church of the NT. For the celebraalways celebrated its Supper as it were “behind closed
tion of the Supper was the heartbeat of this church. In
doors.” But it knew that every celebration of the Supper
ancient times it was held behind closed doors, and this what is written in the Revelation of St. John again
was not merely for fear of prosecution. For all the rest of became true: “Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If
the Divine Service was public, accessible even to Jews anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come
and Pagans, and this is the basic principle of the church dwell with him and sup with him and he with me” [Rev
even down to today. The preaching of the Gospel, ac3:20]
cording to the will of Jesus himself, should be public.
“What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light; and
Hermann Sasse, The Lonely Way
what is whispered in your ear, preach from the roof
(St. Louis: Concordia, 2001), 1:480-481.
tops!” [Matt 10:27]. “Go forth into the world and preach
The Sacrament and The Church
LAST CALL FOR GARDEN SPACE!
Friendship is having a garden. It has been a few
years and now, with the help of Elmer Zuehls, we
will have one again.
I’m not sure if all the spots have
been taken. So if you are
interested, you need to act fast!
Call Elmer at 217-586-3814
NOW!!
We are looking for helping hands for landscaping and
lawn mowing at the church. Please contact Al Hagen
at 1-630-301-6022 or contact the Church Office.
The more volunteers we have the lighter the
workload.
Elder’s Corner
Read the 23 Psalm --- THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
Psalm 23 depicts Jesus Christ as the Great Shepherd
living for His sheep. Everybody has some kind of shepherd. We are like lost sheep, not able to guide our own
lives. We need a shepherd. Who is your shepherd?
Dr. Harry Ironside used to say that goodness and mercy
are the two sheepdogs that help keep the sheep where
they belong.
When the Lord is your Shepherd, what will happen in
your life? You live a day at a time. Psalm 23 talks
about all the days of our lives, and they are lived one
day at a time when the Lord is our Shepherd. “Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life.” (v. 6). Someone said that the average person is
being crucified between two thieves – the regrets of
yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. Consequently,
he can’t enjoy today.
As His sheep, we can begin each day with confidence.
John 10 tells us that Jesus goes before His sheep. We
cannot walk into any experience where Jesus has not
first been. Though we may not know or understand
what is taking place around us, we will fear no evil because we are close to the Shepherd. His rod takes care
of our enemies; His staff takes care of the sheep
(discipline and guidance). We can stay close to the
Shepherd through His Word.
When the Lord is your Shepherd, you listen for His
voice. In John 10:27 the Lord Jesus said, “My sheep
hear My voice.” The Shepherd does not drive His sheep
from behind. Rather, He calls them from ahead. How
do you listen to the Lord’s voice? Through the Word of
God.
Psalm 23 is a summary of the Christian life. Verses 1
and 2 speaks to your childhood. Children need
protection and provision. God loves and watches over
them. Verse 3 speaks of your youth. Teenagers need
direction and discipline. The Great Shepherd finds
these wandering youth and brings them back. Verses 4
and 5 talk about the middle years. These are not easy
years, when the children are growing up and you are
fulfilling their needs. Then verse 6 speaks of the mature
years –“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the
days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
Parish Nurse Notes
Strokes
Because of my recent experience with my son, I want to write about strokes this month. A stroke hits suddenly when a blood
clot or hemorrhage affects the brain, preventing blood and oxygen from circulating. The symptoms include 1. an unexpected
numbness and weakness that usually affects one side of the body causing a loss of balance or coordination. This causes a
sudden inability to walk. 2. Vision disturbances in one eye. 3. An inability to speak—slurred speech or difficulty understanding
what’s being said. Doctors and patients must treat a stroke as a medical emergency. Time is of the essence to prevent devastating neurological damage.
There is a genetically engineered anticoagulant called tissue-plasminogen activator (TPA) to dissolve stroke related blood clots.
This brings oxygen to the brain cells whose supply has been cut off. Studies suggest that TPA increases the chance for total or
near total recovery from a stroke by 35%-55%. The hitch is that TPA works well only if it is given within 3 hours of the onset of a
stroke.
Risk for stroke goes up with age, doubling each decade after age 55. Risk factors include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, previous heart attack, and cholesterol deposits in the carotid arteries in the neck. These underlying conditions should be treated as well as taking aspirin or another blood thinner as a preventative. We are extremely thankful to God that our son has no residual damage. Your prayers were truly appreciated. Our God is good.
In Our Prayers
Supplication (Requesting Something)
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Prayers for Lynn’s dad who had surgery for a collapsed lung.
Prayer for our son, Elmer, who is doing so well after
his stroke. Please pray he will get the rest he
needs.
Prayers for the family of Dori, who passed away at
age 90. She was a long member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Humbolt.
Prayers for restoration of health for Ray.
Prayers for the O’Brien family for the unexpected
loss of their mother.
Prayers for successful surgery and healing for
Shirley-John’s mother who had shoulder surgery.
Prayers for the Sturm family as their 5 yr. old was
diagnosed with leukemia.
