She had served as the organist in the smallcountry church for over half a century. Herfather had been one of the early settlers ofthe community. His skills as a carpenter arestill evident in the sturdy beams of thewood-framed church building he helped toshape.She was a devout woman – faithful in heractions and words. In her later years, herhands – once nimble and sure on the key-board – were gnarled with arthritis, makingit impossible for her to play. Yet eventhough her hands were stilled, her voice stillsang the hymns of faith she had knownsince childhood.She spent the last years of her life in a nurs-ing home. Many of those days were spentbed-ridden, waiting. She waited for thepromises to come to fulfillment — promisesmade to her when she was but an infant,promises taught to her in her childhood,promises studied and affirmed as an adult.She waited to be taken home.When the end finally came, her family andfriends gathered in the church she so lovedto hear the promises yet again. The sameorgan she had played for those manydecades sang out glorious proclamations ofa sure and certain hope, of promises ful-filled. And the same words she so ablyassisted the congregation to sing were nowoffered as a prayer for her: “Lord, now youlet your servant go in peace, for your wordhas been fulfilled.”Her waiting was over. The promises werefulfilled. God’s faithful servant was at rest.And even though there was grief expressed,somehow all was well. Somehow, there wascompletion. Somehow, there was peace.And what of us? And our waiting? Let usjoin the prayers of the faithful of ages pastas we pray, “Lord, now you let your servantgo in peace, for your word has been ful-filled.” PrayerChrist Jesus, Prince of Peace, our longed-for Savior, come to us. Grant us peace.Amen.

ConnectionsSt. Mat thew Lutheran Church – Connec t i ng Fa i th W i th L i fe !

CALENDAR of EVENTS

SAT., DECEMBER 3010am-12pm Concord Room

Reserved/Al-Anon Mtg.No 5:00pm Service This Evening

SUN., DECEMBER 31NEW YEARS EVE

9:30 am Lessons & Carols10:45 am Coffee Fellowship

Sunday School & Adult Forum resume January 7

MON., JANUARY 1NEW YEARS DAY

Office ClosedNo Morning Prayer Group,

Pastor Text StudyPastor Bob on vacationthrough January 3, 2018

TUES., JANUARY 210:00 am Men’s Coffee

at Harvest Market 5:30 pm Executive Committee Meeting 7:00 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm Boy Scouts

WED., JANUARY 3 6:00 pm Bible Study 6:45 pm STM Choir Rehearsal

No Youth Huddle Tonight

THURS., JANUARY 44-8:00 pm Fellowship Hall Reserved/

Private Party

FRI., JANUARY 5 6:00 pm Conference Epiphany Dinner

at St. Andrews

SAT., JANUARY 610am-12pm Concord Room

Reserved/Al-Anon Mtg.10am-1pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., JANUARY 7 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:45 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship 6:30 pm Youth Broomball

Please check on your friends & neighbors during this frigid weather!

STAFF OF ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCHPHONE: 367-1189 www.stmatthewurbana.org

Pastor Robert J. RasmusAssociate Pastor Maggie FalenschekOffice Manager Gayla PellumNursery Ruby Splittstoesser & Emma LacefieldParish Nurses Aziza Awate, Kathie Pound, and Beth Riddle

Connections Deadline: Submit announcements in writing to the church office or by e-mailto gayla.stm@stmatthewurbana.org no later than 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. Thank you!

Please note: Names on the list for prayers will be posted for one month unless otherwise requested.Please contact the church office with any updates or extensions. Thank you.

Msgr. Greg Ketchum, friend of Vickie HartAndrew Rogers, friend of Jill QuisenberryLaurie Padjen, friend of the Deck familySpecialist Sean Splittstoesser,

grandson of Ruby & Dan SplittstoesserBrody Welshofer, friend of Danielle DeckJulie, colleague of Sarah LoftusNic Brandon and family,

friends of the Daly familyDonna Gehrt, aunt of Jill DalyChris Galvin, friend of Morgan JohnsonMacy Slade Tester,

friend of Liz SchwartzRita, sister of Diane DurbinTerry Green & family,

friends of John & Peg WarrinerVickie Fitzsimmons,

sister-in-law of Shirley ShawRita, niece of Liz SchwartzVirginia & Meghan,

friends of Chris Bedford****************Jerry Ulrich,brother-in-law of Betsy Barringer

****************Barb Frantz, friend of Diana Marshall****************Audrey Sperandeo,

grandmother of Sarah Loftus****************

Sharon Hedrick John GantzIsabella Gonzalez Muryl OhmsRita Vanier Mandi GillilandSuzanne Ross Danielle DeckBruce Carroll Hervin BuhrGerald Smith Garris GrahamRod Warfield Lana WegengDan Splittstoesser Cherylin StiversGary Hedge****************Remember our shut-ins:Vivian Larson Elaine EbelingLeona Saathoff

In loving memory of ˜Eugene Rothrock,

father of Vicky Coffin

Please include his family & friendsin your special thoughts & prayers.

