The early summer in Texas was a time to har-vest the wild mustang grapes that grew in thebrushy pastures of the family farm. The mus-tang vines grew in live oak and mesquite treesand on fence posts and wires. Occasionally,when picking a cluster of grapes, the fruitwould cling so tightly to the vine that a branchwould break off with the fruit. After ten min-utes in the Texas heat, the broken-off branchwould be limp and lifeless, nothing more thandead wood. But connected to the vine, thebranches grew and produced plump, tartgrapes.Vines can teach a great deal about faith andthe Christian life; they illustrate the impor-tance of being connected to Christ and to oneanother. Vines can also demonstrate the with-ering, life-sapping pain of being separatedfrom God and from others – how we shrivelup and die without that connection.Vines continue to teach the importance of tak-ing time to remain. Too often we find our-selves urged to do, to go, to produce, to bearfruit. This urgency is felt in our personal, pro-fessional, and even in spiritual life. The imagery of Jesus as the vine emphasizesthe importance of remaining and abiding inChrist. In prayer and worship, in the study ofScripture, in holy conversation and connec-tion with other branches – it is there wherestrength is found to endure the heat of the dayand the storms of the seasons.Remain in Christ…

remember your baptism.Remain in Christ…

remember you have been grafted to thevine through the life, death andresurrection of Jesus.

Remain in Christ… plant your roots deep in God’s love. Tapinto the living water.

Remain in Christ… and the fruit will come.

The fruit will come … not because of whatyou do, but because of the life-source flowingin and through you.Prayer Gracious God, source of all life, keep me con-nected to you. Amen.

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

CALENDAR of EVENTSSAT., APRIL 28

Illinois Marathon Weekend

10am-12pm Concord RoomReserved/Al-Anon Mtg.

10am-1pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., APRIL 29 8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:50 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship

MON., APRIL 30 8:30 am Morning

Prayer Group

9:00 am Pastors’ Text Study 7:00 pm Girl Scouts

TUES., MAY 110:00 am Men’s Coffee at

Harvest Market 7:00 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm Boy Scouts

WED., MAY 2 6:00 pm Bible Study 6:30 pm Youth Huddle 6:45 pm STM Choir Rehearsal

FRI., MAY 4Office Closed

SAT., MAY 5FOOD PANTRY WEEKEND

10am-12pm Concord RoomReserved/Al-Anon Mtg.

10am-1pm ECIRMAC 5:00 pm Worship

SUN., MAY 6

FOOD PANTRYWEEKEND

8:30 am Worship 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 9:50 am Sunday School 9:50 am Adult Forum10:45 am Worship 11:00 am Confirmation

Prep Meeting 6:30 pm High School

Youth Group

STMFOOD PANTRY

WEEKEND

grades 9-12

st. matthew lutheran church

student ministry

2017/2018

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real church for real life

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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.

Specialist Sean Splittstoesser,grandson of Ruby & Dan Splittstoesser

Brody Welshofer, friend of Danielle DeckDonna Gehrt, aunt of Jill DalyChris Galvin, friend of Morgan JohnsonRita, sister of Diane DurbinVickie Fitzsimmons,

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

friends of Chris BedfordBarb Frantz, friend of Diana MarshallJohn Sheehan,

grandfather of Walker WestfieldJanette Green, friend of Peg WarrinerGloria & family, aunt of Jill Daly****************Tobie Durance,

granddaughter of Mark & Tina Shaw and great-granddaughter of Shirley Shaw

Morris & Doreen Huck,friends of Dorothy Graham

Janet Kitzman, sister of Ruby Splittstoesser****************Diane & Pat VanMatre,

friends of Dorothy Graham****************

Sharon Hedrick John GantzIsabella Gonzalez Muryl OhmsRita Vanier Mandi GillilandSuzanne Ross Danielle DeckBruce Carroll Hervin BuhrGerald Smith Garris GrahamRod Warfield Dan SplittstoesserCherylin StiversPr. Bill & Kathryn HarumNorm & Lana Maske****************Remember our shut-ins:Elaine Ebeling Leona Saathoff

In loving memory of ˜Roseann Clifford,

friend of Betsy Barringer

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

May God welcome herinto the kingdom of heaven.

Prayer RequestsPrayer Requests

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 our Christ Chapel.

