Immanuel Lutheran Ministries

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) & Grow With Us Child Center

 
"Thank You!" for visiting our website!

Our 2020 Summer Worship Schedule:
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.  &  Sundays at 9:00 a.m.
(Holy Communion is celebrated on the first and last weekends each month.)

 

5/25 Note:

1 - Please note that our Online Bible Study will resume next Monday evening (June 1st) at 7:30pm!
(If this evening timing would be prefered among members for whom mornings didn't work,
please send me an email so that I can invite you to this Zoom event!)
2 - Thank you to those who carefully gathered for worship this past weekend!  It was great to experience in-person worship again!  With the existing restrictions, it wasn't the same as always, but it was a good start and a blessing to see friends in our Christian family.
3 - Thank you to those who stayed home to worship online this past weekend!  We fully respect and support you in this decision!  In Christian love, we all know that regaining a comfort with worshipping together again will be a process.  Please be assured that when you choose to rejoin us, we are taking precautions and doing what we can to be safe and still offer a familiar worship experience!
(We are singing some - about 50% of normal.  Expressing our faith in song is a big part of who we are and how we worship, so reopening worship without any singing seemed perhaps too restrictive.  If you wish to attend, but choose not to sing or sing softly or wear a mask while singing, that's fine!  With the space we have, many in attendance were separated by two or three times the distance commonly recommended for social distancing.  So your safety can be enhanced by where you choose to sit.) 
Joyfully serving our Lord and His family at Immanuel, Pastor Steve


5/23 Note:

The worship video for Easter 7 (5/24) Ascension is now on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ImmanuelEvLutheranChurch/  (you have to scroll down some)


5/21 Note:
After many prayers, a review of reopening worship guidelines prepared by other WELS churches in our area, and a thorough discussion of all of this, our leadership and pastor have decided that we will begin meeting again for in-person worship tonight (7:00pm) and this Sunday (9:00am).
Important considerations of this decision from our meeting last night are:
1 - Come and attend worship only if you are comfortable doing so. If you do not feel comfortable attending in-person worship yet, please stay home! (Online worship videos will continue.)
2 - Out of Christian love, respect, and concern for each other, worshipers are encouraged to wear masks as they enter and leave from worship. (During worship, masks are optional.)
3 - We will social distance during worship. Worship folders (bulletins) will be set in the pews where worshipers may sit. We are blessed to have a big space, so this should be easy for us. This weekend is not a normal weekend when we would celebrate Holy Communion, so will just begin simply with worship; and will restart our celebration of the sacrament on the last weekend of May and following.
4 - Our worship will include some singing, but at a reduced level from normal (two hymns, a psalm, and some responses). Our worship will not include any physical contact, no hymnals, friendship registers, or normal collection of offering.
5 - Restrooms will be open, but we should use them only if needed. There will be no seating in the entry and the coatrooms will be restricted. To start with, we are just encouraging a "walk-in - walk-out" guideline.
6 - Since not all of our members can gain this information here, please share this information with fellow members by phone or by personal conversation with them.
7 - Please continue to pray for each other as we gently restart worshipping together after such an extraordinary time!
With a true joy in serving our living Savior and his followers at Immanuel,
Pastor Steve

A Note For Us All To Consider:

This thought is shared after dicussions among our congregational leaders:  They have generally been fine through all of this, except for enduring the restrictions and missing coming to church.  Several stated that they live financially mainly off of Social Security checks with maybe some other income.  Collectively they are asking members (especially those are in a similar situation) to consider donating a part or even all of their stimulus checks to the Lord as offerings at church.  Some said they doesn't really need the money and it comes as an unexpected blessing.  This may also be true for those who have been blessed to keep their jobs and not suffer direct financial loss (other than investments).  Maybe couples could keep one check and offer the other.  Anyway, please prayerfully consider this in view of your own financial situation and act as the Lord guides you!  If these special gifts were offered, possibly in connection with our Paid-In-Full drive, it would be a great blessing to our church!
Please continue to be safe!  Let's keep each other in our prayers!  Give someone an encouraging call if you haven't heard from them for a while!  And be grateful each day for the generous grace God has put into all of our lives through our faith in Jesus!  


4/12 "HAPPY EASTER!":

Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed.  Hallelujah! 
 

Online Worship & Spiritual Growth:

Here are some suggestions for us to stay in the Word and Worship online:
(They are all active links.  Just hover over any  of them and left click.)
1 - Subscribe WELS Daily Devotions at: https://wels.net/serving-you/devotions/daily-devotions/
2 - Watch live or archived worship at:
Immanuel Lutheran in Greenville - immluth.org or facebook.com/ImmanuelGreenville
Mt Olive Lutheran in Appleton - mountoliveappleton.com or facebook.com/mountoliveappleton
or watch any congregation listed from WELS - https://yearbook.wels.net/streaming
3 - Commit to a regular Bible reading plan - 
There is a 3-Year Plan from WELS - https://wels.net/bible3/03-0318db/ 
and there are various plans from YouVersion - https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

......................................................................................................................
Communication within our congregational leadership and among WELS pastors
is very active in praying for God's guidance, discussing options, and seeking mutual wisdom.
Please keep leaders at all levels, medical caregivers, and all affected in your prayers!
Your Shepherd Under Christ, Pastor Steve


 
Our Ministry Schedule This Week:

Thursday, May 21st
7:00 p.m. MId-week Worship

 Sunday, March 22nd
9:00 a.m. Worship Service




Church Email: immev@centurytel.net
Church Phone: 920-984-3116