It was a lovely day for a picnic. The familysat on the patio, enjoying the warm sun,slight breeze, and barbeque. The fatherlooked in the distance as he enjoyed hislunch. Slowly his eyes began to be fixed onsome movement in the far tree in the back-yard. His eyes squinted to make out theshapes, but he was puzzled by the scene.

His son noticed the sudden stillness of hisfather and glanced in the same direction ofhis father’s gaze. Together, their eyes wereriveted as they stared with fascination andcuriosity at the distant object, not yet able toclearly see. Was it a squirrel, bird, or rac-coon? Suddenly, they let out laughter. It wasa possum who had finally lifted its tail for allto see.

Luke 4:14-21 describes a mesmerizing sceneas Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, sitsdown, and announces the prophecy has beenfulfilled. Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah,God’s anointed one. The eyes of all in thatroom are fixed on Jesus. The listeners try tofocus and grasp the meaning of that day.

In life, there are many distractions pulling usaway from God. Temptations pull our eyes,hearts, and spirits away from Jesus Christ, sowe are no longer fixed on looking at Jesus. Itis easy to daydream and clutter our lives.Without fixing our gaze and life towardsJesus, we stumble and fall down.

Athletes in competition are often taught tovisualize the results of their hard labor.Football player visualize the touchdowns,track stars see the finish line, and tennis play-ers imagine aces. Focusing the energy of anathlete upon a single goal often timesbecomes the goal of the trainers.

In a similar way, Christians are to focus sole-ly on Christ.

PrayerCreator of the universe, you have created amarvelous world to explore and discover.Help us to stay focused on Jesus to shape ourlives and to give us direction. Amen

ConnectionsSt. Mat thew Lutheran Church – Connec t i ng Fa i th W i th L i fe !

CALENDAR of EVENTS

SAT., JANUARY 2610am-12pm Concord Rm Rsvd/

Al-Anon Mtg.10am-2pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., JANUARY 27 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:50 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum 9:50 am NO Mission Trip Meeting

in the Concord Room10:45 am Worship 5:45 pm High School

Youth GroupMON., JANUARY 28

8:30 am Morning Prayer Group

9:00 am Pastors’ Text Study 7:00 pm Girl Scouts

TUES., JANUARY 29 7:00 pm Bell Choir 7:00 pm Gentler Yoga 7:00 pm Boy Scouts

WED., JANUARY 30 6:00 pm Bible Study 6:30 pm Confirmation Huddle 6:30 pm STM Choir

THURS., JANUARY 31 6:00 pm BUNCO! in the

Augsburg RoomFRI., FEBRUARY 1

9:15 am Chairish YogaSAT., FEBRUARY 2

10am-12pm Concord Rm Rsvd/ Al-Anon Mtg.

10am-2pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship 6:30 pm Adult Fellowship

Dinner Out at Billy Baroozin Champaign

SUN., FEBRUARY 3 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:50 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship 6:00 pm Daisy Scouts 5:45 pm High School

Youth Group

STAFF OF ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCHPHONE: 367-1189 www.stmatthewurbana.org

Pastor Robert J. RasmusOffice Manager Gayla PellumNursery Ruby Splittstoesser & Emma LacefieldParish Nurses Aziza Awate, Kathie Pound, and Beth Riddle

Connections Deadline: Submit announcements in writing to the church office or by e-mailto gayla.stm@stmatthewurbana.org no later than 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. Thank you!

Please note: Names on the list for prayers will be posted for one month unless otherwise requested.Please contact the church office with any updates or extensions. Thank you.

