As we approach the end of the year, we take stock of all of the challenges and blessings that we have experienced throughout the year. We can all take time to give thanks to God for all of it by attending New Year’s Eve Worship at 7:00PM on December 31st at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church! Pastor Doug will share the message with us, titled “The End?” based on 1 Peter 4:7-11.

Our offerings, gifts, and tithes are returned to Jesus in response to His sacrificial love for us. If you are still considering any year end gifts for the Lord’s work at St. Paul’s, you still have time to submit them (must be received before the end of the day on December 31st). If you have questions or intentions to give, please contact Mickey Johnson in the church office at 217-423-6955.

In preparation for your New Year’s celebrations, take a moment with God in prayer. This prayer was selected by Pastor Eric for worship this weekend – a great way to reconnect with your Heavenly Father as we begin anew in 2016.

“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future. We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come. Amen.”
— Billy Graham