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Immanuel Lutheran Church3214 Golf RoadEau Claire, WI 54701April , 2018The ImageEaster BlessingsMy friends we have just completed forty days of Lent. In these fortydays, we contemplated the cross and the suffering of Jesus. Weacknowledged the ways that Jesus calls us to bear the cross of discipleship. We witnessed God’s great love for the world, through the sacrifice of Jesus. We waited for the hope of Easter.And now we celebrate! We hear the beautiful story of Jesus overcoming death and the grave. We hear the majestic Easter hymns and onceagain sing alleluias to our heart’s content! In the joy of Easter, wesometimes forget that Easter is also a season. It is not only a one dayfestival. Easter has fifty days of commemoration. These fifty days aremeant to be joyous remembrances of the Easter event and all of thepost-Easter stories of the gospels. Near the end of the Easter seasonwe celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven and finally Pentecost.Truly, as Christians we are Easter People! Every Sunday throughoutthe church year is meant to be a celebration of the risen Christ. Afterall,we do so in the tradition of the women who went early to the tomb, onthe first day of the week. What would it look like to focus on Easter forfifty days? How might God reshape our hearts and minds to be EasterPeople through this intention?The white paraments for the season of Easter represent joy. Joy is oneof the best defining words for Easter in my opinion. Joy is a deep emotion of well-being and love. It is similar to happiness, but not contingentupon external factors. Joy is contentment and laughter and gratitude forlife, even in the face of difficulties. This Easter season, I invite us all topractice joy in our lives. We don’t have to add anything to our schedules to do this. All it takes is simply breathing deeply, smiling, sayingthank you, singing, and opening our eyes to the wonders all around us.Adding some playful and life-giving activities that we enjoy certainlydoesn’t hurt!The good news of Jesus frees us to live our lives to the fullest. We maynot be able to explain it, but we know in our hearts there is a love thatcovers all. There is a love that will meet us in our pain. There is a lovethat will hold us in death. Jesus is risen, alleluia! Teach of us will be apart of that glorious resurrection completely one day, but we don’t haveto wait to experience this great gift for ourselves. Our joy will show usthe way.May the joy of Easter surround and fill you!Pastor Jamie BrieskeImmanuel Lutheran Church3214 Golf RoadEau Claire, WI 54701immanuelec.org715-832-7832Pastor Jamie Brieskepastor@immanuelec.org715-563-3145Alyssa EngedalFamily Ministry/Camp Createfamilyministry@immanuelec.orgJanet CarlsonMinistry Coordinatoroffice@immanuelec.orgCreate-A-World PreschoolKaty LoRussoLike us on Facebook!
Faith Formation NewsFor AprilAnnual Easter Egg-Stravaganza on Saturday, March 31 at 4 pm! We’ll decorate for Easter, dyeeggs, and have an egg hunt, play some games, and eat together. As always – all are welcome!Feel free to invite friends or family members to join in the fun. We will order some pizzas for dinnerthat night, and you’re welcome to bring beverages/snacks to share with the group. Please sign-upin the Narthex.Easter MorningYou are invited to join your Immanuel family for a light breakfast on Easter morning. A simplebreakfast including fruit, sweet breads, and hard-boiled eggs (decorated by our very own, at FunNight!) will be served between the worship services on Easter. The services are at 7 am & 9:30am; breakfast will be served from approximately 8 – 9. A freewill donation is appreciated, and allproceeds will benefit our National Youth Gathering Team this summer as they travel to Houston.The Annual Immanuel Thrift Sale - Got Stuff? Want Stuff?We’ve got the place for you! Immanuel’s ZIP (Zomba Immanuel Partners) group & our Youth Mission Trip Team are again partnering to host a Thrift Sale. Donate items from 9 am - 12 noon, orother times by appointment, from April 2-5. Large item pick up may be available (at the discretionof our team members) – please call the church office to make arrangements. The thrift sale will beon Saturday, April 7, from 8 am – 2 pm. We do ask that you do not donate mattresses, electronics,child