FROM PASTOR RICK’S COMPUTER:
WELCOME EASTER

As I write (on 3/15) it is snowing profusely. Yet I know deep in my bones that spring is coming. The season arrives on Palm Sunday. The weather will follow, sooner or later. Mother earth and her life will be renewed. Our blood will race. Our spirits will rise. We fill feel young (younger) again. The power of life renewed.

Easter is like that only better. From the Old English for spring (eastre), Easter was first a pagan spring festival. Yet the Father’s gift of new life in the Son is deeper and more powerful than even our “Mother’s” gift of life renewed.

Like annuals, we humans live but one season. Yet unlike annuals, we (I) will rise up to a higher life. Resurrection at the call of Christ.

I enjoy each spring with its power of life renewed in nature and in my spirit. I hope in Easter with the promise of resurrection. It is the power of newness of life in diving nature and spirit. It is power and hope, even in the “dead of winter.”

Welcome Easter. Welcome Spring. Welcome life, renewed and new. Plant the seeds for both!

CHANGES ARE LIKE REARRANGING THE FURNITURE

You may have been hearing about the restructuring that is being proposed. I don’t think the changes that the Council has been developing are drastic. They are more like rearranging the furniture than to moving to a new house. Everything we do now will continue to be done. Their “locations” will be changed.

The Council is trying to make us more effective in our mission. Our mission has three aspects: gathering, preparing and serving. We are clustering most of our activities into one of these three areas. If you think of these as rooms, we currently have 8 rooms (8 standing committees). These will be rearranged into 3 larger rooms – one for each mission aspect. The Council hopes this will make our mission easier to understand as we do our church service. 

Each standing committee involves 6 and more members, plus the Council has up to 18 members, meeting monthly. With busy schedules, many individuals and families tell us meetings are unsatisfying and time-consuming. For these “doing or helping out” is more satisfying than “meeting.” The Council hopes to involve fewer members in meetings and more in helping out the church’s mission. They hope this will more effective for members with busy schedules.

The Council also hopes that this rearranging will promote our Vision of being a spiritual community that encourages our faith-walk and invites our participation in the church. They are now scheduling cottage meetings to present the work. It will be a change, but not all that drastic. More like rearranging than moving. Please take a look at it. You may like it. At least we hope you will.      

AMONG OUR MEMBERS:

BAPTISM

Holy Saturday is a day for baptisms the world over. Thousands, tens of thousands of converts are joined to Christ in his cross and resurrection. It is also a day when every Christian is called on to renew their covenant with the Lord: to reject sin and confess the faith of the Church, the faith into which we are baptized. We, too, welcomed new disciples and renewed our faith.

Jeff Magnuson --  Jeff is the Sales Manager for the Lansing Visitors and Convention Bureau. He is husband to Amy and step-dad to Cara and Sam Rohloff. Jeff also is a SNL Huddle Leader for the 8th grade.

Doug Scoggins -- Doug is a retired insurance agent. He is co-leading Luther League II and a member of the Healing Prayer Ministry. Doug is Father to Yvette (Rosier) and Todd.

Cindy Saxton -- Cindy is a surgical room technician and fiancé of Dave Becker. They will be married at Immanuel in October. She is preparing to establish a marriage which has Christ at its center. Elizabeth is Cindy’s teenaged daughter. Her Sponsor is Bev Becker.

Sydnee Leigh Becker -- daughter of Scott and Felicia, sister to Scotty and Samantha. Her Christian sponsors are Mike & Kim Hetherington.

NEW MEMBERS

Sandra Williams joined our congregation at the Easter Vigil.  Sandra has moved to our area from Indiana to be nearer her family.

We welcome you as brothers and sisters in God’s family, fellow members of the Body of Christ (holy Church) and partners in the ministry here at Immanuel.

NEWS AND EVENTS:

PRAISE SUNDAY IS APRIL 3rd

We are replacing “Slump Sunday” (the affectionate term for the Sunday after Easter) with “Easter Praise Sunday”. The many who worked hard to make Holy Week and Easter happen (services, music, food, cleaning) are still tired.  We have developed a practice of worshiping in a more laid-back fashion. Praising God, celebrating Easter and greeting each other (8 & 10:30 worshiping together). This year we are planning a “Praise Sunday”. See you ALL. Let’s pack the house – even if it is the start of “Spring Break.”

LUTHER LEAGUE II (for seniors)

Our next meeting will be Monday, April 18 at 12:00 noon in the Fellowship Hall.  Topic: “What do I do when I need help?”

Mary Gear MSW, Manager of Long Term Care Services, Michigan Department of Community Health will explore options for when we need help.  Home care? Assisted living? Nursing home? Medicare? Medicaid? What is covered?  Lunch will be provided.

