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C~ChristLink Newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Nauvoo, IL January 2014

Dear Friends in Christ, This year of God’s grace, we have most of our gospel readings from the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew was probably the second of the gospels to be written; but, when the four gospels were collected, Matthew was placed first because it has the most emphasis on the fulfillment of the Old Testament Covenant and prophecies in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Some of the more well-known passages of Matthew are the story of the Magi (or wise men) from the east who came to Bethlehem to honor Jesus. The story of the Magi is the basis of our Epiphany celebration on the 12th day of Christmas and our whole Epiphany Season that follows. During Epiphany we celebrate Jesus as the light of the world, God’s Savior for all people on earth. Another well-known part of Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7. The sermon begins with the Beatitudes, a series of blessings. It includes the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ interpretation of the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament book of Exodus. Several themes are emphasized in Matthew. The righteousness of God is God’s gift to sinners who repent and believe in Jesus who has the authority to forgive sins. Jesus authorized His followers to baptize, to tell the Good News of the salvation that He gives, and to celebrate the New Covenant that He instituted with bread and wine together with His words to eat and to drink them in remembrance of Him. Through this New Covenant, Jesus gives His own body and blood as He said, “for you.” Martin Luther taught that Jesus; words “for You” compel all hearts to believe. Believing is probably the main theme in the Gospel according to Matthew. And so we believe!

Yours in Christ, Pastor Paul While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28 NRSV

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Lutheran Youth Organization

Sends Packages to our Best!

The Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) will begin collecting items to send to our military, including Dane Berry, Kiri Gibson, Bradley Moffitt, and Matt Pezley on Sunday, January 5. Please refer to the lists of needed items and place them in the designated boxes in the narthex. The next LYO meeting will be January 12 after Sunday school

Send colorful packages to our Best!

January 9

th

– Annual Reports

Annual reports must be turned in to the secretary by January 9, 2014. The chairman or appropriate person for each committee or organization of the church should submit a report that is ready to be included in the 2013 Annual Report.

Annual Congregational

Meeting Set for January 19

All members of Christ Lutheran are encouraged to attend our annual congregational meeting, set for Sunday, January 19, at 11:30 a.m. NOTE: The Service will be at 10:30 a.m. that morning. A soup and sandwich lunch will be provided and served by the council in Luther Hall immediately after the meeting.

“In your annual meeting this year, in the decisions you make as a congregation, how do they reflect Jesus’ will that as a Church we are ‘Always being made New?’ That’s a question that both challenges and encourages us as a

Church.”’ Bishop Bruce Burnside South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA

Prayer Vigil

The “prayer warriors” who meet regularly on Wednesday mornings, at 7:00, invite you to share prayer requests and to join them when possible. Usually at least two or three are “joined together in His Name” to pray for needs and offer praise for healing or resolution of problems. As a reminder, if you have submitted prayer requests in the past, they would appreciate an update from time to time. In this way, they can rejoice with you or comfort and assist you. This month, prayer vigil will be held on January 8, January 15, January 22, and January 29. Please contact Kay Berry at 217-453-6658 for more information.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Talking to men for God is a great thing, but

talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds

"The prayer power has never been tried to its

full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of

weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and

mighty things which thou knowest not!'" J. Hudson Taylor

"We must begin to believe that God, in the

mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring

its power down to earth." Andrew Murray

JANUARY HAPPENINGS

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Morning Blessing: I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,

that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your

hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Martin Luther, The Small Catechism: Daily Prayers.

Sunday School News!

Sunday school classes are on the second and fourth Sundays of the month beginning at 10:15 a.m. with a group closing at 11:00 a.m. This month, Sunday school will be on January 12 and January 26. SPARK curriculum from Augsburg will again be used for the Pre-School and the elementary-age classes. The middle-school youth will again be using a curriculum called Re:Form, also from Augsburg, that is designed for their age group. The high-school group will be exploring many topics that affect today’s youth as well as exploring more of what it means to be Lutheran. EVERYONE is encouraged to come for Sunday school.