car seats, or adult clothing. Thank you in advance for your donations, and please be sure tocome check out the sale!On Sunday, April 29, 8 of our young people will experience an important faithmilestone, as they affirm their baptisms during worship. They will also be invited,along with their families, to a special dinner on Saturday, April 28. We ask you topray for these youth as they continue along their Journey of Faith: Calvin Dean,Jaiden Ivey, Seth Redetzke, Samantha Zimmerman, Carson Gartzke, ConnorCamlek, Nick Engen & Claudia Barquist.April Fun Night – Agape concert!All are welcome to join our confirmation students for a concert at St. John’s Lutheran on Wednesday, April 11. A quick dinner will be available at church until 5:45, or you can meet us at St. John’sat 6 pm. A freewill donation will be collected at the concert.XYZ Milestone – Calling all Immanuel members with X-tra Years of Zest!Our annual blessing and recognition of our members who are ages 85 and older will happen onApril 8. In addition to this special blessing during worship, we will also offer a Cross Generationalproject after worship that day.For MayYouth Lead Worship InformationThe end of our learning year at Immanuel is going to be here before we know it. We will concludeour Journey of Faith classes by leading worship and sharing what we’ve learned with the congregation on Sunday, May 6. We will have a rehearsal at 9 am on Saturday, May 5. Please let yourchild’s teacher know if they will not be able to participate in worship, as we will plan to include all ofthem! If your child would like to provide special music during worship on this (or any other) day,please let Alyssa know. It has been a great year, and we thank you for letting us grow with yourchildren and walk beside them on their faith journey!Attention graduates!Our annual Graduation Milestone will happen during worship on Sunday, May 6. Any graduate(high school or college) is welcome to participate in this blessing! If you would like a picture and/ordescription on our bulletin board, please have it to Alyssa no later than Wednesday, May 2.
Looking Ahead to the SummerSummer planning is underway!Immanuel would love to send our kids to camp at Luther Park BibleCamp! Our Trust Fund has again offered to sponsor a 50% scholarship to anyone who registers for camp this summer and 100% scholarships are also available for anyone who needs them. Talk to Alyssa for scholarship information. Camp opportunities are available forthose finishing grades 1 – 12!Middle School MinistryAll INCOMING 6-8th grade students (current 5-7 grade) are invited toparticipate in SUMMER STRETCH this summer! This fun andmeaningful program involves a service project in the communityeach morning, and a top secret, just-for-fun event in the afternoon.The programming will be from 9 am – 4 pm on July 17, 19, 24 & 26& an all day event at Valley Fair on August 2. Registration forms areavailable on the shelf in the Narthex. Registration due May 1!Youth LEAVING 8th grade – 12th grade can participate as counselors. Cost is 100 per participant or 50 for counselors, & scholarships are available.Mark your calendar & reserve the week of August 610 to attend Vacation Bible School at Immanuel! Weare SO lucky and excited to be hosting counselorsfrom Luther Park Bible Camp again this summer, whowill be our main leaders for the week. As the weekapproaches there will be lots of ways to get involved – some thingsto start thinking about would be: providing a meal for the counselors,providing a snack for the campers & counselors, housing the counselors, and/or providing a monetary donation.Zomba Immanuel PartnersThe Immanuel - Zomba trip is scheduled for June or July 2019 and ifyou are curious about the trip an information sheet is available nearthe entrance of the church. The mission of our exchanges withZomba is to nurture a prayerful, joyful relationship by putting facesand people in personal relationships - which is what accompanimentis all about. It will be a great experience! Contact JanLothe, vjlothe@gmail.com if you need more information.Immanuel Food Pantry TeamMark your calendars, Sunday, April 15th after worship there will be ameeting about the Food Pantry. If you are interested in being part ofthe team, just come. Learn more about our pantry, be part of theprocess for