Immanuel Lutheran Church, Grand Ledge, Michigan

FROM PASTOR RICK’S COMPUTER:

America

’s Greatness: de Toqueville and the Church

For our nation’s Independence Day, I ran across this attributed to Alexis de Toqueville, a Frenchman who observed the dynamic of American democratic life:

I sought for the greatness
and genius of America
in her commodious harbors
and her ample rivers,
and it was not there;

Not until I went
into the churches of America
and heard her pulpits,
aflame with righteousness,
did I understand the secret
of her genius and power.

America

is great
because she is good,
and if America ceases to be good,

America

will cease to be great.

Many things have changed about the US over the century+ since de Toqueville looked at us. Spiritual truths remain the same. As Christians, you help make our church strong and filled. Strong churches call us to see God’s rule over all, and our nation and citizenship under God, who is the author of liberty and freedom. Righteousness and goodness are built in the lives of the faithful. “Seek the Lord first and his righteousness and all these things will be yours as well.” (Jesus in Matthew 6:32) Make church a part of an Independence Day celebration, and seek God’s righteousness for our nation.

Marisa Mae Henrie daughter of Tammy (Pingel) and James Henrie. Tammy and James are serving in the Navy in Connecticut and came back to GL for the baptism of their first daughter. Sponsors are Jason & Stephanie Wells. Grandparents are Gary and Pat Pingel. Great grandparents are George and Helen Kollman.

The Spirit and faith entered into here at Immanuel will be lived out among God’s people there in Connecticut.

This year's Island Art Fair will be held Saturday, August 5. This is a great opportunity for an exhibit showcasing the artistic gifts and talents of the Immanuel Community.

Our church parking lot has been used for several years as a shuttle lot to the art fair. Why not open up our church and display some of the many artistic gifts and talents of the Immanuel Community and greet our visitors with some Immanuel hospitality?

To put the day together, we are going to need a variety of spiritual gifts. Gifts that we know Immanuel members have to share with the community.

We need people with the gift of organization to help with planning and bringing the actual event together including set up on Friday afternoon/evening. We are also going to need help directing traffic to keep the traffic flowing well.

We need people with the gift of hospitality to help for a couple of hours on Art Fair day greeting and assisting our visitors.

If you are interested in displaying any of your artistic gifts and talents and using some of your spiritual gifts to assist with greeting, providing music or directing traffic contact Bob and Ruth Buckley (649-2314) or Den Graeber (627-3116).

July 12, Luther League II will be at Jack and Kris Herndens, 816 Beech St., Lake Odessa. Take M43 to M50 junction toward Lake Odessa 2 miles to Brown Rd. (just before the School only goes left). 2 miles to Beech St. only turns right. 5th house on the right.

Plan to eat at 12-noon, food and drinks will be provided. Please bring lawn chairs if you have them. We have a few. The pool is open, the pontoon is in the lake, and the fish are ready to be caught. Hope to have fun in the back yard.

Recent Manger articles have discussed Immanuel’s proposed structural changes; however, did you know that the congregation must vote to amend the Bylaws in order to put these changes into effect? The congregational meeting to vote on these Bylaw changes is scheduled for Sunday, September 17, 2006.

In early July, each member-family will receive the proposed Bylaw changes by mail so that you can read them for yourself. In addition, Council has planned informational meetings so that you can come and see what the changes will mean to our church and to you personally as you serve here at Immanuel.

At the informational meetings, members of the Bylaw Revision Committee and members of Council will make a brief presentation on the overall structural change, followed by time for your questions and suggestions. We invite you to come to one (or more) of the following meetings:

Teresa Barcy has generously offered to cater these events as part of her ministry. In order to help her plan enough food, we are asking that you sign up ahead of time. A sign-up poster will be located in the narthex right outside the sanctuary by July 2nd. Child care will be provided. Please indicate your need for childcare on the sign-up sheets.

Council is calling July and August a "Review and Comment Period" because during the July and August meetings, your comments will be recorded and transmitted to the entire Council. Council will determine, after the Review and Comment Period has ended, whether or not further modifications of the Bylaws should be made in view of the comments gathered from the congregation.

After August, the Review and Comment Period will be over; however, we believe there will still be folks who will want to know more or who did not have the ability to attend a meeting in July or August. We will therefore have one more opportunity, prior to the congregational meeting, for people to gather information and ask questions about the Bylaw changes. This final meeting will be held in the evening with tea, coffee and dessert at 7:00 p.m. on September 13, 2006.