Sunday School “Subs”

Subs at this time are Misti Duncan, Kay Berry, and Barb Sallee. We would like to have a few more subs on our list. If you would be willing to be called upon when the regular teacher cannot be there, please let those teachers know. Looking forward to another year!!

Christmas Decorations

The congregation is invited to help take down Christmas decorations after worship on Sunday, January 12. Plan to encourage and assist!

Worship Committee Meets

The worship committee will meet Sunday, January 12, 2014, after the service.

Confirmation Classes

Confirmation classes will be held the second and fourth Sundays of the month; they began Sunday, September 8. They are offered to members of Christ, Immanuel, and Trinity Lutheran Church congregations. They will start at 5:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Carthage. The schedule for January is as follows: January 12 – Baptism and Wilderness January 26 – The Teachings of Jesus

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it

did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.” Matthew 7:24 NRSV

Church Council Meeting

The Christ Lutheran Church Council will meet Tuesday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a

leader.” John Quincy Adams

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Celebrations!

January Birthdays

1..................................Allen Edwards 8 ..................................Spencer Berry 8...................................Sandy Poland 9........................................Carol King

10......................................Allen Berry 14.....................................John Nuebel 19.........................Andrew Cannizzaro 27......................................Bob Ziegler 28...............................Doug Stevenson 29................................Brianna Smitko 31.....................................LuAnn Haas

January Anniversaries

07........................Amy & John Poland 20.....................Sandy & Dave Poland

“Marriage: Love is the reason. Lifelong friendship is the gift. Kindness is the cause. Til’ death do us part is the length.” Fawn Weaver

“In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.” Albert Clark

Messages of Gratitude

I want to thank everyone who remembered us this Christmas season with their well wishes, cards, and gifts. It is truly a blessing to be able to serve God in this way and I appreciate the way you have welcomed and accepted us into your family of faith. I pray that you enjoyed a blessed Christmas as we look forward to a New Year with all of its hope, opportunities, and promises. May God be with us all. Ron Schulz, SAM Thank you for your generous Christmas gift! I appreciate the thoughtful cards and gifts I received; such delightful surprises at my door! I enjoy my work and look forward to coming here each day! Spending time in the Word as I prepare the bulletins and newsletters is a special joy to me. I am blessed and privileged to be here! Thank you for your ongoing encouragement, warm hospitality and support. God bless you richly now and always. Debbie Callaghan, Secretary

God Loves Marriage!

God’s desire is for joyful marriages. Enrich your relationship by applying at GodLovesMarriage.org to attend the February 28-March 2, 2014, Weekend at the Holiday Inn South County Center in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information, please contact Kathy and Tom Von Behren at vonbeh@sbcglobal.net or 636-343-9453. You may also visit www.GodLovesMarriage.org. Applications must be received by February 14, 2014, to ensure your reservation. It’s a Weekend you won’t forget! From the Lutheran Marriage Encounter website

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Bright Angel Report

Sixty children from 24 families had a little brighter Christmas this year, thanks to the Nauvoo “Bright Angel” program sponsored by the Nauvoo Inter-faith Partnership. Carol Berry represented Christ Lutheran Church on the Bright Angel committee. Cash donations were used to provide food vouchers to families and to shop for stocking stuffers and tags that were not picked up. Thank you all so much for your generosity.

Nauvoo Food Pantry

The Nauvoo Food Pantry appreciates the community’s generous donations of food and funds! Currently serving about 80 families, the pantry continues to rely on financial donations to purchase monthly staples from Duck’s Foods. The pantry cannot continue to provide the same level of care for our residents without sustained financial support from the community. The pantry has needed to cut back on the numbers of items distributed in order to work within the current budget. The pantry will continue to maintain weekly Monday hours from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This month the pantry will be open January 6, January 13, January 20, and January 27.

Valuable Resources!

For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty you might

become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 NRSV

American Red Cross Blood

Drive at Christ Lutheran

Christ Lutheran Church will host a blood drive on Thursday, January 9, from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Plan to donate blood, food, help set up or tear down, or register donors as they arrive. Remember, the need is constant, the need is great! Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Please contact Jyll Sly at 217-453-6331 for more information.

Some important facts:

1. 15.7 million gallons of blood are collected in the U.S. in a year.

