HEALTH CONCERNS: Joyce & Jerry Alexander; Beau Brown (friend of Ann Carroll); Brad Butler (friend of Hilgendorfs); Darla Combs (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Crystal Davis (friend of Dave Slaughter); Tim Flynn (friend of Dave Holzrichter); Nash Foreman (friend of Sofie Reifsteck); Layla Harp friend of Sofie Reifsteck) ; Rick Hardesty (family of the Hoels); Kim Hausman (friend of Ann Carroll); Julie Holzrichter (sister-in-law of Dave Holzrichter); Mary Houvanagle (friend of Hilgendorfs); Ashley Kerns (friend of Joan Vukelich); Bob Kresin; John Lamkin (friend of Dave Slaughter); Mike Marana (friend of Josh Whitson); Candace McElhaney (daughter of Corky Fields); Steven Pingolt (friend of Mathew Waldrop); Emma Silver; Mike Scott (father of Celeste Nau); Dave Slaughter; John Stewart (grandson of Laura VanCleave); Margaret Stilwell; Janet Stumeier; Kim Travis (friend of Jaimee Whitson); Lausanne Walter (mother of Tiffany Cash); Lynn Whitson (father of Mark Whitson).

SEMINARY STUDENT: Jacob Garrison; Nicholas Sinatra.

MISSIONARIES: The Jastram Family (Japan); The Preus Family (Romania).

HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Janet Pollock; Joan Rahn; Norma Uthe.

MILITARY: Carl Crawford; Josh Dyer; Jeremy Gordon; David W. Holzrichter; Jack Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Scott Walter.

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Ezekiel 34:11–16; 1 Peter 2:21–25; John 10:11–16.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood” (1 John 5:7). These three point to Christ and flow from Christ. Jesus shows His disciples His hands and side, from which blood and water flowed, saying “Peace be with you.” He presents the wounds which turn our fear to gladness and which restore us to the Father. Jesus breathes on His disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:23). His breath, His words are Spirit and life. They raise up our dry, dead bones and give us new and everlasting life (Ezek. 37:1–14). Christ now gives His ministers to speak His forgiving, Spirit-filled words to the penitent in His stead. Our Lord continues to come to His people, presenting His wounds to us in the Sacraments of water and blood. He bids us to touch His side at His table, to receive His risen body and blood in true faith, that believing we may have life in His name.

THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . John 20:19 “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” The peace we have in Jesus is what makes a life of good works possible. Since we know that it is Jesus who saved us, and not our works, we are now free to do good works not out of self-interest, but for the right reasons: out of thanksgiving toward God and love for our neighbors.

THE FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR . . . are given by Josh & Jaimee Whitson to the glory of God on the occasion of Beau’s birthday.

ALTAR GUILD & COFFEE COMMITTEE . . . For April, the Altar Guild is Sarah & Savana Andresen. Coffee Committee is Dorothy Hostetler. For May, the Altar Guild is Dorothy Hostetler and Willa Braaten. Coffee Committee is Ann Carroll.

THANK YOU . . . to everyone who purchased a lily to beautify the sanctuary during Easter. If you would like your Easter lily, you can find it in the kitchen.

THANK YOU . . . to all who helped with the Easter Breakfast by bringing food, helping serve, and cleaning up afterwards. The wonderful food and the decorated fellowship hall helped to glorify this most celebrated Christian day! We had a great turnout. Thank you for your generosity!

APPLICATIONS FOR THE ILC COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP . . . sponsored by the Board of Missions and Evangelism are now being accepted. The deadline is May 1, 2024. Applications are available by contacting Pastor.

PASTOR WILL BE AWAY . . . giving a presentation at a conference on May 5–7 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In an emergency, you may contact him on his mobile phone or contact one of the Elders (Jack Appleby, Steve Hilgendorf, Les Sluder, Mark Whitson).

REMINDER: VOTERS’ ASSEMBLY MEETING . . . is Sunday, April 27, at 11:30 am. 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.

THE 2025 FLOWER CHART IS AVAILABLE . . . Please sign up on the bulletin board across from the member mailboxes. 2025 flowers are $35.00 and can be special ordered. Flowers can be taken home after the Sunday service.

ALTAR GUILD . . . Please sign up for a month to serve on the Altar Guild, caring for our Lord’s body & blood just as the woman who went to be tomb sought to care for the body of Jesus. There are spots available for Junior members to sign up.

FUNERAL CHAIR . . . Please sign up for a month to serve as funeral chair; the chair is responsible for placing calls requesting food donations and volunteers to help with serving and cleaning up after the funeral dinner. The current call list is included with the chair sign-up list on the clipboard located in the Narthex.

RATE & REVIEW IMMANUEL ON GOOGLE . . . Did you know that throughout the United States each month over 2 million people search on Google for “Churches Near Me.”? That’s how a majority of people find churches to visit. Therefore, being visible on Google as one of the top results for searches is important to get found. One way to increase your visibility on Google is through their Rate & Review feature. Please consider rating and review Immanuel on Google by going to: https://g.page/r/CdbSahe0h2B0EAI/review

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR VBS . . . This year’s VBS is June 9–13. The theme for this year is UNSHAKEABLE: A Journey through God’s Promises. Registration will begin in May.

CHANGE TO SATURDAY NIGHT SERVICE . . . In consultation with the Board of Elders, beginning on Memorial Day Weekend (May 24–25) and, at least, throughout the summer, there will be no Saturday night service. Instead, on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm, a spoken Divine Service will be offered. This service will have a different sermon than Sunday morning. This will accommodate anyone who travels or works weekends, or would like another opportunity to attend the Divine Service.

THIS SUMMER . . . Immanuel will be hosting a summer vicar: Seminarian Reece Parlier. This summer fieldwork opportunity is made possible by the generosity of the Board for Mission & Evangelism and all the saints at Immanuel who have given to our mission. His work will be two-fold. First, it is a time of learning and training. He will learn first-hand knowledge and gain experience serving a congregation that is similar to most congregations throughout the LCMS. He will see how crucial being active in a community is as well as the many people who help to make church possible. Second, he will help pastor continue to canvas the town, host VBS, our June outreach event at the Community Building, and our Not Ashamed Conference. Be on the look out for more information about Vicar Parlier in upcoming announcements.

SEMINARIAN ETHAN BAUMBACH . . . is with us this weekend to preach at both services. He receives a scholarship from some of our members personally.

STAMP OUT HUNGER FOOD DRIVE . . . benefitting SAM Food Pantry is Saturday, May 17. Pick-up begins at 9:00 am. Place donations of non-perishable food items in bags beside your mailbox. If you wish to make a monetary donation, make checks payable to SAM Food Pantry and mark the memo line with USPS Food Drive. Checks may be mailed to SAM Food Pantry, 901 N Prairie St. Tuscola, IL 61953.

UPDATE FROM SEM. JACOB GARRISON . . . Jacob Garrison, who was with us a couple weeks ago to preach, sent an update and a thank you. His letter is posted on the Student Adoption bulletin board in the hallway near the kitchen.