Council has been trying very hard to communicate the proposed changes to the congregation so that each member will be fully informed. Jesus once said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25 NIV) Council hopes that through the past few months of Manger articles, the mailing of the proposed Bylaw changes, and these informational meetings, our congregation will be unified and informed about both this process and the proposed changes. Come September 17, Council hopes that we will have communicated enough about the proposed Bylaw changes so that each member of the congregation can attend the meeting fully informed and ready to vote.

Please make the most of these informational meetings. They are your opportunities to participate in the process, learn about the changes, ask questions, and suggest improvements. We look forward to meeting with you this Summer to discuss this exciting step for our congregation.

The Church Council:
Mike Proper, President, Marlaine Teahan, Vice-President
Elizabeth Ayoub, Teresa Barcy, Den Graeber,
Dan Landry, John Van Hoesen, & Gregg Vicary

This year's Nominating Committee is actively seeking your help! I Timothy 3:1-13 teaches on the qualifications of leaders in the church. Here are but a few of the qualifications: a person who is above reproach, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, have priorities in order, a good manager, not a recent convert, holding to the deep truths of the faith, and tested. Wow! What a high calling. No wonder Paul tells Timothy that if anyone sets his heart on being an “overseer” (leader of the church), he "desires a noble task."

For the upcoming Annual Congregational Meeting in November, 2006, we are looking for dedicated Christians who have the desire to serve, the time to serve, and many of the qualifications listed by Paul in his First Letter to Timothy. We have openings for four 2-year terms and two 1-year terms on Council and four 1-year terms on the Nominating Committee.

If you know of a church member that you believe is qualified to serve as a leader of our congregation, by serving on Council or the Nominating Committee, please contact the Nominating Committee. We can be reached by email at nominating@immanuel-gl.org or by speaking to one of us directly at church or by telephone. We will treat all communications confidentially. We will prayerfully consider all names that are submitted. We are meeting monthly and our next meeting is July 12, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

Thank you, in advance, for your help in this extremely important matter. Remember, those who are nominated and elected this November will be our spiritual leaders as we move ahead in ministry: striving to follow God's leading in our homes, church and world.

The 2006 Nominating Committee
Marlaine Teahan, Lee Bair, Melissa Kingsley,
Cindy McCormick, and Fred Roush,

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUNBLOCK

Summer is here! We humans love to be outside and in the sun. The sun is a great source of heat and light. The sun emits radiation known as ultraviolet radiation or more commonly known as UV. The two most common types of radiation are UV-A and UV-B. UV-A is the longer type and can cause severe burns even with cloud cover. UV-B is much shorter and is dependent on the lack of cloud cover. It can be adsorbed into cloud or even smog.

As people of a northern climate, our sunny season is much shorter than those living in a southern climate. We have a tendency to be more fair skinned, be light haired and have light-colored eyes. We must be diligent in protecting ourselves from the UV rays and from the skin cancer that can result when we repeatedly overexpose ourselves.

The American Academy of Dermatologist urges the use of sunblock lotion. The lotion should have a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15. If extremely fair, have lots of freckles or have red hair, this SPF should be closer to 45. All sunblock should be applied 15 minutes prior to exposure and reapplied every 2 hours. It should be reapplied every hour if one is near or in water. This even includes waterproof lotions.

Skin cancer can be prevented. It is highly curable. Sunblock lotion provides the easiest form of prevention. Avoiding exposure during the peak hours of 10am to 4pm is another way to prevent exposure to harmful UV radiation. A yearly skin check done by your family doctor can spot anything that may be of concern. A person with lots of moles should monitor them closely. Any changes or unusual looking moles should be reported to your doctor.

Health Ministry Team

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

VBS will be held Monday, July 31 through Friday, August 4 from 9:00 a.m. ~ 12:00 noon. This year's theme is "Gospel Express". Volunteer and Registration forms are available in the entryway or you may volunteer or register online at www.immamuel-gl.org

PICTORIAL DIRECTORY

Have you scheduled your appointment yet?

August 24 & 25 are full. We still have openings on Saturday, August 25, Friday, September 22 & Saturday, September 23. Call the church office now to schedule an appointment.

RESETTLEMENT

Assistance was received last month from Wacousta Community Methodist Church for utilities and from Crippen Auto Mall for car repairs. We deeply appreciate the partnership of Christians in churches and businesses. Dependable transportation that does not require costly repairs remains an important issue for the Showers-Clark family. Continue your prayers in support of this family who have become a part of our church fellowship. Gifts to the Resettlement Fund are still being welcomed.

