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:
Sign up on the bulletin board if you’re interested in lending a hand.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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, 51st 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
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.
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.
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:
--Connie Benolkin, Immanuel Global Missions Team