At the ELCA National Youth Gathering someyears ago, a long-distance race was sched-uled. The finish line was established insidethe convention hall where at least 30,000youth had gathered. Each synod designatedone person to run the race. The crowd of thousands applauded at the firstsight of each runner entering the building.Eventually, the announcer proclaimed thefinal runner was within sight. The crowdgeared up to see the last place runner. Poorrunner. Would he or she be embarrassed tofinish in last place?But instead of a lone final runner, a smallgroup of runners came into the conventioncenter holding hands. When the crowd sawthe final group of runners, everyone knewwhat had happened. The runners did not wantone of their fellow competitors to face thecrowd alone in last place; instead, a few ofthe participants had waited outside the con-vention door for the final runner. There wasno last place finisher. The crowd erupted intothunderous approval. The crowd was con-nected as a single unit.After the race was over, a giant cross of whitefabric was lifted high, flapping as it ascend-ed. Each of us in the convention center wasreminded of our baptism. We are not alone,but are connected with Christ and with oneanotherWe long for connections. We long to belong.In baptism, we are connected with God. Weare named and claimed as God’s beloved.In baptism, we also become connected withothers who are baptized, including the wholeof the Church. Our baptized brothers and sis-ters come in all shapes and sizes, speakingmany languages. We might not always agreewith our brothers and sisters, but we are con-nected through Jesus Christ. We know only too well our need to be con-nected to God and to one another. It is far tooeasy to go astray, connecting with the latestfads and discarding Christ. Daily we pray forthe Spirit to keep us connected with Christand to other disciples of Christ. PrayerGracious God, send your Holy Spirit andconnect me with Christ, so I might bring youjoy. Amen.

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

CALENDAR of EVENTSSAT., JANUARY 6

FOOD PANTRY WEEKEND10am-12pm Concord Room

Reserved/Al-Anon Mtg.10am-1pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., JANUARY 7FOOD PANTRY WEEKEND 8:30 am Worship

9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:45 am Informational meeting for

middle school students and families in the Confirmation Room

9:45 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship 6:30 pm Youth Broomball

MON., JANUARY 8 8:30 am Morning

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

TUES., JANUARY 9 9:00 am STM Quilters

in the Fellowship Hall 5:45 pm Council Meeting 7:00 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm Boy Scouts

WED., JANUARY 10 6:00 pm Bible Study 6:30 pm Youth Huddle 6:45 pm STM Choir Rehearsal

THURS., JANUARY 11 6:30 pm Adult Forum Repeat Session/

Our Building Needsin the Concord Room

6:45 pm Community Choice Meeting in the Augsburg Room

FRI., JANUARY 12 11:30 am “Let’s Do Lunch”

Ladies Luncheon at Oishi

SAT., JANUARY 1310am-12pm Concord Room

Reserved/Al-Anon Mtg.10am-1pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., JANUARY 14 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:45 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship6:30-8 pm H. S.Youth Group

STMFOOD PANTRY

WEEKEND

grades 9-12

st. matthew lutheran church

student ministry

2017/2018

, , ,

, , ,

, , , ,

, , , ,

, ,

,

, , ,

, , ,

, , , ,

, , , ,

, ,

,

real church for real life

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

Pastor Robert J. RasmusAssociate Pastor Maggie FalenschekOffice 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.

Msgr. Greg Ketchum, friend of Vickie HartAndrew Rogers, friend of Jill QuisenberryLaurie Padjen, friend of the Deck familySpecialist Sean Splittstoesser,

grandson of Ruby & Dan SplittstoesserBrody Welshofer, friend of Danielle DeckJulie, colleague of Sarah LoftusNic Brandon and family,

friends of the Daly familyDonna Gehrt, aunt of Jill DalyChris Galvin, friend of Morgan JohnsonMacy Slade Tester,

friend of Liz SchwartzRita, sister of Diane DurbinTerry Green & family,

friends of John & Peg WarrinerVickie Fitzsimmons,

sister-in-law of Shirley ShawRita, niece of Liz SchwartzVirginia & Meghan,

friends of Chris Bedford****************Jerry Ulrich,brother-in-law of Betsy Barringer

****************Barb Frantz, friend of Diana Marshall****************Audrey Sperandeo,

grandmother of Sarah Loftus****************

Diana Ebeling-Roy,daughter of Elaine & Rudy Ebeling

****************Sharon Hedrick John GantzIsabella Gonzalez Muryl OhmsRita Vanier Mandi GillilandSuzanne Ross Danielle DeckBruce Carroll Hervin BuhrGerald Smith Garris GrahamRod Warfield Lana WegengDan Splittstoesser Cherylin StiversGary Hedge****************Remember our shut-ins:Vivian Larson Elaine EbelingLeona Saathoff

In loving memory of ˜Sue Pellum,

sister-in-law of Dan & Gayla Pellum

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

May God welcome herinto the kingdom of heaven.