MISSION POSSIBLE RAISES $700+

The joint concert by the Bell Choir and (vocal) choir raised just over $700 for RoadRULZ. The members of both choirs practiced extra in order to put on a concert in Lent. Over 100 people attended and enjoyed. A free-will offering was taken up by the youth. They also hosted a reception following. RoadRULZ is the mystery mission trip our youth will go on in Wisconsin this July. So far they have raised over $1000 of a $1500 goal toward expenses.

Thank you to Ellen and Barb, to all who played, sang, attended and contributed, and to the parents and youth who hosted the event.

BOB'S TESTIMONY IS ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Bob Buckley will be sharing his testimony in April 22 in Midland and April 24 at Zion Lutheran Church in Saginaw.

CYVA TRAINING

CYVA (Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults) Training is the name of Immanuel’s abuse policy.  All members involved with youth and vulnerable adults are required to complete this 45-minute training before May. Thanks to the fifty-five members who have completed the required CYVA training.  Two final sessions will be offered in April for those who still need to complete the training:

Thursday, April 14 at 6:45 p.m. at the church
Sunday,   April 17 at 9:15 a.m. at the church

UPCOMING EVENTS

©       Healing Service ~  Sunday, April 17 8:00 & 10:30 Services

©       Spring Clean-up Day ~ Saturday, April 30 at 9:30 a.m. (back-up day is May 7)

©       Women’s Retreat ~ Saturday, May 7

©       Relay for Life  ~ Friday, May 13 Saturday, May 14.

©       Confirmation ~ Sunday, May 15

©       Vacation Bible School  July 25 – 29 Volunteer & Registration forms available on-line or in the entryway.

LET'S ALL SCRAPBOOK FOR ROAD RULZ!!

On Saturday, April 16 we will host a fun-filled scrapbooking day (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) in Immanuel’s Fellowship Hall! All proceeds will help send our high school youth on their summer mission trip to Wisconsin. Let’s help our youth make a difference in the lives of others.

You have the day, time, and place -- Now for the details!

FAQS (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Q.  I have what seems like 1000s of pictures, where do I begin?
A.  Sort your pictures (or some of the 1000s) into smaller groups--maybe your most recent vacation, or last Christmas, your child’s sporting event, etc.

Q.  What if I have never scrapbooked before and don’t know where to begin?
A.  Come and join in the fun anyway. Bring a few pictures, we will help you get started on your way. We will have samples of scrapbooks that we have started, finished, works in progress, etc.

Q. What do I need to bring?
A. Bring pictures, photo mounting tape, paper, scissors etc. We will also have supplies available for purchase. ALL PROFITS from the sale of the products will go to the Youth Mission Trip this summer.

Q. Can I bring a friend from outside the church?
A.Certainly! We hope that this is a form of outreach to our community.

Q. What about food?
A. A lunch will be provided. If you want to bring a snack, please feel free. Coffee, tea, water and punch will be provided.

Q. I don’t want to be fancy with the pictures. Is there a place for me do just do simple stuff?
A. Sure. There are many ways to do memory books. The important thing to do is preserve those memories for several lifetimes. Simple is fine. Artistic is fine. Anything in between is fine too. Hopefully we will learn from each other and share ideas.

Q. Are children welcome?
A. We are still looking for babysitters for small children. Please let us know if you are in need of one. Older children might want to help. There will be starter kits for those children as well as paper and stickers for purchase. OR just bring your own materials.

Q. How much room will I have?
A. For $10 you can "rent" half of a long table. For $20 you can "rent" the whole table. All proceeds for the table rentals will go to the youth mission trip as well.

Q. I am totally disorganized with my pictures, but want to share the fun. What should I do?
A. Come and join the fun. We will help you get started and get organized. Bring sorted pictures in labeled envelopes or baggies to get you started. Then bring whatever supplies you have or purchase at our event. Albums, stickers, paper, photo mounting supplies, cutting tools and scissors will be available. All profits will go to the Mission Trip.

Q.  Okay, we’ve convinced you—where do you sign up?
A.  A sign up sheet will be posted at church, or you may call Jan or Lynne to reserve you table.

Further questions? Ask Jan Martinich at 627-8767, Lynne Erickson at 645-2865 or Barb Roush at 852-0119.

LUGNUTS BASEBALL

We have 40 tickets reserved for Immanuel members and friends for the Lugnuts game on Saturday, June 18, 2005 at 7:00 p.m..  Last year we had 38 adults and kids enjoy a night of baseball and fireworks.  Come join the fun this year.  Tickets are still $7.50.  If you are interested and want to reserve a ticket, call Orv Erickson at 517.645.2865.

