True North VBS

Friends of Immanuel,

A blessed Good Friday to you all! As we continue our Holy Week observances, celebrations, and worship services this week, don’t forget about the opportunity right in front of us. That opportunity is to extend an invitation for others to join you for one or all of Immanuel’s worship services. With Easter, many people may be more open to have faith-related discussions and even invitations to come to worship. Don’t let this pass you by. And remember, this isn’t about arm-twisting or loading a guilt-trip on someone. Let the conversations and the invitations flow out of the relationships you have – with family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow gym-mates, and others in your life. Don’t be afraid about not being able to answer every question that may be thrown at you – I’m not sure anybody knows all the answers to questions people have. Rather, approach conversations and extend invitations out of the love and the care you have for those people in your life.

If you do invite someone to join you for one of our worship services, go out of your way to show some Radical Hospitality. Offer to pick them up or tell them you’ll meet them in the parking lot and walk in with them. Walking in the front doors can be the hardest step someone can take – make it as easy and as stress-free as possible. On Easter morning, “buy” them breakfast in the gym. Introduce them to me and to others here at Immanuel that you know. Let the genuine love that I see here week-in and week-out flow freely through this Easter season.

If people in your life aren’t ready to walk in the doors, remember that live stream is yet another option for them to “safely” check things out. Tonight’s 7:00pm service will be livestreamed as will all of our Easter services (6:00am, 8:00am and 10:30am), all of which can be found on Immanuel’s website (www.ImmanuelLoveland.org).

All are welcome and I hope to see many new and familiar faces as we gather together to worship our Savior, our King, our Victor in the coming days in the joy and the hope we know!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum where we get our English word “mandate.” Among many other things, what Jesus gave to His disciples (and to us!) in the Upper Room on that Thursday evening was a new command or mandate. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

It was also on that night that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Jesus and His disciples were in the Upper Room celebrating the Passover meal – a meal that foreshadowed all that Jesus had come to do in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Jesus transformed the Passover meal into what He intended it to ultimately be, our weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

There was much more that went on, some of which we’ll be talking about in our Maundy Thursday worship services tomorrow. Those services are at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. We’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper at both services and there will be the Stripping of the Altar at the end of the 7:00pm service. That is part of the preparation or transition into Good Friday, as Jesus and His disciples headed out from the Upper Room to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus would be betrayed and arrested.

The following day we will observe Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, with worship services at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. Both worship services are identical with the exception of the music – the 1:00pm service will include accompaniment by harp and flute; the 7:00pm service includes an instrumental ensemble accompanying the singing, as well as participation by the Chancel Choir. Both services focus on the events of the death of our Savior using various Psalms, the account of the events of that day from the Gospel of Matthew, pictures from The Passion of the Christ that accompany the Scripture readings, and dimming of the lights throughout the service until total darkness.

All are welcome at these worship services as we continue to follow our Lord through these powerful days as Jesus looked to complete the mission for which He came – to bring life, hope, and restoration to our world! I hope you can join me and many others over these next two days as we join Christians around the world in our observance of these events. If you’re not able to be here in person, the 7:00pm services on both Thursday and Friday will be live streamed which can be found on Immanuel’s website (www.ImmanuelLoveland.org).

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

First, I want to express my thanks to the many of you who came out Saturday morning for our Spring Work Day! Lots of things that needed attention were able to get done, cleaned up, and checked off the list. Thank you, everyone, for giving the time you were able to give to spruce things up for our Easter celebration!

Holy Week is obviously the main focus around here right now. Yesterday’s celebration of Palm Sunday was a wonderful start to this powerful, meaningful, and important week for all of us who are followers of Jesus. I absolutely love seeing the sanctuary full of waving palm branches as we sing out the powerful Palm Sunday hymns and songs. Having the children (and others!) walk around the sanctuary during that time touches my heart, seeing the littlest among us joining their voices in praising our King!