2. There are 4.9 million patients in the U.S who receive blood annually.

3. The demand for blood transfusions is growing faster than the donations. There are 14 million blood transfusions in the U.S each year.

4. More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.

5. More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.

6. People with O-type blood are universal donors. Their blood can be given to people of all blood types. Only 7% of people in the U.S have O-blood type.

7. Type O-blood is often used in emergencies before the patient’s blood type is known, and with newborns who need blood.

8. One donation can help save the lives of up to three people

9. Shortages of all blood types usually occur during the summer and winter holidays.

10. People with AB+ type blood are universal donors of plasma, the liquid portion of blood. AB+ plasma is often used in emergencies, for newborn and for patients requiring massive transfusion. From the American Red Cross website.

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

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Nauvoo Seniors Meeting &

Luncheon

The Nauvoo-Area Seniors Luncheon will be Wednesday, January 29, from 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. at the Nauvoo Fire Station. The delicious dinner served by Nauvoo area senior volunteers is offered for a free-will donation. News about upcoming events and opportunities and services for seniors will be shared. Need a ride? Contact Karen and Lee Ourth at 217-453-2236. For more information, please call Paul Sly at 217-453-6331.

“I look to the future because that's where I'm

going to spend the rest of my life.” George Burns

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't

mind, it doesn't matter.” Mark Twain

Briefly-

Keokuk High School’s Little Feathers Dance Team, of which Alli Herr is a member, competed December 6th in Des Moines at the largest state-sponsored competition in the U.S. Participating were 23 colleges and 280 high schools, presenting 580 routines in two days. In their category, the Little Feathers received first place for their kick routine and 5th place for their novelty routine, a Charlie Chaplin dance. Judging was by two panels of 13 judges from across the country. Congratulations on a fine job! Loose coin offerings for January, February, and March have been designated for the LYO.

Congregational Pulse…

Following are highlights from November financial reports,

presented at the December council meeting.

Key Financial Indicators

11/30/2012 11/30/2013

Total November Offerings $ 3,722.00 $4,816.00

Total November Expenses $ 4,103.11 $4,860.56

Year-to-Date Offerings $ 55,056.08 $48,726.00

Year-to-Date Expenses $ 45,720.99 $59,203.11

YTD Spending Balance $9,335.09 $(10,477.11)

YTD transfers from special funds & offerings to checking

- -

Total of Checking + Funds $ 51.080.93 $65,448.78

If you have questions about this information, please ask

any council member or Tom Haas.

Average Sunday Attendance

Month 2012 2013

January 40 34

February 35 34

March 35 31

April 40 33

May 34 36

June 36 29

July 34 39

August 21 30

September 30 27(excluding

9/15 and 9/29)

October 30 30 (excluding

10/27)

November 27 31

December 42

12/22/13

Worship

canceled due

to snow and

ice.

40 (including

Christmas Eve

and excluding

12/29)

Year-To-Date 34 33 (excludes

9/15 and 9/29)

Deadline Dates

Any announcements you would like in the bulletin must be submitted by the Wednesday before that service. Any information you would like included in the February newsletter must be submitted in its entirety by January 22. Thank you for your cooperation.

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Living Water’s “First Christmas!”

Those who braved the snow and ice on Saturday night, December 21, were rewarded with a special time of praise and worship as Living Water presented “My First Christmas.” Christ Lutheran Church came alive with the sights and sounds of the Christmas season as the group shared songs from artists such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Faith Hill, and classic carols. Afterwards, Grandma’s (Mary Ann Garrelts’) cookies were enjoyed by all!

Living Water “making spirits bright!”