THE KEY 8 FAITH FACTORS

These are the common threads found in the lives of young people who were raised and remained involved in a faith community. To review, the Faith Factors are the following:

1. Faith integrated into family identity and practice

2. Three or more adult mentors of vital faith

3. Three or more months of service in the name of Jesus Christ

4. Apprenticed early into leadership in their church

5. Engaging, meaningful church experience in which youth are valued

6. Excellent senior high/young adult ministry

7. Encouraged by strong Christian friends

8. Support within an engaging Christian community during a personal crisis

What can you do?  Here are some suggestions to put the second factor into practice.  

As parents:

·         Ask two or three adults outside the home to become personally invested in your child’s spiritual growth and well-being.

·         Continue to model the values and behavior you want for your child.

As a congregation:

·         Each adult can connect to one youth to talk to and interact with to let him/her know of your caring and support.

·         Look for opportunities to acknowledge and affirm the character and behavior of the church youth.

·         Affirm and support activities that bring the generations together.

·         Turn to youth for help with such things as computers or sound systems.

·         Cherish each other – remember we are all children of God.

HEALTH NOTES

Recently, a member of the congregation asked me what I thought about the health of the congregation and suggested I write my thoughts for the Manger.  I thought it would be interesting and perhaps helpful and so I said I would.  After prayerful and thoughtful consideration, I give you my assessment.  It is based on observations and conversations over the past six years as well as the work of the BridgeBuilders in 2002.

“Immanuel is in a time of profound change.” 

“Resistance to coming changes is inevitable”

“Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside”

BridgeBuilders 2002

I believe we are experiencing feelings of anxiety much like we did in 2002.  At that time we identified many triggers of that anxiety (staff conflict and change, survival vs. growth, old vs. new, worship styles, internal vs. external, the gap between the ideal and the real, property, money and pastoral leadership).  Many of those same factors are still present and contribute to our feelings of anxiety.  In addition we are experiencing and grieving painful losses of members who have left and those who have died.  Our hearts are heavy.

Our BridgeBuilders Action Plan addressed four significant areas.  I invite you to think about how well we have addressed them and what yet needs to be done:

1. Vision: completed by vision team and adopted by the council; needs to be “communicated abundantly,”adopted by and embraced by the congregation as a whole.

2. Mutual Ministry Committee: developed, adopted, and has met several times; effectiveness needs to be evaluated.

3. Communication: many changes and improvements, especially in routine communication; communication of change continues to be a challenge. Often cited as a problem at Immanuel. We must learn how to handle conflict more effectively.

4. Youth: ongoing development of an understanding of youth and family ministry and new programs for various ages have been implemented. Future is still uncertain.

As I reflect on these issues, I see our congregation in the transition between the old and the new.  We know that the old isn’t working as effectively as it could and yet we aren’t sure what the new should look like.  There are persistent and challenging problems e.g communication; at the same time there are new and exciting signs of growth and hope, e.g. small group ministry.  As we search for our new identity grounded in mission and vision, this transition phase is characterized by uncertainty, disorientation  self-doubt and anxiety. What we are experiencing is very normal.  It is not unusual, but is to be expected.  The question for us is, how will we handle this transitional period and the anxiety inherent in it?  What have we learned from the BridgeBuilder process?  How can we use our collective faith, talents and commitment to take us to a new place?  How can we trust fully with hearts, heads and spirit so that as disciples of Christ, we know that “He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.” (Colossians 1:17,18). Let us all engage our bodies (by what we do), our minds (by what we think), and our spirit (by what we believe) so that together we can fulfill God’s desire for us here in this place. Let’s engage in open dialogue and fervent prayer, recognizing our collective wisdom.

    In His service,  

Parish Nurse

GET IMMANUEL NEWS BY EMAIL

Immanuel is setting up an email distribution list to quickly and easily send Immanuel news to members and friends.  You can only be involved if you sign up.  To sign up, visit our website at http://www.immanuel-gl.org/signup.  Complete the sign up form noting that you want to be added to the “news” list.  Once you’re signed up, emails sent to news@immanuel-gl.org will start appearing in your email inbox.  It’s that easy!  If you want to be part of Immanuel’s news distribution, sign up today!

Opportunities to Serve:

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

Immanuel’s Prayer Shawl Ministry meets the second Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m.  Prayer shawls can be knitted, crocheted, or made with fleece (no sewing required).  Anyone interested in this ministry is welcomed to the next meeting on Monday, April 14.  Please call Karen Eichelberger @ 886-6172 with questions.

WEDDING COORDINATOR

Duties:  Assist at all weddings performed at Immanuel.  Be at the rehearsal and the wedding to assist the bridal party.  Compensation:  $60 for Immanuel member weddings$75 for non-member weddings

Prerequisite: Enjoy helping people.

To apply: Call Denise in the church office.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Many of you may have heard or read that the Jimmy Carter Work Project is coming to Michigan in 2005.  Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn will be working in Benton Harbor and Detroit during the week of June 18-24.