Sunday, 8:30 am Spirited traditional worship that focuses on participation through the liturgy, the great hymns of the Church, & corporate confession of our faith. Our 9:30 am Single Sunday Summer service will begin May 20th.

Sunday, 10:45 amPraise & worship in an open & accessible style.

Stephen Ministry Introductory WorkshopCaring Tip from Stephen MinistryIn the movie Still Alice, a 50-something women isdiagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. In a scenetoward the middle of the film, Alice’s daughter Lydiaasks about her experience with Alzheimer’s:“What’s it like? What does it actually feel like?”Alice tells her daughter:“Well, it’s not always the same. I have good days and bad days, and on my good daysI can, you know, almost pass for a normal person. But on my bad days, I feel like Ican’t find myself… I can see the words hanging in front of me and I can’t reach themand I don’t know who I am. And I don’t know what I’m going to lose next.”After a moment, Lydia replies with just two words: “Sounds horrible.”Alice smiles and says “Thanks for asking.”Lydia’s response may not sound caring, but actually it conveys tremendous empathy andcompassion. All too often, we’re so anxious to help the person feel better we downplaythe painful feelings they share. We may say:

• “Try to focus on the good days, not the bad.”• “There could be a medical breakthrough at any time.”• “You need to stay positive!”

So the next time someone shares about a painful situation, something like “Sounds hor-rible” might be just the right thing to say.

If you would like to see a Stephen Minister contact Pastor Bob, Pastor Maggie or MikeKrumwiede.

SUNDAY MORNING ADULT FORUM – FARM PROGRESS UPDATEThe Sola Gratia Farm has been a bee-hive of activity thisspring. Come to the Adult Forum on Sunday and hear all thedetails about the new building, the new acres, thenew wash-pack, new relationships, how youcan become involved and more. We’ll eventhrow in a tour if the weather is permitting!Sunday at 9:50 in the Augsburg Room.

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY RESUMES THIS WEEK!Our Wednesday night Adult Forum will resume onWednesday, May 2 when we pick up with the study ofFirst Peter. Martin Luther was quite fond of the book. Infact he wrote in his commentary on First Peter, “Probablyno other document in the New Testament is so theologicalas 1 Peter, if we understand ‘theological’ in the strict sense as teaching about God."Please join us at our Wednesday Night Adult Study beginning at 6:00 in theAugsburg Room.

WE HAVE NEW ST. MATTHEW TEE-SHIRTS!The shirts are heathered blue and white and SUPER soft – youcan check them out in our gathering area. Shirts are $15: if you'dlike to purchase one, talk to Pr. Maggie! Additional sizes areavailable by order.

THE 2018-2019 ST. MATTHEW PHONE DIRECTORY IS ON THE WAY!We want to be sure and have accurate & com-plete information for all the members of thechurch. We would also like to include cellphone numbers and email addresses, but onlywith your permission. Copies of the informa-tion we have on file at this time will be avail-able on the bulletin board across from the office starting May 1st until May 27th.Please take a moment to stop by the bulletin board to check your listing & make anyadditions and/or corrections. We plan to have the new directory available at the JuneCongregational Meeting. Thank you!

MEN’S COFFEE THIS WEEKOur Men’s Coffee group meets twice a month. All available STM menare invited to gather for a cup of coffee & conversation on the firstand third Tuesday of every month. Our next meeting will be Tuesday,May 1st at 10:00am in the Harvest Market on South Neil St. inChampaign. Men of all ages are welcome & encouraged to join ourdiscussions.

STM QUILTERSSTM Quilters are almost finished with the quilts for ourgraduating High School Seniors. We have been workinghard to get them finished by June 3rd when Pastor Maggiewill present them during our church service. It is hard workand love that keeps us going. Be watching for some exciting things we will be working on and offering to theCongregation. We will work through the summer and hope that others will join us.We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. If you are interested in joiningus or want more information please contact Peg Warriner, 217-369-5433.

ALTAR FLOWERSThe flowers on the altar this weekend are given by ChrisBedford in loving memory of her grandson, JamesSiedenburg. He will live in your hearts forever.Help make our altar beautiful! Celebrate a birthday,anniversary, someone’s life or just because. The sign upsheet is located on the bulletin board in the narthex.