sustaining our ministry, and learn how you can be involved. See you on the 15th! Meet in the Library/Community room.Women’s RetreatApril 27, 28, 29Luther Park Bible CampCome for the weekend, stay a night or come for a day. A time forrelaxation, a reprieve from stress. Enjoyable activities to includepainting, yoga, long walks and worship.Talk to Janet for more information and to sign-up!Adult ForumApril 22ndWisconsin has a deep history of metallic mining. Themining moratorium, whichhas prevented new miningprojects in our state for thepast 20 years, was recentlylifted with passage of theMining for America bill in2017. Looking forward, responsible mining will continue to play a vital part of oursociety, and hopefully bepart of our state economy,as we globally move towardsa more energy-efficient future. This 30 minute talk willhighlight aspects of Wisconsin's mining past, outline themoratorium and current rulechange, and put our state inmore regional context withrespect to copper mining.Looking forward to discussion afterwards!Presentation by AllisonHaus, GeochemistThe Foth Companies“My principal responsibilitiesas a geochemist are to support permitting activities andassist in onsite investigations through: Analysis ofgroundwater and surfacewater chemistry, predictionsof water quality in minedrainage, pit lakes, and atcontaminated sites, evaluation of fate and transport ofpollutants through biogeochemical cycle, as well designs and execution of labtests, and developing sampling plan strategies.”
Dear Saints of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin,This week I was honored to preach at the funeral of a 37 year old pastor who died too young and left behind a wife and a two year old daughter. It was an honor, but also just plain hard work. Not just for me, buteveryone who sat in the overflowing sanctuary. But what would havebeen inestimably harder would have been doing that work without Easter doing that work without Jesus. But I was able to stand in that pulpitand proclaim as clearly, and with as much certainty as I could muster,that death does not have the final say. I said these words: “Jesus died,and Jesus rose again, for a day just like this.” Yes he did.I often tell pastors, deacons and Synodically Authorized Ministers:"There are three high holy days in the year - Christmas, Easter andMothers’ Day. And don’t ever forget Mother’s day!” All three of thesedays celebrate the gift of new life. Each, in its own way, celebrates Jesus bringing new life into a world that can be dragged down by the fearand the reality of death.So, what about Easter? First of all, I hope that everyone who readsthese words takes/makes the time to go to church on Easter. Secondly,as you sit there in the lily scented church, surrounded by light and thesound of beautiful hymns, try to imagine your most difficult collision withdeath without the belief that Jesus really did rise from that tomb. Imagine burying a parent, or a child, or a spouse or a friend without thatpromise. Imagine. I cannot.I cannot imagine, because I don’t remember a day in my entire lifewhen I didn’t have that promise folded into me. It has strengthened meon days when it was all I had. The promise that “Jesus died, and Jesus rose again, for a day just like this.” It is an awesome gift and one forwhich I am grateful.This Easter, go to church. But don’t just go there. Imagine someonewho hasn’t received the gift of that promise. If you can’t think of anyone,well, you may need to get out and make some new friends! Becausewhat you have been given, is too precious to hang onto by yourself. Allof us, if we live long enough, will experience a “day just like this.” It isinevitable. And we have a promise that will make a difference to someone who just cannot do that plain hard work by themselves.They need Jesus. They need the promise of Jesus. They need thehope of Jesus. They need what you have been given. Please share it.It is an honor.Bishop Rick HoymeNorthwest Synod of Wisconsin-ELCAWorship Leader CoordinatorsInterested in serving during worship?Contact the coordinator below.Assistant Ministers—Andrea Schaffer, 715-514-7284Lectors—Becky Wilcox, 715-835-9784Ushers and Greeters—Barb Hokanson, 715-835-1524Bread and Wine—Melissa Tarpenning, 715-858-1190Assistant Ministers01 Dee Schlieve (both services)08 Dave Langhus15 Ray Koch22 