Habitat for Humanity Lansing is currently planning on building 4 houses for the Jimmy Carter project.  One of those houses is going to be a local churches’ covenant sponsored house. Their goal is to have 100 participating churches.  The covenant build will begin May 5^th.

Immanuel’s commitment  will be for prayers for the ministry of Habitat for Humanity, people to work on the build and a dedicated collection and/or fundraiser prior to the start of construction.  If you were trained to work on a Habitat build last year, you do not have be trained again.  If you missed the training last year, there will be opportunities again this year.  More information will be available soon.  If you are interested in working on the build or have a question, please contact Orv Erickson at 517-645-2965.

SNOW REMOVAL

We need a volunteer to clear the snow off the church sidewalks. Please contact Bob Carter (627-3736) if you can help.

YOUTH NEWS:

JAMers APRIL ACTIVITY

Sunday, April 17, 2005 from 1 - 4 p.m. we will travel to Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies.

The cost is $3.00 per child and $3.00 per adult, children 2 and under are free.  Watch for a sign up sheet and more details.

Contact Holly Plunkett or Melissa Goschka for questions.

SNL IN FINAL MONTH:

April is the final month of meetings for SNL.

APRIL 10:	Holy Communion 2
APRIL 22 – 24:	Retreat at Michi-lu-ca
	Topic: Marty and Phil’s Excellent Adventure Marty is Martin Luther. Phil is Philipp Melanchthon. Together they were the leaders of the Lutheran  Reformation. We will learn a bit of church history and have fun
MAY 15	CONFIRMATION
	All 8th graders will be contacted about meetings and rehearsals.

LYO NEWS

Seniors:

A Baccalaureate Service is being planned for GL Graduation. A Baccalaureate is a church service planned and run by the graduating seniors. GL has not had one for many years. This year one will be held June 1^st in the Auditorium. Attendance is optional of course. The GL ministers are supportive of this Christian service for everyone.

Spring Break Outing to Lisa’s:

Anyone who is not going away for break, we are going to visit Lisa Baptista. We will go over to her house in Fowlerville for lunch on Thursday, 4/7. Leave 11 a.m. Return by 3 p.m.  All are welcome. Contact Pr. Rick at rmckenzie@immanuel-gl.org to let him know.

NOTES:

Thanks to all of you who attended the “Mission Possible” concert on March 13^th. As of that Sunday’s count, there was $702.00 donated to the L.Y.O. Road RULZ mission trip this summer. The audience was warm and gracious…the singers and handbell players, accompanists and readers spirit-filled. Thanks to all who made this day possible.

Ellen McKenzie

The youth would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the choirs, parents that helped with food and service and to all that attended and supported this musical on March 13. Thanks to you, we are closer to our fundraising goal!  You are making our mission possible!

Allison Sterling, Ashley Erickson, Hanna Espie,
Maggie Burnham, Lindsay Bryant, & Nick Morrall

FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT'S DESK:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am troubled as is church council about the current state of our financial status.  While our congregation has always operated with a faith-based budget that faith has not been sorely tested in recent years.  The 2004 calendar year witnessed a dramatic turn of events and that trend is continuing in 2005.

We started the 2004 calendar year about $3000 in the black.  Unfortunately, giving over the course of the 2004 calendar year failed to keep up with spending, even considering the great care the various committees took to under-spend their budgets.  At the end of the 2004, we were more than ($10,000) short in the general fund.  While we continue to maintain balances in the mortgage and special funds* areas, the general fund continues to fall further behind.

By the end of February 2005, the deficit in the general fund had increased to more than ($17,000).  Council is very concerned about this continuing downward trend and we are evaluating past budgets, spending, and giving data as well as other available information for ideas to address this ongoing issue.  We will prayerfully consider all options and move forward with the blessings of the congregation.  Unfortunately, some of these options may take some time to impact our bottom line.  If our financial situation does not improve significantly in the next four to six weeks, we may have no choice but to direct committees to drastically limit the growth of their ministries.  In the end, we may be forced to limit or even cut programs and salaries.

Council hopes to present a package of information to all members in the near future as well as updated information in the weekly bulletin, during announcements, and further mailings.  If you have any questions about our financial situation or would like to discuss it in more detail, contact me at 622-1670 or Larry Kruth (Management Committee Chair) at 627-5221.

We all have God-given gifts that we are expected to use in His name -- our time, our talents and our treasure.  I recognize the contributions of so many, but are we using our gifts as He intended?  I am asking everyone to look to themselves and ask if you are doing all that you could do.

Council will continue to meet and seek solutions to these and other challenges we face in the near future.  I ask that you give us your prayers and support as we look for the way to move forward and grow.

Yours in Christ,

* i.e. Pastor Rick’s sabbatical fund, youth convention fund, memorial fund, parking lot maintenance fund, Pastor’s discretionary fund

CELEBRATIONS:
APRIL BIRTHDAYS

APRIL ANNIVERSARIES

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