2-6-2011 Announcements

CHURCH OFFICERS being installed today are Morgan Kleinsasser (trustee), Paul Wynia (elder), Glen Neuharth (usher), Jeani Dubs (evangelism), Cheri Knittel (Board of Education) and Leann Schultz-Thomas (treasurer). We thank God for providing these individuals who are willing to spend their time working in His Kingdom.

LWML will meet Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. Topic will be given by Alice and lunch will be served by Wyona.

IN OUR DAILY PRAYERS this week, we pray for Wyona Hofer, Phyllis Knittel, Randy Koerner, Richard Salis and Jerry Saner as they recover at home, Roman Miller as he receives treatment, Bernie Wrenn in the hospital and Nicole Hinckley as she recovers from knee surgery as well as for our shut-in members, our inactive members and for at least two people in your life who don’t know Christ.

VALENTINE SUPPER: The high school youth Valentine Supper will be held next Sunday. Please sign up for a time with Stefanie, Collin, or Sam.

The high school youth will meet following the church service today.

PLEASE LET US KNOW if you or another of our members is sick, hospitalized, has a new baby, has a death in the family, etc. This will enable us (pastor, elders and others) to visit them, send a note of encouragement and to keep the person and his or her family in our prayers.

FREEWILL OFFERINGS last month were $214 for Gideon Int’l and $328 for Lutherans For Life. Both of these organizations express their heart-felt thanks and appreciation for our support and wish us God’s blessings as we continue to help His children with their spiritual and physical needs.

THE COST? More than $2 million. It’s over in 30 seconds and it may not be remembered the next morning. What is it? It’s a Super Bowl commercial. Something else costs more than all the money in world, will never be over and will be remembered for all eternity. What is that? It’s your salvation. “You were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.” (I Peter 1:18-19)

e-PRAYER MINISTRY Do you have e-mail? Are you interested in praying for those in need of prayer? If so, we have an e-mail prayer chain. All you have to do is check your e-mail and pray for the healing or the concerns of the person for whom the prayer chain leader writes to you about. If you are interested in this worthwhile and rewarding service, please contact Diane Schnabel at (605) 660-2911 or the Pastor at 925-7333. Our e-Prayer Ministry is in addition to our telephone prayer chain.

PHONE PRAYER MINISTRY If you wish to be a member of St. Paul’s Telephone Prayer Chain or if you have a prayer request, please contact Garnett Stern at 925-7298. Your prayer request may either be specific or general in nature; names or other personal information need not be given.

CONGRATULATIONS AND BLESSINGS to these students for having the best Sunday School attendance in their classes for the 1st quarter.

Prek - Kindergarten - Zac Sayler
1st-2nd grade - Sarah Harris
3rd-5th grade - Lindsay Thomas, Isabel Sayler, Charles Harberts and Morgan Dannenbring (all tied)
6th-8th grade - Karen Schamber

We all know the importance of learning God's word and by having good attendance at SS is a great way to reinforce an active Christians life.

MAIN STREET LIVING:

Febraury 13, 2011 Kid's Crossing - Grandma B reads the story of the raising of Lazarus from the tomb.
The featured speaker is Vicar J J Stefanic from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookings, SD. The sermon theme is "A Diet of Milk." The hymns are Today Your Mercy Calls Us; Love Divine, All Loves Excelling; and On What Has Now Been Sown. The Main Street Living Choir will provide the hymns. The program is interpreted for the hearing impaired.

LUTHERAN HOUR MINISTRIES provides a daily meditation on God’s Word. If you have e-mail, you can choose to have the daily devotion sent to you by going to: www.lhm.org/newsroom/emailservices.htm and clicking on the Daily Devotions button to sign up. You may also choose to read the daily devotion on-line without having it e-mailed to you. Just go to: www.lhm.org/dailydevotions.asp

MAKE IT A HABIT to find a time and place for daily reading of your Bible. Try to do it everyday at that same time. John 20:31 says, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.” How can you read what has been written in God’s Word if you never open the cover? I Peter 3:15 says for us to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you.” How can you effectively speak about your faith to others if you don’t know the Word of God? President Theodore Roosevelt said, “If a man is not familiar with the Bible, he has suffered a loss which he had better make all possible haste to correct.” And, of course, God Himself also counsels us over a dozen times to meditate on His Word, doesn’t He? Anyone who can find such advice in the Bible before next Sunday should give the chapter and verse to the Pastor. Your prize awaits you!

Bible Study Classes Our Wednesday morning Men’s Bible Study classes will begin at 6:00 on Feb. 2nd at Papa’s. We will be studying the parables of Jesus … exploring them in depth to see how God uses stories and images to portray spiritual truth. All men – younger and older – are welcome! Please join us for breakfast and our study of God’s Word.

Our Sunday morning adult classes will begin on Feb. 6th after the worship service and after we have had a chance to get our coffee cups filled! We will be studying what the Bible says about Heaven and Hell compared to what science and the world have to say about them. Jesus actually spoke about Heaven and Hell much more than many people realize. Please join us and hear Biblical answers and guidance on the afterlife!

Based upon our survey’s results, we will also start a Tuesday evening Bible Study class. Initially, we will meet in the Fellowship Hall at 7:00. Also as requested on most of the survey’s responses, this class will be held twice per month – on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings – so the first class will be on Feb. 8th. Our first topic will be how we got the Bible … the vast number of preserved documents, the consistency of its theme from beginning to end, etc. The format for this class will be a combination of DVD and study guide.

Our Bible Study classes are being offered for YOUR benefit! No prior Biblical knowledge is required! Please join us in fellowship and in our study of God’s Word -- and bring a friend! This would be a GREAT time to start attending if you have been putting it off!