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“Help for the Helpless"
At that time
the disciples
came to Je-
sus, saying,
"Who is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven?"
And calling to Him a child,
He put him in the midst of
them and said, "Truly, I
say to you, unless you
turn and become like chil-
dren, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself
like this child is the great-
est in the kingdom of
heaven. Whoever receives
one such child in My
Name receives Me ... See
that you do not despise
one of these little ones.
are sinners like adults,
and differ mainly in hav-
ing less experience—and
less power and oppor-
tunity to do harm.
So what is Jesus after
when He tells us to be-
come like children? It
seems to me that the sin-
gle defining trait of a
child is helplessness. A
child has nothing to offer,
(Continued on page 6)
For I tell you that in heav-
en their angels always
see the face of My Father
who is in heaven." Matthew
18:1-5, 10 "Whoever humbles him-
self like this child is the
greatest in the kingdom
of heaven."
Most of us have heard
Jesus' words so often, we
are not properly shocked
by them. Aw, how cute,
we may think. Children
are so lovely, so innocent.
That must be what Jesus
is referring to. Except ...
kids aren't really pure and
innocent, are they? Any
preschool teacher can tell
you otherwise. Children
Regular Features:
Passion Play Trip 2
Stewardship 3
On-line Offerings 3
CPH Turns 150 Old 3
Worship Anew 4
Brunch -Nov 3rd 5
Fall Vendor/Craft Fair 5
Inside this Issue:
Bd of Director’s 2
God’s Treasure Report 3
Flower Chart 5
Birthdays 7
Anniversaries 7
Calendar of Events 7
conductor and clinician,
she currently sings with
Vox Antiqua, a Milwau-
kee early music ensem-
ble.
After the service we will
be holding a Brunch in
honor of the
Kammerchor in the Gym
with a benefit freewill
offering. (see menc page 5)
We are pleased to an-
nounce that the 31-voice
choir will perform both
accompanied and unac-
companied choral pieces
during our All Saints
Church Service on Sun-
day, November 3, 2019
at 9:15am. Our own Jo-
nah McGinnis is a mem-
ber of the choir.
Kammerchor was estab-
lished as the Concordia
University-Wisconsin’s
touring choir in 1981, and
has traveled throughout
the United States, Cana-
da, Brazil, Great Britain,
China, Italy, Slovakia and
the Czech Republic.
Dr. Alexa Doebele, an as-
sociate professor of mu-
sic, conducts not only
Kammerchor, but Selah
and a mixed Chapel Choir
as well. A frequent guest
All Saints Day Sunday Service—November 3rd
The Newsletter of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, River Grove, Illinois
Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Rev. Roger Gallup, Pastor October 2019 Volume 13, Issue 10
The Bethlehem Star Page 2
“Serving GOD and the
community since 1898”
Board of Directors Chairman
Gerald Erjavec
847-671-1677
Vice-Chairman
Ray Bernero
708-456-4344
Secretary
Kurt Kugelberg
630-248-2571
Treasurer
Marian Sperling
847-288-0334
Financial Secretary
Tim Saar
847-455-2123
Elders
Harry McGinnis
708-837-9753
Properties
Bob Schultz
At-Large
Liz Mork
708-453-2187
Diana Arndt
847-455-5193
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES: August 27, 2019
Rev. & Mrs. Paul Mumme of Divine Shepherd Luther-
an Church in Bolingbrook (former pastor at Mt. Calva-
ry, Franklin Park) invite you to join them on an 11-day
Germany & Austria tour in September 2020, the
highlight of which will be First Class Category 1 tick-
ets to this play. To learn more visit: pmumme.wixsite.com/passionplay2020
* Roof is leaking in new
area (painter is going to
give us an estimate. Liz
suggested that we start a
Roofing fund again as a
line item and ask for do-
nations etc.
* We are trying to get es-
timates on gutter guards
* HVAC needs to be pro-
gramed for fall/winter
season
* Light in downstairs girls
bathroom fixed. It was
caused by leak in up-
stairs janitor’s sink.