PrayerRequests

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 Churchwhere you are always welcome.

Worship ServicesSaturday, 5:00pm A relaxed and informal worship held in our Christ Chapel.

Sunday, 8:30 am Spirited traditional worship that focuses on participation through theliturgy, the great hymns of the Church, & corporate confession of ourfaith.

Sunday, 10:45 amPraise & worship in an open & accessible style.

Stephen MinistryJanuary is the month when we look at our life’s journeyand rejoice over the gift of another year given to us. Theperception of life that enables us to walk into a new yearwith this hope and confidence is the perception that wecan begin anew, that we are constantly being offeredfresh beginnings by God.Imagine clean, white fluffy snow falling, covering allthe drab spots of deadness on the earth. See that samesoft, clean whiteness fall into your heart. Feel it heal thewounds, making clean your dreams and your hopes.Hear the God of new beginnings speak to you about the fresh start being offered.Here is a prayer to start the New Year:Loving God, it is time to turn again to you. It is time to realize anew that I am nottotally self-reliant. This is a moment full of grace that invites me to lift up my spiritto you, the one who gives freshness, the one who moves across my heart like a newsnowfall and erases all the drab, brown memories of a year gone by.Come to meet me, God of life, reach into the mystery of my self. Take me into theheart of this year and give me the confidence to journey freely, lovingly, with risk,wonder and laughter. Amen.

From the book: Fresh Bread And Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment by Joyce Rupp.If you would like to meet with a Stephen Minister, please contact Pastor Bob, PastorMaggie or Mike Krumwiede, STM Stephen Minister coordinator.

January Adult Forum Series Begins THIS WeekThe Adult Forums in January are designed to get your inputon the pending question of launching a capital campaign forbuilding improvements and financial stability, in turn, grow-ing and expanding our mission and ministry. Four uniqueforums are designed to present information and listen to yourinterests and concerns as it relates to a potential campaign.

Please consider attending the forums to learn and share yourthoughts. The Adult Forums follow the 8:30am service andare held in the Augsburg Room.

Our Building NeedsSunday, January 7, 2018Thursday, January 11, 2018 / 6:30PM (repeat session)This session will focus on the physical upgrades needed forour church facility. Following a presentation, participantswill have the opportunity to share their thoughts about facili-ties and how they are needed to carry out the mission.

Understanding Budget and StewardshipSunday, January 14, 2018This session will present an overview of the church budgetand the results of the annual stewardship campaign in an easyto understand format. Attendees will have a chance to see theconnection between giving, executing the mission, and bal-ancing the books.

Our Church MissionSunday, January 21, 2018Grow, Share, Serve. This session will explore what this mis-sion means and highlight the different ways it is carried out.Discussion will also focus on how this mission relates to thephysical needs of our church facility.

Recap and PrioritiesSunday, January 28, 2018This session recaps the perspectives heard in the first threeforums and begins to make priorities. This discussion willprovide a structure for the Church Council, and ultimately thecongregation, to consider the question of launching a capitalcampaign.

OUR STM FOOD PANTRY IS RUNNING VERY LOW!FOOD PANTRY WEEKEND THIS WEEK!

We are very low on food for our food pantry. Please help by donat-ing food for families who are in need. Please pick up a grocery liston the table in the narthex & take it with you the next time you’reat or your favorite store & pick up some items for our food pantry.God bless you for your support of this ministry. Thank you, The STM SocialMinistry Team

CONFIRMATION AND SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUME THIS WEEK!There will be an informational meeting for middle schoolstudents and families about camp and the Service-Learning Trip on Sunday, January 7th at 9:45am in theConfirmation Room. Come hear what exciting things wehave planned for spring and summer!

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP THIS SUNDAY – AT THE RINKon January 7th, 6:30-8:30, Lutheran Churches inthe C-U area are teaming up to rent the UniversityIce Arena for our annual Broomball Tournamentand Ice Skating night. One side of the rink will bereserved for Broomball, the other will be open forice skating. Admission is covered by our congregation but bring extra money if you’dlike to rent skates (no skates needed for broomball).

