THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL
Sunday (5/3)
- 9:00 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
Saturday
- 3:30 pm—Individual Confession & Absolution
Sunday
- 9:00 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
IN OUR PRAYERS
HEALTH CONCERNS: Bernita Ashwill; Mindy Bell (friend of David Holzrichter); 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; Scott Dallas; 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); Orlean McDaniel (friend of Bob & Joan Vukelich); 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; Chase Reifsteck; Blake Stokes; Paige Stokes; Ruben Wilson.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Isaiah 12:1–6; James 1:16–21; John 16:5–15.
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . The people of God are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, looking ahead to a destination yet to come (1 Peter 2:11–20). Though we are now children of God, the fullness of what we shall be has not yet been revealed (1 John 3:1–3). We are those who wait on the Lord. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lam. 3:25). Jesus tells us that the wait is just a little while. “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me” (John 16:16). Though you must experience sorrow for a time, though you must live as strangers in a world that is at enmity with Christ, yet your sorrow will be turned to joy when He returns. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Is. 40:31). The little while of weeping shall be replaced with an eternity of rejoicing in the presence of Christ the crucified and risen Savior. “And no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).
THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . 1 Peter 2:11—“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Surely one of the “passions of the flesh” we all struggle with is greed: the desire to have more things to bring us comfort and peace of mind. But that shows us the real problem with greed: it wages war against our soul—it urges us to place our trust in the things of this world and not in God. But St. Peter reminds us that we are sojourners and exiles: we belong to the Kingdom of God. We have been purchased by the blood of Christ and belong to Him.
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.
GOVERNOR INCLUDES CHURCHES IN ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES . . . Ever since the initial stay-at-home order has been in place, I have been in contact with our representative and the governor’s office to include churches in essential activities. This past week, the governor’s office was not answering any phone calls, and their voicemail box was full. The presidents of the three districts of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in Illinois had written the governor last week appealing to him that churches be included in essential activities. It took a small church in Northern Illinois to sue the governor to get him to listen. On April 30, the governor revised his list of essential activities to include churches. HERE’s the order in full. The part relating to churches says this: “For the purposes of this Executive Order, individuals may leave their residence only to perform any of the following Essential Activities, and must follow the Social Distancing Requirements set forth in this Order, including wearing face coverings when in public or at work: . . . f. To engage in the free exercise of religion. To engage in the free exercise of religion, provided that such exercise must comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than ten people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health. Religious organizations and houses of worship are encouraged to use online or drive-in services to protect the health and safety of their congregations.” So, we’re back in business, so to speak. Since the order was given late on April 30, we will not be able to begin meeting in groups of ten this weekend (5/3/2020). More information on what the plan will be moving forward is forthcoming.
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
QUESTIONS ABOUT GIVING . . . The church office has received some inquiries about giving their offering during the shelter-in-place order. If you would like to drop off your offering during business hours or mail it to the church, it will be counted and deposited weekly.
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.
PASTOR MEYER IS RETIRING . . . Join the Salem Lutheran Church family in celebrating with Pastor Doug Meyer and his family as he retires from active ministry in August 2020. For more information, download the invitation HERE.
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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