Announcements
February 19 - 26
This Week at Zion (February 19 – February 26, 2012)
Sunday, February 19: Sunday school & Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
1st yr. Confirmation 9:00 A.M.
Divine Service 10:15 A.M
Zion Adult Choir practice following Divine Service
Jr. Confirmation 6:00 – 7:15 P.M.
Monday, February 20: Mary Martha Guild 12:30 P.M.
Newsletter Articles due
Tuesday, February 21: Bible Study 6:30-8:00 P.M.
Wednesday, February 22: Ash Wednesday Service w/Communion 7:00 P.M.
Sunday, February 26: Sunday school & Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
1st yr. confirmation 9:00 A.M.
Divine Service w/Communion10:15 A.M.
Zion Adult Choir practice following Divine Service
Jr. Confirmation 6:00 – 7:15 P.M.
Confirmation this evening, 6:00-7:15 P.M. Some have asked about the date of this year’s confirmation service. The tentative date is April 29th. This will become more firm as the confirmands fulfill their studies in the coming weeks. There will be no public exam this year.
Mary Martha meets tomorrow at 12:30 P.M.
Lent begins this Wednesday with communion service at 7:00 P.M. We will follow a series for Lent entitled, "God’s Gift of Forgiveness." Next week, Lenten suppers begin, 6:00 P.M. served by our Mary Martha Guild Ladies.
The Tuesday Evening Bible Study was accidently omitted from the February calendar. Please make sure you add it to your weekly itinerary from 6:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
This is the last day to take home library books which have been removed from our church library shelf. Any books left after today will be donated to Prairie Skies Library.
The New Roof Fund has been closed because the project is complete! Please do not designate money on your offering envelopes to go into this fund. If you accidently tag them as such, the money will be moved to the General Fund/Current Expenses.
We are beginning a "New Floor Fund" to replace the worn out Parish Hall and Sanctuary tile floors. If you would like to donate to this fund, please designate on your offering envelope or check memo line. Trustee’s are in the early stages of gathering information on this project. Thank you!
Youth Team Winter activity is this coming Saturday. Check with Dawn for details.
A heads-up for blood donors: Pleasant Plains High School FFA will sponsor a blood drive in our Parish Hall on Monday, February 27, 2012 from 1:00 – 6:00 P.M. The guidelines have changed, and some who have not been able to donate may very well qualify now. (Pastor Pritchard was in that category for about ten years, but is now able to donate!) Many of our own members have received whole blood and blood products over the years because of the caring and generosity of donors. Won’t you consider it this time around? Many thanks!
The Annual LLL Rally will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Petersburg, on Sunday March 4th, starting with a delicious meal at 6:00 P.M. The entertainment will be the travels of a recent Latvia trip. It will be an interesting program. Tickets are $12 of which $2 goes to Mission work in Latvia.
THIRD ANNUAL SPRING FLING CRAFT FAIR at LuHigh School 3500 West Washington, Springfield, IL
February 25, 2012 (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Saturday
Please bring canned goods for local food pantry if possible in lieu of door charge! Join local vendors for holiday shopping and demonstrations! (St. Pat’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, July 4th, teacher gifts, graduation, anniversaries, weddings, birthdays….and a gift or two just for you!)
BAKE SALE….CONCESSIONS…. "OPPORTUNITY" DRAWINGS
PPHS Annual Variety Show is February 25, 2012 starting at 7:00, and will be held in the New Pleasant Plains high School Auditorium! This fundraiser is sponsored by the Pleasant Plains Fine Arts Society and features talents which showcase entertainment in piano, singing, guitar, comedy and dance just to name a few! Tickets are only $5.00 and children under 5 are free. Contact Patti Good ad 787-7405 for more information. See flyer on the bulletin board in the All Saints Addition for information.
As Spring Training rolls around, preparations are underway for the 14th
Annual CID Day at the Ballpark on Saturday, July 21, 3:15pm. Our seats for
this year's contest between the Cubs and the Cardinals will be in the Infield
Terrace sections - the same level as last year but behind home plate. Cost
per ticket is $40 (20% off of the premium game-day price of $50). Order forms will be available later this spring. Start getting your groups together so you can order your tickets early. First day to submit orders will be May 29. For more information, see our webpage: http://www.grace-strasburg.com/cidday.
Stewardship Corner: In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he asked them to give to the distressed Christians in Jerusalem. Paul told them their participation in the offering to Jerusalem was a way "to test the sincerity of [their] love" (2 Corinthians 8:8). True charity and generosity can’t be commanded. Paul wanted the Corinthians to prove their sincerity by giving selfishly and spontaneously. In the same way, we show our sincerity through our giving and by doing God’s will. "Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality" (Romans 12:13). By God’s grace, we are empowered to give generously to those in need. In our giving, we demonstrate the love of Christ in our hearts.
"Every child is a wanted child, so no mother needs to feel like abortion is her only option. You might think that’s an obvious truth. It’s not. Less than two percent of single women facing unplanned pregnancies chose adoption. Far too many chose abortion … adoption is always a better choice than abortion. Please … share this important message, so more babies … can grow up knowing they, too, are wanted." Bradley Mattes, executive director, Life Issues Institute – A "Life Quote" from Lutherans For Life · www.lutheransforlife.org
REAL REFORMATION RADIO...Do any of these topics interest you?: The Temptation of Jesus, Jesus Calms a Storm, The Season of Lent, First Century Martyr Polycarp, the Apostle Matthias and more. Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken and produced by Lutheran Public Radio. You can listen at your convenience at www.issuesetc.org.