However, our celebration of Palm Sunday, along with our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday observances, are not supposed to be just sentimental remembrances. These times of worship, along with our Easter celebrations, help us to realize how important Jesus is when it comes to our lives today. Jesus brings power to the lives we lead. And He offers us hope, especially when we find ourselves up against very real challenges and struggles in our lives. Our faith and trust in Jesus can make a real, tangible difference in the lives we lead, the attitude we carry, and the outlook we have.

Invite people in your life to join you for these upcoming times of worship as we gather together to be inspired and encouraged by our Savior and the victory that we know is ours. I look forward to seeing many of you in the days to come!

What Now?

Let God’s Story continue to be told in your life. Come back on Thursday and Friday and Sunday as we keep walking with Jesus as He fulfills His mission of love and life for us.

The “Love Challenge” that we began on February 2^nd is still going and we are now on week #11 – “Love always protects.” Keep going with this and practice this amazing gift of love that our Lord has given us.

What Now?

Print out 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (provided below). Each week for the next 16 weeks, take one of the characteristics of love and look for ways to express it – to your spouse, your kids, your friend-group. Be creative, have fun with it, talk about it, and grow in the love our Savior has shown to us as we show it to each other.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.”

Love Always Protects

This kind of love will always expose the sin of others in a safe way that won't bring harm, shame, or damage, but will restore and protect.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

There has been a lot on my mind and on my heart since our visit last week from Jonathan and Kristie with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) and, in particular, the Tuesday night Listening Session that many of you attended. I’d like to address some of the anxiousness that I’m sensing around Immanuel right now, likely stemming from the combination of the financial challenges we’ve been dealing with and the studies we’re pursuing with LCEF.

To do that, I’m writing this and sharing with you from my heart as I’ve been processing and praying over these matters for some time now. I would also like to provide an opportunity for us as a congregation to come together again, for those who would have that desire, to talk through all of what I’m sharing here, to provide an opportunity to ask questions, and to work through this together. That date and time will be Tuesday, April 22^nd at 6:30pm in the sanctuary.

The first thing I want to do is express my gratitude. I’m thankful for the honor I have to be your pastor as I’ve served with you for the past 35 years through lots of ups and downs, always furthering the Kingdom! I look forward to many more years still ahead of us as we keep serving together, worshiping together, and carrying out our Lord’s mission together here in Loveland.

I’m also thankful for the response so many of you have had to my sharing of our current financial situation and the projected outlook for the remainder of this fiscal year. I’m humbled that so many of you have raised your level of giving, some of you again, and that some of you have given some significant over-and-above gifts. And thank you to all who give faithfully, regularly, sacrificially, and generously to the Lord through His ministry here at Immanuel! It takes all of us together to do what He’s calling us to do and to be His people in this community!

I also want to share with you what was shared with me on Monday night of this week. Dawn Bowers informed me that we received an anonymous gift of stock that was valued at approximately $100,000 to be used wherever it is most needed. I was speechless at this news. Praise God! Praise God for His provision, for His moving the hearts of His people here, and for His abundant blessings that He continues to pour out on us! We will be good stewards of this gift, working carefully to determine when the appropriate time to liquidate this gift will be.

I believe the two studies that we have contracted with LCEF to complete with and for us are going to be very helpful tools in moving forward with ministry. Let me speak first to the school study. This study is taking an internal look at our current processes for tuition and childcare, our staffing, the classes we offer, marketing and PR, and other data. It’s also looking at other schools in our community, including public, charter, private, and Christian. LCEF will be pulling demographic data for our region to help us better understand the population and potential for students that we have. Once the study is complete, they will offer some recommendations for us to consider, based on the data they’ve collected, their on-site visit with us, and the many conversations they had. The Board of Christian Day School (Immanuel’s school board) will look closely at these recommendations and consider which seem to make sense for us to implement. The BCDS will express their recommendations to the Executive Council and the congregation to hear and consider.

