THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL
Sunday (7/12)
- 7:30 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
- 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
- 10:30 am—Adult Bible Class
Monday
- 5:00 pm—Board of Mission & Evangelism
- 6:00 pm—Board of Christian Education
- 6:30 pm—Board of Trustees
Tuesday
- 9:00 am—Mattoon Circuit Meeting
Thursday
- 7:00 pm—Board of Elders
Saturday
- 3:30 pm—Individual Confession & Absolution
- 5:30 pm—Divine Service with Holy Communion
Sunday (7/19)
- 7:30 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
- 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
- 10:30 am—Adult Bible Class
- 11: 30 am—Church Council Meeting
Monday
- 7:30 pm—Voters’ Assembly Meeting
IN OUR PRAYERS
HEALTH CONCERNS: Bernita Ashwill; Mindy Bell (friend of David Holzrichter); Leonard Boerngen; Dale Brown (friend of Margaret Stilwell); Connie Hilgendorf Bruns (cousin of Mary Appleby); Jeff & Jo Coon (friend of David Holzrichter); Lynn Corrie (friend of the Joneses); Ellie Crawford (daughter of Laran Crawford); Whitney Czerwonka; Lynn Davis (cousin of Mark Whitson); Cindy Ekstrom; Theresa Fields; Jenna Gustafson; Jim Harbaugh; Rick Hardesty (family of the Hoels); Kim Hausman (friend of Ann Carroll); Deanna Henningsen (sister-in-law of Jerry & Joyce Alexander); Barbara Holste (friend of the Joneses); Kimberly Mulvany (daughter of Pastor Doug Meyer); Mary Negangard (grandmother of Bryce Reifsteck); Sandra Oehmke (sister of Joan Vukelich); Dennis Pickett (friend of Ann Carroll); Cary & Beth Rahn; Debbie Rahn (wife of Leroy Rahn); Emma Silver; Ruth Sims; Ocil Slone (father of Carolyn Dyer); Joy Stenger; Brian Walker (uncle of Bryce Reifsteck); Irene Wattjes; Lynn & Jane Whitson (parents of Mark Whitson).
SEMINARY STUDENT: Gunnar Campbell; Logan Smith.
DEACONESS STUDENT: Emily McLean.
MISSIONARIES: Rev. Dr. Edward and Monica Naumann; Rev. Ryan and Emily McDermott; Julie Lutz.
HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Leonard Boerngen; Janet Pollock; Art Rahn; Ruth Rentschler.
MILITARY: Carl Crawford; Jeremy Gordon; Jack Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Joey Pollock; Blake Stokes; Paige Stokes; Ruben Wilson.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Exodus 20:1–17; Romans 6:3–11; Matthew 5:20–26.
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . The Lord called fishermen to be fishers of men (Luke 5:1–11). The net they would use is the message of the cross, which is foolishness and a stumbling block to the world (1 Cor. 1:18–25). The power of God to save is not in spectacular signs like wind and fire and earthquakes (1 Kings 19:11–21), nor is it to be found in human intelligence and wisdom. The power of God to save comes in the still, small voice of the preaching of Christ crucified. In worldly darkness the disciples could catch nothing. But in the light of Christ, whose Word was attached to the water, the boats were filled with fish. So it is that in Baptism you have been drawn into the ship of the Church. Though the nets are breaking and some who hear the Word do not believe, pastors continue to cast the net of the Gospel and the Sacraments, that Christians may abide in the boat of the Church and that we may be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:8–15).
THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . Luke 5:5 “And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” All our toil, all our work, all our efforts mean nothing without the Lord’s guidance. But if we walk in the Word of Jesus . . . well, look what happened to Simon Peter!
REMINDER: VOTERS’ ASSEMBLY MEETING . . . is Monday, July 20, at 7:30 pm. We will be meeting in the Sanctuary. Just a reminder that any voting member who is absent from the voters’ meetings for a full year without a valid excuse shall have his/her name removed from the roster of voting members. Those who are 65 and older can submit a written request to have their name placed on the senior voting member list and will be automatically excused. If any senior member is unsure whether or not there is a written request on file, please contact the office. If any member has been removed from the roster of voting members, he/she can be reinstated by a request to the elders and attendance at the voters’ meeting approving that request.
SERVICE TIMES UPDATE . . . Beginning next week (July 11 and 12), as the State of Illinois provides further guidance, our service schedule will evolve within their recommendations. Here’s what will change:
-
- Two services of 50 people or less (Saturday at 5:30 pm; Sunday at 9:00 am)
- Incorporate the fully sung liturgy
- Sunday morning adult Bible class resumes
All other practices will remain the same (social distancing, masks, etc). While we are not asking for people to sign up for these services; however, if you are able to attend the Saturday night service so that we can accommodate the numbers, the Board of Elders would be grateful.
HOLY COMMUNION . . . The offer still stands that if you desire the Holy Communion, you can make an appointment with Pastor to receive the Lord’s Supper either at church or in your home until services resume.
SERVICES ONLINE . . . A copy of the service bulletin, which includes all the responses and the hymns, is available at Immanuel’s website under the Sermons tab by clicking on the button labeled PDF. This video option will continue to be made available until our usual service times resume. You can access these online services in three places:
- On Immanuel’s Facebook page
- On Immanuel’s Website under the Sermons tab
- On Immanuel’s YouTube channel
MEMORY WORK . . . If a Sunday School student has been able to learn the next level of the Catechism Learn-By-Heart Program and would like to recite it to Pastor, you can schedule a meeting with him to do this through Zoom, Skype, or Facetime. Contact Pastor by e-mail or phone.
CHANGES IN MANDATED REPORTER LAW . . . The state of Illinois recently made significant changes to the mandated reporter law. By law, any person affiliated with the church who, in their role, comes into contact with children, either in a paid position or as a volunteer, is now a mandated reporter. As such, s/he must undergo training within three months of first serving. This new law would include the following at Immanuel: all Sunday School teachers, VBS volunteers, youth group chaperones, and those on Altar Guild who work with the Jr. Altar Guild. To that end, we ask that those individuals in the groups listed, follow THIS LINK to take the online training. This training takes roughly 60 minutes to complete. Upon completion of the training, a certificate is awarded which will need to be printed off and a copy be given to Pastor to keep on file. For those who are unable to access this online training at home, time will be available for you to complete this in the church office. Please find time to complete the online training as soon as possible. While we understand that this may be a burden for some, please know that we are willing to help you get the necessary training so that we as a church are compliant with this new law. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk with one of the members of the Board of Christian Education or Pastor. Thank you!
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