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“LET’S DO LUNCH” LADIES LUNCHEONJoin us on the second Friday of each month at 11:30am at a different restaurant each month. No agelimit, no jobs to do, no colored hats to wear, nothingto study, strictly social & fun. Come when you canwhatever months you can. The next lunch will be heldFriday, May 11th at Longhorn Steakhouse on North Prospect in Champaign. The signup sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. If you forget to sign up... comeanyway! Women of all ages are welcome!

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRYThe next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry will be Wednesday,May 16th at 9:30 a.m. in the Concord Room at church. We welcomeall who knit. If you know of someone who would be comforted by aprayer shawl, please contact Joan Peterson (384-7415), MaryAnderson (898-0350), 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.

RELITOur May book leaves the reader unsure if laughing or crying is themore appropriate response. Whether you laugh or cry, A Man CalledOve by Fredrik Backman is a very unusual book. A taciturn, lonelyman, Ove is firmly wrapped in his father’s strict moral code andwork ethic. His emotional warmth lies beneath layers of shouldsand should nots. After the death of his beloved wife Sonja, he isquietly but firmly determined to commit suicide; but each time hehas all the arrangements made to do so, something intervenes tostop him. This sounds morbid, but strangely it isn’t. Bit by bit Ove comes closer andcloser to throwing off his cloak of rigidity as bit by bit he allows himself, evenagainst his wishes, to feel affection for a collection of quirky neighbors. A ManCalled Ove is a quick read, short chapters with puzzling titles that draw you in tosee what in the world will be revealed in this section. Join us at 7 p.m. on Friday,May 18, in the Concord Room at St. Matthew for discussion and a treat. You’ll beglad you did.

THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. MATTHEWWe'll be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of St. Matthew onReformation Sunday in the fall! We'd like to form a steeringcommittee very soon. The weekend event could include wor-ship, music, fellowship, historical record, stories and a video.We may even want to incorporate some St. Matthew stories dur-ing Sunday School and Adult forums during the weeks leadingup to Reformation Sunday. Many of the ministry leaders onCouncil will be helping with planning this event, but we need a fewpeople to help create, plan and communicate to the congregation as we plan this won-derful celebration. Please let Dorothy Gable know if you are interested in helping toplan the celebration! dorothy.p.gable@gmail.com or 766-7360

It’s Time to Make Up the Next Worship Assistant Schedule!I will be scheduling worship assistants in mid May for the June throughSeptember 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 to seemore of you helping out! If you are currently not on our schedule, please considergiving any of our assisting positions a try! 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 May 9th. If you have any ques-tions, please give me a call at the office . Thank you! Gayla Pellum

SPRING HAS ARRIVED AT THE STM GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCETake a stroll through the garden and envision your finalresting place close to your church. Planning ahead relievesyour family of many decisions. $1200 includes two urns,engraving on the granite and a niche space for the two urns.Request forms are available in the office. Payment plansare available.

LOVE A CHALLENGE?A $25,000 challenge has been given to LSSI from an anonymousdonor who is matching any and all Good Shepherd Sunday (April 22)donations 1:1 through the first Sunday in June. This gift will be usedwhere it is most needed by agencies across the state. Now is the timeto give to LSSI in general and Storybook Project specifically. If, however, you wish your gift to go specifically toward the St.Matthew/Good Shepherd Storybook Project team's work atDanville Correctional Center rather than LSSI in general, pleasemark your check STORYBOOK on the notation line.

May 11th - 20th9am-5pm

YOUR HELP MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO HELP FEED HUNGRY FAMILIESTHANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS to ourSTM Food Pantry. With all of your help the Food Pantry is full offood for the weekly deliveries. The families in the Urbana and-Champaign area are grateful to you for helping them by your dona-tions. We have a few items that we are in need of at this time:canned or bottle juices, boxed mashed potatoes, spaghetti noo-dles, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, pancake syrup,Hamburger Helper, cornbread mix, toilet paper. If you have any questionabout STM food pantry, we would be happy to answer them, or if you wouldlike to volunteer to help us make deliveries call the church office at 367-1189.

STM

Make a Note!There will only be ONE SERVICEon May 20th, Confirmation Sunday,

beginning at 9:30am.Our Summer Sunday ServiceSchedule starts May 27th.

Worship will begin at 9:30amWe will follow this schedule through September 2nd.

We will also have our 5:00 service on Saturday evening through the summer.