May God welcome himinto the kingdom of heaven.

PrayerRequests

Welcome!St. Matthew Lutheran Church is a fellowship of Christian believers

called to: grow in Christ, share the Gospel, serve God’s people.Do come again to

St. Matthew Lutheran Churchwhere you are always welcome.

Worship ServicesSaturday, 5:00pm A relaxed and informal worship held in ourChrist Chapel.

Sunday, 8:30 am Spirited traditional worship that focuses onparticipation through the liturgy, the greathymns of the Church, & corporate confession of our faith. Sunday, 10:45 amPraise & worship in an open & accessible style.

Stephen MinistryChristmas – A Time for ReflectionChristmas is the appropriate season to reflect on ourgifts and to share them gratefully. It is the gift givingseason and here are some thoughts to ponder.

Take time each day to pray with your hands open,palms up. Let the attitude of your heart be one inwhich you place in your hands all the gifts you have been given by God. Knowthat you can give them away and God will provide what you need.Take time to reflect on the people of your life who are special gifts to you.Choose one who might need to hear your appreciation and affirmation. Writethat person a letter of thanksgiving.Give away something material that you cherish and hold dear. Give it away withno strings attached.

A generous heart is one that can give freely of nonmaterial gifts such as compassion,understanding, patience and forgiveness. Give it away with no strings attached.The STM Stephen Ministers remind you to reflect on how God has been generousto you and as you give away some of what you cherish and hold dear, may yourheart grow in wisdom that “no one ever becomes poor by giving.”Thoughts from Fresh Bread and Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment by JoyceRuppIf you are interested in learning more about the help Stephen Ministry can provide,talk to Pastor Bob, Pastor Maggie, or Mike Krumwiede.

NEW OFFERING ENVELOPESYour 2018 offering envelopes are available for pick up in the narthexnow. They are arranged alphabetically. Please recycle any 2017envelopes you had left at the end of the year. Also, if you givethrough Simply Giving you still have envelope packets to be pickedup. Envelope packets not picked up will soon be mailed out at an expense to thechurch. Please get yours today!

JUST A REMINDER…If you have made changes to your pledge to St. Matthew’s for2018 and generously give through our Simply Giving programplease be sure to update your Simply Giving by completing anew form that was included in your acknowledgment letter & returning it to church.Forms are also available in the back of the sanctuary and in the church office. Thankyou for your support of the ministries and programs of St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

Randy Alumbaugh, Financial Secretary

MEN’S COFFEE THIS WEEK! – NEW LOCATION! Our Men’s Coffee group meets twice a month. All available STM men areinvited to gather for a cup of coffee & conversation on the first and thirdTuesday of every month. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 2, 2018at 10:00am in the Harvest Market on South Neil St. in Champaign. Men ofall ages are welcome & encouraged to join our discussions.

OUR STM FOOD PANTRY IS RUNNING VERY LOW!FOOD PANTRY WEEKEND NEXT WEEK!

We are very low on food for our food pantry. Please help by donat-ing food for families who are in need. Please pick up a grocery liston the table in the narthex & take it with you the next time you’reat or your favorite store & pick up some items for our food pantry. God bless youfor your support of this ministry. Thank you, The STM Social Ministry Team

CONFIRMATION AND SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUME JANUARY 7TH

There will be an informational meeting for middle schoolstudents and families about camp and the Service-Learning Trip on Sunday, January 7th at 9:45am in the Confirmation Room. Comehear what exciting things we have planned for spring and summer!

STMFood Pantry

ALTAR FLOWERSThe flowers on the altar this weekend are in given by Jim &Kathie Pound “just because”! Thank you so much!Help make our altar beautiful! Celebrate a birthday, anniver-sary, someone’s life or just because. The 2018 sign up sheetis now posted on the bulletin board in the narthex.

It’s Time to Make Up the Next Worship Assistant Schedule!I will be scheduling worship assistants in early January for the Februarythrough May 2018 services. If you are currently part of the schedule,please contact me to let me know if you are unavailable for certainweekends and/or if you have a scheduling preference. We can add people to any of the assisting duties and would love tosee more of you helping out! If you are currently not on our schedule,please consider giving any of our assisting positions a try! We areespecially in need of people for Altar Guild, Sound Technician,Coffee Fellowship & Visitor Team areas. We will be happy to train anyone who isinterested. We would love to have your smiling face be part of our team of worshipassistants!Please have your requests and/or preferences emailed to me at my office address(gayla.stm@stmatthewurbana.org) no later than January 10th. If you have anyquestions please give me a call at the office .