Specialist Sean Splittstoesser,grandson of Ruby & Dan Splittstoesser

Brody Welshofer, friend of Danielle DeckDonna Gehrt, aunt of Jill DalyChris Galvin, friend of Morgan JohnsonVirginia, Meghan & Chris,

friends of Chris BedfordJohn Sheehan,

grandfather of Walker WestfieldGloria & family, aunt of Jill DalyNathan Koplinski & 3rd Battalion India Company,

son of Beth KoplinskiFema, sister-in-law of Cherylin StiversFred Gould, brother-in-law of Gary VolkeningTom & Beth Graham,

family of Dorothy GrahamPolly Morrow, Saupe family relative****************Steve Prosser, father of Justin Prosser****************Fred Manzke, father of Linda YearsleyRita, aunt of Cheryl Light-ShrinerCarmen, aunt of Cheryl Light-ShrinerSharon, aunt of Cheryl Light-ShrinerJohn Light, father of Cheryl Light-Shriner****************Diana & Tim Roy, daughter & son-in-law

of Rudy & Elaine EbelingShelley Silva, friend of Danielle Deck

Ed & Marietta Pippinger,friends of Dorothy Graham

Pastor Tom & Wendy Hillertz andGood Shepherd Lutheran Church

****************Barb Prosser, friend of Peg Warriner****************John Gantz Isabella GonzalezDanielle Deck Bruce CarrollHervin Buhr Gerald SmithPr. Bill & Kathryn HarumGarris Graham Cherylin StiversDon Saupe Lana WegengMary Jane Rasmus Joyce HaynRandy Alumbaugh Dave Tjaden****************Remember our shut-ins:Elaine Ebeling Leona Saathoff

In loving memory of ˜Pauline Birdsell

Please include her family & friendsin your special thoughts & prayers.

May God welcome herinto the kingdom of heaven.

PrayerRequests

Meet Your Stephen Ministry TeamStephanie Alumbaugh: Stephen MinisterI have been a member at St. Matthew since the fall of 2001 and a StephenMinister since 2002. My husband Randy and I have been married for 32years. We have 2 wonderful sons, Zack and Jake. I wasn’t a frequentchurch goer until after our first son Zack was born. My pregnancy wasgreat until his birth – I coded twice. Needless to say, we are both very luckyto be here and I knew then that God had played a hand in us surviving. We joined a churchshortly after his birth and got involved. But, during my pregnancy with our second son Jake,I ended up on bedrest for 5 months. The only time I could get out was for my weekly check-ups at the doctor. I felt a real disconnect from the church (St. Matthew was not our church atthis time.) And of course, we were scared, especially after what we experienced with Zack’sbirth. We were weekly church goers and I was involved, but I felt that somehow my absencedidn’t seem to matter. Randy and Zack still went to church and let the Pastor know I was athome, but no call or visit came. After Jake was born, I was mad at the church. But again, Iknew I was lucky to be here, so instead of leaving the church, I went to the council and letthem know how disappointed I was that I fell through the cracks and was worried there wereothers that had fallen through the cracks and felt as though they didn’t matter also. They wereactually just discussing the possibility of starting a Stephen Ministry program and I wasgoing to get involved. Unfortunately, we ended up having to move to Champaign due to a jobchange for Randy. We joined St. Matthew and they were just starting a Stephen Ministry pro-gram. So I signed up and the rest is history. I feel that it is important as a member of thechurch, that I help wherever and whenever I can. I have gained more than I ever expected bybeing a Stephen Minister. Listening to others in their time of need or hurt, whether I’m aStephen Minister to a member of St. Matthew or just a friend or even just a stranger in lineat the grocery store, being a Christian listener is very important to me. We all need someoneto talk to at some time in our lives, someone who will not judge, who will just listen in a safeand confidential and caring way. Stephen Ministry training has helped me through difficulttimes in my life and has been a benefit to my job as well.If you would like to learn more about Stephen Ministry, whether to decide to become aStephen Minister also, or maybe you feel you may need to talk with a Stephen Minister,please contact Pastor Bob or Mike Krumwiede.

Welcome!St. Matthew Lutheran Church

is a fellowship of Christian believers called to: grow in Christ, share the Gospel, serve God’s people.Do come again to St. Matthew Lutheran Church

where you are always welcome.Worship ServicesSaturday, 5:00 pm A relaxed & informal worship held in the Christ Chapel.Sunday, 8:30 am (one service at 9:30am January 6, 2019)Spirited traditional worship that focuses on participation through the liturgy, the great hymns of the Church, & corporate confession of our faith. Sunday, 10:45 amPraise & worship in an open & accessible style.