Regarding the land, when God opened the door in 2005 for us to purchase these 25.5 acres of prime real estate on which to build Immanuel, there was a bigger vision and a master plan that carried us through the relocation journey. That master plan and vision included some of the following: a stand-alone sanctuary directly to the west of the current building; another building that could be dedicated to youth ministry or more childcare or another gym with additional classrooms or gathering space, which would be directly to the north of the building, across the street and next to the baseball fields; a maintenance building on the southeast part of the property; baseball/softball fields on the northeast quadrant; a track and soccer field on the northwest quadrant. In addition, I had often spoken of more possibilities for us to keep thinking about, the most significant of those included some type of senior housing, which could provide opportunities for some types of intergenerational ministry with our school as well as our church’s children’s and youth ministries. I’m attaching a color-copy of the Landscape Irrigation plans which shows the build-out of the Master Plan.

We have now been here in this building for 17 years (wow!!). I share all of this in order to remind ourselves that the intention of this relocation was not that we maintain many acres of open fields of land. The intention has always been that we will use this amazing location for furthering the Kingdom, for ministry! Plenty has changed over the course of 17+ years when these initial plans were laid out. The need for a track and soccer field have diminished with changes in our middle school. The same could be said for the baseball/softball fields. It doesn’t seem prudent to consider building a stand-alone sanctuary at this time when our current sanctuary is providing us with adequate space right now. We have other options that are serving us well with regard to storage of our maintenance equipment and supplies.

That begs the question, what is the Lord calling us to do right now and for the foreseeable future with this land with which He has blessed us? Let’s circle back to the LCEF studies. The school study will help us estimate what we can anticipate for future enrollment, including all phases of our school ministry – toddlers, childcare, preschool, kindergarten through 5^th grade, middle school, and high school. That will enable us to make some decisions on the land needs we might have for the future of our school and its associated programs and extra-curriculars.

What opportunities are available for us with the rest of our land for ministry? I can assure you that the plan is NOT to simply sell off parcels of our land to random businesses or developers. The plan is to ask how we can be creative when it comes to meeting needs in our community that might provide open doors to sharing the Good News of Jesus. The LCEF Land-Use study is asking that question from the standpoint of providing not only ministry opportunities but also an ongoing revenue stream. Right now, to my knowledge, they will be focusing attention on exploring multi-family dwellings and various options with senior housing. They will look at what’s going on in our community, what needs are being expressed in our community, plans submitted through the City of Loveland for future developments, demographics, etc.

I believe this moment in time, in conjunction with the work LCEF is doing on our behalf, is providing us with the opportunity to be creative and prayerful about all sorts of options and opportunities that we could consider. The questions in my mind go in these directions:

1. With regard to our financial challenges:
   • How can we raise and grow our enrollment across the grades?
   • Are there opportunities to expand childcare and preschool programs?
   • What are some third-source funding options to tap into the resources outside of our congregation and school families for those who would have an interest in supporting a Christian school in our community?
   • Are there creative ways we can pay down our mortgage and reduce how much we pay annually for that?
2. With regard to the use of our land for ministry:
   • Is there some creative, out-of-the-box thinking that we can do to generate new ideas?

This is an exciting time for us, a time to take the next step in Immanuel’s history. This is not a matter of “giving up” our land, but rather stepping into the future the Lord is preparing for us with how we use it. How will the blessings we have received be used for sharing the Gospel and furthering the Kingdom? As with everything we do for the Kingdom, there are risks, it takes faith, it requires prayer, and we need to remember clearly the mission and vision the Lord has given us. Be assured that nothing is set in stone right now – no decisions have been made. Let’s work together to not let this matter be something we let the devil use to drive wedges between us, but rather, let it be a time of growing stronger and moving together in our discussions and brainstorming, and toward whatever decisions are eventually made!

As with the school study, LCEF will bring back recommendations to us with regard to possible uses of our land. Those recommendations will be looked at, considered, prayed over, and talked about in leadership and with the congregation before any final decisions get made.

If you have questions or comments or ideas, you can direct them to various people – to me, to Shawn York our Executive Council and congregation president (ECchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org), to our school principal Cheryl Gilbert (cgilbert@ImmanuelLoveland.org), to Becky York our BCDS chair (BCDSchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org), or to your Elder.