* Gym window frame still
needs to be fixed
* Replaced all lights in
exit signs
Ad hoc committees: no
report
Vice Chairman’s Report:
no report
Old Business:
* Still need to deal with
dishes in kitchen
* Peggy voiced the fol-
lowing continuing issues:
1-Picket Fence bath-
rooms aren’t being kept
clean
2-Picket Fence Multi-
purpose room use
caused cleaning prob-
lems and use of bath-
room supplies
3-Need to get rid of re-
frigerator & soda ma-
chine. Pastor will check
if company will take back
soda machine & Peggy
will call ComEd to see if
they will pick up fridge
New Business:
Budget/Elections: Jerry
will email Tim and Marian
to start work on budget &
will ask everyone their
interest in continuing on
BOD
next meeting: September
24, 2019
Closing – Lord’s Prayer:
7:53pm
Respectfully submitted by
Kurt Kugelberg, Secretary
Attendance:
Pastor, Jerry
Erjavec, Bob Schultz, Di-
ana Arndt, Liz Mork, Kurt
Kugelberg & Peggy
Shabez
Opening Prayer: 7:00pm
Approval of past
Minutes: approved as
corrected
Official Acts: none
Treasurer’s Report: no
report
Financial Secretary’s Re-
port: no report
Pastor’s Report:
* It was hot and humid
at the Tampa LCMS con-
ference
* It cost us more to let
Picket Fence to use mul-
ti-purpose room than in-
come we got
Deacons Report: no re-
port
Properties Report:
* Painting is done ex-
cept for rooftop HVAC
unit (contractor needs to
rent a cherry picker)
Are you getting the Newsletter via Email? If not please give pas-
tor your email ad-dress!
Volume 13, Issue 10 October 2019 Page 3
Date Attendance Income Goal Difference
Year * 1,654 $65,917.25 $78,562 -($12,644.75)
Sept 1 41 $925.00 $2,308 -($1,383.00)
Sept 8 41 $7,243.00 $2,308 $4,935.00
Sept 15 40 $2,189.00 $2,308 -($119.00)
Sept 22 44 $1,289.00 $2,308 -($1,019)
Sept 29
YEAR 1,820 $77,563.25 $87,794 -($10,230.75)
God’s Treasure Report
*The Year row are the totals for this church year prior to but NOT including the dates shown in
the rest of the table .
beggars. This is true.
This is the heart and soul of
Christianity and the life-blood of
the Christian Church. God justi-
fies us, and He declares us
innocent and righteous by His
grace received through faith for
the sake of Christ. This is not
because of our works; this is
because of His work on the
cross. We, who once were ene-
mies of God, are reconciled to
Him and made to be His chil-
dren.
This is what Luther would point
us to when He took up his pen
for the last time and scribbled
“We are all beggars. This is
true.” We are beggars. But we
are beggars of the God who
does not ignore us, who
doesn’t pass by us on the other
side. We are beggars of the
One who descended from heav-
en to make His dwelling with
sinners.
We are beggars of Him who
deigns to dwell with us, among
us, and – yes – even in us by
grace for Christ’s sake. For in
the bread and cup that we
bless, we share together with
Christ and each other the rich-
es of God’s grace.
So inexhaustible are the riches
of this grace – the Gospel in
sermon and absolution, in Bap-
tism and Holy Communion –
that our cups overflow. We, who
are God’s beggars, are not only
inexhaustibly satisfied but have
something to give back in
thanksgiving and praise.
Stewardship: We are all Beggars
In the early morning hours of
Feb. 18, 1546, Martin Luther
closed his eyes forever. And
the hand that hammered the
95 Theses into the door of
the Castle Church in Witten-
berg on Oct. 31, 1517,
penned its final words: “We
are all beggars. This is true.”
And this is the truth that our
Lord says makes you free.
Ironic, isn’t it? That, in order
to be free, you must be a beg-
gar; you must be utterly de-
pendent and reliant upon
God. This makes us uncom-
fortable – the way we’re un-
comfortable when someone
gets us a Christmas or birth-
day present when we haven’t
gotten them one. We feel we
owe them. And we don’t
much like being in someone’s
debt.
