What to expect
Each Sunday at Immanuel is a little different, but there are a few things we do every week: we sing together, we hear God’s Word read and preached, we pray together, and we receive communion.
Our 8:00am service currently gathers in our indoor chapel. Each service is simple, with a hymn sung a cappella, a reading, sermon, prayers, and communion. It lasts about 30 minutes and is informal and contemplative. When the weather turns nice again, we plan to move back outside to the Pastor Ron Jackson Memorial Chapel.
When you join us inside the sanctuary at 9:00am, you’ll receive a bulletin that includes all the words and directions you need to participate in whatever way you’re most comfortable. Lutherans love expressing our faith through music, and our services include a mix of organ, piano, and other instruments. A typical worship service lasts about an hour, unless the pastor gets really into preaching. Looking at you, Pastor Josh.
You can also stream our 9:00am services live on YouTube. Just click below!
Sure do! During the pandemic we started learning how to stream. We soon realized that streaming our worship services is a great way to stay connected with people, and a comfortable way for folks to get to know our church. We hired an awesome staff person to oversee our online ministries and continue to stream our 9:00am service live on YouTube every week. Click below to check out our channel and join us!
Jesus loved children, and we do too!
When adults tried to keep kids away from Jesus (assuming that such an important person wouldn’t have time for children), he got angry and told them they needed to become more like children, who teach us about humility, curiosity, trust, and joy. Worship is one of the best ways for children to learn about faith, and so we invite kids to participate fully, with all the noise, motion, and giggles that brings. We also have a fantastic children's ministry called Children's Word where kids gather every week during worship at 9:00am to learn in age-appropriate ways.
You can learn more about Children's Word, Godly Play, and Faith Quest (our Sunday School ministries for children), Confirmation and other opportunities for young people and families to learn and grow together by clicking below.
A lot! After worship we gather for coffee hour in our gym. This is a time to catch up, have fun, enjoy each other's company, and eat some good food together. This might sound like a small thing, but many of the most important things in the Bible happened over a meal! We've become especially thankful for coffee hour after COVID kept us from gathering together over food for so long.
Starting at 10:30am, there are also learning opportunities for people of all ages, including Godly Play, Faith Quest, and Adult Forum. These usually wrap up at sometime around 11:15am, and you can learn more about them under the "Grow" tab.
Children’s Word takes place during 9:00am worship and offers young kids the opportunity to worship in age-appropriate ways, while their grownups worship separately in the sanctuary. During Children's Word, our kids read scripture (usually the same verses being used in worship that morning), pray, and play together.
Godly Play takes place after worship at 10:30 and give us more time to learn. It's our version of "Sunday School" (but, you know, better). Godly Play is for children through grade 2, and is an interactive curriculum based on storytelling, questions, and imagination. It provides lots of opportunities to touch and see as stories come alive!
As the COVID pandemic has changed and evolved, so have we! Since the start of the pandemic, we've been doing everything we can to keep our local communities and congregation safe.
Our building is open for gatherings of all types throughout the week. If you'd like to use our building, please contact the church office anytime.
Masks are optional at all gatherings in our building, and we encourage everyone to make the right decision for themselves and their loved ones. On Sunday mornings we keep the ventilation system on so the air is moving and provide the option for folks to use pre-packaged single-serve communion cups if they prefer.
We believe that taking precautions to keep each other healthy and safe isn't just good, it's also an expression of our faith, and a chance to show our love.
Our church has all sorts of ministries centered around music, education, service, and fun. This includes adult Bible studies, opportunities to serve with our local mission partners, folks who knit prayer shawls, a group for people who like helping others through physical labor, annual retreats, community meals, and a whole lot more. It feels like there’s always something going on in our community, and there’s always room for more. You can find more information by poking around this website and checking out our calendar.
As Christians, we believe that God’s love and character is revealed most fully to us through Jesus, and so we seek to keep Jesus at the center of everything we do – his teachings, his way of life, and his death and resurrection.
Being Lutheran means we’re also part of a tradition that emphasizes God’s grace and action rather than our morality and good behavior. While most of religion is about teaching what we need to do in order to be holy or to earn God’s approval, Lutherans believe that through faith in Jesus, we are freely offered God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, with no strings attached. Rather than believing we need to choose Jesus or save ourselves, Lutherans joyfully share the Good News that through Jesus, God has chosen us, because that is how much God loves and cares for us. And for you.
This understanding of God and faith informs the way we read and view the Bible, how we understand baptism and holy communion, and why we live the way we do. We seek to love and serve the people around us not to earn God’s favor, but in response to the love God has for us. Being loved by anyone – God included – changes and transforms us, and God’s love shapes us into more compassionate and gracious people.
The name ‘Lutheran’ can be traced back to Martin Luther, a 16th century monk and theologian who saw that the medieval church was in need of reform, and who launched what has become known as the Protestant Reformation. While we know that Martin Luther's work was important, we also know that he was deeply flawed, and that his writings have historically been used to harm others, espeically people of Jewish faith and heritage. This is important, because it means that change, reform, and repentance is built into our DNA. As a church we believe that we are always in need of reforming, that we can always do better, that God is always calling us forward to be more faithful in new and exciting ways.
Being a ‘Reconciling in Christ’ congregation means that our community is a place that intentionally welcomes and affirms LGBTQ+ individuals and their loved ones. We recognize that the church has often harmed and excluded people who are different, and in January 2020 our congregation officially approved this statement to communicate our welcome to all people who are looking for a place to encounter God and experience community:
Our mission at Immanuel is to gather people, nurture faith, grow in God's love, and serve God's world.
Whatever your gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, you are one of God's children and you are welcome here. Whether you struggle with addiction to drugs, alcohol, or other substances, you are one of God's children and you are welcome here. Whatever your physical ability, mental health, socioeconomic status, faith tradition, race, ethnicity, or country of origin, you are one of God's children and you are welcome here. Whoever you are, we invite you to visit us and see who we are and who we can be together.
Through Christ we have a shared unity and purpose that transcends all boundaries of class or division and makes us one. 'So we, who are many, are one body, and individually we are members one of another.' (Romans 12:5)
Approved and adopted by Immanuel Lutheran Church at their 2020 Annual Meeting.
You can learn more about this at Reconciling Works:
If you’re interested or have questions, visit our school page to learn more.