Marianna Gilbertson29Lectors01 7:00am Barb Hokanson9:30am Lauren Likkel08 Keith Martin15 Diane Kaufmann22 Becky Ihle29 Ray KochUshers01 7:00am9:30am John Bowman,Neil Hanson, Gary PospishilBob Wilcox08 Troy & Marianna Gilbertson15 Al Ludwig22 Dave LanghusBill Schwengel29 Marc & Lauren LikkelGreeters01 7:00am Patty IsaacsonRachel Isaacson9:30am Toni WahlstrandDisa WahlstrandTeckla Wahlstrand08 Keith & Alison Martin15 Jim & Cheryl Ulberg22 The Drier Family29 Jan Bille, Doris PrindleBread and Wine01 Vicki & Marty Fankhauser08 Becky Ihle15 Sharon Lehman22 The Gilbertson’s29 The Tarpenning’sAltar Care01 Dee Schlieve0815 Toni Wahlstrand22 Toni Wahlstrand29 Toni WahlstrandCountersSue Luthy, Al Ludwig,Jerry Hanson
Feed My PeopleSmiles for Seniors in NeedThis week at the food bank volunteers are busy getting ready forour Smiles for Seniors pack event. Twice a year boxes of nutritiousfood are packed and delivered to homebound seniors through ourpartnership with the Eau Claire County Aging and Disability Resource Center and Meals on Wheels.Senior hunger is on the rise. Economic limitations coupled withhealth concerns and transportation issues put this population athigh risk for food insecurity jeopardizing their health and quality oflife. At Feed My People we believe this critical issue cannot be ignored.One Meals on Wheels recipient shared, “This is nearly all of thefood I get each day.” This senior is not alone. Too many struggleand simply cannot make ends meet on their own.The emergency food box distribution provides these individuals withfood for days when Meals on Wheels is unable to deliver along withsupplemental nutrition when needed. The food in the boxes ishealthy and easy to prepare.Seniors are also at high risk of loneliness and depression. As partof Smiles for Seniors, students from area elementary schools havecreated colorful cards that will be included in every box. We aregrateful for their participation as they share their excitement andcreativity.Through partnership with Meals on Wheels, volunteers, studentsand YOU, we can make a difference in the lives of struggling seniors by providing food and smiles.Feed My People RequestFeed My People has an urgent need for people to assist with picking orders in our warehouse for our partner food pantries. Shifts areflexible Monday – Friday during normal business hours. If you havea few extra hours please consider helping us out. For questions orto set up a time to come in, please contact Nick at 715-835-9415,ext 101 or email nick@fmpfoodbank.org. Thank you!Family PromiseGiving Back through Meals and EncouragementRecently one of our former Beacon House guests asked us if hecould provide a meal for our families. He had received shelter andother help from the Beacon House staff and volunteers approximately five years ago. Our staff was happy to hear that he and hisfamily are doing well. In the conversation he expressed appreciationand wanted to tell those currently in our programs that it is importantnot only to take advantage of the opportunities that Beacon Houseand other programs provide but also to work hard.We are grateful for the success he has had in becoming financiallyindependent and finding satisfaction in his work and family life.Good news!Ruth Circle“God is Good All the Time” “Allthe Time God is Good”, thetheme of the annual Women ofthe ELCA Day of Renewal atShepherd of the Hill LutheranChurch, Elk Mound. Seventythree women from 17 ELCALutheran Churches met to renew their commitment to“engage in ministry and actionand promote healing andwholeness in the church, society and the world”, in discipleship in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.Pastor Mary Eide lead the devotions followed by MoriaKneer with an inspiring message, “Life’s Lessons learnedfrom the Peanuts Gang”. Mrs.Kneer used the “Peanuts”comic strip to expand on the10 life lessons most of us facein our lives.The MW Synod Convention ofthe WELCA will be held onApril 20 and 21 at Rice Lake.The group was strongly urgedto attend this convention andencourage the members oftheir churches to attend.The offering was over 700and will be split between theWELCA and the Disaster Relief Fund.THANK YOU!Thank you to all who providedand served soups during Lent.And a huge thank you to allwho shared your stories duringour Holden Evening Prayerservice!