We are here because we love the Lord and because we love what He is doing here at Immanuel. Thank you for praying over all these very important matters before us. Thank you for engaging in these processes and for being involved in the various ministries at Immanuel. Thank you for being here.

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Tonight is the final game of the NCAA men’s college basketball season. It’s the culmination of a LOT of basketball over the course of three weekends, March Madness. Tonight, the Florida Gators will play the Houston Cougars for the national championship. Both teams were number 1 seeds in the tournament and both teams have identical 35-4 records. I’ll certainly be watching the game tonight, but not with a lot of passion when it comes to who I want to see win. But as a guy who enjoys sports, it’s one of those major sporting events of the year that I want to watch and experience, hoping for a fun and entertaining game.

Yesterday in worship we talked about those things we are thirsty for. These two universities, their students, their administration, and most of all their players and coaches, are, without a doubt, thirsting for one more win, a championship, which has been their goal for this entire basketball season. One school will have their thirst quenched. The other will join the other 350 Division 1 schools in remaining thirsty, looking ahead to next season for another run at the championship.

Whether it’s college or professional basketball, football, baseball, hockey, or you name the sport, the thirst to win and the thirst for a championship serves as the motivation for many. But here’s the thing. Do you remember who won the championship of any of those sports last year or two years ago? While I’m sure there are a few of you (which includes one of my sons!) who can, most of us have long forgotten.

March Madness is but one example I could use to make the point that, unfortunately, too many of the things we thirst for in our lives are not truly needs – they are wants or desires. At face value, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting various things in life. The bigger question is, where’s your heart? At the top of your life, are you thirsting for things that are truly important – things beyond money, happiness, success, gadgets, toys, bigger and better and more, etc.? Or as the Lord instructs us through Peter in 1 Peter 4:2 – not living “the rest of [our] earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God”?

I appreciated some of the many responses I heard during yesterday’s message regarding what you are thirsty for. Some of those were: love, acceptance, family members to believe in Jesus, significance, human connections, God’s will, faith that will never waver, comfort in times of mourning, and Jesus’ grace and salvation. Wow! Those are things worth being thirsty for! In the account of Jesus’ conversation with the woman from Samaria at Jacob’s well in John 4, Jesus tells her that He has come to offer “living water,” which He explains is water that whoever drinks of it, “will never thirst again. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Then a little later, in John 7:38, Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

This living water is what our loving and gracious Lord offers us – in His Word, in baptism, in the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit works through these various means to create faith, to strengthen faith, to keep His promises in our hearts and minds, to bring us back to Jesus when we’ve strayed, to keep us in the faith, to bring us to eternal life, and give those sips of hope and life to others in our lives.

So enjoy the game tonight, but let it be the entertainment that it is. And among the many things for which we thirst, let’s make sure that we are always thirsting for those things of utmost, eternal importance in our lives – that we are thirsting for Jesus. Here is this week’s What Now? for you to put to work in your life this week:

What Now?

1. Drink deeply of the living water of God’s Word, listening, learning, growing, and being refreshed each day as He speaks into your life.
2. Consider how you can offer people sips of this living water through your words and actions, sharing the love of Jesus and the hope we have in Him.

We’re also on week #10 of the 16-week “Love Challenge” that we began on February 2^nd – “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Keep going with this and practice this amazing gift of love that our Lord has given us.

What Now?

Print out 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (provided below). Each week for the next 16 weeks, take one of the characteristics of love and look for ways to express it – to your spouse, your kids, your friend-group. Be creative, have fun with it, talk about it, and grow in the love our Savior has shown to us as we show it to each other.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.”

Love Does Not Delight in Evil But Rejoices With the Truth

This kind of love seeks to avoid involvement in evil and helps others steer clear of evil, too. It rejoices when loved ones live according to truth.

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

It’s hard to believe, but in just over two weeks we’ll be kicking off Holy Week with our celebration of Palm Sunday on April 13^th! Along with planning your Easter menu, I urge you to start planning and praying about people in your life you can invite to join you for our Holy Week observances and, of course, our grand Easter Sunday celebration.

