THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL
Sunday (12/13)
- 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 & Sunday School
- 11:15 am—Church Council Meeting
- 12:30 pm—Catechism Class
- 6:00 pm—Sunday School Christmas Service
Monday
- 5:00 pm—Board of Missions & Evangelism
- 6:00 pm—Board of Christian Education
- 6:30 pm—Board of Trustees
- 7:00 pm—Board of Elders
Wednesday
- 12:30 pm—Catechism Class
- 7:00 pm—Advent Midweek Service
Saturday
- 3:30 pm—Individual Confession and Absolution
- 5:30 pm—Divine Service without Holy Communion
Sunday (12/20)
- 7:30 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
- 9:00 am—Divine Service without Holy Communion
IN OUR PRAYERS
HEALTH CONCERNS: Bernita Ashwill; Connie Bruns (cousin of Mary Appleby); Bill Cornwell (friend of Celeste Nau); Lynn Corrie (friend of Arleigh Jones); Ellie Crawford (daughter of Laran Crawford); Whitney Czerwonka; Lynn Davis (cousin of Mark Whitson); Cindy Ekstrom; Theresa Fields; Darrell Ford; Lisa Hall (sister of Holly Wikoff); Rick Hardesty (family of the Hoels); Kim Hausman (friend of Ann Carroll); Deanna Henningsen (sister-in-law of Jerry & Joyce Alexander); Sharon Johnson (friend of Glenda Rahn); Daniel McClean (husband of Emily McClean); Mary Miller (friend of David Holzrichter); Kimberly Mulvany (daughter of Pastor Doug Meyer); Mary Negangard (grandmother of Bryce Reifsteck); Dennis Pickett (friend of Ann Carroll); Misti Post (niece of Sue Rothe); Cary & Beth Rahn; Joan Rahn; Aurelia Tuegal (grandmother of Bethany Campbell); Emma Silver; Dave Slaughter; Ocil Slone (grandfather of Josh & Jake Dyer); Joy Stenger; Carolyn Stremming (sister-in-law of Arleigh Jones); Janet Stumeier; Brian Walker (uncle of Bryce Reifsteck); Lynn & Jane Whitson (parents of Mark Whitson).
SEMINARY STUDENT: Gunnar Campbell; Logan Smith.
DEACONESS STUDENT: Emily McLean.
MISSIONARIES: The Naumann Family; The McDermott Family, Julie Lutz
HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Leonard Boerngen; Jim Harbaugh; Janet Pollock; Ruth Rentschler; Ruth Sims; Irene Wattjes.
MILITARY: Carl Crawford; Josh Dyer; Jeremy Gordon; Jack Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Joey Pollock; Blake Stokes; Ruben Wilson.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Deut. 18:15–19; Philippians 4:4–7; John 1:19–28
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . The voice of John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord . . .” (Isa. 40:1). John called the people to be made ready for the Messiah’s coming through repentance, for “all flesh is grass” (Isa. 40:6). Now He asks from prison, “Are you the one who is to come?” (Matt. 11:2). Jesus’ works bear witness that He is. The sick are made well; the dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Their iniquity is pardoned; they have received from the Lord’s hand double forgiveness for all their sins. The “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1) still deliver Christ’s overflowing forgiveness to the poor in spirit, comforting God’s people with the word of the Gospel which stands forever. This Gospel produces rejoicing among all those who believe.
THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . 1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” A steward manages the property of the owner for the owner’s purposes. We are stewards of all that God has given us. So we are called to use all that we are and all that we have for God’s purposes. How do we know what these are? Consider your vocations, your callings from God, in the Home, the Church, and Society: what are the roles God has called you to play? And how should you be using the gifts He’s given you to fulfill those roles?
THE ALTAR FLOWERS . . . given by Kenny and Tammy Kresin to the glory of God for blessings received.
OUR CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM . . . is tonight, Sunday, December 13, at 6:00 pm, and each and every one of you are invited to come hear the children speak and sing the story of our Savior’s birth. There will be refreshments in the fellowship hall following the service, so please plan to attend. Parents, please have your children at church by 5:40 pm to assemble in the double classroom. Thank you!
POINSETTIA ORDER FORMS . . . are due today, Sunday, December 13. Order forms are still available in the Narthex. Please complete and return them today, to the office or in the secretary’s box. Poinsettias are $12.00 this year and can be taken and enjoyed at home immediately following the Christmas Day service.
CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR SEMINARY STUDENTS . . . If you’d like to send Christmas greetings to our seminary students, their addresses are: Mr. Gunnar Campbell, Mr. Logan Smith, at: 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, IN, 46825-4996. Mrs. Emily McClean’s address is 1104 Marcus Court, Winter Springs, FL, 32708.
UPCOMING SPECIAL SERVICES AND EVENTS
- Sunday, December 13 10:20 am Sunday School Christmas Service practice
- Wednesday, December 16 7:00 pm Advent Midweek Service
- Sunday, December 20 10:20 am Sunday School Christmas Service practice
- 6:00 pm Sunday School Christmas Service
- Monday, December 21 7:30 pm Voter’s Budget Meeting
- Thursday, December 24 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Service with Communion
- Friday, December 25 9:00 am Christmas Day Service with Communion
- Thursday, December 31 7:00 pm New Year’s Eve Evening Prayer
HOLY COMMUNION . . . The offer still stands, during the pandemic, 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
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. Mandated reporters are required to call the DCFS Hotline when they have reasonable cause to believe that a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be an abused or neglected child. As such, s/he must undergo training within three months of first serving. This is only a training session not a background check. 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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