ADULT FORUM - SOLA GRATIA FARMSola Gratia Farm has closed the books on its best year ever, andthe Farm Board and staff would like to share with you theirplans and prospects for the coming year. The Farm Board willhold its annual meeting during the Sunday Adult Forum timethis weekend, so please join us to hear the latest on this vital min-istry of St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDYWe often hear the names Abraham, David, Moses, Elijahand Ruth in sermons and biblical conversations. They arekey figures in our understanding of the Old Testament andhelp us grasp the broad picture of the salvation story. Thesefolks are the subjects of our Wednesday night Adult Studyfor the next several weeks." Each session provides a summary of the life of the per-son and his or her importance in the unfolding revelatory plan of God. Just like allhuman beings, none was perfect, but each of their lives provides lessons that havebeen learned by successive generations of faithful people intent on listening forGod's call and action in their own lives. Join us at 6pm in the Augsburg Room.

LADIES... LET’S PLAY BUNCO THIS WEEK!Play a fast paced game, win great prizes, and have a lot offun. Please bring your drink of choice. The next BUNCONight will be Thursday, January 31st starting at 6:00pm inthe Augsburg Room. No need to sign up... everyone is wel-come. We have a great time! Join the fun & bring a friend!!!

ALTAR FLOWERSThe flowers on the altar this weekend are given by Carolyn& Bill Adams in celebration of their 53rd wedding anniver-sary. Congratulations Carolyn & Bill!Help make our altar beautiful! Celebrate a birthday, anniver-sary, someone’s life or just because. The 2019 sign up sheetis located on the bulletin board in the narthex.

SUPPORTING THE STM FOOD PANTRY The first full weekend of every month, we ask the mem-bers of our congregation to bring in items for our foodpantry. Our food pantry provides a week's worth of mealsto families within the community on a regular basis. Youcan pick up a full list of the items you can choose todonate in the narthex following our weekend service. Abasket for your donations will be placed in the narthexSaturday and Sunday morning. Thank you all for your continued support to STM Food Pantry. The Food Pantryis in need of restocking several things, remember these needs when you go tothe grocery store.The following items are most needed at this time: tomatosoup, vegetable soup, fruit cocktail, peaches, pears, pineapple, canned peas,canned carrots, green beans, canned or bottled juices, boxed mashed pota-toes, rice, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, completepancake mix, pancake syrup, saltine crackers, cold cereal, hot cereal, corn-bread mix, Hamburger Helper, mustard, ketchup, toilet paper.

Note: Please do not donate shampoo.You are welcome to place items in the food box at any time throughout themonth also. If you have any questions about the Food Pantry or would like tobecome a volunteer to help make deliveries call the Church office at 217-367-1189 or Doris Gebauer at 369-6772.

Food Pantry Weekend is NEXT WEEK!February 2 & 3

STMFood Pantry

ADULT MISSION TRIP 2019MEETING THIS SUNDAY AT 9:50 IN THE CONCORD ROOM

We will be going in February again this year. We willleave on February 16th and return on February 24th.Anyone interested in going can sign up on the sheet inthe narthex. No special skills are required.Only a desire to help and maybe get a littledirty is all that is needed!! If you have ques-tions you can call me at 217-552-3876 or email at jwarriner51@live.com.If you can’t go but would like to support us financially, we could use some extra fund-ing. Our line item in the budget has remained the same for several years. Even thoughwe have places arranging work we don’t have the same housing arrangements andcost has increased substantially. Each participant pays motels while traveling andevening meal costs in New Orleans. But with that said our cost is about another $2200over the line item budget. Any help in this area would be appreciated.As always, we appreciate everyone’s prayers and encouragement. Thanks to the StMatthew family we have been able to put a lot of people back in the comfort of theirown homes. God’s Work, Our Hands – John Warriner

CONTRIBUTIONS REMINDEROur Keeping the Faith Capital Campaign has $403,488 inpledges which is almost 90% of our goal of $450,000. Only$46,512 or 10% still to go! If you have not had a chance to turnin your commitment card, we look forward to receiving it soon.Our church receives funds for many purposes. Please help us to count your contri-butions accurately. For any checks from you (or investment companies) towards ourcapital campaign, please note on the memo line “Capital Campaign 2018.” Thankyou for your generosity.