Thank you! Gayla Pellum

January Adult Forum Series Begins Next WeekThe Adult Forums in January are designed to get your inputon the pending question of launching a capital campaign forbuilding improvements and financial stability, in turn, grow-ing and expanding our mission and ministry. Four uniqueforums are designed to present information and listen to yourinterests and concerns as it relates to a potential campaign.

Please consider attending the forums to learn and share yourthoughts. The Adult Forums follow the 8:30am service andare held in the Augsburg Room.

Our Building NeedsSunday, January 7, 2018Thursday, January 11, 2018 / 6:30PM (repeat session)This session will focus on the physical upgrades needed forour church facility. Following a presentation, participantswill have the opportunity to share their thoughts about facili-ties and how they are needed to carry out the mission.

Understanding Budget and StewardshipSunday, January 14, 2018This session will present an overview of the church budgetand the results of the annual stewardship campaign in an easyto understand format. Attendees will have a chance to see theconnection between giving, executing the mission, and bal-ancing the books.

Our Church MissionSunday, January 21, 2018Grow, Share, Serve. This session will explore what this mis-sion means and highlight the different ways it is carried out.Discussion will also focus on how this mission relates to thephysical needs of our church facility.

Recap and PrioritiesSunday, January 28, 2018This session recaps the perspectives heard in the first threeforums and begins to make priorities. This discussion willprovide a structure for the Church Council, and ultimately thecongregation, to consider the question of launching a capitalcampaign.

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP NEXT SUNDAY – AT THE RINKon January 7th, 6:30-8:30, Lutheran Churchesin the C-U area are teaming up to rent theUniversity Ice Arena for our annualBroomball Tournament and Ice Skating night.One side of the rink will be reserved forBroomball, the other will be open for ice skat-ing. Admission is covered by our congregation but bring extra money if you’d like torent skates (no skates needed for broomball).

“LET’S DO LUNCH” LADIES LUNCHEON Join us on the second Friday of each month at 11:30 am at a dif-ferent restaurant each month. No age limit, no jobs to do, no col-ored hats to wear, nothing to study, strictly social & fun. Comewhen you can whatever months you can. The next lunch will beheld Friday, January 12th at Oishi on North Prospect in Champaign. The sign up sheetis posted on the bulletin board in the narthex If you forget to sign up... come anyway!Women of all ages are welcome!

SALT & LIGHT VOLUNTEER DAYS Salt & Light, a local ministry that connects families in need with com-munity resources, has a new location right down the street! On Friday,January 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 20 from1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., we’ll be visiting this new location to learn moreabout their services (including how they’ll work with Sola Gratia) andvolunteer in their store. Members can sign up on the Social Ministry bul-letin board located in the narthex. If you have any questions, email Laura Podeschi atlepodeschi@gmail.com or call her at 217-417-7188. Let’s give Salt & Light a warm wel-come to the neighborhood!

STM QUILTERSSTM Quilters are back at work. We have 3 senior quiltsto complete by May. We are also working on LinusProject Quilts and Fidget blankets/aprons. If you wouldlike to help our ministry monetary donations are appre-ciated. We need to purchase fabric, batting and thread for our projects.If you want to join us we meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of eachmonth. Everyone is welcome.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRYThe next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will be Wednesday,January 17th at 9:30 a.m. in the Concord Room at church. We wel-come all who knit. If you know of someone who would be comfortedby a prayer shawl, please contact Joan Peterson (384-7415), MaryAnderson (896-2061), Pastor Bob, Pastor Maggie or the church office (367-1189). Thestories from the recipients are beautiful & filled with gratitude for the prayers & lovethat goes into making them.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDYThe WELCA Bible Study will meet at Prairie Winds of Urbana...like last year we will meet on the same day (last Thursday of themonth) and at the same time (9:30am). If you would like to jointhe women's Bible studies based on the Gather magazine Biblestudies (& we would welcome any other Bible study ideas) pick up one of the com-plimentary copies of the magazine today in the narthex & join us on January 25th forfellowship & coffee. Hope to see you then!

Thanks ladies, Mary Anderson, Bible Study coordinator

LADIES... LET’S PLAY BUNCOPlay a fast paced game, win great prizes, and have a lot of fun.Please bring a snack to share and your drink of choice. The nextBUNCO Night will be Thursday, January 25th starting at 6:30pmin the Augsburg Room. No need to sign up... everyone is wel-come. We have a great time! Join the fun & bring a friend!!!