ROOF OVER OUR HEADS

As of the end of May, Pat Anderson, Treasurer, reported $10,492 in the Roof Repairs Fund. During May $465.00 was contributed by our members. Our goal is to have $17,000 - $20,000 to repair the grading, storm sewers, down spouts and roof boards. Thank you to all who have given.

TRIPS AND CAMPS

Cruzando, the National Youth Gathering, will be in San Antonio, July 11-16. We have 9 youth and 3 adults attending: Brandt Ayoub, Lindsay Bryant, Maggie Burnham, Ashley Erickson, Hanna Espie, Amber Lund, Nick Morrall, Michelle Pitchford, Allison Sterling, Teresa Barcy, Dan Landry and Denise Lund are attending.

Elementary Camp for our kids will be July 23-28. We have 5 kids and one adult going to Stony Lake: Samantha Becker, Haley Kingsley, Amanda Hankins, Chris Teahan, Jimmy Teahan, and Marlaine Teahan.

Have you ever wondered where the money you contribute to Immanuel goes, or how to note on an offering envelope the way you want your contribution to be used? In response to recent questions we’ve heard from members, Stewardship has prepared this primer on giving at Immanuel.

Immanuel has established three broad accounts to receive all contributions made to the church. They are: 1) the Building Fund; 2) the General Fund; and, 3) the Designated Giving Fund.

Contributions made to the Building Fund are used to make monthly mortgage payments. Mortgage payments are the only use allowed for contributions to the Building Fund. Contributions to the Building Fund do not pay down the mortgage any quicker. The Building Fund simply gives us a pool of money from which to make monthly mortgage payments. If you are interested in paying down the mortgage quicker, there is a Designated Giving account for “Principal Reduction”. Make a Designated Giving contribution to the Principal Reduction account if you want your money used to pay off our mortgage sooner.

The General Fund is our largest and most active account. General Fund giving pays for all day-to-day expenses of the congregation except the mortgage. Salaries, utilities, office supplies, maintenance and the expenses of all committees are paid from the General Fund.

Your Sunday envelope allows you to allocate your weekly offering between the Building and General Funds. Simply fill in the amount or percentage of your offering that you want allocated to each account. If you don’t specify how you want your weekly offering allocated, 100% of your offering will be placed in the General Fund.

Immanuel has dozens of accounts set up to receive the many designated contributions that come in each year. Collectively, these accounts comprise the Designated Giving Fund. A designated offering is any contribution intended for something other than paying for the mortgage or the day-to-day operating expenses of the church.

Contributions made in the Advent and Lenten envelopes included in your set of offering envelopes are designated giving.

You will also find among your set of offering envelopes several special envelopes marked “Designated Offering.” These, or just a plain white envelope noting your name and/or envelope number, can be used at any time to make any other designated offering you choose.

Whether you use a “Designated Offering” envelope or a plain white envelope, please be sure to hand write on the envelope where you want your contribution to go. Contributions to Principal Reduction, the Good Samaritan Fund, Youth and similar programs can be made at any time in this manner. Please be specific. If your designated offering is intended to assist our youth going to the National Gathering, please do not simply mark “Youth” on your envelope. Immanuel can’t contribute your money according to your wishes if we are not sure what those wishes are.

The exception to noting your wishes on your designated offering is if you are using the Advent and Lenten envelopes. Every year, Church Council identifies where offerings made in those envelopes will be directed.

Our annual budget always includes a line item called “Benevolence.” Typically, the Church Council proposes, and the congregation approves, Benevolence at 13% of the Building and General funds. 13% is what the congregation has approved in this year’s budget. Benevolence is the portion of your offering that is forwarded to our Synod. The Synod uses this money to fund its operating expenses and to support its mission. So when you contribute to the General or Building Funds, 87% of your offering remains at Immanuel while the other 13% goes to the North/West Lower Michigan Synod of the ELCA.

Benevolence is not applied to Designated Giving. One hundred percent of the amount on your check is forwarded to the account you (or Church Council in the case of Advent and Lent offerings) designate on your envelope.

Hopefully, this article has cleared up any questions you may have had about contributing at Immanuel. If not, please feel free to talk with any member of Stewardship, or email us at stewardship@immanuel-gl.org. We would be happy to hear from you!

From Bishop Gary for being current with our mission giving (benevolence) to the Synod and ELCA. As of the end of April, we have supported our church with $8,836.66.

Thank you to all who participated and supported this year’s Relay for Life: the walkers who showed up every hour for the entire Relay, those who brought food, firewood, etc., those who made donations and those who purchased the luminaries. You all helped make this year’s Relay a big success.