But what Luther would re-
mind us is that we are all in-
deed beggars. But we’re not
just anyone’s beggars. We’re
God’s beggars. And this is His
legacy to the Christian
Church. Christ came for sin-
ners. He came to seek and
save the lost. He came to
heal the sick and raise the
dead. He came for sinners,
and He dwells only with sin-
ners.
And, if we are to be where He
is, we must be willing to be
counted among the lost, the
sick, and the dead. We must
be willing to be beggars. We
must cry out for mercy, for
grace, and for his unde-
served love and kindness.
We must be dependent sole-
ly on Him and what He gives.
And here’s the beauty: He
gives us everything. Every-
thing – forgiveness of sins,
salvation from death and the
devil, and eternal life. This is
not because of any worthi-
ness or merit in us, but it is
because of His divine good-
ness, mercy, and grace.
On account of Christ’s death
and resurrection, the Father
forgives you, saves you, and
is pleased with you. And you
receive. You receive His love,
His righteousness, His holi-
ness, His acceptance, and
His inheritance. We are all
"Making His House Your Home"
On-Line Giving/Offerings: You can now schedule contributions to Bethlehem online through VANCO.
To contribute online, visit our web site:
www.BethlehemRiverGrove.com and choose “Donations” in the top banner
Concordia Publishing House Turns 150 Years Old
On significant anniver-
saries, we are reminded
of God’s faithfulness
and His unmerited
blessings. Concordia
Publishing House exists
singularly to provide
materials for the people
of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Syn-
od to feast on God’s
Word. For 150 years,
CPH has faithfully done
so. All thanks and
praise belong to God
alone. The September
issue of The Lutheran
Witness highlights CPH
throughout the years.
It also contains a brief
summary of the 67th
Regular Convention of
the LCMS held in Tampa,
Fla., this July. As you
read, rejoice, for God
loves you in Christ. Pray
without ceasing, for God
invites you to speak to
Him. And give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is
God’s will for you in Christ
Jesus.
The Bethlehem Star Page 4
Bethlehem Church was
dedicated on Sunday,
Nov 4, 1951 it was built
adjacent to the old church
building
circa 1900 Bethlehem
Church (foreground) and
School (background)
Our Church Staff Pastor
Rev. Roger Gallup, M. Div.,
M.A.
Office 708-453-1113
Home 708-456-9028
Director of Music
Linda Erjavec, B.A.
847-671-1677
Secretary
Elizabeth Gallup
708-453-1113x10
“In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known unto God.” Phil 4:6
Would you like to submit a prayer request?
Prayer is very powerful & Bethlehem has a powerful prayer
chain.
Sue Peavey, Chief Prayer Warrior
708-724-6582
We will do the rest and many prayers will be made known to
God.
Daily Devotion-Lutheran Church Charities
www.devotions.lcccharities.org
Read or listen to a great daily devotional
"Lord of glory, You have
bought us, With Your
lifeblood as the price,
Never grudging for the
lost ones, That tremen-
dous sacrifice; And with
that have freely given,
Blessings countless as
the sand, To the un-
thankful and the evil,
With Your own unspar-
ing hand.
"Wondrous honor You
have given, To our hum-
blest charity, In Your
own mysterious sen-
tence, 'You have done it
all to Me,' Can it be, O
gracious Master, That
You deign for alms to
sue, Saying by Your poor
and needy, 'Give as I
have giv'n to you'?"
We are rightly awed by
news reports of people
who give their lives to
save others. Members
of the Armed Forces,
first responders, per-
haps parents or family
members, or sometimes
even strangers, die so
that others might live.
Even the apostle Paul
wonders about such rare
sacrifices: "For one will
scarcely die for a right-
eous person—though per-
haps for a good person
one would dare even to
die" (Romans 5:7). The
psalmist also considers
the cost of a life. He is
concerned, not with an
earthly tragedy, but with
the threat of eternal dan-
ger: "Truly no man can
ransom another, or give
to God the price of his
life, for the ransom of
their life is costly and can
never suffice that he
should live on forev-
er" (Psalm 49:7-9a).