This Sunday we will have available postcard-sized Easter invitations listing all the happenings on Easter Sunday at Immanuel, including times for worship, the Easter breakfast, and the Easter Egg Hunt for the children. I encourage you to share these postcards with friends, neighbors, and co-workers. The QR code on the card will take you to our website where there’s information on Holy Week worship services and lots more.

Easter, like Christmas, is a time of year when people are open to considering more spiritual-related matters, with many having at least a vague understanding that Easter is connected to the church and religious sorts of things. As we live in a culture that has been becoming increasingly more and more antagonistic or apathetic toward Jesus, Christianity, faith, and the Church, there are also, at the same time, a growing number of people who are becoming weary of the hopeless alternatives our culture offers and are open to hearing a message of real hope, real love, and real life.

And that’s exactly what we have to offer! So let’s not be shy or hesitant to speak about our faith and about Jesus with others. You don’t have to “preach” to people or quote Bible passages at them – just share the difference Jesus makes in your life. Share stories about how your faith in Him has helped you.

And when you extend an invitation, offer to pick them up or meet them in the parking lot – it can be a bit scary or anxiety-producing to step into a building that you’re unfamiliar with. Many people may not know what to expect when they come to a church or a worship service, so having a friend walk with them can help alleviate a lot of fears around the unknown. In short, practice the Radical Hospitality that we have experienced from our Lord and that we, in turn, share so readily with others here at Immanuel.

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

On behalf of the Executive Council and the Finance Team, I want to share this important and challenging update on our financial situation here at Immanuel. As your senior pastor, I’m trying to walk the fine-line of faith and trust in the provision of our amazing and abundant God and, at the same time, sharing with you some of the current realities of where we stand.

At the March Executive Council and Finance Team meetings, it was shared that if all our current giving, tuition, and expenses continue as they are, the projection is that we will have to draw approximately $80,000 from our Line of Credit from mid-May to the end of June. June is traditionally our most challenging month because we do not receive school tuition and our summer childcare is just getting started, but we still have all our staff and benefits to pay.

As a staff, throughout this fiscal year we have been extremely frugal and we will continue to do so, knowing that we have all been called to be good stewards of all the resources our Lord entrusts to us. Our greatest expenses come in our fixed costs of mortgage, payroll and benefits for our staff, basic supplies (paper, copiers, and restroom supplies), and our utilities. At the bottom of this email, I included the latest financial information that was also included in last Thursday’s email update so you can look more closely at both income and expenses for February and year-to-date.

As your pastor, I want to express that what we are facing is significant but not insurmountable. This is not a “pastor spin” on this situation or a “cry wolf” moment, but a statement of faith. We serve a God of abundance and not of scarcity. We serve a God who, as St. Paul expresses in Ephesians 3:20, “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Again and again, we read in God’s Word that He has promised to provide for us His people. Based on those promises, we are called and invited to trust Him, to follow Him, and to respond not in fear but in faith. As the song, “All the Power Your Need,” (which we often sing at Easter) states, “He’s never early, never late; It takes courage and it takes faith; Trust Him and see He’s got all the power you need.”

With that trust and faith we’re called to have, comes action and opportunities to express and live out that faith! Many of you have responded in amazing ways throughout this year with the challenge to raise your level of giving. Church offerings are up almost 12% from last year and our overall giving is up over 17% – thank you and praise God! The difficulty is that we’re in a situation where that’s still not quite covering our needs due in part to inflation and the considerable increase in costs that we’re all experiencing.

An immediate step we have taken is that we are working with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), the financial arm of our entire church body, and the ones who hold our mortgage. They are working with us on two studies they recommended, a study on our school and a land-use study, both helping us to take a critical look at ourselves, to do some analysis and evaluation of our ministry as a whole and propose some recommendations for us to consider. I mention this specifically as the LCEF team will be here on-site at Immanuel on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1^st and 2^nd to begin their work with us. One part of that visit, that I hope many of you can attend, is a Listening Session on Tuesday, April 1^st at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. The LCEF team will explain more of the process behind these two studies, will field questions and comments, and offer their encouragement to us. Please put this important event on your calendar and plan to attend!

