“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. … I was the craftsman at his side.” Proverbs 8:22-23, 30a In Chapter 8 of the Book of Proverbs, we are introduced to the character of Wisdom. This Wisdom claims to have been with God from the beginning, to have seen all the creation and to have been a part of making the world. On its own, this should tell us something about how the world was designed. There is an order, a wisdom to how God laid out the world. He created and followed certain rules and made the world so that it would follow these rules, too. This is why we can study the world through the sciences—the world was laid out in a way that makes sense. But there is something deeper happening in this passage, that we only learn when we turn to John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. … All things were made through Him (John 1:1, 3a). We know that this talks about Jesus, and it sounds an awful lot like Wisdom in proverbs. And so we know that not only was the world made in Wisdom, but it was made through the very Word of God: Jesus Christ. And not only that, but by His death and resurrection, Jesus begins to make us new, too. We are part of a new creation, and Jesus is the craftsman at God’s side, shaping and molding us to be in his image. Amen.
| Date | Attendance | Offering | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08-04 | 47 | 2297.00 | |
| 08-11 | 68 | 3357.00 | |
| 08-18 | No church due to illness | ||
| 08-25 | 81 | 4765.15 | |
| Men’s restroom | 300.00 | ||
| Painting Chapel | 100.00 |
Rob Ambrose [brother-in-law of Marci Beitz, fighting multiple myeloma]
Sharon Barrett
Joe Bertsche
Richard Blair Jr [friend of Mike Shrewsbury has pancreatic cancer]
Jack Brandt
Ralph Butzow
Bill Duncan [cousin of Nancy Nylander, on kidney transplant list]
Eric Elbert [friend of Ben, Kurt & Kim Rhoda]
Earl Ellinger
Charles Everett [cousin of Nancy Nylander whose brain cancer has returned]
Barbara Graves
Braden Gutwein
Stacie Hensley
Ethan Jeffreys
Randy Miller
Carla Nobis
Gary Nelson [Nancy Nylander’s brother has terminal cancer]
Bob Nylander
Logan Peifer and two friends [injured in an accident]
Penny Rhoades [friend of Kurt and Kim Rhoda]
Dick Rhoda
Ramona Schuler
Richard Schulz
Lee Wahls
Pat Wahls
Please notify Joy if anyone could be removed from the Prayer List.
On Sunday, September 1, Theodore [Teddy] Robison Bashford will become a child of God by the washing of Holy Baptism. Theodore, infant child of Shelby and Pilar Bashford was born May 24, 2024. His sponsors are Jallen and Vanessa Bashford and Ella Terveer. We ask God’s blessings upon this child and his family.
We bid Farewell and God’s Blessings to Kathy Trachsel as she relocates to Beloit, WI to be near her family. A send-off coffee hour was held in her honor on Sunday, September 1. Please come back and visit us.
Pastor’s Bible Study –Pastor will lead a Bible Study following the Services. We will be exploring the book of Micah together. I hope to see you there!
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!
September is the month for our church to deliver Peace Meals. Several of our regular people that have delivered Peace Meals in the past are unable to do this task. We are in need of more people to assist in this ministry. If you could deliver one or two days it would be greatly appreciated. There is a sign-up sheet at church or call the church office and leave a message 815 945-5331. Please consider serving.
The Ladies Bible study group will be starting Perseverance: Praying Through Life’s Challenges A Nehemiah Battle Plan by Donna Pyle on September 11, 2024 at 2 p.m. From the book cover: We all have it. That one thing that’s keeping each of us from a fuller life. It could be a habit to break, a goal to accomplish, or a lingering project to complete. What if we, like Nehemiah, persevered with single-minded focus and trusted God to accomplish something incredible? Nehemiah may not be the first biblical example who comes to mind when we talk about perseverance, but we look to his example to discern helpful steps that we can apply on our one-thing journey. God, through the life of Nehemiah, provides insight into how we can respond to struggles-the one thing-in our life.
Books are available on the table in the narthex. Please take one & join the ladies’ group, or you can do the study on your own. Please see Pam Norris if you have any questions about the Bible study.
The group will be meeting every Wednesday for 8 weeks & covering the following sessions:
The Church Picnic will be held Sunday, September 15th after church.
Book Club - This extreme heat sure does not allow you to do much except maybe read! Just want to remind everyone of our kickoff for book club this year will be Thursday September 12th at 6:30 at St Paul’s. Looking forward to resuming our fellowship. Have a good Labor Day weekend. We will be reading the book The Women by Kristin Hannah. The book pays tribute to the nurses who served in the Vietnam War but the real battle is when they come home to a changed and divided America.
On Thursday October 10th we will be discussing Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance. From a former marine, Yale Law School graduate and now a VP candidate a powerful account of JD’s plight growing up in a poor rust Belt town and a culture in crisis. Put the dates on your calendars and start reading! If you know of anyone interested in joining our book club please ask them to join us.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday October 19 8 a.m. Breakfast & Blankets We will be having a tie-blanket “party” to give to the Chenoa food pantry patrons. If anyone willing to donate fleece: will need 1 ½ yards of coordinating colors of fleece. More information will be forthcoming. If you have questions: see Diane Brandt.
The Chenoa Food Pantry has expressed thanks for our continued support of the food pantry. Their current needs: soups and canned fruits, side dishes and breakfast cereals/pancake mixes. Currently they are feeding about 80 people~ 25 families. Pray for guidance in how to support this ministry
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