Even the rehearsal on Friday night, December 20, was special! Left to right: Michael Haas, Tom Haas, Suzan Stott, Chris Haas, and Kris Knoke

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Christ Lutheran Church Council

December 17, 2013

By Kay Berry

The Christ Lutheran Church Council met December 17th, 2013 with the following in attendance: Terry Knoke, presiding; Mike Sallee; Michael Haas; Sandy Poland; Kay Berry; Ron Schulz; J.W. Stinson; and Pastor Paul Schwartzkopf. At this meeting, the Council:

approved the secretary’s and treasurer’s reports as submitted noted that Michael Haas would be the speaker for the 3rd midweek Advent service at Immanuel were informed that Ron Schulz has received approval to continue his service here for another year noted that Ron will take a vacation day December 29th, and that Pastor Paul will send the outline of a

hymn service to be used that day for which readers will be needed decided to offer mileage payment to the two members of Christ Lutheran who will participate in

continued discussion of the Western Illinois Parish proposal learned from Allen Berry that the lift has been repaired learned that the parsonage furnace will need to be replaced, and that Spencer Berry has placed

heaters in the parsonage until the furnace is installed; Peters will order and install the furnace noted that Jyll Sly will direct the blood drive here scheduled for January 9th discussed information received from the Nauvoo Interfaith Partnership:

--Baccalaureate will be held here at Christ Lutheran for 2014 graduates; --interfaith symposia will be held April 24th and October 23rd and that Pastor Paul will consider speaking at one or both of these events; --noted that Christ Lutheran will again have no students for Vacation Bible School

prepared a proposed budget, based on information received from treasurer Tom Haas noted that Michael Haas and Kay Berry will complete their council terms, and that the nominating

committee for new council members will be Spencer Berry and Silvia McMeins decided that the Loose Coin offering for January, February, and March will go to the LYO decided that church decorations will be removed January 12th after worship discussed possible occupancy of the parsonage decided to hold the worship at 10:30 A.M. , January 19th, with the annual meeting to follow; a soup

and sandwich lunch will be provided by the council members adjourned until the January 21st council meeting

Complete minutes of the council meeting are posted on the hallway bulletin board.

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November 10, 2013 CROSS Church Councils and Congregation Members: As a result of the discussion of those present at the WIP proposal meeting held today at Salem Lutheran in Mendon it was decided by the lay people, pastors, interim pastors, and SAMs present that a slightly different direction should be taken in order to get things moving. Synopsis of Discussion: We now have at least eight of the twelve congregations in CROSS without an ordained pastor to serve them on a permanent basis. Some have been vacant for two or more years with no offerings from the synod. The synod is struggling to find interim pastors to temporarily cover needs and there are few if any possible ordained candidates available to the synod for permanent placements. Pastors that are available are choosing to go to the large urban areas where variety and opportunities seem greater to them and their families. Therefore, to solve our problems we need to come up with new and different approaches to make ourselves more attractive for the securing of desired ELCA authorized and ordained pastoral services from within or outside ELCA’ s normal channels. This is where we think WIP can fit in. One congregation, Christ Lutheran at Nauvoo, has adopted the WIP Operational Agreement. Others have considerable interest, but have not yet taken a vote due to uncertainty of how things would operate. More interest has surfaced recently due to new vacancies in recent weeks. One congregation decided to wait until they have a pastor before deciding on their involvement. This totally misses the point, as the initial major purpose of WIP is to help fill vacancies. Apparently there are many who are misinformed and/or have not really read and studied the WIP proposals details. For example, they think that joining WIP will mean they may be combined with neighboring congregations and their facility will be closed, or their mode of operation will be changed by WIP. These thoughts are totally incorrect as the proposal’s intent is just the opposite. As is stated in A Purpose in section III on page one, WIP provides a way for our congregations to remain viable and operating in their own communities and any changes in a congregation’s operations is decided by that congregation, not by WIP. WIP would operate as an advisor and a facilitator to assist as desired by the individual congregations. Proposed Plan of Future Action: To get a more formal procedure underway we are asking you (the congregation’s council) to appoint two knowledgeable and experienced leaders from members of your congregation who will actively serve on a WIP committee and report actions back to you and your congregation. At its first meeting (before year’s end if possible) this committee would organize itself by selecting a president, vice president, secretary, and reporter (each from a different congregation) and establish monthly meeting dates. It would then examine and refine the WIP Operational Agreement as may be needed and work on a tentative plan as outlined in A and B of section VIII of the operational agreement. After proper planning, congregations would examine the entire proposal and make a more informed decision of their involvement and the future of WIP will be determined. If you could inform one those listed below of your appointees’ names, phone, and email address we will arrange the organizational meeting and assist the startup procedure. Eric Rabe Allen Shay Allen & Kay Berry 217-248-5656 217-357-2376 217-453-6658 rabefarm@adams.net ashay@frontiernet.net allinfarms@agristar.net

January 2014 Worship Calendar - 9:00 a.m. Traditional Service

Date Observance

January 5

Second Sunday of Christmas

January 12

Baptism of our Lord

January 19

Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 26

Third Sunday after Epiphany

February 2

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Liturgical Color White White Green Green

White

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29

Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17

Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-11

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42

Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 84 Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

Accompanist Chris Haas Kris Knoke Kris Knoke Kris Knoke

Kris Knoke

Acolyte TBD Ryan Berry TBD John Stinson

TBD

Lector TBD Jackalyn Stinson Sandy Poland LuAnn Haas

TBD

Ushers TBD Don Rosenboom Mike Sallee Terry Knoke

TBD

Usher Assistants Holly Stinemates Rachael Berry Sarah Stinemates James Stinson

Sam Stinson

Holly Stinemates

Communion Assistants

Michael Haas

Carolyn Rosenboom

Barb Sallee

Mike Sallee

Terry Knoke

TBD

Tom Haas

TBD

Michael Haas

Carolyn Rosenboom

Altar Guild Carol Berry & Kay Berry Rosanne & Jim

Bertschi

Christ Lutheran Church (ELCA)

1110 Ripley Street P.O. Box 427 Nauvoo, IL 62354

January 2014

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed

away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Christ Lutheran Church A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

1110 Ripley St. P.O. Box 427 Nauvoo, IL 62354 Church: 217-453-2757

Pastor: presently vacant E-Mail: clnauvoo@frontiernet.net Web Site: www.christnauvoo.org

Sunday Worship: 9:00 a.m. Sunday School: 10:15 a.m. Wednesday Prayer: 7-7:30 a.m.

CHURCH COUNCIL

Terry Knoke: President 217-453-6359

Sandy Poland: VP 217-453-6405

Kay Berry: Secretary 217-453-6658

Michael Haas 309-221-1401

Mike Sallee 217-847-3502

J.W. Stinson 217-453-2481

Interim: Paul Schwartzkopf 217-316-9399

Ron Schulz 217-357-4289

Treasurer: Tom Haas 217-453-6636

Our Mission:

To be an active church family passionately sharing the Gospel with all. .

January 2014 Christ Lutheran Church, Nauvoo, IL

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

December 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 First Sunday of Christmas 9:00 a.m. Worship

11:00 – 2:00 p.m. Nauvoo Food Pantry

Happy New Year! No Prayer Vigil ** Bulletin deadline

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Second Sunday of Christmas 9:00 a.m. Worship

11:00-2:00 p.m. Nauvoo Food Pantry

7:00 a.m. Prayer Vigil **Bulletin info deadline

12:00 – 6:00 p.m. American Red Cross Blood Drive @ Christ Lutheran Church **Annual Reports Due**

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Baptism of our Lord 9:00 a.m. Worship 10:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Worship Committee Meeting 11:00 approx. LYO Meeting 5:00 p.m. Confirmation Class @ Trinity

11:00-2:00 p.m. Nauvoo Food Pantry

7:00 a.m. Prayer Vigil **Bulletin info deadline

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Second Sunday after Epiphany 10:30 a.m. Worship 11:30 a.m. Annual Meeting Soup and Sandwich Luncheon after Annual Meeting

11:00-2:00 p.m. Nauvoo Food Pantry

7:30 p.m. Church Council Meeting

7:00 a.m. Prayer Vigil **Bulletin info deadline **Newsletter info deadline

26 27 28 29 30 31 1 Third Sunday after Epiphany 9:00 a.m. Worship 10:15 a.m. Sunday School 5:00 p.m. Confirmation Class @ Trinity

11:00-2:00 p.m. Nauvoo Food Pantry

7:00 a.m. Prayer Vigil 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Nauvoo Seniors Luncheon and Meeting @ Nauvoo Fire Station ** Bulletin info deadline