Reprinted from Seed for the Parish Spring 2018The life, witness and influence of the“Ethiopian Bonhoeffer” – Gudina TumsaLast fall, Lutheran Quarterly (lutheranquarterly.com) announced a newpublishing partnership with Fortress Press. Under the editorial guidance of Paul Rorem, the Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of MedievalChurch History at Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary, LutheranQuarterly will continue to provide historical and theological scholarshipto Lutheran teachers, rostered ministers, missionaries and students.The Life, Works, and Witness of Tsehay Tolessa and Gudina Tumsa,the Ethiopian Bonhoeffer, edited by Samuel Yonas Deressa and SarahHinlicky Wilson, and the latest Lutheran Quarterly book, opens a window into the extraordinary witness of a Christian couple whose faithfullife of service earned Gudina the moniker of “Ethiopia’s Bonhoeffer.” Itcollects, for the first time, all of Gudina’s extant papers on holistic ministry and civil resistance, along with Tsehay’s narrative of their lives,from their childhood in Italian-occupied Ethiopia through the fall of theimperial government to the tyranny of the Derg regime. Interpretive essays frame the dramatic story, inviting Christians everywhere toreimagine what it means to carry the cross today. “Gudina andTsehay’s story, though largely unknown to the Western church, speaksof the power of faith, the cost of discipleship and the extraordinarygrace of God in the midst of unspeakable suffering. Their story is amodel of what it means to heed Christ’s call: ‘Take up your cross andfollow me,’” said Kathryn M. Schifferdecker, associate professor of OldTestament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. The Life, Works, and Witness of Tsehay Tolessa and Gudina Tumsa, and other Lutheran Quarterly books, are available at fortresspress.com.Discovering prayer beyond wordsToo often we turn prayer into well-intentioned patterns of our own making. Too often we assume prayer is primarily about words. Sometimesthere’s an almost magical understanding that if we get the words right,if we trust enough or believe enough, God will answer. But most of usknow that God is not a divine magician or our personal valet and thatprayer is much more than our feeble attempts to make God pay attention to what God already knows. Using the alphabet as a template ofdescriptive words and actions, Holy Ground: An Alphabet of Prayer(Cascade Books, 2018), by Julie K. Aageson, invites reflection aboutprayer as paying Attention, looking for Beauty, showing Compassion,practicing Devotion, celebrating Enthusiasm – all the way to the end ofthe alphabet and discovering Wonder, X as mystery and Z as Zeal.These reflections help readers experience prayer as a place, an action,attitude or stance for recognizing and acknowledging God’s presenceamid ordinary life. Prayer is so much more than words. Aageson hasserved as a resource specialist and writer for the ELCA, and for a decade, wrote a monthly column for Gather magazine. She is also the author of Benedictions: 26 ReflectionsApril Birthday’s02 Lang Jacobson04 Paige Hedges04 Ivy Christianson04 Erik Jacobson06 Ellie Knutson06 Charolette Kuhn07 Emma Knutson07 Konnor Glynn08 Janice Bille09 Kyle Malec10 Virginia Walsh13 Keith Jones13 Barb Hokanson14 Lisa Calkins14 Erica Olson16 Bethany Fehr18 Josette Lietzke18 Sophie Fey18 Ella Glynn19 Pauline Anderson19 Renee Bogstad19 Teckla Wahlstrand20 Sabrina Hagstrom22 Kristie Weber27 Jerry Hanson27 Justin Liebergen29 Loren Anderson30 Julie PickettAnniversaries07 Steve & Patty Isaacson11 Todd & Lynn Fox26 Hemant & Karla Hegde27 Janice & Walter Bille28 Duane & Virginia WalshREGISTER EARLY FORLUTHER PARK!While June and July may seem along way away, the staff at Luther Park is already gearing upfor another exciting summer filledwith fun and growing in faith. Ifyou register and pay in full beforeMay 1st you will receive the EarlyBird Discount.www.lutherpark.org to registeronline.
