With the Fourth of July coming up, it is a good time to reflect on our nation. What do you think of our nation today? Some say America is the greatest nation in the world. Others say that America has lost its way and is losing its Christian identity. Some people have a lot of hope for the future of our country. Other people have given up on the country and the way things are going and have battened down the hatches in preparation for whatever may be coming. Whatever you might think about the state of our nation today, we usually look at it in human terms—which leader is in charge, what laws are being made, how does this affect me today. But God invites us to look at the world—and our nation—in a different way.
Throughout the Old Testament, and especially the writings of the prophets, God continually reminds His people that He is in control. Sometimes things go bad, such as when the Babylonians attacked Israel, but in Habakkuk God says, “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people” (Habakkuk 1:6). Even in the bad, God is in control. Sometimes things go good, such as when Israel returned from its long exile, and God says in Zechariah, “I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt” (Zechariah 1:16). In the good times, God is in control. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). Whatever is happening in our world—or in our nation—God is in control, always caring for us.
| Date | Attendance | Offering | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06-02 | 88 | 2200.00 | |
| 06-09 | 66 | 4571.00 | 40.00 |
| 06-16 | 83 | 2245.00 | |
| 06-23 | 59 | 4755.00 | 20.00 |
| Woman’s Bible Study Books | 600.00 | ||
| Car Portal | 100.00 |
Please notify Joy if anyone could be removed from the Prayer List.
Pastor’s Bible Study – Pastor leads a Bible Study following the Services. We will be exploring the book of Micah together. I hope to see you there!
Sincere thanks to all who helped last Sunday, June 23, with ‘clean up day.’
The Ladies Bible study group will be meeting during the summer months. We will be reading Pew Sisters by Katie Schuermann. From the cover: “Every woman in the pew has a story of God’s faithfulness, and women love nothing better than to revel in one another’s experiences and celebrate the sisterhood of believers. … We are all one in the Body of Christ, so these beautiful women are your pew sisters.”
Please note: the date for our study is not weekly. We will be reviewing 2 sessions each week. We will still be meeting on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. (with one date exception).
Books are available at the church. Please feel free to take one, even if you will be working on this study at home. If you are not able to attend all the sessions, it’s ok! Join when you can. The current plan is to restart in the fall on September 11th and complete the next study before Thanksgiving. We will be studying Perseverance: Praying Through Life’s Challenges: A Nehemiah Battle Plan by Donna Pyle. Study books will be available closer to the starting date. Please let Tom or Pam Norris know if you have any questions about this Ladies Bible study.
The Lutheran Study Bible App – Your favorite study Bible now goes everywhere you go. Distinctively Lutheran notes from theologians and pastors beautifully expound upon the ESV Bible text, now in a simple, intuitive format on your device – cph.org. LUTHERAN SOFTBALL: The 2024 Pontiac Church League Softball season has begun and will end with a tournament in early Aug. All games will be played Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:15, 7:30, or 8:45 pm. Teams will play one of these games per evening. All games will be played at Pontiac Rec Plex, south of Pontiac Correctional Center. The league is co-ed and players should be at least 16 years old.
As per Tom’s request the balances of the church’s account are as follows:
