ImmanuelKCnews

Sunday school ends May 22; thanks to our teachers

2011-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

The last day for Sunday School will be May 22. Special thanks to all our wonderful Sunday School teachers who gave of their time and talents for our youth this year.

They are: Molee Enko, Rhonda Gassen, Ellen Parson, Brenda Kumm, Kathy Boehmer, Jill Oakleaf, Lisa Hansen, Kate Conrad, Kristi Velicer, Derek Gummier and Patti Winkler.

Thanks, too, to Ellen Wilcox who led Alleulia for the first and second grade classes.

Spring work day set for May 21 at Immanuel

2011-04-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Time to roll up your sleeves and get the job done at Immanuel!

A spring work day is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21, with lunch provided.

Items on the to-do list include a range of tasks, some of which require more energy than skill.

Here’s what’s planned:

Flower bed clean up
Spread mulch
Clean gutters, windows
Interior painting: walls, ceiling tiles
Exterior painting: doors, window
Caulk exterior windows

Alleluia! Christ has risen!

2011-04-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday at Immanuel begins with an Easter Vigil service at 6 a.m. The candlelit service moves us from outside darkness around a bonfire to Easter light inside. A continental breakfast follows.

Festival worship is offered at 8:15 a.m. and includes Holy Communion and the return of the alleluias.

The Magnificent Easter Breakfast will be served by Immanuel’s youth starting at 8 a.m.

Festival worship at 10:30 a.m. begins with a ceremonial re-dressing of the altar, hearkening back to the somber Maundy Thursday service when the altar was stripped. The alleluias return, and Immanuel Brass provide a thundering reminder of the triumph of Christ over death.

Message from Pastor Jennifer Thomas

2011-04-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Grace and peace to you this Easter season. Now the green blade rises. Love lives again! This favorite hymn, ELW 379, will be the hymn of the day on the Third Sunday of Easter, May 8. Our choir director, Linda Martin has brought this anthem to our worship planning, and it will be glorious, with the Joy Choir, Immanuel Choir, Immanuel Brass, organ, and congregation singing God’s praises and announcing the resurrection hope that we’ve been harboring.

While outdoors, the grass is rising new and the leaves on the trees are unfurling, reminding us of resurrection from death and darkness to new life and light. The longer daylight hours serve as a reminder of God’s light shining in our lives. And what about that wind: it is another image for the Holy Spirit moving in our lives.

Ministry is blooming at Immanuel. We enter the season of Easter. We move out from introspection and reflection on the psalms during the season of Lent to service and singing, “Jesus is risen, Alleluia!”

The season of Easter will take us to Pentecost on June 12 when four young people will affirm their baptism in the rite of confirmation: Nam Ahrens, Stella Atzenweiler, Parker Winkler and Simon Hogan.

Hope abounds between these festivals of Jesus’ resurrection and the Holy Spirit’s coming. There are many opportunities for newness.

It’s been a year since we began our discernment process around where God is calling us as a congregation, and the draft of the plan is finished, thanks to the dedication and hard work of the Vision for Ministry Task Force. The final task of this team is to host opportunities for the congregation to hear more about this plan before it is voted on at a special congregation meeting in June.

Another thing to look forward to in 2011 is the return of the intern (formerly vicar) program. A generous gift by the estate of Arla Baird has provided the opportunity to train future pastors at Immanuel through the intern program for two years beginning in the fall of 2011. As mentioned elsewhere, our intern is Micah Sievenpiper from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

More newness and light is reflected in the Oromo ministry development at Immanuel. Melaku Tizazu received a scholarship from the Leaders for Mission Fund of the ELCA in 2010. The ministry is growing with worship on Sunday mornings and evenings as well as Bible studies throughout the week. Melaku’s online ministry continues to flourish, and he is progressing nicely in his TEEM studies. He will be at Luther Seminary at the beginning of June for another class.

Conversations with others this month continue the ground work for being a more welcoming congregation. A meeting about the Reconciled in Christ movement is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at church. With churchwide policy changing to welcome lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered persons, Immanuel is continuing to increase our own hospitality, pastoral care and rituals. We are situated in a diverse neighborhood and community, and we are called to invite our neighbors to worship with us. You can sign up individually to be an RIC Lutheran. Brochures will be available in the church following the May 12 meeting or you can go online to lcna.org to sign up.

A key piece of hospitality at Immanuel is the greeting you receive when you call or walk through the doors. The personnel committee is working to hire a part-time secretary to share the position with Vivian Gilbreth. Until then, Tom Gear is serving as an interim secretary. Having two part-time secretaries will provide additional hospitality to those who touch Immanuel throughout the business week. Descriptions of the position are available at church or on www.npconnect.org.

In my own professional development and opportunities, I have been named by Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) to PICO’s Clergy Leadership Council which will provide a training for clergy in New Orleans in November.

This month we bid farewell to Tim Hager as our outreach coordinator. Tim has lived in the parsonage this year while working at Kaw Prairie Church and with us. We appreciate his willingness to help with community service, building upkeep and security and overall humble service. We wish him well as he moves to Lenexa and to work full time at Kaw Prairie Church as their full time youth director. Immanuel has been a strong partner in his formation for this ministry.

May Jesus’ Easter Resurrection be a reality in your life. Daily we experience little deaths and little births, endings and new beginnings. May this season be filled with more hope than despair, with more joy than sorrow, and with the peace, love, and understanding that comes from God alone. Now the green blade rises. Christ will come again! Alleluia!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Jennifer Thomas

Good Friday at Immanuel

2011-04-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

Immanuel offers two Good Friday services today. The midday service at 12:15 p.m. is the Liturgy of the Cross, a simple service of readings, prayers and songs.

The evening service at 7 p.m. is the Adoration of the Cross, a reflective service of shadows, strings, silence and the words of salvation. Child care is provided.

In addition, the sanctuary will be open for prayer from 2 to 5 p.m.

Maundy Thursday activities at Immanuel

2011-04-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 21, is Maundy Thursday, marking the start of the Triduum, or Three Days, which span the end of Lent and Easter Sunday.

Immanuel will offer two services today.

Midday worship with Holy Communion begins at 12:15 p.m.

Evening worship, also with Holy Communion, begins at 7 p.m. The Joy Choir, Immanuel’s choir for students in third grade and older, will sing and be worship leaders.

The evening service includes First Communion for five Immanuel youngsters.

It will conclude with a ceremonial stripping of the altar, and silent departure from the sanctuary.

Child care is available.

Save the date: Prayer retreat set for Sept. 24

2011-04-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you were one of the Immanuel members who identified spiritual growth as a priority during the visioning process, you’ll want to mark Saturday, Sept. 24 on your calendar.

That’s the date for a prayer retreat with Sister Constance Krstolic, OSB. The theme is “Living Gratefully.” The retreat is sponsored by Immanuel’s prayer team.

The retreat runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 6400 State Line Road, Mission Hills. It begins with fellowship at 9 a.m., and also will include an opportunity to walk a portable labyrinth.

Cost is $20 per person and covers refreshments, the speaker and materials.

Sister Connie travels throughout the Midwest and beyond each year, conducting dozens of retreats. Her topics range from “Celebration of Life’s Journey” to “Balancing Your ‘Act’ in Life” to “Gratitude Takes Nothing for Granted.”

She holds bachelors and masters degrees in religious studies, is a spiritual director and holds a number of positions at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kan.

Watch for more information about the retreat in upcoming newsletters.

Wisconsin native assigned to Immanuel for internship

2011-04-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Micah Sievenpiper has been assigned as Immanuel’s intern for the 2011-2012 school year. He will arrive this summer.

Sievenpiper, 24, is a student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

A native of Waukesha, Wis., he is single and enjoys distance running, recreational sports, reading, open-source programming and amateur graphic design.

Sievenpiper attended attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., where he studied theology.

He writes of his experience there, “My faith was challenged and expanded, and with it my sense of call grew. Through the Institute of Liturgical Studies, an annual pan-Lutheran liturgy conference held at Valparaiso University, I fell in love with the liturgy, and through my position as a residential minister, got to experience the joys of self-directed ministry.”

He also writes, “I was born into the Church through my baptism when I was an infant, and the Lord has blessed me in countless ways ever since. Spending much of my youth in small, struggling congregations with limited resources, I have grown to appreciate how important priorities are.

“When I was still in elementary school, the congregation of which I was a member was closed, and before the pastors left to follow their own callings, they encouraged me to be open to what the Lord had in store for me. With that advice in mind, I have been conscious of discerning my baptismal calling, and while there have been trials and tears, there has also been great joy, and it eventually became clear to me that God was calling me to ordained ministry.”

Immanuel’s church council appointed five people to serve on the intern support committee: Janie Fee, Pam Edvalds, Kevin Fewell, Don Arney and Sharyl Serafin. In addition, Sievenpiper will be able to add two committee members as he gets to know the congregation.

Sunday school chicken project raises $200

2011-04-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Immanuel’s Sunday school students raised more than $200 to help families in poverty around the world purchase chicks that could help them become more self sufficient.

The chicks were purchased through the ELCA’s Good Gifts program, at a price of $1 per chick. According to the Good Gifts website, chicks begin laying eggs within a few months of birth. The eggs provide nutritious meals for growing children and extra eggs generate income, helping families grow a small business.

Immanuel concludes school year with two multi-part studies for adults

2011-04-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Immanuel will conclude its adult education year with two multi-session studies.

Interested in a real life, real time conversation about the book of Revelation? Join us in the adult forum at 9:15 on May 1, 8 and 15 for this conversation with Don Arney and Carolyn Wilson. Meanwhile, dust off your Bible and put your own spin on the book. Over the years the book of Revelation had caused persistent theological questions, frequent consternation and much confusion in the church. Its interpretation has caused some splinter groups to predict the end of the world. When the end does not arrive, the date is recalculated only to frighten people for a future date. It’s hard to see how this is the Good New of Jesus Christ.

Melodee Blobaum will lead the six-week study of “The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm” by Harold S. Kushner at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays in the prayer room, starting May 1 and continuing through June 12. The group will not meet on Sunday, May 29, because of the Memorial Day holiday.

Each session will cover several chapters of the book, corresponding to the six verses of the Psalm. The weekly reading load averages about 35 to 40 pages.

The book is available online from www.amazon.com for $10.40 plus taxes, shipping and handling, and in store at most Barnes and Noble locations for $10.42 plus taxes. It is available in Nook and Kindle versions, as well.

It's not too early to begin thinking about church camp

2011-04-16T14:05:00.001-07:00

Immanuel’s youth and youngsters have several opportunities to make lifetime memories as they experience the joy that comes with church camp.

Hollis Day Camp runs from Monday — Friday, June 13 —17 at Hollis Renewal Center near Bonner Springs.

Students who have completed kindergarten through sixth grades are eligible to attend this outdoor adventure that provides healthy activity, crafts, Bible study and nurture.

Staffed by trained counselors from Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, the traveling staff makes the five day camp a wholesome and enjoyable experience.

Cost is $75 for the first camper and $65 for a second camper in the same family. Registration, fees and health forms should be mailed directly to Hollis.

Loved camp when you were a kid and want to revisit the memories? Small enjoyable volunteer tasks are available for several adults. For questions, please call Ministry Coordinator Carolyn Wilson.

In addition to the Hollis camping experience, the Lutheran church offers several resident summer church camp opportunities. Two are Camp Tomah Shinga in Junction City, Kan., and Camp Carol Joy Holling in Ashland, Neb.

There are brochures and instructions on how to register for the resident camps can be found on the hallway table under the bulletin board marked Youth.

Immanuel group for senior adults schedules outings in May, June

2011-04-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Phase III/OPUS, Immanuel’s group for active senior adults, will meet at Immanuel at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, to carpool to the Cultural Center for the Deaf in Olathe. Lunch follows at Granite City. If you do not need to carpool, meet us at the school at 455 E Park St in Olathe.

In June, the group will meet at the church at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, travel to and tour the National Archives. The building is adjacent to Union Station and we will be accompanied by Patti Winkler. Patti is a historian whose interest in this site spawned the trip. Lunch will follow the tour.

Callers will be taking reservations and if you are not on a list but would like to attend either event, please call the office at 816-931-8483 one week before each event.

Of earplugs and evangelicals: A message from the ministry coordinator

2011-04-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

It’s a great privilege to visit a church in which you are not known and the worship is styled differently than in your home church.

On my desk is a pair of earplugs which were given to me by a friendly usher as I entered the auditorium at Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo., last month. My hosts understood my curiosity and simply said, “The music can get loud.” They were not kidding.

But I resisted the earplugs because I wanted to appreciate fully what these Christians had worked hard to prepare and to offer.

The earplugs have become a sign of hospitality, a gift, from a group of strangers.

The cover story of the April issue of The Lutheran was about evangelicals. “Who are they?” the author asked.

While noting that ELCA Lutherans call themselves evangelical, Donald McCoid, does a clear job defining our conversations with Christians who do not worship like us or place the same emphasis on faith defined by creeds, the sense of sacramental theology and who are amazed when we cannot tell them when we were saved.

He does not mock, but calls these conversations an opportunity to witness to what we believe.

We differ, to be sure, but McCoid advises us to think critically about what is good about these churches.

He admires the emphasis the evangelicals place on the Bible and gives us the well-known statistic that Lutherans are not prone to invite anyone to church. Statistically, we invite once every 23 years. It sounds like a bad joke when we profess that we have been entrusted with Good News too good not to share.

The Flatirons pastor was remarkable in his sharing of the good news. Clearly and distinctly, he was on target with the Gospel’s message. He was comforting when he said no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, Jesus died for you. He told us that in the Flatirons Church there was no us versus them, no insiders, no outsiders but just people who had by the Spirit’s guiding, come to worship and perhaps to join Flatirons.

“Join us,” he said. The invitation was sincere.

We could have long conversations about what we do or do not like about this kind of worship and in no way am I proposing we install four permanent screens in the chancel. The Flatirons music was annoying to me, but some folks seemed to be moved by it.

Worshipping in a converted K-Mart falls short of holy space for me and even if I lived close-by, I would not choose this church.

But I learned something about a group we frequently smirk about. They are really not a different species.

As your summer unfolds, take a chance and visit a church and enjoy how others worship. A point of caution: if the friendly usher gives you earplugs, don’t use them. You might miss hearing something important.

With you, for Christ,

Carolyn Wilson

Learn how KCMO school progress affects the metro on June 9

2011-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

An ambitious strategic plan adopted more than a year ago outlines steps to improve student achievement and fiscal responsibility in the Kansas City, Mo., public schools.

But parents and the community have received very little news about progress toward those plans, which affect the long-term viability of the entire metro area.

Superintendent John Covington and members of the KCMO school board will be called on to answer specific questions about district progress and plans from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, June 9, in Tighe Hall at Visitation Catholic Church, 51^st Terrace and Main Street.

The event, designed to spark improvements in how district officials communicate with constituents, is sponsored by local organizing committees from Immanuel, and from Visitation and St. Peter’s Catholic churches. KCMO high school students affiliated with the Kansas City Urban Youth Center also will participate.

The Urban Youth Center and the three participating congregations are among groups affiliated with Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO), which works to bring people of all faiths together to build relationships, develop strong leaders and improve the quality of life in our communities.

Immanuel’s organizing committee is involved with the June 9 event because congregation members and neighborhood residents voiced a common concern about factors that diminish the well-being of children, especially those in Kansas City elementary schools, during a listening session late last year.

Mark your calendar for June 9 and plan to be there to hold district officials accountable. Contact Linda Fewell with questions.

-- Linda Fewell, Immanuel Organizing Committee

Men's Ministry meets June 11

2011-04-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

The Men’s Ministry has met six times, recruited a few new participants and had some fruitful conversations around topics such as business ethics and vocations.

The discussions are about real life issues and carry with them relevant Biblical passages.

The group will meet again at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 11, in the Gathering Space for breakfast, study and fellowship.

A tasty tasting opportunity planned May 15

2011-04-13T19:54:00.001-07:00

Join us in the Spong Room starting at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, May 15, to sample Fair Trade food items.

Joan Gedraitis, Pam Edvalds and Janie Fee will host this sampling event.

Tea, coffee, chocolate and more are available to taste and to purchase. Every purchase benefits a grower or producer by giving him or her a larger share of the profits.

Three ways to get involved with global missions at Immanuel

2011-04-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

In this time of world-wide political, economic and physical turmoil and disaster, it’s important to realize the Lutheran church pushes on to be in contact with partners around the world spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On Saturday, April 9, the Companion Synod Team gathered at the Central States Synod office to meet and exchange ideas with Pastor Giegere from Papua New Guinea.

As a member of our congregation’s Global Mission Team, I represented our congregation at this meeting of 10 people from around our synod dedicated to realizing a partnership with missionaries and pastors from Papua New Guinea and Russia.

Here are some ways you can get involved in partnering with Christians in far-off places:

Pray: Pray for the nine congregations supervised by Pastor Manfred Brockmann in the Russian Far East that the Central States Synod is accompanying with prayer and monetary assistance. Pray for the ongoing work of missions in Papua New Guinea.
Attend: “Glocal” Mission Gathering at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wichita on Friday — Saturday, Sept. 30 — Oct. 1. The event begins at 2 p.m. Sept. 30 and ends at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 1. This event will bring many different cultural activities and learning sessions together.
Consider: Meeting the missionaries we are helping to support. Rod Nordby and Nancy Anderson will be coming back from Papua New Guinea this summer to share their experiences. There will be times in the next year to remember these mission fields with prayer and song within our own worship services.

--Connie Benolkin, Immanuel Global Missions Team

Consultant outline challenges of change in weekend visit

2011-03-21T03:36:00.001-07:00

Immanuel’s consultant in the Vision for Ministry long-range planning process cautioned members that putting the plan into place will mean change, and that change can lead to anxiety.

But during his weekend visit March 12 — 13, Pastor Rick Rouse said that not changing is not an option.

“Congregations need to reinvent themselves,” Rouse told the 36 Immanuel leaders and others who met in a Saturday morning retreat.

He said the average lifespan for a congregation is 20 to 25 years. Unless it reinvents itself, the body begins a downward spiral. Most mainline congregations, he said, are either maintaining members or losing them.

But those that reinvent themselves with a focus on mission are gaining members, he said.

“Doing church the way we’ve always done it is not working so well anymore,” Rouse said during his Sunday morning sermon. He offered contrasts between congregations that are simply trying to maintain membership, and those with a focus on mission, suggesting that the mission model is the preferred model for growth.

For example, he said maintenance-focused congregations focus on how many visits the pastor makes while mission-focused congregations focus on how many disciples they’ve made.

Maintenance congregations are focused on being true to their past, while mission congregations are focused on being faithful to their future, Rouse said.

Members of maintenance congregations say to newcomers, “Let me introduce you to our members,” while those in mission congregations say, “Let me introduce you to our pastor.”

Maintenance congregations ask how many Lutherans live within 25 miles of the church and search for ways to get people to support their congregation, while mission congregations ask how many unchurched people live within 25 miles of the church and look for ways to support their community.

During his Sunday morning adult forum, Rouse reviewed the characteristics of churches based on average worship attendance. With an average of 220 people attending worship, Immanuel falls in the “program” category.

Such congregations are made up of small groups like choirs, Bible study groups, fellowship groups and so on. New members are intentionally assimilated into the congregation, and the church offers options for ministry programs including a variety of worship services. Program-size congregations are characterized by healthy, committed leadership with a team of clergy, staff and lay leaders working toward a common mission.

The pastor’s role in a program congregation is one of motivator and trust-builder, with a focus on staff and core leaders. Pastoral care is redefined to be a program rather than a person, and often Stephen Ministers step into that role. Administration becomes a big part of the pastor’s job.

Barriers to growth, Rouse said, come when 80 percent of the sanctuary’s choice seats are full for worship, and when the congregation is unclear about a vocation that calls it to make room for neighbors and serve a growing community.

In addition, he said growth is difficult when congregation doesn’t have the ministry structure or staff needed to grow.

As a rule of thumb, he said congregation’s need one full time program staff member for every 100 members who worship to maintain membership. They need to add a staff member for each 100 members they’d like to add. Interns, he said, should not be counted as program staff.

The good news is that additional paid program staff pay for themselves through membership growth and giving in about 12 to 18 months.

Rouse encouraged those at the adult forum to be optimistic.

“God’s not done with you yet,” he said. “God has a preferred and promised future for you.”

Leaders identify top priorities for long-range plan as visioning process continues

2011-03-21T03:31:00.001-07:00

Spiritual formation, financial viability and worship are top priorities for Immanuel leaders and others who attended a March 12 long-range planning retreat with consultant Rick Rouse.

After reviewing the fifth draft of Immanuel’s developing long range plan, the 36 people who attended the Saturday morning gathering identified their top priorities by placing dots on the ministry areas and mission objectives.

The mission objectives that received the most votes were:

Develop a long-range, in-depth financial blueprint
Develop complementary worship opportunities, offered outside established Sunday morning schedule
Focus on whole life stewardship

Sally Baehni, chairwoman of the Vision for Ministry task force that is guiding the process, said the priorities could shift, if members identify other areas they’d like to see as the focus for the first 12 to 18 months of the plan.

Speaking at the adult forum held March 13, Baehni invited members to call or e-mail task force members if they have other objectives that are priorities.

In addition, Immanuel members are likely to have three more opportunities to weigh in on the plan at focus groups or forums to be held in May.

Once that final input has been gathered, Baehni said a final draft of the plan would be handed off to the church council and then presented to the congregation for affirmation, probably in early June.

Message from the pastor: Lenten focus is on Psalms

2011-03-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This season of Lent we are immersing ourselves in the Psalms. The Psalms offer us guidance in our prayer life, a road map for daily living and a peek into the historical context of the Hebrew people who have shaped our faith, worship life and daily living through many generations.

In midweek Lenten worship, we’ll be using the Psalms for song and meditation. In study, we’ll be using the scriptures for education and faith development.

In addition to immersing ourselves in the psalms we also are exploring hymns that are focused on discipleship and cultivating our lives of faith.

For example, not only in midweek services, but also on the fourth Sunday of Lent, we will use Marty Haugen’s “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery” (ELW 334) as a communion distribution hymn. The verses are:

Tree of Life and awesome myst’ry, in your death we are reborn;

though you die in all of hist’ry, still you rise with ev’ry morn, still you rise with ev’ry morn.

We remember truth once spoken, love passed on through act and word;

ev’ry person lost and broken wears the body of our Lord, wears the body of our Lord.

Christ, you lead and we shall follow, stumbling though our steps may be;

one with you in joy and sorrow, we the river, you the sea, we the river, you the sea.

Give us eyes to see you clearly; make us children of your light.

Give us hearts to live more nearly as your gospel shining bright.

This desire to live more nearly to God’s will for us as individuals and as a corporate body is coming through, loud and clear, in our vision for ministry process. When leaders gathered last Saturday, they set spiritual formation as the highest priority for the congregation with financial viability and worship as second and third priorities to work on in the coming year.

I’m asking some questions, and I imagine that you have some of your own. What does it mean that we value spiritual formation as a congregation? What does it mean that we want to develop ministries in this area? As disciples of Jesus Christ, many of us have a longing to discover how we can best serve God and our neighbors in our daily life, especially in contexts where our mainline Protestant values are not shared by many in the culture around us. How do I demonstrate my love for God in my workplace? How do I practice forgiveness and reconciliation? How do I… (fill in the blank)?

Our consultant, the Rev. Rick Rouse recommended a book by Pastor Mike Foss — “Power Surge” — as a resource for making and developing disciples.

PoWeR SuRGe is an easy way to remember the marks of discipleship – both internal and external involved in the spiritual development of followers of Christ. We are called by God to Pray, to Worship, and to Read Scriptures. We are then sent to Serve, to be Relational, and to Give.

While it’s been a few years since I read this book, I want to expand on the marks of being relational and giving. Relationships in the body of Christ are about inviting and encouraging others in this walk that we share following Jesus our Savior and Lord. And giving isn’t only about the money we give to support the church, but about whole life stewardship. Giving encompasses our selves, our time and our possessions, not only to the church, but the whole world. Vocation, our calling, our purpose, is about sharing our gifts and desires with the world’s greatest needs. This is an important intersection.

So, while, you are contemplating your call to discipleship, join Immanuel on the journey where we are centered in praying, worshipping and reading scripture, and sent in love to serve, invite, encourage, and give.

May the disciplines that you adopt in this season renew your faith. And may God reveal his grace and mercy for you and for the world as you share the good news.

This newsletter is for the whole of April, not only the season of Lent, and so while I am reflecting on marks of discipleship, I want to point to the good news of Easter. The journey is worthwhile and proclaims:

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Jennifer Thomas

March 13 sermon by consultant Rick Rouse

2011-03-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

“Servants of Grace”

(1) It is a story that is both tragic and inspiring. Ben Larson was a seminary student at Wartburg Seminary who was doing what he loved most—serving the underprivileged in Haiti—when he was killed in that island’s devastating earthquake last January. Ben had what many would call “a servant’s heart”. He joyfully lived out his baptism—his life was an outpouring of love in response to God’s first loving him. Ben’s love of God and others was evident in all that he did—sharing his gift of music, passionately serving others especially the less fortunate, and learning from and loving the poor and disadvantaged. (2)

Most of the people who died in the deadly earthquake in Haiti were among the poorest of the poor. Ben went there in his senior year of seminary to teach theology and Bible in the new Lutheran Church of Haiti; but more deeply to learn from these people, to share his joy, and to give them hope. (3)

His wife, Renee, and cousin, Jonathan—also senior seminary students—joined him in his ministry in Haiti for the month of January. When the earthquake occurred, the three of them were on the fourth floor of the St. Joseph Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince. Two floors crashed down, trapping them, but Renee and Jonathan somehow managed to claw their way on to the collapsed roof. Ben was not so fortunate. As he lay dying, crushed from the rubble, Renee could hear him singing a hymn. His last words were “Lord Jesus, you bear the sins of all the world away. God’s peace to us we pray.”(4)

Ben was united in death with the bodies of the poor whom he loved. His life joined with those dear beloved people of God. Now his young widow, Renee, and cousin Jonathan, have vowed to continue his legacy of love and service; and are making plans to return to Haiti. At the Wartburg Seminary graduation ceremony last May, Ben’s life was celebrated once again; and Renee picked up two diplomas—one for her and one for her deceased husband. Her courage, faith, and determination were evident in her remarks: “This experience has given me a more profound understanding of the need for the Gospel message in our world today.” (5)

Called to Be Servants

Our lessons for this first Sunday in Lent have a clear message. We are called to be servants of GRACE and partners with Jesus Christ in God’s redemption of the world. (6) In our second lesson from Romans, we find the Gospel in a nutshell. We are saved by grace through faith. It is God’s gift to us through the sacrifice of His only Son on a cross that we might have eternal life. As we begin our journey toward the cross and the resurrection, the message is clear just as Martin Luther once proclaimed: It is faith alone. It is grace alone.

(7) The temptation of Jesus shows just how far Satan will go to bury that message and divert Jesus from his appointed mission of salvation. He is bold, this Lucifer, Christ’s nemesis on earth, to confront God’s Chosen One. He dares to sabotage God’s plan of redemption. Does he really think he is more clever than God’s Son? Nonetheless, he presents Jesus with the classic temptations of wealth, power, and fame. But Jesus does not bend nor break.

(8) He offers a true servant’s response to each. When Satan suggests he turn stones into bread, he could just as well be talking about the Midas touch. If Jesus could conquer the problem of hunger—not only for himself but for others—he would be rich indeed. Jesus counters that one must instead be spiritually rich—centered in God’s Word—the true bread of life. When Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he but bow down and worship, the Son of God reminds him that God is the only one worthy of worship. Finally, when Jesus is tempted to throw himself off the temple so that God’s angels will come and save him in some grand show of glory and fame, the Son of God once again shows he remains God’s faithful servant and true to his Heavenly Father’s mission of salvation; Jesus turns the tables on Satan, saying that one must not tempt the Lord.

(9) We are called in our baptism to live a life of service and to partner with Christ in the healing and redemption of the world. We too face temptation and may find we are easily distracted from our appointed mission. We may seek to pursue wealth, power, fame, or other dreams. Today’s gospel reminds us the only cause worth giving our life for is to be servants of God’s grace.

Jesus calls us as individuals and as a church to live as servant disciples. He enables us to do that by his Word and by sacrament. He empowers us to live our lives for him – to become more Christ-like along the way. Every Sunday we get a new start through Christ’s body and blood at the table of grace. We begin again as disciples with wholeness and new life. He assures us that our sin is forgiven and forgotten, so that we can start all over with a clean slate. He gives us the strength to overcome all things so by his power we can daily live out our baptism as generous disciples of Jesus.

Embracing a Ministry of Giving and Service

(10) One of the untold stories of servanthood is the witness of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located at Ground Zero in New York City. This spring Beth and I visited this amazing congregation that has been engaged in ministry for over 200 years. (11) On September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Towers collapsed there was damage to all the surrounding buildings except St. Paul. Across the street, not even one stained glass window was cracked. (12)God had a purpose for this church in this time of tragedy. It was to show an unwavering spirit by bringing hope and healing at Ground Zero.

St. Paul’s opened it’s doors to become a place of rest and refuge for all the rescue workers. (13) Today you can see evidence in the church of their ministry of hospitality and welcome. (14) Through this act of service, they sought to restore bodies and souls. (15) This revitalized the congregation and gave them a new sense of mission and purpose. (16) Before 9/11, it was like looking in a mirror and seeing distorted images, uncertain about their future in the city. (17)

Now they see clearly where God has led them. Just as a new tower is being built, (18) so the people of St. Paul are rising to the challenge of being God’s servant church in New York City. Today they welcome thousands of pilgrims a day who come to pray and to remember. (19)

God’s Vision of a Church in Mission

There are two bodies of water in Israel. One is the Dead Sea, so called because there is no outlet for the water it receives. It only takes so cannot sustain life. The other is the Sea of Galilee teaming with life and that empties out into the Jordan River giving nourishment to the land. As a church we are called to exemplify the later. To give ourselves away in love for the sake of Jesus. To remember that as a community of faith, we exist not just for ourselves but for the sake of others—for all those Jesus came to save.

There is evidence that doing church the way we’ve always done it before isn’t working anymore. Many of us have come to realize that we must return to God’s vision for the church as described in the New Testament.

We are called to be a church in mission—reaching out to bring people into Christ’s loving embrace and to make disciples. So what is God up to here at Immanuel? Is not God calling this congregation to be transformed into a church that exists not for itself but for others? To adopt a missional or discipleship model. To be a servant church? One that reaches out to welcome the stranger, the newcomer, the unchurched? Here are ten examples of what this might look like. (20)

In measuring effectiveness, the maintenance congregation often asks: “How many pastoral visits are being made?” The mission congregation asks: “How many disciples are being made?” (21)

When considering some form of change, the maintenance congregation says: “If this proves upsetting to any of our members we won’t do it.” The mission congregation says: “If this will help us reach someone on the outside, we’ll take the risk.” (22)

When thinking about change, the majority of members in maintenance congregations ask, “How will this affect me?” The majority of members in a mission congregation ask, “Will this increase our ability to reach people for Christ?” (23)

When thinking of its vision for ministry, a maintenance church says, “We have to be faithful to our past.” The mission church says: “We also have to be faithful to our future.” (24)

The pastor in a maintenance church says to a newcomer, “I’d like to introduce you to our members.” In a mission church members who bring new people say, “I’d like you to meet our pastor.” (25)

The maintenance congregation often seeks to avoid conflict at any cost. The mission congregation understands that conflict is to be expected and can be an opportunity for learning and growing. (26)

The maintenance congregation is preoccupied with tending to its committee structure and organizations. The mission congregation seeks to understand how to make the gospel relevant to the culture. (27)

When thinking about growth, the maintenance congregation asks: “How many Lutherans live within a 25 minutes drive of our church.” The mission congregation asks: “How many unchurched people live within a 25 minute drive of this church?” (28)

A maintenance congregation looks at the community and asks: “How can we get people to support our congregation?” A mission congregation asks: “How can we support our community?” (29)

A maintenance congregation thinks about how to save their congregation. A mission congregation thinks about how to save the world for Christ. (30)

Like the first disciples, we have our preconceived notions about God, about the church, about the Christian life. About the way we think things are supposed to be. Then God’s Spirit comes along and turns it all upside down. We are called in our baptism to be transformed—to die to our old way of life and open ourselves to a new way of thinking and believing. By grace, we are encouraged to embrace the change God offers us, to put on Christ; to take on the mind and heart of a faithful, loving disciple.

When we tell ourselves, “I can never change.” Or “That will never happen,” we presume too much or believe too little. In Jesus Christ, God tenders all of our conclusions as premature and all of our inevitabilities as simply bad faith. In Christ, God opens closed doors, brings resurrection, reclaims the lost, changes the unchangeable, and reveals new possibilities. Thanks be to God.

Immanuel member has solo show at Dolphin gallery

2010-11-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Immanuel member Archie Scott Gobber’s solo show, “Super Power” runs through Jan. 8 at the Dolphin Gallery, 1600 Liberty St., Kansas City.

In the show, Gobber taps into cultural anxieties resulting from the current economic woes and political failings to examine contemporary social polarities.

Learn more about the show here.

MLM Christmas Store needs blankets, teen and women's gifts

2010-11-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

The MLM Christmas Store will be in operation at Immanuel beginning Wednesday, Dec. 8. While we offer space, we also need to offer other resources. Two Immanuel representatives attended the Nov. 5 organizational meeting and learned of the greatest needs.

Most needed items are blankets (full size or larger), teen gifts such as watches, CD players and gifts for Moms. Client Moms enjoy large size sweatshirts, blouses, perfume, small appliances or wallets.

If shopping is not your choice, consider a cash gift or gift certificates from WalMart, Target or Old Navy.

Immanuel will host an ingathering of blankets on Sunday, Nov. 28.

For the 1,000 families who will visit the Christmas Store, this IS Christmas. Shop with your heart leading the way.

Immanuel's Bach Vespers series continues with Advent cantata Dec. 12

2010-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Immanuel Bach Cantata Vespers series continues its 23rd season at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 with Bach Cantata #61: Nun komm, der heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come.) Fellowship and refreshments follow the service.

The cantata was written for the first Sunday of Advent and based on Luther’s Advent chorale of the same name, which is ELW #263. The chorale prays for the coming of the Savior and gives thanks and awe for the divine gift.

Luther’s hymn was included in the very first Lutheran hymnal of 1524 and is core of Lutheran Advent hymnody. In fact it was the proscribed Hymn Of The Day for the first Sunday of Advent.

The central message of the cantata has two parts:

We plead for Messiah to come to save us
Will we accept him into our hearts?

The Sunday lessons on which the cantata was based were Romans 13: 11-14, in which Paul warns early Christians to get ready to receive Christ; and Matthew 21: 1-9, Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The Advent mood of this cantata requires a strings-only orchestra, soprano, tenor and bass soloists and choir.

Here’s what to listen for in the cantata:

The opening choral fantasy is in the form of a French Overture—a three-part musical structure for kingly entry procession—appropriate to first Advent Sunday and to Christ’s entry to earth. The movement opens the first part with a section of stately dotted rhythms where each voice repeats the first line of the chorale, followed by all voices singing together the second line of the chorale. The second part continues in the form of a brisk dance fugue, three beats to the bar marked “gai,” in which voices sing independently of each other the third line of the chorale. We hear the happy throng of the world receiving her king. The third part returns to the stately processional style of the first section for the fourth and final line of the chorale—in every way the entrance of royalty.
In the second part, the tenor (Evangelist) sings a recitative to outline the significance of the Incarnation. “The Savior has come, has taken on himself our poor flesh and blood, and receives us as blood-relatives. O most precious good, what have you not done for us?” The music moves into a flowing Arioso and he continues: “You pour down from heaven its radiant light and blessing.”
The tenor then moves into a beautiful aria with flowing string accompaniment: “Come, Jesus, come to thy church and grant a blessed new year. Advance thy name’s honor, Preserve the sound teaching and bless pulpit and altar.
The fourth movement is both unusual and pivotal. In his recitative, the bass (Jesus) sings the lesson from Revelations 3:20: “Behold, I stand before the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to you, there make my home and celebrate the evening meal.” The strings begin with dissonant knocking chords, played by plucking the strings. We hear in them the savior knocking. Will we open our hearts?
The soprano speaks for us as the individual Soul in her aria in the fifth part, answering the door: “Open wide to him, O heart of mine. Jesus comes to enter.” It is interesting that these opening phrases all have a rest of silence mid phrase—creating an open space where Jesus might enter. The music slows, becomes more serious and she sings, “Though I am but dust and earth, yet He would not disdain to find his pleasure in me, so that I become his dwelling”. The music again picks up as she exclaims: “Oh, how blessed I shall be!” With only the simplest of accompaniment (cello and organ) she must stand alone to personally open her own heart.
In the final movement, the chorus joins to celebrate the Christ coming into all our hearts. Bach concludes the cantata with the last half of the beautiful Epiphany chorale “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright!” (found as ELW #308 and prescribed for the Feast of the Annunciation). He uses the last two lines of the hymn--perhaps to portray the “can’t wait” anxiousness to receive the Savior. Sopranos sing the melody high above the other voices who underscore the phrases in anxious musical activity. In the last line, the first violins ascend a long scale to the very highest final note. It is the morning star shining brightly as Christ takes his place in our sky—a beacon of hope and assurance. This final movement is a beckoning prayer of petition for the Christ to enter our hearts:“Come, O beautiful crown-of-joy, tarry not long! I await for thee with yearning.”

Join our Vespers worship to welcome the Savior. Experience the Savior knocking at your heart’s door and be there to open your heart to welcome him in. Experience the lessons in a profound way and invite a friend to share the experience of worship and music.

William T. Stewart, Bach Cantata Vespers Director

A message from Immanuel's sponsored missionaries

2010-11-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

A Blessed Thanksgiving

“There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility, and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. We enter the world as strangers who all at once become heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit, and drama that has long preceded us and will now enfold, nourish, and sustain us. The gift of the world is our first blessing.”

John O’Donohue, “To Bless the Space Between Us”

As we were packing for PNG last year, a former missionary gave us this advice: “Don’t take any books that are important to you. The humidity and mold will ruin them, but be sure to take whatever book you cannot live without.” It was good advice. We carefully selected about 50 books, among them the Bible and ELW, and the one that I “could not live without” is a book of blessings by John O’Donohue, “To Bless the Space Between Us.” \ I rather like to imagine the “space between us” as blessed in our journey together in mission work.

Nov. 21 marks our one-year anniversary in Papua New Guinea. We flew into this island country with energy and excitement, not really feeling fear but with a heightened awareness of entry into the unknown. While we came with some expectations, we really tried to divest ourselves of all expectation and just experience life as it comes to us.

As we celebrate the first of our four years of service, we feel very blessed; and as we think about family, friends, and all of you in the U.S. preparing for Thanksgiving, we give thanks for all of the support we’ve received this past year. We are reminded of all the missionaries who preceded us in the past 124 years. We give thanks and are blessed to be “heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit, and drama.”

We have known delight in many forms — the children who laugh and love to say our names as we walk to the office, the family who adopted us during our village immersion on our first Christmas, the beauty of the flowers and vegetation.

We have been blessed with meaningful work and good colleagues, both our Papuan New Guinean counterparts and our fellow missionaries. We have been blessed with good health, Rod’s ongoing battle with tropical sores and Nancy’s broken arm aside, and with people who care for us and about us: Sam, Viktoria, Sofi, our extended family.

We have known sadness---the death of a Papua New Guinean friend and colleague, the stark reality of sickness where malaria and TB are the top causes of illness and death, the visible presence of poverty and domestic violence. We live in the tension of the paradoxes of this country — wealth and poverty, simplicity and complexity, indigenous rituals and modern song and dance. We pinch ourselves and still wonder many days how we came to be doing this, and then we remind ourselves that it feels like the most natural thing in the world. We speak in Tok Pisin because it is so important to the relationships we are forming, even though we can get by with English. We laugh at our own mistakes.

One of our sponsoring churches once wrote and said “this is the first time we’ve ever sponsored real live missionaries in wild and faraway places!” We laughingly acknowledge that we are “real.” PNG does have some “wild” places and we have seen some of them. And, yes, it is “far away.”

I find great assurance, however, that we are all in ministry together regardless of distance, that we are truly One in Christ Jesus no matter where we are, and that “the space between us” is truly blessed. It is not just the 9,000 miles from the U.S. to Papua New Guinea that is blessed. But the space between Sullivan, Mo., and Cedarburg, Wis., is blessed, the space between Portage, Mich., and Lancaster, Wis., is blessed, the space between Overland Park, Kan., and Ludington, Mich., is blessed, the space between Willmar, Minn., and Sheboygan, Wis., is blessed.

And there are several more, many of you not knowing one another but joined in ministry and in blessing.

As each of you, our sponsoring churches and individuals, reflect on your past year, we suspect that you, too, have had delights, sadness, surprises and everyday encounters with the Holy. Our lives may not be as different as we think, for we are all called by Jesus to serve, to go out, to live our faith, to proclaim the Good News, to walk humbly with our God.

This Thanksgiving we say “thank you” for choosing to sponsor us in our work in Papua New Guinea, or mipela tok bikpela tenkyu. Some of you have sponsored missionaries before; others are experiencing it for the first time. Each of you is important to us, however, and critical to the work of ELCA Global Mission and ELC-PNG.

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and hold you in our prayers:

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart for all of your share in God’s grace with me in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:3-7)

God i blesim yupela!

Nancy Anderson and Rod Nordby

A message from Pastor Jennifer Thomas

2010-11-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dear friends in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, born in a manger, crucified and risen for you.

I wish you could see the beauty of Immanuel Lutheran Church from my perspective, the flesh and blood of brothers and sisters in Christ striving to reflect the love of God in life. Immanuel is an amazing congregation, and each person is a valued member.

The love of God lived out in our midst reminds me of a song from the musical Rent, “Seasons of Love.” It’s about love! With the love of God as the foundation for our plans, we will be great as a church as we build on the legacy of those who came before us.

The visioning process with our consultant, Pastor Rick Rouse, is reaping great results: learning, conversations, prayers and understanding as well as surprises. It is a delight to be on this journey with you.

When we embarked on the journey, one of my hopes was that we would be transformed by the process. And, I have to admit, I hoped we would be transformed, but already, I have been transformed. I’ve learned a lot, and what I’ve learned continues to push me to grow, and most importantly, the encouragement has been to be “more me,” or rather authentic.

There’s a craving in our world and in our community, and even within us for authenticity. In confirmation worship notes, students indicate that what means the most to them is when words in worship apply to daily living. They, like most adults, are looking for direction. And I am so glad they are here, looking for direction from Immanuel through worship, Sunday school and service.

In a world full of changes, the sturdiness of our building and our worship services as well as a variety of other ministry opportunities provide safe spaces to risk, to move, and to be even more ourselves – bringing our hopes and our dreams to light in the presence of other people who have been called here by God with their own unique perspectives and gifts. Whether we’re 10 or 99, we have dreams and expectations that we bring with us when we enter this community.

Immanuel has a rich legacy of being a great church, of dreaming big dreams, and seeing them to fruition. And we still are a great church on a journey to continue to dream big in our ministry plans. Part of being a great church is always being relevant to the generations who attend. We’re exploring how we’re doing at reaching our seniors, our young families, and everyone in between. As well as exploring how we’re doing at reaching our neighbors, broadly defined – local, city, region, state, nation and world.

Our best gift is the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel, the grace! Sharing the good news, the gospel, the grace, with those who need it most is our responsibility. And at this time of year, the good news is about the birth of Jesus in our world, the Word made flesh. Those who need the good news the most include the broken hearted, the grieving, the unemployed, the disenfranchised, the sick, and all others. And that’s most of us.

From visiting with several members, the pressures at work and school are enormous. Companies and schools are expecting more and more production with fewer and fewer resources. And, at Immanuel, the trend in our budget has been similar, but the future looks brighter for 2011.

While we’re encouraged to be creative in ministry, the good news is that our salvation doesn’t depend upon us getting this right. At Immanuel and throughout the church, God doesn’t expect anything. God gives of himself for us and for our sakes. God entered the world in the form of a human, the Word incarnate.

A this time of year when we look for the end to come and Jesus to return again, we have what we need. And we have what the world around us needs, and that one thing, my friends, is hope. Hope that comes in the form of flesh and blood poured out for us for the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection from the dead. Immanuel (God with us) proclaims that good news every minute of every day. Each year that’s 525,600 minutes!

--Jennifer Thomas

Dec. 13 meeting to examine how Immanuel can help Gordon Parks Elementary students

2010-11-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

We can make a difference in the lives of the at-risk students at Gordon Parks Elementary School.

That was the conclusion after about 20 people from Immanuel and the Volker neighborhood participated in an Oct. 19 research session with Shannon Solis, development and volunteer coordinator with Gordon Parks Elementary School. The session was sponsored by Immanuel’s local organizing committee, which focuses on how God’s people can help shape solutions to the problems of our day.

All Immanuel members are encouraged to attend a one-hour gathering at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec 13, in the Spong Common Room to learn about next steps. Along with Solis, we’ll meet with Wadendra McBride, parent involvement coordinator, and Dean Johnson, executive director, to learn more about how we can help with:

Research into if and how other urban school districts combine test scores with data such as life skills, behavior improvement, emotional control and good decision-making to present a holistic view of school’s accomplishments and progress.
Volunteer ministries, such as serving lunch at the school, or sponsoring a donation drive for belts or other items the students need to complete their school uniforms.

Linda Fewell, Immanuel Organizing Committee

Oct. 17 Commitment Sunday sermon by Pastor Rick Rouse: Tapping into God’s 4-G network

2010-10-21T20:43:00.001-07:00

You’ve heard of the 4-G network. Did you know that 80 percent of the U.S. population is now connected by cell phones. And there is a race among providers to offer their customers not just 3-G but 4-G coverage with faster download and upload service. Did you know that this is available in this area, in fact it is free of charge to every member of Immanuel—right now, today?! You already have access to God’s 4-G network. The 4 Gs stand for God, Grace, Gratitude, and Generosity.

Today’s gospel seems to indicate that prayer is the key to tapping into this network of God’s grace. And your stewardship theme this year is “To pray, to serve, to give.” These are all spiritual disciplines, and all are motivated by God’s gracious action to us in Jesus Christ. We pray, we serve, we give in response to what God has first done for us.

I had a seminary professor that suggested that the prayer of gratitude is the window that opens heaven’s blessings. Let me repeat that. The prayer of gratitude is the window that opens heaven’s blessings. That is because as we cultivate a spirit of gratitude in our hearts, we are open to recognizing and receiving God’s gifts in our lives—as well as a willingness to use them in service to others.

A lesson from Luke 21:1-4

This gospel story is a familiar one. Jesus observes a rich man and a widow in the temple bringing their offering for the Lord. While the rich man puts in a fair amount, it represents only a very small percentage of what he is worth. Whereas the widow gives only a few pennies that turn out to be all that she has in the world. Jesus asks which one has been the most generous, and the crowd responds—the one who sacrificed the most. They get it, if only for the moment.

I recall a widow in one of my congregations who was on a fixed income. She lived very simply and told me one time that she had promised the Lord to give at least 25 percent of her modest income to the church.

With great joy, she announced that she had not only kept her promise but often was able to do more because God had been so good to her; and I knew this was often at a personal sacrifice. Like the widow in Luke, she practiced great generosity and took her discipleship seriously.

The Life of a Disciple

We too are called to be generous disciples of Jesus. However, the life of discipleship may not be for everyone, because being a disciple involves commitment. It’s not about seeing what options you have, what the alternatives are, but it is devoting your whole life and service to Christ and to one another. That’s true whether you are a husband or wife, a father or mother, a son or daughter, whether you’re a man or woman, neighbor or friend, employer or employee, or whatever.

When a person becomes a U.S. citizen, he/she must renounce all allegiance to the country of their birth and pledge 100 percent commitment to the United States. Only then will the U.S. government grant them citizenship. That’s also the way it is with Jesus Christ. When we became a follower of Christ Jesus, we or our parents renounced Satan totally and completely. One can’t divide their loyalties, splitting half the time with Satan and half the time with Christ Jesus. Or being a Christian on Sundays and doing what we ever we want the rest of the week. When we were baptized or affirmed our baptism in confirmation, we made the commitment to follow Jesus all the way. Following Jesus is not some half-hearted effort. It takes courage, it takes commitment, and it takes determination.

Our Lord does not force us to follow him. He does not stand over us with a club saying, “You must do this and you have to do that or else.” By his grace, by his undeserved love and mercy and his care for us, he simply invites us to follow him. He said whoever wanted to follow him must deny self, take up their cross and follow him. So to follow Jesus means that we may have to deny ourselves and we’re not sure that we want to do that. We would much rather focus on ourselves, on our own issues, our own problems, our own challenges, rather than on the call of Jesus. The self wants the things that the self is interested in—what I can get out of it and what’s good for me. The self doesn’t want to put self aside in favor of God and a relationship with him. To deny the self is more than just giving up our favorite food or entertainment. It’s more than just someone on weight-watchers giving up the gravy and the mashed potatoes or the chocolate ice cream. It’s giving ourselves fully to Jesus Christ in willing obedience to follow his call of discipleship.

God’s Act of Generosity

Those of us who’ve had a loving parent, know a little bit about self-denial, and, if we’ve been a parent, we also know something of self-denial. In a book called The Turning Point, the author talks about a young man who is beginning his senior year in college during the years of the Great Depression. His family did not have the money to afford to send him to college, even though it only cost $20 including the books. The father didn’t have the $20. Yet he said, “Son, don’t worry. We’ll find the money. The next morning, they went to the bank and met with the banker. The banker looked over the loan papers, and said, “I’m sorry; I can’t give you the loan. I wish I could.” It seemed there was no way that Glen would ever be able to go to college to finish his last year.

It was the day before school was to start. A big truck backed up to the house. There was one thing that the mother loved more than anything else, next to Jesus and next to her family, and that was her piano. She loved to play thepiano. She enjoyed the music that came from the piano. It gave her great pleasure and great joy.

Well, the men rolled and they pushed the piano across some boards and onto the truck. Then the driver took some money out of his pocket and he gave some bills to the mother – a $20, a $10 and a $5. The driver got into the truck, and they drove away with the mother’s prize possession, the piano, in the back of the truck. Later the father said to the son, “You can go back to college tomorrow. Your mother sold the piano.” Then he gave him the money. That’s exactly what God is like.

You see, God is the One who took the thing that he loved the most, his Son, and gave him up for you and for me. He did so at the hands of sinners. He was disgraced and rejected, denied and killed, and then passed on the treasure to us – forgiveness, peace, joy, graciousness, grace, kindness, mercy, and hope. Then God said, “From now on you have my grace, and can experience joy, purpose, and meaning in life.”

When Jesus calls us to be a disciple, he’s not asking for anything more than what he has already given himself. And as disciples, there may be times when we have to sacrifice for the sake of Jesus and the gospel.

For Jesus, going to the cross was total commitment. He knew that he must die. It was absolutely necessary. It meant everything to him. It was his mission in life. He did it in order to pay for the sins of the world, yours and mine, and for our eternal life.

Responding to God’s grace

We are called to respond to God’s grace, with lives of generosity and loving service. Martin Luther once said: “We are not saved by good works, but we are saved in order to do good works.” He meant that our lives should reflect grace in our love for God and our neighbor. We should be as generous as God has been generous toward us in Christ.

I was in Africa this past summer and witnessed grace and generosity like never before. We spent three weeks in Tanzania exploring the work of the Lutheran church there—the building of schools, hospitals, churches. The Christian faith is exploding there and the congregations we worshipped in were full to overflowing. Why? Because people there take discipleship seriously. They are willing to sacrifice for the faith. One congregation held at least two processional offerings on a given Sunday.

Then we gathered in the yard outside the church after services for a live auction. Those who had little money to give brought produce and chickens to auction off in order to help the church carry out its mission in the community. These Lutheran disciples also practiced radical hospitality. We met in many homes, all of them very modest by our standards. Many with no electricity or running water. Yet they graciously welcomed us and fed us and gave us gifts. Like the widow, they gave away what little they had to serve God and others.

We are called to be a community of grace, to be gracious and generous in our words and actions toward others, to be loving and welcoming of all people. We rejoice that Immanuel is such a community of grace. Jesus calls us to a life of commitment—of living as generous disciples. He enables us to do that by his Word and by sacrament. He empowers us to live our lives for him – to become better disciples – to become more Christ-like along the way. Every Sunday we get a new start through Christ’s body and blood at the table of grace. We start again as disciples with wholeness and new life. He assures us that all our sin is forgiven and forgotten, so that we can start all over with a clean slate. He gives us the strength to overcome all things, and, through his power we can daily live out our baptism as grace-filled disciples of Jesus.

Giving to God is not meant to be a burden but a joy. Mark Allen Powell is a Bible scholar and Lutheran theologian who has written a best selling book Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News About Living a Generous Life. He talks about giving as the act of living out our baptismal life as Christians. Living by our faith.

Being a good steward means belonging to God. It means allowing God to rule our lives, putting God in charge of everything, including our time and our money. The Bible teaches that generosity is a fruit of the Spirit at work in our lives. It comes from an attitude of gratitude. Our giving is always meant to be in response to what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ. Giving then becomes not something we have to do but something we want to do.

Powell offers three principles of stewardship. First, he says, faithful stewardship involves giving to God as an act of worship. We give out of glad and generous hearts as an expression of love and devotion to a God who is so good to us. Second, faithful stewardship involves giving to God as an expression of our faith. When we give generously and without compulsion, we confess that all we are and everything we have belongs to God and we put this faith into action when we offer ourselves and our possessions to God to be used as God sees fit. Finally, faithful stewardship involves giving to God as a discipline for spiritual growth. Whenever we practice a degree of self-denial, we are stretching our faith muscles, in recognition of the Biblical truth that “where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.”

What is it that will connect us to God’s 4-G Network? It is God’s grace and in turn our prayerful and generous response. We have only one life to give and a life of generous discipleship is the path we are called to follow. In so doing we experience the abundant life Jesus offers us.

A missionary was pleased when a native boy arrived at the village church with a fish in handful. The boy told the pastor that he was bringing to God his tithe or 10%. When the missionary asked where the other nine fish were, the boy smiled and replied: “I’m just now going back to the river to catch them.” May we too know such joy in giving. Amen

Ideas for living thankfully

2010-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Want to put more thanks into Thanksgiving this year?

Prayer team member Dorcas Doering suggests checking out resources on gratitude at www.explorefaith.org.

Once you’re at the website, click on the “Living Spiritually” link on the home page, then on “A Thankful Life.” The site includes a variety of resources, including a series of prayers of gratitude.

Speakers, book study highlight adult education in November

2010-10-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Immanuel has several exciting adult eduction opportunities scheduled in November, including two adult forum speakers and a new book study as well as the regular Focus discussion group.

Vance Thomas, director of library services at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, and husband of Immanuel pastor Jennifer Thomas, will lead a two-part adult forum study on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.

His topic is “The Bible: Exegesis.”

On Nov. 14 and 21, Jim Brandt, associate professor of historical theology and director of contextual education at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, will discuss “Atonement: How Christ Saves.”

Adult forum begins at 9:15 a.m. each Sunday in Luther Hall.

The Focus discussion group covers wide-ranging topics at 9:15 a.m. each Sunday in the office conference room.

Melodee Blobaum will lead a seven-week book study of Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays starting Nov. 7 and continuing through Dec. 19 in the prayer room across the hall from the office.

The book is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of preparations for the holiday season. It examines the Divine Office -- the seven daily prayer hours observed around the world -- with an eye to how those prayers can be adapted into a busy life. Wiederkehr, who is a Benedictine nun, identifies themes for each hour of prayer and suggests how one might use that theme in prayer. And she suggests that though we may not be able to fold seven prayer pauses into our lives each day, if we do find ourselves for a minute for prayer, we might want to look at the theme for that hour and construct our prayers accordingly.

Each chapter introduces the themes in 10 pages or so, and then offers resources for praying during that hour.

Seven Sacred Pauses is available in paperback through Amazon for $10.85. If you’re interested in ordering the book, please contact the church office at 816-931-8483.

Of commitment and vision: A message from Pastor Jennifer Thomas

2010-10-19T16:55:00.001-07:00

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Wow! I’m breathless after an exciting weekend at Immanuel, when leaders gathered on Saturday for time with our church consultant, Pastor Rick Rouse. Early on in the conversation, he described the church as a bus rather than a ship, and he proclaimed that God’s Spirit should be driving us. The conversations were stimulating, and survey results indicate that the congregation is ready to create a plan for God’s mission at Immanuel and beyond for the next few years. We have amazing resources that include but are not limited to the members, the staff, the ministry, and the building.

Commitment Sunday was also a huge success thanks to our stewardship leaders, council and staff, and especially to you, the saints who support the ministry through your generous gifts of time, talent, and money. In a temple talk a few weeks ago, Jim Martin encouraged us to consider what portion of what we have we will keep for our own use and what will we give to God’s mission. And then Pastor Rouse reminded us of the beauty and faith inherent in first fruit giving like the little boy who gave the first fish he caught knowing that he could go back to the river to catch the other nine. That is how good God is!

Pastor Rouse also referred to Mark Allen Powell’s best-selling book“Giving to God” in his sermon. I’ve read it, and the most important shift in his theological understanding for the church is that stewardship isn’t about the percent that we give to church. Stewardship is about how we use all that we have – ourselves, our time, and our possessions whether it’s at church, in the community, in our home, at work, with friends, or even how we spend our leisure time.

Of course, the danger of looking at stewardship from a 100 percent perspective is that we could become law-oriented. But that isn’t who we are as Lutherans. As Lutherans, grace is foremost in our minds. And because of God’s grace, love, and steadfast mercy and justice, we respond with gratitude and generosity.

I’m grateful for the high percentage of members who participated in the survey process. I hope you’ve read the summary of the survey results. We have some growing edges and opportunities. I want you to know, I’m taking the feedback from the survey seriously, and I recognize that perceptions and expectations are different across generational lines. Our consultant, Pastor Rouse, recommends a book that helps congregations much like ours to bridge generation gaps and to be intergenerational. The book is “Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60” by Edward H. Hammett and James R. Pierce.

Let me be clear. Every generation matters. Every person is unique. Each has gifts and growing edges. And, God has called us together, here. God has called us together, at this time. We are Immanuel, and we are an ELCA word and sacrament ministry. And, like our consultant asked us at the beginning of the process on Saturday, “Are you on the bus?” God is on the bus. God deeply desires to be in relationship with you. God desires to knit us into one fabric, one body, marked with the cross of Christ forever and sent for the sake of the world. We have a strong and beautiful legacy of being a church whose mission has always been timely for its time. I hope you’ll participate in the conversation about where God’s bus is headed at this particular time.

Immanuel’s Women meet Nov. 4

2010-10-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

Good fellowship, light supper and lively conversation around a Bible study are all on the agenda when the women of Immanuel meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4.

Women of all ages are invited to come to the monthly meetings in the Spong Common Room. We gather at 6 p.m. for social time. If you have questions, call the church office at 816-931-8483.

Men’s Breakfast set for Nov. 6

2010-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Immanuel’s men and friends are invited to breakfast and Bible Study at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6.

After a study led by Doug Himebaugh, we’ll be in search of ideas for future gatherings and activities. Inside the church and out, morning, noon or evening activities will be explored.

So if you have an opinion, please come or fill out the survey that came to your mailbox.

Immanuel's Centered Life team regroups

2010-10-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

“God’s Work, Our Hand’s” is the ELCA tagline. It is also reflective of the centerpiece in Centered Life – Centered Work, a program begun here in 2002. Centered Life was spawned by an initiative begun by Luther Seminary and Immanuel was selected to be one of five pilot congregations in the Kansas City area.

Centered Life is about ministry in daily life, that is, our vocational calling or what we do outside the walls of the church. Martin Luther believed that a shoemaker is just as important as a CEO. God’s requirement is that both do their work using the gifts they have been given to the glory of God and for the sake of community.

Our community at Immanuel is in the process of re-visioning its ministry plan. Lifting up the vocational calling of each member will certainly be part of the exciting mix.

The Centered Life Team is taking a break until the role we are to play comes into sharper focus. Under a new name but always under the cross of Christ, we will continue our work of ministry in daily life. If you would like information about this reforming ministry, please contact Carolyn Wilson at 816-931-8483.

Read for a cause on Nov. 13

2010-10-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Curl up with a good book, e-reader, or newspaper on Saturday, Nov. 13 for the first-ever Read-a-thon for Hunger to kick off National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Nov. 14 -- 20.

Here’s how it works: for every hour you commit to read, you also pledge to give one non-perishable food item or $1 to a food pantry of your choice.

As a strong supporting congregation of Metro Lutheran Ministry, Immanuel Read-a-thon participants are encouraged to consider pledging to support MLM during the readathon.

For more information or to sign up, check us out at www.readathonforhunger.blogspot.com, visit us on Facebook, or contact Amanda Rothe at (913) 940-3276.

On Oct. 18, learn how to make a difference for at-risk school children

2010-09-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Susan Solis, development and volunteer coordinator with Gordon Parks Elementary School, will share information and answer questions about the needs of the school’s students at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, in Luther Hall. Please plan to be there!

Susan’s visit is in response to a common concern about factors that diminish the well-being of children in local elementary schools (see story above.) Based on information we learn from Susan, the goal will be to identify how we can work together to improve the well-being of Gordon Parks students.

Acting on the conviction that every child has promise, Gordon Parks Elementary provides an enriched individualized academic program, particularly for at-risk urban students. Serving more than 200 children in grades K-5, the public charter school was named after the groundbreaking African-American photographer who proudly endorsed the school’s mission.

About 95 percent of Gordon Parks students live at or below the poverty level, about 17 percent qualify for special education classes, and far too many are pained by broken families or exposure to violence in their homes or neighborhoods. Despite these challenges, Gordon Parks students inspire with their intelligence, creativity and determination to learn.

As a charter school, Gordon Parks receives public funding. But to maintain small classes, holistic curriculum and intensive support services, it also depends on the generosity and dedication of donors and volunteers.

-- Linda Fewell, Immanuel Organizing Committee

Immanuel Organizing Committee session uncovers neighborhood concerns

2010-09-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

About 25 people from Immanuel and from the Volker and West Plaza neighborhoods shared a light lunch and heartfelt concerns about the quality of life in Immanuel’s neighborhood during a Sept. 12 gathering.

The event, sponsored by Immanuel’s local organizing committee, focused on how God’s faithful people can help shape solutions to the problems of our day.

All of the concerns brought forward were considered important, but the participants pointed to three particular issues that will be the focus of further research:

Unemployment and underemployment, including needs for networking and support.

Circumstances that undermine the well-being of children in local elementary schools, particularly Gordon Parks Elementary, 3715 Wyoming St., Kansas City, a charter school in in the former Volker Elementary building, and Longfellow Elementary, 2830 Holmes, in the Kansas City, Mo., school district.

The lack of relationships and sense of community among churches and the neighborhoods

The goal of the research into those concerns will be to identify how we can work together as congregation members and neighbors, and combine our voices and efforts in ways that can lead to lasting changes and improvements.

That process will begin in earnest on Monday, Oct. 18, when Immanuel members can learn how they can be part of the solution at a program by Susan Solis, the Gordon Parks development and volunteer coordinator.

-- Linda Fewell, Immanuel Organizing Committee

Christmas in July gift drive: By the numbers

2010-08-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here’s a tally of the gifts gathered through Immanuel’s Christmas in July gift drive to benefit the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry Christmas store.

woman's coat

pillows

men's watches

gift certificates

book bags

gifts for teens

articles of women's clothing

men's shirts

blankets

towel sets

lap robes

men's wallets

baby blankets

toys

small appliances

knit items

items of boys and girls clothing

The social ministry committee appreciates your generosity.

Mark your calendar: Immanuel will gather gifts again in November. Items that are often in short supply at the Christmas store are large size women's clothing, teenage gifts and gifts for Moms.

Cash donations are welcome as well, and are used for third day shopping when the store managers shop for items in short supply.

News from the pews: Velicer plays JCCC

2010-08-14T04:23:00.001-07:00

Catch Immanuel member Dan Velicer in two performances as part of the Ruel Joyce Recital Series at Johnson County Community College this fall. The recitals are free and open to the public.

Velicer will perform with the Fedele Trio (David Fedele, flute, Matthew Herren, cello, Velicer, piano) at noon Monday, Sept. 20, in the Recital Hall at the Carlsen Center at the college, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park.

He also will appear with Raymond Santos, clarinet, at noon Monday, Oct. 25, also in the Recital Hall.

The recital series, named for Ruel Joyce, a longtime jazz bassist who headed the local musicians’ federation from 1977 until his death in 1989, is cosponsored by the JCCC theatre and music department, Community Services and the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts. Seating is available first-come, first-served.

Calendar check

2010-08-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Do you have these dates marked on your calendar? These upcoming events at Immanuel offer service and fellowship opportunities that you won’t want to miss.

It’s clean-up time. Immanuel’s property committee will be painting and cleaning to prepare for the Sunday school year on Saturday, Aug. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 11. Have someone who needs some service time for school or Scouts? This is a great way to log those hours in good company.
Take me out to a ballgame. What could be better after a day of painting and cleaning than a trip to the ballpark? Immanuel’s congregational life committee is planning a trip to Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan., to catch a T-Bones game on Saturday, Aug. 14. Tailgating starts at 5 p.m. With the game at 7 p.m. Tickets are $11 per person; a few are left, call the church office at 816-931-8483 for details.
Still more clean up and organizing. Phase III/OPUS, Immanuel’s group for active seniors, will meet at the church at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, to help organize Sunday school classrooms for the start of the school year. Lunch will follow at a local restaurant. Call the church office at 816-931-8483 to reserve a place.
Getting to know you. A getting-to-know-you coffee hour is planned at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 22. Enjoy treats, conversation and a chance to share your dreams for Immanuel with others.

God's work, your hands: Volunteer

2010-08-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re looking for a short-term commitment or a long-term ministry, Immanuel has lots of opportunities for you to do God’s work with your hands.

Here are a few:

Help handle recycling. The property committee is looking for volunteers to haul recycleables to a recycling center.
Hand out bulletins, take the offerings. C’mon, admit it. You always wanted to be part of the usher corps. Here’s your chance. Immanuel’s ushering teams have a few openings.
Teach a Sunday school class. Immanuel’s kids could use your help. We need at least 14 teachers to staff seven Sunday school classrooms. Teach the full year, or commit for a semester. The benefit to you, besides getting to know and shape the faith of Immanuel’s youngest members? The Spark Sunday school curriculum is based on the lessons that are read in worship on Sunday. Prepare for Sunday school and get some insights on worship at the same time.
Sing in the choir. Choir resumes in just a few weeks, and new singers are always welcome. Whether you’re in high school or graduated long ago, there’s room for you in the choir.

Call the church office at 816-931-8483 to learn more.

Fresh is best through the growing season

2010-07-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Fresh tomatoes, berries, and squash. Homemade preserves. Those and other fresh organic delights are available in Immanuel’s east parking lot in the 1600 block of Westport Road every Wednesday.

Vendors from the Westport/Plaza Farmers’ Market set up shop from 4:30-7:30 p.m. every Wednesday through the growing season.

“Our vendors are small farmers who care about the food they grow and the land they grow it on,” says David Bennett, one of the market’s coordinators.

Linda Fewell, Immanuel’s representative to the Volker Neighborhood Association, says the farmers’ market had used a parking lot on 39^th Street in previous years, but that space no longer is available.

“During the March neighborhood association meeting, I heard how much Volker residents wanted to find a new space for the market and how disappointed they would be if it were forced to move to another neighborhood,” Linda says. “Using our extra parking lot on Wednesday evenings seemed a perfect solution that keeps a beloved service in the neighborhood.”

News from Immanuel's Worship and Arts committee

2010-07-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Liturgy, psalmody changes: Immanuel will continue to use the Marty Haugen liturgy until Sunday, Aug. 15, when the liturgy will shift to setting 1 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Alternative approaches to the psalmody during the 8:15 service also continue in August. Options include singing the psalm antiphonally between men and women or pulpit /organ sides of the congregation, or speaking the psalm.
Learning opportunities: The Worship and Arts committee and members of Altar Guild will team up to lead adult forums on Sunday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, March 20. The October presentation will focus on the lesser festival Sundays throughout the church year, and the March session will examine the liturgical actions of ordinary time.
Mark your calendar: Immanuel organist Ted Stewart has announced the Bach Cantata dates for 2010-2011: Oct. 24, Dec. 12, March 6, and April 10.
Looking ahead: The Worship and Arts committee has set these goals for 2010: broaden the repertoire of worship styles; continue to serve as a liaison among worship leaders, committees and church staff; offer updates on the liturgical year; develop a worship activity with the Oromo community

(Men's) Breakfast, anyone?

2010-07-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

Like breakfast? Enjoy speakers? Want to get to know the other men at Immanuel a little better?

Then you’re an ideal candidate to kick-start a monthly men’s breakfast at Immanuel.

The tentative plan is a once-a-month Saturday gathering at 7 a.m. for breakfast, a 30-minute program and fellowship. Participants would be on their way by 8:15 a.m.

If you’re interested, attend a planning meeting at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, in the office conference room.

If five men show up who are willing to do the heavy lifting of planning, the program will proceed.

Carolyn Wilson is convening the meeting, but will not participate in the breakfasts. Call her for more information at 816-931-8483.

A message from Pastor Jennifer Thomas: Of prayer and hope, our daily bread

2010-07-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

A visitor at worship on July 25 told me why she was glad she came: the words on prayer were timely as she struggles with her mother’s illness. The worship liturgy, the hymns, the scriptures, and the community of faith renewed her hope.

So, because I desire to renew your hope, I am including here excerpts from the July 25 sermon.

Jesus teaching his disciples to pray reminds us of our need to feast on the bread of heaven – Jesus gives us the words and encourages us in our persistence.

The Gospel of Luke tells the stories of three different widows speaking or praying for mercy and grace, stories that connect well to Jesus’ words on prayer. Prayer, persistence and generosity exemplify the faithfulness of these women.

We know well the story of the widow whose persistent pleas for mercy softened a corrupt judge’s heart -- not because they were so beautifully chosen, but because she wore him out with her constant requests.

And we know Anna -- a woman of great age who stayed at the temple, praying and fasting, day and night. Her encounter with the infant savior prompted beautiful words of praise.

And then finally, we remember the widow in the temple whose two copper coins given from poverty drew Jesus’ praise.

A few weeks ago, a man who appeared to be poor, maybe even homeless, came to Immanuel’s door and asked to pray in the sanctuary. He stayed for 30 minutes, his head bowed.

On his way out the door, he poked his head in the office, and told Tim, “I left what I could for the church.” He left two quarters, two dimes, two nickels and nine pennies inside a pew envelope. It’s as beautiful as any gift the church has ever received, because it was given with a generous heart from a person in need.

In the movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” Andy Dufrense writes a letter to his friend, Red, to come and find him across the border in Mexico.

Earlier in the movie, Red has said, “Hope? Hope is a dangerous thing!”

But now he reads his friend’s words and his eyes are clear, his heart is full, and he is ready for the next chapter of his life.

Here’s what Andy wrote to him: “Hope is a beautiful thing. Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

The Lord’s prayer itself is our daily bread, for we cannot live by bread alone but by the words of God. Hope is our daily bread.

When we pray the Lord’s prayer together as a community, our voices join the heavenly host and all creation as the church around the world prays in a multitude of languages.

Through my time here at Immanuel, I have heard stories of members feeding the hungry. And I’ve heard stories of the hungry being fed. The stories I’ve heard include Wally’s story about feeding the German soldiers who held him and his buddy captive, because they knew where a storehouse of potatoes was hidden. And the grace that came in feeding captors – because they lived rather than died at the hands of those men.

When we begin and end our days in prayer, asking that God’s will be done on earth, asking for our daily bread, we are open to whatever God’s will for our lives is that day. A reminder to live fully in the present, not to worry about yesterday or tomorrow, but to embrace God’s richest blessings for us today!

This is our hope!

Volunteers needed for Sunday school

2010-07-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Immanuel's Sunday school classes will resume on Sunday, Sept. 12, with Rally Day activities.

Immanuel will have seven classes, which means we need at least 14 teachers.

Several of our long-time teachers are taking a break so we need to replace them, which will be difficult.

Please consider volunteering to co-teach or to teach for half a year.

Teaching for the entire year involves 30 hours of teaching and 15 to 30 hours of preparation.

Or if you choose to teach either fall or spring semester, your time commitment would only be 20 to 30 hours.

Immanuel uses the Spark curriculum, which ties the Sunday school lesson to the Scripture lessons in church. Preparing for class also gets you ready to hear the Word in worship. And, the lessons are filled with fun and rewarding activities for our students.

A Sunday school staff meeting is planned for 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, in the Gathering Space at Immanuel.

Please consider giving of your time, talent and energy to the youth of Immanuel. You will be rewarded greatly!

Contact the church office at 816-931-8483 for more information.

A summer message from Immanuel's sponsored missionaries

2010-07-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace to you, congregations and individuals who so generously sponsor our ministry in Papua New Guinea,

Today is not a national holiday but it is a Lutheran holiday. On July 12, 1886, the first missionaries came to Papua New Guinea, landing at Simbang in the coastal area of Finschhafen. Therefore it seems appropriate to reflect a bit on the 124-year history that we are now part of.

As I sit and look out our window at lush foliage through rain, it’s hard to imagine the arrival of missionaries here, not knowing the language or the peoples they would encounter, arriving in the rainy season, having to build homes out of bush material, and beginning ministry.

I cannot help but feel that those early missionaries were in a league all their own. In fact, disease wiped out almost all of the first missionaries but they did not abandon the call. They moved higher up into the mountains and began to train evangelists.

Now, 124 years later, ministry continues. In some ways, it is the same, since we continue to have evangelist training in one location near Madang, in two church colleges and three seminaries.

In other ways, it is very different as we now have a national church office, constitutions, long-range plans and all the trappings of modern business.

The one constant, however, is that it is the gospel, the Good News, that continues to be the centerpiece of life and ministry. Many times we hear that it is truly the gospel that has brought the country together.

There are no major celebrations here at Ampo today. For the past two weeks, the Founding Day has been a topic of sermons and conversation here on Ampo (check our blog for some of the themes), and we will have lotu (worship) this evening.

General Secretary Albert Tokave travelled to Simbang for a commemorative event, but many people are gone. We are in the midst of a two-week school break so many people are traveling. Bishop Wenge and four others leave later this week for Stuttgart, Germany, to attend the Lutheran World Federation Assembly where Bishop Mark Hanson will preside.

All of this is a reminder to us of the breadth of our global Church and how connected we really are. You, too, are part of our ministry in Papua New Guinea, just as we are part of yours. Our ministries transcend time and place!

June has been a time of transitions here at ELC-PNG. There have been a lot of “handover/takeovers.” This is the term that is used which is somewhat awkward but actually quite descriptive. At the end of the June Church Council meeting, we gathered outside the Main Building on a lovely tropical evening for worship, recognitions, and a big meal.

Four of the 17 District Presidents finished their terms with this council meeting and each was given a certificate of appreciation. The official handover/takeover of the General Secretary also took place. Isaac Teo, the outgoing Secretary, had provided assistance to the new Secretary, Albert Tokave during the past three months and this was Isaac’s last council meeting.

Isaac Teo is from the district of Siassi. The festivities began at his house when members of his clan performed a singsing, the traditional dance and music of his birthplace. There were speeches, gifts, and more speeches. Albert Tokave took the opportunity to not only thank his predecessor but to share some of his vision for the future.

Departing missionaries were also recognized. Klaus and Robyn Neumeier finished their five-year term on June 22. Klaus has been an advisor to Lutheran Development Service’s agricultural project. He and Robyn have been an integral part of the community.

Miriam Lies, a young German woman, was also recognized. She leaves July 14. Her replacement arrives in late July.

It reminds us that the church is always changing, just as the community is always changing, yet some things remain the same---daily routines, weekly Chapel, the general ebb and flow of life.

Perhaps one of the most touching recognitions of the evening was the retirement of Koi, longtime driver for the Bishop. Koi began driving for dignataries in 1966. He is a humble, unassuming man with a perpetual smile on his face. When he came forth to receive his gift and certificate, the clapping and chanting grew to a loud crescendo. In a patriarchal culture that reveres the het man (head man), it was nice to see the recognition of “the least of these.”

We are now in the rainy season and it is a bit difficult for us Midwesterners to become accustomed to days and days of rain. I have come to learn that the rain does subside eventually, and we get a few days of sun between downpours. I am finding new meaning in the phrase “when it rains, it pours.”

Rod has been busy doing audits. He recently travelled with his counterpart, Gavin, to Port Moresby to do an audit of the Lutheran Transit House. The Lutheran Church owns four transit/guest houses—one each in Port Moresby, Lae, Madang and Goroka. They are hostel-like accommodations and their purpose is to provide inexpensive housing to pastors and church workers whose work takes them around the country.

Port Moresby is growing rapidly because of the gas exploration and mining in the Highlands and it has become a bigger operation. Similarly, Goroka and Madang have become tourist destinations and are experiencing more activity.

All of this has heightened the discussion of these guest houses as money-making enterprises or as a service to the Church. It also points out the paradox you find in developing countries, where modern technology and enterprise reside side-by-side with village life that is reminiscent of what the first missionaries encountered 124 years ago. These tensions are part of what the Church faces as it looks to the future.

Know that we are well, that we enter each day with hearts of gratitude for your support of us and that we will try to stay in touch as much as possible. Blessings to you in all of your ministries.

Nancy Anderson and Pastor Rod Nordby e

Where does the money go?

2010-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: Immanuel’s stewardship committee is presenting a series of articles highlighting one segment of the congregation’s budgeted ministries each month. So far, the series has examined parish administration, facility costs and our ministry at a distance.

* * *

This month our focus is on our ministry to our community, approximately 10 percent of our current annual budget.

This portion of our budget includes support for Cross Lines, Hollis Renewal Center, Inner City Missions, Community LINC, Metro Lutheran Ministry, the Oromo speaking congregation, Budget and Financial Management Assistance, Westport Cooperative Services, Back-to-School, CCO and our emergency needs funds.

Also remember that we provide our facility to MLM for their Christmas Store, and that the Youth Works volunteers and staff that occupy our spaces this summer provide approximately 560 volunteer hours per week to various not-for-profit agencies during their stay with us.

For our illustrations here, we have also included a portion of Pastor Jennifer Thomas’s and Carolyn Wilson’s salaries and benefits in this ministry segment.

Let's go to a ballgame!

2010-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Whether you love baseball or not, you’re sure to be entertained by the Kansas City T-Bones, our local independent baseball team.

Members of Immanuel will be journeying out to Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan., to see the T-Bones take on the Rockford RiverHawks on Saturday, Aug. 14. Tailgating starts at 5 p.m., with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

It’s Salute to Heroes Night at the T-Bones, with police, fire, ambulance and military equipment on display and a special pre-game ceremony. Plus, there’s a back-to-school giveaway for the first 5,000 through the gate, and post-game fireworks.

Tickets are $11 per person and can be purchased at church, or reserved by calling the church office at 816-931-8483. Parking is free at the ballpark.

Hot dogs and paper goods will be supplied for the tailgate party; bring a side dish to share, lawn chairs and beverages.

Are we there yet? Immanuel embarks on a visioning process

2010-07-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" John 14:1-5

Two minutes into summer vacation driving west on Interstate 70 the questions begin: When will we get there? Are we lost? Do we have enough gas? Can we stop for ice cream? Dad tried to comfort us with visions of mountains: "They're out there," he would say pointing the way ahead. "Can you see Pike's Peak?"

It was hard to see Pike's Peak from Salina. The Dairy Queen at Exit 152 was so much more … real.

It was hard for the disciples to see what was next in-between Passover and the crucifixion - even though Jesus was still with them saying: "You know the way." They needed a glimpse of where they were headed; they wanted reassurance and a Rand McNally Road Atlas. Thomas said it out loud: "Lord, if we don't know where you're going, even a GPS won't help us get there."

It helps to have a vision: a picture of God's preferred future for us. That's why Immanuel's newly formed Vision for Ministry Task Force is proposing that Immanuel engage in an intentional visioning process beginning this fall. The purpose is to spend some time together to see where we are, remember whose we are, and renew our vision of who God is calling Immanuel Lutheran Church to be.

There are three reasons for proposing a visioning process.

It's time. Immanuel's Long Range Plan was developed in 1998. It identified eight ministry areas and goals to achieve God's vision for Immanuel. That was 12 years ago. In 2003, a review of the plan reaffirmed some of our ministry areas, and called out new areas for consideration - that was 7 years ago. Four years ago in preparation for calling a new pastor, the Council reviewed the Revised Long Range Plan. Some of the goals were out of date because of the passage of time. But many had been achieved; we had traveled together as far as those goals could take us.
We're a different group of people. Of course we're different than we were 12 years ago. The congregation has changed. Some of our faithful members have died, and some have been led to join and serve other congregations. But even those of us who are still here have changed. All of us have grown in the past 12 years - and growth means we bring different gifts, fresh insights and newly developed skills for ministry. That's good news! It means our discipleship and education programs are working. So, even if we are the "same people," we are different people because of the passage of time.
Renewal is what we pray for every time we worship. Through Word and Sacrament we pray: "Renew our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." That's what the visioning process is about - renewal. Rediscovering who God is calling us to be now - individually and collectively as a community of faith - and then embodying that identity in the choices we make and the actions we take.

"How does what we're doing, reflect who we are?"

"How does who we are, shape what we do?"

The vision process will help us ask and answer these questions.

It will build on our roots - first in Christ and on our calling to be a worshipping community.
It will build on our identity and our Lutheran tradition as we ask: "What does it mean to be the Body of Christ?"
It will build on the legacy of those who have gone before us at Immanuel as we realize the promise God has - not just for us - but for the world through us because we are the Body of Christ in this place and time - now!

Prepare to join us on the journey of discovering God's vision for Immanuel. Watch for more information as we kick-off the visioning process this fall. Everyone is welcome; everyone carries a piece of the picture.

We're not there yet. But, "you know the way."

Members of the Vision for Ministry Task Force are: Don Arney, Sally Baehni Dorcas Doering, Mike Fee, Kevin Fewell, Jim Martin, Pastor Jennifer Thomas, Ramelle Timm, and Carolyn Wilson.

Haiti, Six Months Later: An Update from Lutheran World Relief

2010-07-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: Immanuel’s Lydia Circle has been collecting items for health kits for Lutheran World Relief this summer, with the goal of sending 50 kits to help Lutheran World Relief efforts in Haiti. They’d like to double that number, if they could.

You can help by gathering items for the health kits (find a list of what’s needed here) and placing them in the display case outside the office at Immanuel.

Baltimore, July 12, 2010 — Six months after Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) remains hard at work assisting those who are still dealing with its aftermath and will be for years to come.

LWR, with a 14-year history in Haiti, is focusing the majority of its efforts on underserved rural populations. Many rural communities found themselves hosting an influx of people who fled the capital city of Port-au-Prince after the quake, putting a severe strain on already limited resources.

“It’s a tenuous situation,” said Alex Wilson, LWR’s deputy regional director for Latin America, who visited Haiti in June. “Lots of families left the city initially, but then went back in search of shelter, work and educational opportunities. However, the situation in Port-au-Prince remains critical, and many have now returned to their communities of origin a second time.”

LWR is working with local partners to support rural communities through cash-for-work programs to build soil and water conservation structures, distribution of additional seeds in preparation for the rainy season and training on agricultural production, to ensure that people have some income and that farmers are able to grow sufficient food to feed everyone. In addition, LWR is supporting the construction of latrines and low-cost water filter systems to accommodate the additional populations that have fled to rural areas.

“We lost one child during the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, and we didn’t even have time for a funeral,” said Monique Orestil, a participant in LWR’s program in Maissade, a rural community located about a four hour drive north of Port-au-Prince. “I brought my remaining five children here, and LWR helped me participate in a cash-for-work program. It was like God landing in Maissade. I left Port-au-Prince without anything, but now I can work for my family.”

As a member of the global aid consortium ACT Alliance, LWR has also supported life-saving measures in and around Port-au-Prince, since the days immediately after the earthquake. ACT Alliance members have provided food, water and sanitation, shelter and other services to more than 341,000 people.

“We are in a transition period now, moving from immediate relief efforts into the rehabilitation phase so that rural families can re-establish their livelihoods,” Wilson said. LWR, taking a long-term approach to rehabilitation and recovery, plans to work with earthquake-affected communities for five years.

“This was a devastating crisis,” Wilson added. “Recovery will take a long time.”

On the domestic side, LWR has mobilized its supporters to advocate to the U.S. government for cancellation of Haiti’s debt, and for emergency funding to support reconstruction programs. As a result of advocacy efforts by many organizations and individuals, in February the Obama Administration announced support for canceling Haiti’s nearly $1 billion debt and in April, President Obama signed the Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery Act into law. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a supplemental funding bill that includes crucial funds for reconstruction and agriculture efforts in the country. LWR continues working to ensure that policy-makers hear the voices and understand the needs of Haitian civil society.

Also in the U.S., LWR has partnered with Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM) in an unprecedented effort to have summer camp participants work to assemble 32,000 LWR health kits – enough for an entire shipping container – to be sent to those in need in Haiti.

“I’m delighted that LWR sought us out with the idea,” said Dave Coker, executive director of NLOM. “And I’m excited for the kids who will come to camp this summer. The health kit service project will help them connect to their faith in powerful ways.”

Christmas in July: Week one

2010-07-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Immanuel is celebrating Christmas in July by gathering gifts for the Metro Lutheran Ministry Christmas store. The store, which is hosted at Immanuel in December, provides gifts and food for needy families served by MLM.

Last year, more than 1,000 households shopped at the store.

Gifts for women and teens are almost always in short supply, so Immanuel's summer gift drive targets those items.

Getting involved is as easy as 1-2-3:

1 - Stop by the Christmas tree in the Spong Common Room at Immanuel and pick up an ornament that lists a gift item. Pick up more than one if you're feeling generous.

2 - Go to your favorite store and purchase the item.

3 - Bring it to Immanuel and place it under the tree.

We'd like to see the entire side of the room overflowing with gifts. If you'd like to know more about the Christmas in July gift drive, or about Immanuel, call the church office at 816-931-8483.

Patriotism, picnic on the calendar for Immanuel's active seniors

2010-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

OPUS/Phase III, Immanuel's group for active seniors, will meet on Wednesday, July 21, for an indoor picnic and presentation titled "10 Things Every Citizen Should Know about the U.S. Constitution."

Naomi Karmeier will lead the group in patriotic singing, and local historians Patti Winkler and Emerson Wilson will make the constitution come alive.

The indoor picnic starts at 11:30 a.m. at the church, 1700 Westport Road, Kansas City, Mo., with the program to follow.

Cost is $7 per person.

For more information, call the church at 816-931-8483.

Uncloudy day at Immanuel

2010-06-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Imanuel's worship on Sunday, June 13, had the lilt of Appalachia, with music led by six musicians from the congregation.

They are, from left, Naomi Karmeier, Jerry Noernberg, Steve Swanson, Sue Funk, Scott Gobber and John Anderson.

Mmmmm. Pancakes.

2010-06-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

Eat pancakes; help someone in need have a brighter Christmas.

Chris Cakes will be flipping pancakes, and all the fixings, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, July 4, in Luther Hall at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1700 Westport Road, Kansas City, Mo.

Proceeds from the free will offering will benefit the MLM Christmas Store.

Immanuel hosts the MLM Christmas Store in December, and more than 1,000 people will take home gifts and food for their family.

But the Christmas-y spirit doesn't end on July 4. For the entire month, the congregation's social ministry committee will be gathering Christmas gifts for the store. You can read more about that here.

'Imagining God's Future' coffee hours add zing to summer Sundays

2010-06-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar for July 18 and Aug. 22 and plan to attend a coffee hour.

These are not your mother’s coffee hours but coffee hours with an active twist.

On July 18 stay after late worship for coffee hour number one. Come to Luther Hall where hearty snacks will be provided and you’ll get to participate in a brief “getting to know you exercise.” This half hour will start us on our way as we get to know each other better and we try to imagine God’s plan for Immanuel’s future.

On Aug. 22 we’ll repeat the exercise between services. After 8:15 a.m. worship, come to Luther Hall for the same exercise, part II. You may come both times. In fact we’d love it if you would come twice. Children are most welcome and we’ll have activity tables set up for them.

Centered Life is sponsoring the coffee hours and if you have a question or would like to join the team, see Carolyn Wilson. Team members Dorcas Doering, EB Walker, Ramelle Timm, Peg Himebaugh and Sally Baehni are willing to answer questions about the coffees or the Centered Life Team.

Christmas in July is only days away: Get ready to shop!

2010-06-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Every summer, Immanuel looks ahead to the chilly days of December and the Metro Lutheran Ministry Christmas store.

Each Sunday in July, we'll be gathering gifts to benefit the Christmas store, which will be held at Immanuel in December.

Gifts for women and teens are always in short supply at the Christmas store. Generally, the gifts should fall in the $10 to $15 range.

Suggested gifts include:

Blankets
Children’s clothing, sizes 3-9
Toddler clothing
Sweatshirts
Sweatpants
Trucks
Dolls
Games
CDs/CD player
Purses or billfolds
Toasters
Toaster ovens
Crock pots
Irons
Tools
$10-$15 gift cards from Target or Wal-mart
Towel Sets
Bath Sets

Message from Pastor Thomas: New things all around us

2010-06-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

Do not remember the former things,

or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

New things, new wine, new wineskins, new year’s resolutions, new, new, new.

All around us are new things – new cars, new technology, new glasses, new haircuts, new hearing aids. Change is never easy, but often, it’s what’s necessary. Time doesn’t stand still.

You might think to yourself, “I haven’t changed a bit. I’m the same person I’ve always been.” But you’re not. Today you have the experiences of yesterday and today that you didn’t have at the beginning of the week. You have new knowledge and new insight. You may have a new wrinkle, a stronger muscle, less hair or more.

But look at us, we’re not getting any newer, or are we? And yet, daily we are renewed in our baptisms. Daily we are renewed in our hearts, minds, and souls.

Our buildings aren’t getting any newer, but are getting better with age like a fine wine – worn and mellowed. I was sitting in the sanctuary and noticed the fine cracks in the paint at the corners where the woodwork meets the plaster and thought about how the building is a lot like us. So much has changed since Immanuel first came to this site. And throughout the ages God has been preparing us for this moment in ministry.

What is the holy work that God is doing in you? What is the new thing? Do you perceive it?

The new things in my life this week included preparing a family for baptism and sponsoring a new seminary candidate.

When I met Zoe’s family for preparation for baptism, I held the newborn Zoe, just 15 days old.. Adorable, sweet, peacefully sleeping, but she’s human, and the gases created from her digestion were escaping – not so peacefully – from her body. (Peder would say, ‘Mo-om, that’s bathroom talk!’)

And yet, she’s a perfect human. Whether cradled comfortably by her adoring mom, rocked by her dad, or dangled by her older sister, she is a creation of God, soon to be welcomed by the church on her baptism day – June 27.

Immanuel recently approved sponsoring a new candidate for ministry, too. 30 years old, preparing for seminary, Scott is smart, educated, worldly, but human too. Whether embraced by his wife, teased by his sister, or adored by his parents, he, too, is a creation of God, who will enter one of the ELCA seminaries, Trinity in Columbus, Ohio, this fall.

Some remember his baptism day, his confirmation, and the days he wasn’t perfect either.

Baptizing and raising up leaders for the church is the missional work we share. Through us God is doing new things!

Jesus commissions us to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And he commissions us to train and equip church leaders for the sake of the world. Jesus commissions us to share the good news of God’s powerful word with those we meet.

I started writing about new things like new jobs, new friends, new homes, new cities, new schools, and so many changes, and yet, at the same time, nothing changes, the steadfast rock of our redemption is our Lord – our rock in ages past, our hope in years to come! This rock of our redemption brings newness and redemption!

Meet Immanuel's YouthWorks summer staff

2010-06-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Immanuel has started its third summer as a host site for YouthWorks, an agency that provides weeklong, Christ-centered mission trips for youth.

Four young adults are staffing the program, providing a variety of service opportunities for the groups that stay in the church.

The staffers are:

Leah Samples, who hails from Anderson, Ind. She is a new graduate of Anderson University with a degree in marketing communications and nonprofit management. This is her first summer with YouthWorks. This fall, she’ll be moving to Nashville, Tenn., to work with AmeriCorp.
Beth Clementson, a familiar face to Immanuel members as she was one of the GreaterWorks interns at Immanuel from September to May. Beth is a native of Pittsburgh, Penn., who graduated from Thiel College in May 2009 with a degree in psychology. She will attend Loyola University Maryland this fall to study for a master’s degree in school counseling. This is her third summer with YouthWorks.
Garrett Debbink, who’s from Sheboygan Falls, Wis., and will be a senior at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, studying music education and Spanish. Garrett is a veteran of YouthWorks on the participant side, having taking two trips with YouthWorks in high school. He says he’s wanted to work with YouthWorks ever since.
Josh Park, who just graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in youth ministry. He loves playing volleyball and playing worship music. This is Josh’s first summer with YouthWorks.

Welcome to ImmanuelKCNews

2010-05-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

ImmanuelKCNews is your place to find the latest news about Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Mo.