April 2018If you shop on Amazon, log into Amazon Smile. We receive fromyour purchases. huFriSat1Resurrection Sunday7:00 AM Worship8:00 AM Breakfast9:30 AM Worship26:30 PM H339:30 AM H36:30 PMImmanuelYarners7:00 PM WhollyYoga410:15 AM Sr. Bible Study5:15 PM WoW Meal6 PM WoW Worship6:30 PM Confirmation/JOFLearning6:45 PM SHYN!7:30 PM 9th Graders7:30 PM Choir RehearsalThrift SaleDrop off5678:30 AM Men’sDiscussionGroup1110:15 AM Sr. Bible StudyNoon—Material WitnessesQuilters5:15 PM WoW Meal6:00 PM Agape Concert @St. John’s Lutheran Church1213148Easter 2XYZ Milestone9:30 AM Worship!0:30 AM FellowshipCross/Gen projectThrift SaleDrop offThrift SaleDrop off96:30 PM H3109:30 AM H37:00 PM WhollyYoga10:45 AM EucharisticTeam Mtg.15Easter 39:30 AM Worship10:30AM FellowshipJourney of Faith10:30 AM FinanceCommittee mtg.8AM-2PMAnnual ThriftSaleThrift SaleDrop off7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal156:30 PM H3179:30 AM H36:00 PM TrustFund mtg.7: PM ChurchCouncil7:00 PM WhollyYoga1810:15 AM Sr. Bible Study1:00 PM Ruth Circle5:15 PM WoW Meal6 PM WoW Worship6:30 PM Confirmation/JOFLearning6:45 PM SHYN!7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal1920218:30 AM Men’sDiscussionGroup22Easter 49:30 AM Worship10:30 AM FellowshipJourney of FaithAdult ForumAllison HausPresenter236:30 PM H3249:30 AM H37:00 PM WhollyYoga25Serving @ Community Table10:15 AM Sr. Bible StudyNoon—Material WitnessesQuilters5:15 PM WoW Meal6 PM WoW Worship6:30 PM Confirmation/JOFLearning6:45 PM SHYN!7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal262728ConfirmationDinner29Easter 59:30 AM Worshipand Confirmation10:30 AM FellowshipJourney of Faith306:30 PM H3210:15 AM Sr. Bible Study5:15 PM WoW Meal6 PM WoW Worship6:30 PM Confirmation/JOFLearning6:45 PM SHYN!7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal310:45 Food PantryHome from Women’sRetreat at LutherPark19:30 AM H37:00 PM WhollyYogaWomen’sRetreat atLutherPark4Women’s Retreat at LutherPark5
Immanuel Lutheran ChurchImmanuel Lutheran Church is a congregation of all ages and backgroundsgathered to worship God, walk withone another in our faith journeys,and reach out to the community withcompassion. We welcome peoplenew to our faith community andinvite them to share our ministry.Established over 125 years ago ourroots run deep in the community, yetwe seek to respond to our constantlychanging culture. From our worshipservices to our preschool, we arededicated to spreading God's wordand living lives to reflect God's lovefor the world.Immanuel Lutheran Church3214 Golf RoadEau Claire, WI 54701Address service requiredDated Material—Unless DelayedA congregation of theNorthwest Synod of the ELCAPLEASEPLACESTAMPHERE
Immanuel Lutheran Church 3214 Golf Road Eau Claire, WI 54701 April , 2018 Immanuel Lutheran hurch 3214 Golf Road Eau laire, WI 54701 immanuelec.org 715-832-7832 Pastor Jamie rieske pastor@immanuelec.org 715-563-3145 Alyssa Engedal Family Ministry/amp reate familyministry@immanuelec.org Janet arlson Ministry oordinator office@immanuelec.org