“LET’S DO LUNCH” LADIES LUNCHEON THIS WEEK!Join 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 & fun. Comewhen you can whatever months you can. The next lunch will beheld Friday, January 12th at Oishi on North Prospect inChampaign. The sign up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in thenarthex If you forget to sign up... come anyway! Women of all ages are welcome!

ALTAR FLOWERSThe flowers on the altar this weekend are in celebration of the new year and the won-derful members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church. We are a great church family!Help make our altar beautiful! Celebrate a birthday, anniversary, someone’s life orjust because. The sign up sheet is located on the bulletin board in the narthex. Thereare many open dates still available this year.

It’s Time to Make Up the Next Worship Assistant Schedule –Requests and/or Preferences Due This Week!

NOTE: THESE MONTHS INCLUDE ASH WEDNESDAY,HOLY WEEK & EASTER!

I will be scheduling worship assistants in early January for theFebruary through May 2018 services. If you are currently part ofthe schedule, please contact me to let me know if you are unavailablefor certain weekends and/or if you have a scheduling preference. We can add people to any of the assisting duties and would love to see more of youhelping out! If you are currently not on our schedule, please consider giving any ofour assisting positions a try! We are especially in need of people for Altar Guild,Sound Technician, Coffee Fellowship & Visitor Team areas. We will be happy totrain anyone who is interested. We would love to have your smiling face be part ofour team of worship assistants!Please have your requests and/or preferences emailed to me at my office address(gayla.stm@stmatthewurbana.org) no later than January 10th. If you have anyquestions please give me a call at the office .

Thank you! Gayla Pellum

STMFood Pantry

STM QUILTERS THIS WEEK!Come and join STM Quilters: Nancy, Stephanie and Peg at 9:00 am onthe 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. We are making quilts for ourgraduating high school seniors and Project Linus quilts for childrenwho are hospitalized. Also, if you know someone with Alzheimer's or Autism we haveseveral fidget blankets on hand. With our many projects we could use a few more handsto help us. Monetary donations are helpful to purchase fabric and supplies. Everyone iswelcome to join us!

MEN’S COFFEE – NEW LOCATION! Our Men’s Coffee group meets twice a month. All available STM men areinvited to gather for a cup of coffee & conversation on the first and thirdTuesday of every month. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 16,2018 at 10:00am in the Harvest Market on South Neil St. in Champaign.Men of all ages are welcome & encouraged to join our discussions.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRYThe next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will be Wednesday,January 17th at 9:30 a.m. in the Concord Room at church. We wel-come all who knit. If you know of someone who would be comfortedby a prayer shawl, please contact Joan Peterson (384-7415), MaryAnderson (896-2061), Pastor Bob, Pastor Maggie or the church office (367-1189). Thestories from the recipients are beautiful & filled with gratitude for the prayers & lovethat goes into making them.

SALT & LIGHT VOLUNTEER DAYS Salt & Light, a local ministry that connects families in need with commu-nity resources, has a new location right down the street! On Friday, January19 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 20 from 1:00 p.m.to 4:00 p.m., we’ll be visiting this new location to learn more about theirservices (including how they’ll work with Sola Gratia) and volunteer in their store.Members can sign up on the Social Ministry bulletin board located in the narthex. If youhave any questions, email Laura Podeschi at lepodeschi@gmail.com or call her at 217-417-7188. Let’s give Salt & Light a warm welcome to the neighborhood!

RELIT In January, the Religion and Literature Book Club will be readingBeneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. This WWII story is seenthrough the eyes of an 18 year old Italian boy, Pino Lella. After hishome in Milan is destroyed, Pino helps Italian Jews escape over theAlps. He falls in love and is forced to enlist in the German Army. Thisis all I will tell you. Read the book and join us on Friday, January 19 at 7pm in theConcord Room for discussion and dessert..

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDYThe WELCA Bible Study will meet at Prairie Winds of Urbana...like last year we will meet on the same day (last Thursday of themonth) and at the same time (9:30am). If you would like to join thewomen's Bible studies based on the Gathermagazine Bible studies (& we would wel-come any other Bible study ideas) pick up one of the complimentary copies of themagazine today in the narthex & join us on January 25th for fellowship & coffee.Hope to see you then! Thanks ladies, Mary Anderson, Bible Study coordinator

LADIES... LET’S PLAY BUNCOPlay a fast paced game, win great prizes, and have a lot of fun.Please bring a snack to share and your drink of choice. The nextBUNCO Night will be Thursday, January 25th starting at 6:30pmin the Augsburg Room. No need to sign up... everyone is welcome.We have a great time! Join the fun & bring a friend!!!

Please check on your friends & neighbors

during this frigid weather!