The gifts are unwrapped, played with, and put away. The food is finished and the leftovers are gone. The decorations have been put away and the house looks decidedly unfestive. Christmas is over, and now we enter a new year of our normal, everyday lives. But for the church, this does not mean that we stop celebrating. Christmas is over, yes, and the joy that comes with that season becomes more subdued, but now we enter into a new season of Epiphany, which offers us great hope. The season of Epiphany begins and ends with almost the same words. On the Sunday of the Baptism of Our Lord, we hear the voice of God say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17b). On the Sunday of the Transfiguration, we again hear God saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5b) In Christmas, we celebrate that Christ came down to us. In Epiphany, we have the opportunity to rejoice knowing that he has revealed Himself to us. He is the Son of God—the one who will save us from all our sins, who has come to be our king.
| Date | Attendance | Offering | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-01 | 51 | $4,207.15 | $20.00 |
| 12-04 | 92 | $429.00 | |
| 12-11 | 65 | $3,252.00 | |
| 12-11 | 69 | $1,115.00 | |
| 12-15 | 47 | $1,375.00 | |
| 12-18 | 52 | $3,383.00 | |
| 12-22 | 52 | $592.00 | |
| 12-24 | 66 | $3,116.00 | |
| 12-25 | 28 | $1,541.00 | |
| 12-29 | 51 | $590.00 | |
| Men’s Restroom | $1,200.00 | ||
| Car Portal | $400.00 | ||
| Thanksgiving | $195.00 | ||
| Parsonage | $75.00 | ||
| Chapel Painting | $200.00 | ||
| Parsonage Windows | $300.00 |
Please notify Joy if anyone could be removed from the Prayer List.
Epipha-tea: Pastor and Kayla would like to invite both churches to Epipha-tea at St. Paul-Lexington! It will be Sunday, January 5 from 2-4 PM. It will be a great time of fellowship as we celebrate Epiphany and drink tea, coffee (if you don’t like tea), and eat snacks! If you’re interested in helping serve or provide tea or snacks, please let them know. Hope to see you there!
Epiphany Service 7 PM at St. Paul, Lexington on January 6 with communion.
Kayla and Joseph Ronchetto’s membership has been transferred to St. Paul, Chenoa from St. Paul, Lexington. We welcome them into our fellowship.
Cleaning Little Lambs’ room and quiet room: Playing in the Little Lambs and quiet rooms is fun! That also means, though, that germs are being shared. I plan to clean most of the items in those rooms once a week, and even though it doesn’t take long, having a few people to help would make it faster and a little easier. If you’re able and willing to help, I would appreciate it! Kayla
Bake-less Bake Sale—It is time once again for the Ladies of the Church’ Bake-less Bake Sale. The Ladies sponsor a seminary student throughout the year by sending monthly checks. This year our adopted seminary is Alexander Ogden. The Ladies also provide meals for the families at a funeral and send monies for the community Thanksgiving baskets. You can place your donation in the Sunday offering marked—Ladies or give it to Judy Bertsche or mail it to Judy Bertsche, 27651 East 2700 North Road, Chenoa IL 61726.
The Ladies Bible Study will be starting the study of Ruth on 01/08/2025 at 2p.m. at the church. We will be meeting weekly (with a couple of weeks break due to vacation-a list of dates & lessons will be forthcoming). We will complete this Bible study before starting the season of Lent. Please take one of the study books that are available in the narthex (there is no cost to you) and join us for the Bible study and fellowship-even if you are not able to attend every session! If you are not able to join the group, you can work on the Bible study at home. From the book cover: God, whether or not we see Him explicitly at work, is very active in the lives of Ruth, Naomi, & Boaz. Their story is a wonderful picture of how He watches over every little detail so that His grace may come to fruition and fully abound. Their history is just one link in a long chain of carefully orchestrated individual lives brought together for God to carry out His gracious plan for the redemption of the earth and all mankind. Questions can be directed to Pam Norris. Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 Peter 3:18.
The Chenoa food pantry current needs are side dishes, canned soups/meats/pasta.
Continuing until January 12, a Christmas tree is in the narthex and the congregation is invited to decorate the Hat and Mitten tree with donated hats, scarves, mittens and gloves. These items will be donated to local elementary schools for students to use this winter.
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