The psalmist, of course,
knows the cost of a life
and who alone can pay
that price. "God will ran-
som my soul from the
power of Sheol" (Psalm
49:15a). The apostle Paul
also knows, and writes,
"While we were still sin-
ners, Christ died for
us" (Romans 5:8). The
hymn echoes these an-
swers in astonished
praise: "Lord of glory,
You have brought us
with Your lifeblood as
the price." Jesus shed
His innocent blood to
save us, but He never
expected us to some-
how become "good" or
worthy before He died
on the cross for us.
While we were still sin-
ners, "the lost ones" of
the hymn, Christ died for
us. Jesus willingly sacri-
ficed Himself for the
sins of the world, and
now He continues to
pour out "blessings
countless as the sand"
on all people, even "the
unthankful"—and we
(Continued on page 6)
“Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us"
Volume 13, Issue 10 October 2019 Page 5 "Making His House Your Home"
All Saints Day —November 3rd
COFFEE &…You’re invit-
ed to join others in Chris-
tian fellowship every Sun-
day after worship service
Flower Chart 2019:
We are all aware that
flowers bring beauty to
the altar as well as joy to
the giver. Unfortunately,
we have experienced
problems with receiving
payment. If you are like
me we sign up when the
flower chart is produced
and then forget about it
until the date comes up
and our name appears in
the bulletin as the donor.
We leave church saying
we have to pay for them
and then time gets away
from us and the thought
is forgotten. Payment
can be made in advance
or at least during the
month in which flowers
were requested.
God's blessings to each
of you who donate flow-
ers. Any questions you
may contact Liz Mork.
River Grove
Food Pantry “If everyone coming
to church brought just
one item each Sun-
day, think how many
lives we could touch.”
PLEASE USE OUR:
Tuition Credit
Shopping Program for current & future
students of Walther
High School
shopwithscrip.com Linda McGinnis,
Chairperson
708-681-1076
We collect tabs to
benefit Ronald
McDonald House.
Drop them off
in the Narthex.
Many thanks! Jim & Marion Ashby
Chairpersons 1-708-769-6624
Pull Tabs
2, 2019
10th
This year the Market Day brand was ac-quired by Market Day Local, Inc. Starting now the Market Day fundraising program and beloved Market Day products will be available for direct home delivery for all Market Day fans.
SHOULD WE JOIN
AGAIN?
The Bethlehem Star Page 6
circa 1927 Bethlehem
Church & Parsonage prior
to remodeling of church
building which occurred in
1928
Our old church altar
Sundays-6am-WGN 720AM www.lcms.org/witness
nothing to bargain with.
Children have no money,
no power, no prestige, no
experience and talents
and skills. They cannot
protect themselves, be-
cause everyone around
them is bigger, stronger,
and smarter. They are
natural victims—unless
they find a protector.
This is what Jesus calls
us to recognize about
ourselves. We are in fact
just this helpless, wheth-
er we realize it or not. Oh,
we may have more edu-
cation or street smarts or
power or money. But
none of that does any
good against the attacks
of sin, death, and the
devil. When it really mat-
ters, we are all as help-
less as newborns, and
blessed are the people
who realize that fact and
turn wholeheartedly to
Jesus for protection!
Those people have given
up on any idea of saving
themselves. They are put-
ting all of their trust in
their Savior, in Jesus—
and that makes them the
greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. Everything
they have, they have
from Jesus.
He is the help of the
helpless. He is the One
who holds them in His
hands, and who warns
everyone who comes
near to do them no harm.
God the Father will not
forget those who harm
His little ones—and that
includes not just children,
but anyone, even you,
who has fled to Him for
refuge. He treasures us
as His own Son. As Jesus
said, "Whoever receives
one such child in My
Name receives Me." And
from that we know how
much God cares about
us—and how carefully we
should cherish the peo-
ple around us.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, help
me to trust in You and in
nothing else. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was writ-
ten by Dr. Kari Vo.
“Help for the Helpless" (Continued from page 1)
www.dignity4girls.org
Contact: Sue Peavey 708-724-6582
sometimes find ourselves
in that category—"and the
evil."