Prayers for Joetta’s dad who is hospitalized with
pneumonia.
Prayers for Vanessa’s friend’s son who broke his
femur.
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Please pray for Charlen for healing, strength, and
strong faith.
Please pray for Charlen’s family.
Prayers for families to keep the joy of Jesus in our
hearts during a busy sports season.
Prayers for a speedy recovery from a broken foot
for Jean.
Thanksgiving
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Praise the Lord for Brian’s 3rd anniversary of his
heart transplant. Continue strengthening him in
mind, body, and Spirit.
Thanks and praise for preservation of life and limb,
loss of only possessions in Edwards car accident.
Thank you for Dan’s happy and joy filled life and the
impact he had on Beth!
Thanksgiving for a successful completion of radiation for Jean (Nikki’s mom).
Celebrations
May Birthdays
5/1 June Bauman
5/2 Lisa Hellmer
5/3 Alex Burgener
5/4 Nicholas Hellmer
5/5 Tiffany Kloeppel, Hannah Taylor
5/6 Aaron Armstrong, Sara Carlson
5/8 Gayle Zuehls
5/10 Ally Miller
5/11 Aaron Penick
5/12 Jacob Clark
5/13 Cameron Currid
5/16 Madison Kloeppel
5/18 Justine Hellmer
5/20 Andrew Cook
5/21 Caitlin Drake
5/25 Luke Armstrong
5/27 Robert Greer
May Baptisms
John Drews, Hazel Hutchison, Brett Penick, Paul
Peterson, Sharon Rohlfing, Mindy Piper, Tiffany
Kloeppel, Alex Burgener, Elizabeth Morris, Brian Miller,
Leslie Miller, Molly Kloeppel, John Morris, Albert Morris,
Annabelle Pearman, and Andrew Johnson.
Notes of Thanks
HAVE YOU NOTICED?
May Anniversaries
5/18 Richard & Suzan Armstrong
5/18 John & Faye Drews
Many thanks to the youth group for taking the time
and re-organizing all the chairs in the sanctuary. They
look great!
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
6
7
13
14
20
21
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
8:00 Traditional*
9:15 Sunday School
10:30 Non-Traditional
11:30 Elizabeth
Circle
7:00 am Men’s
Bible Study
6:00 Elder Mtg.
6:45 Praise Team
9:00 Adult Bible
Study
10
11
12
7:00 am Men’s
Bible Study
6:00 Council Mtg.
6:45 Praise Team
9:00 Adult Bible
Study
6:00 Youth Group
8
Office Summer
hours begin
9am-1pm
9
8:00 Traditional
9:15 Sunday School
10:30 NonTraditional*
6:00 Youth group
15
16
17
18
19
8:00 Traditional*
9:15 Sunday School
10:30 NonTraditional
Youth led Services
11:30 Elizabeth
Circle
7:00 am Men’s
Bible Study
6:00 Elder Mtg.
6:45 Praise Team
9:00 Adult Bible
Study
23
24
25
26
7:00 am Men’s
Bible Study
6:45 Praise Team
9:00 Adult Bible
Study
6:00 Youth Group
22
8:00 Traditional
9:15 Sunday School
10:30 NonTraditional*
Graduates honored
6:30 Prayer Shawl
6:00 Youth Group
29
30
31
8:00 Traditional*
9:15 Sunday School
10:30 NonTraditional*
MISSION SUNDAY
(p.3)
Office Closed
7:00 am Men’s
Bible Study
6:00 Youth Group
* Bolded signifies communion will be offered at this service.
7
Friendship Lutheran
Church of
3601 S. Duncan Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
217-355-0454
Pastoral Care
Pastor Brian Pape
[email protected]
Staff
Cindy Furtney - Church Secretary
[email protected]
(Office hours 9:00-3:00)
BUDGET UPDATE
Offerings
Expenses
Principal Pay-down (YTD)
(1/1-4/29/2016)
$77,873.62
$97,994.59
$ 1,027.00
Denise Pacey - Director of Music
[email protected]
Katrina Ward
Director of Youth & Family Ministry
[email protected]
Visit us on the internet!
www.friendshiplutheran.com
Camp CILCA Hog Roast 2016
8:00 a.m. Traditional Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School &
Bible Studies
10:30 a.m. Non-Traditional
Service
________________________
JAM for children 3-third grade at
10:30 Service.
Holy Communion is offered on the
1st & 3rd Sundays at the 8:00
service and on the 2nd and 4th
Sundays at the 10:30 service . It is
offered at both services if there is a
5th Sunday in a given month.
OUR MISSION:
To Joyfully connect people to
Christ and His family.
CILCA will hold its annual Hog Roast on Sunday, May 29.
The menu includes pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans,
and desserts. The day begins with worship at 10:30am.
Lunch is served from 11:30-2:30.
Adults are $8, children ages 4-12 are $5, children 3 and under are
free.
Join us for a weekend of camping, swimming, campfire
devotions, and more. Check out cilca.org for more information.