The following announcements were distributed at the September 22 service.

WELCOME TO NEW BEGINNINGS LUTHERAN CHURCH: We are glad you are worshiping with us today!

PLEASE STAY FOR FELLOWSHIP: After worship you are invited to join us downstairs for refreshments and fellowship. An elevator is located at the end of the hall.

COMMUNION: All are welcome to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and believe that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is truly present in, with and under the forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life & salvation.

The center section of each Communion tray has two types of glasses. There are glasses with white grape juice, and also glasses with a lesser amount of wine. Please feel free to take which ever will best meet your needs. The communion bread is gluten-free.

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT – Do you have medical equipment sitting around your house that you don’t use or need anymore? SOC/Parish nurse will take this equipment and store it at the church for others to use. Let Cheryl Heinold know if you have any items you would like to donate.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING! We will decorate the facility for Advent/Christmas after worship today. Plan to stay and help!

THE COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE will be this evening, November 22, at 6:00 p.m. at the MSHS. Plan to come and give thanks to God as a community!

WHY IS GRACE SO AMAZING? will not meet this week.

WEDNESDAY 12:30 BIBLE STUDY will not meet this week.

ADVENT WILL SOON BE HERE! This year the theme for our Wednesday evening Advent services is Hark the Glad Sound, and we will be hearing from the song of Zechariah, Mary, the angels and the Church. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex for various parts of the service. Please sign up and add to the Advent worship services. The services will be at 6:30 again this year.

NEXT SUNDAY THE MADRIGAL SINGERS WILL JOIN US IN WORSHIP. Come and enjoy the blessing they will bring to the worship service!

WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT EXPLORED AT LIFETREE CAFÉ. The consequences of being too quick to judge will be examined at Lifetree Café on Wednesday at 6:30 pm,

The program, titled “Wrongly Accused: A Rush to Judgment Destroys a Life,” features a filmed interview with Tim Masters, who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Masters tells how he was targeted as a suspect and how the justice system failed him. And what it was like to serve a life sentence as an innocent man.

“I was a law-abiding citizen. I gave up eight years of my life serving this country in the Navy. But there I was, locked up for something I didn’t do, and people would shoot me if I tried to leave,” says Masters.

THANKSGIVING DINNER BAGS – Thanks to everyone that brought in food for the Thanksgiving Dinner bags. The Lincoln Trail school social worker said the meals last year were greatly appreciated by the families that received them. We are so blessed to have such a generous congregation.

UPDATE ON WALK TO BETHLEHEM – Our progress has slowed down since summer ended and most of us have not been able to get outside as much but we have made it to Bethlehem. I have enjoyed finding pictures and reading about the countries we have passed thru. I hope everyone took time to look at the pictures from those countries that were on our map board each week. Now that we are in Bethlehem we will enjoy some traditional Jewish food that is served during Hanukah. Join us downstairs after church for our last Walk to Bethlehem luncheon and thanks to everyone that participated in our walk.

HEALTH KITS ARE BEING MADE FOR HELPING HANDS. These bags will be for men, women and children. There are lists for items needed in the kits on the bulletin board in the classroom hall. We have placed a flowered plastic bucket by the coat rack to place these items in. If you save grooming items from hotels when you travel these make perfect items for the kits.

THANK YOU to everyone who worked hard preparing for the spaghetti dinner last week, and also a huge thank you to everyone for their generosity in supporting the Helping Hands ministry.

THRIVENT “CHOICE” DOLLARS: New Beginnings Lutheran Church has received $956.00 from the Thrivent “Choice” dollars program for 2015 to date. These are dollars that are given to Thrivent members by Thrivent Financial. These are dollars that do not come from the member’s investments. They are dollars that Thrivent has given to their members to give to the individual’s choice of charities. We thank the members that have made this commitment to NBLC.

If you are a Thrivent member and have not made use of your “Choice” dollars. Please consider NBLC as a “Choice” receiver. If you need help in making this donation, please, contact Dick Vollmer for assistance.

HELPING HANDS IS COLLECTING WINTER CLOTHING for needy people in our community. Please put items in the box in the narthex.

YOU ARE INVITED TO EMILIE STEFFEY’S 80TH BIRTHDAY celebration open house on today 2 – 4 pm, at Immanuel Lutheran in Flatville. No gifts please. If you would like to send a card or note, please send to: Emilie Steffey, 300 Twin Lakes Dr., #25, Rantoul, IL 61866.

LIFETREE CAFÉ HAS BRANCHED OUT! Join us Thursdays at 11:30 am at our second location, in the Pool House at Candlewood Estates, 363 Randolph St. Our Wednesday evening café will continue also. We are looking for silk trees or large silk plants to add to the ambience of our new location. If you have a tree to donate or see a reasonably priced one at a garage sale please let Laura Magyar or Bobbie Schnitkey know.

2nd ANNUAL THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION! Join us on Thanksgiving Day at noon for an intergenerational Thanksgiving dinner and fellowship here at church. The purpose of this celebration is to provide an extended family to those that might not be with theirs on Thanksgiving. If you are interested, please let Bobbie Schnitkey, 898-0358, or sign up on the board in the Fellowship Hall.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH total offering was $2,998.00.