Having redeemed us
through His death and
resurrection, Jesus now
gives us the "wondrous
honor" of being the bene-
ficiaries of His countless
blessings. As members of
His body, the church, we
are His eyes and hands
and feet in the world. He,
the Lord of glory, gave
Himself for us. We now
give our lives in service
to Him, for in giving to
others we are serving the
Lord of glory. In response
to what we have done for
others, Jesus will say on
the Last Day, "You have
done it all to Me."
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, for-
give us when we give our
attention only to meeting
our own needs. By the
power of Your Spirit, lead
us to give ourselves in
service to others as You
gave
Your-
self
to
serve
and
to
save
the lost. Amen.
written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It
is based on the hymn, "Lord
of Glory, You Have Bought
Us," which is found on page
851 of the Lutheran Service
Book.
“Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us” (Continued from page 4)
O'Connor, Michael 01-Oct
Robinson, Deanna 02-Oct
Ridge, Ronald 03-Oct
Guhl, Crystal 04-Oct
Sepulveda, Brittany 04-Oct
Husby, Sarah 05-Oct
Brame, Quintin 06-Oct
Diaz, Stephanie 08-Oct
Steimel, Elizabeth 09-Oct
Husby, Cole 10-Oct
Romberg, Jim 16-Oct
Virzi, Madelyn 17-Oct
Naylor, Janet 20-Oct
Burke, Sharon 21-Oct
LeDuc, Mackenzie 21-Oct
Nicely, Duane 23-Oct
Olson, Ronald 25-Oct
Kuhfuss, Gregory 26-Oct
Lee, Loryn 27-Oct
Castillo, Amy 28-Oct
DiFazio, Trisha 28-Oct
Thompson, Heidi 28-Oct
Nicely, Renata 29-Oct
O'Connor, Baily 30-Oct
Birthdays
Volume 13, Issue 10 October 2019 Page 7
Sue & Mark Peavey 10-Oct
Arlene & Peter Capron 18-Oct
Do you want to add to our Birthday or
Anniversary list? Contact the Church Office:
708-453-1113 or just send us a note!
Anniversaries
"Making His House Your Home"
Note: (C) denotes Common Cup Communion Service and (I) denotes Individual Cup Communion Service;
October 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
29 30 01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10 11 12
17th Sun a. Pentecost
8:15am Bible Study
9:15am Service (C)
10:30am Coffee &
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
18th Sun a. Pentecost
8:15am Bible Study
9:15am Service (I)
10:30am Coffee &
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
19th Sun a. Pentecost
8:15am Bible Study
9:15am Service (C)
10:30am Coffee &
27 28 29 30 31 01 02
Reformation Day
8:15am Bible Study
9:15am Service (I)
10:30am Coffee &
Bethlehem Lutheran Church 2624 Oak Street
River Grove, Illinois 60171
Celebrating God’s Love since 1898
What We Teach and Confess As Lutherans
-There is one true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
-All People are born in sin, and we sin against God every day.
-Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is true God and true man. He came from heaven, lived a perfect life in our place and died
a sacrificial death on the cross for all.
-Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and opened the gates of heaven to all who trust in him.
-God accepts all who believe in Jesus even though there is no merit or worthiness in us.
-So that we might believe in Jesus, God has given us the ministry, which is the preaching of Christ and the
Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Through these, God also gives us the forgiveness of sins.
-When God brings people to faith, He also produces many good works in our lives. These are done, not to earn grace,
but to do God’s will and please him. We love him because he first loved us.
-God has given every man, woman and child a calling in life. Within that calling He directs us, and through His Word,
strengthens us to live for Him.
-The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Bible is free from all error and contradiction in all that it says. The Word of
God brings us to Jesus our Lord.
ADVANCE EQUIPMENT
MANUFACTURING COMPANY
CHICAGO, IL
WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday 9:15am Service
Communion is celebrated every
Sunday; common cup on the
1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday & individual cup
on the 2nd and 4th Sunday.
CHURCH: (708) 453-1113
PASTOR: 708-456-9028
NEWSLETTER Please e-mail any articles you
want included in the next
newsletter to:
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
bethlehemrivergrove.com
8:15am Sundays— For all you Early Risers used to
coming to the first service - Join
us for coffee and a topical discus-
sion of the Bible with Pastor Gal-
lup. Everyone interested in learn-
ing more about the Word are
welcome!