MEN’S COFFEEOur Men’s Coffee group has decided to meet twice a month! Allavailable STM men are invited to gather for a cup of coffee & con-versation on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Our nextmeeting will be Tuesday, February 5 at 10:00am at Harvest Marketon South Neil St. in Champaign. Men of all ages are welcome & encouraged to joinour discussions.

“LET’S DO LUNCH” LADIES LUNCHEONJoin us on the second Friday of each month at 11:30 am at a dif-ferent restaurant each month. No age limit, no jobs to do, no col-ored hats to wear, nothing to study, strictly social and fun. Comewhen you can whatever months you can. The next lunch will be held Friday, February8th at Manzella’s Italian Patio on South First Street in Champaign. The sign up sheetis posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. If you forget to sign up... come anyway!Women of all ages are welcome!

Join us NEXT SATURDAY for an Adult Fellowship “Dinner Out!”

Billy Barooz Pub & Grill2521 Village Green Place

ChampaignSaturday, February 2nd

6:30pmA sign up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex

Sponsored by your Parish Life Team

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRYThe next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will beWednesday, February 20th at 9:30 a.m. in the ConcordRoom at church. We welcome all who knit. If you knowof someone who would be comforted by a prayer shawl,please contact Joan Peterson (384-7415), Mary Anderson(896-2061), Pastor Bob or the church office (367-1189).The stories from the recipients are beautiful & filled with gratitude for the prayers &love that goes into making them.

STORYBOOK PROJECT COULD USE YOUR HELPThe work of Storybook Project goes on year round. You can help withthis ministry by donating gently used books and cash to pay for mail-ing supplies, new CDs, and postage to mail the books and the record-ings. Your prayers for this project are welcome as are new volunteers.The Storybook Project team also collects men’s clothing to be givento the 20-25 inmates who are released every two weeks to give thema more dignified appearance and feeling of confidence whenthey go back home. Particularly needed are large-sized jeans,trousers, shirts, and light jackets. Occasionally there is a needfor suits and dress jackets as well as shoes. Underwear is notaccepted. Donation boxes or laundry baskets are located in the narthex. If you haveany questions or are interested in volunteering please contact Jon Gunderson 840-3956 or Nancy Schneider 419-6373.

STM GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE COLUMBARIUM Take a brisk walk around the STM Garden ofRemembrance and enjoy the winter grasses. Plants aredormant for the winter. Consider it a place of celebrationof life and important people in our lives, because it is.Memorial pavers may be ordered to honor or remember afamily member or friend, pavers are available for $150 or$200. The form is on the table by the coffee bar. Niches are available for $1200which includes two urns and engraving. The form is available in the office.

February 10, 2019 • 6:30-8:30pm • Fellowship Hall

High School Family NightJoin us for a Family Night Potluck

with our new Youth Director!Bring your favorite potluck main dish or side* and come ready for Minute-to-Win-It games,

Discussion about upcoming events, Fellowship, and get-to-know-you with

Mary Corkery, our new Youth Director!*Mary will provide Drinks and Desserts

High School Youth Group this Sunday, January 27 @ 5:45pmEARLY START TIME! Don’t be late!

BRAINSTORM ESCAPES61 E University Ave, Champaign

With 60 Minutes on the clock, your team will have to

solve clues, puzzles, and riddles to breakout before the time is up!

Cost will be $10 per personPlease let Mary know if you can attend and contact her with any questions!