I’m guessing that many of you are asking and wondering what you can do – I know that because of who you all are as part of the Lord’s amazing ministry here at Immanuel and where your hearts are with your love for the Lord and your love for this community of faith. To make this a little easier to read, I’ve put a number of suggestions and ideas and opportunities below in separate articles that many of us can take advantage of, if we’re not already, to help keep us moving forward in overcoming these current financial challenges.

So I thank you in advance for your prayers for our ministry together, for your leaders as we do our best to lead us through this season, for yourself and how the Lord can use you right now, and for the Lord to continue to use all of us to share His love and hope which we carry in our hearts, to the many people in our lives as well as those living in northern Colorado. I leave you with this – Faith, not fear, and remember that we serve a mighty God, a God not of scarcity, but of abundance!

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

Yesterday we looked closely at 1 Peter 4:7-11 where Peter starts this section by stating very clearly, “The end of all things is near.” One helpful key to understanding this is that God’s perspective of time is very different from ours as we’re reminded in 2 Peter 3:8, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” With that mind, along with Jesus’ ongoing reminders to us that no one knows when the end will come, He urges us to always be watchful, prepared, and ready.

How can we live our lives holding to these challenging biblical truths? By living each day, doing what we’ve been called and created to do – being good and faithful spouses, children, friends, co-workers, employees, employers; doing our best with the resources, talents, and abilities entrusted to us; and putting our faith and trust in the Lord each day.

Fred Lund was a longtime member of Immanuel who passed away on March 10^th. His memorial service was here at Immanuel last Saturday. As part of remembering Fred, one his sons read a piece, entitled “The Best Day of My Life,” that encapsulated Fred, his attitude, and the life he lived in a beautiful way. I share this with you as some encouragement for us as another way to live out the reality that “the end of near” – not with dread, but with faith in our Lord and gratitude in our hearts.

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did!

And because I did, I am going to celebrate! 

Today, I’m going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far; the accomplishments, the many blessings, and yes, even the hardships, because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart.

I will marvel at God’s seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with all the people I meet. I’ll make someone smile. I’ll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don’t even know.

Today, I’ll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I’ll tell a child how special he is. And I’ll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them, and how much they mean to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don’t have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I’ll remember that worry is just a waste of time, because my faith in God and His divine plan ensures everything will be just fine!

And tonight, as I go to bed, I’ll raise my eyes to the heavens, contemplating in awe the beauty of all of God’s creation, and I will praise God for His magnificent world.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life.

And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation, because I know that tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life… ever!

What Now?

This week, live your life believing “the end is near” – not with dread, but with joy in our Life Together, encouraging each other to live faithful and faith-filled lives in every aspect of life the Lord has given us.

As I mentioned and encouraged in my sermon yesterday, we’re on week #8 of the 16-week “Love Challenge” that we began on February 2^nd – “Love is not easily angered.” If you’re just hearing about this, step in – it’s not too late. Or if you started this but then it’s fallen by the wayside, this week is a great week to re-boot and get going again. It’s never a bad time to practice this amazing gift of love that our Lord has given us!

What Now?

Print out 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (provided below). Each week for the next 16 weeks, take one of the characteristics of love and look for ways to express it – to your spouse, your kids, your friend-group. Be creative, have fun with it, talk about it, and grow in the love our Savior has shown to us as we show it to each other.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.”

Love Is Not Easily Angered

Like the characteristic of patience, this kind of love does not rush toward anger when others do us wrong. This love does not hold a selfish concern for one's own rights.

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen

Friends of Immanuel,

My article today is going to be a smorgasbord of topics that are on my mind, many of which I believe would be helpful for all of you who are connected to Immanuel to be aware of.

You’ll find in today’s update the monthly financial update from the Executive Council, including the financials from February as well as the year-to-date numbers. The Finance Team and Executive Council had some very productive conversation earlier this week in each of their meetings, trying to come to grips with some of the challenges that are before us. I’ll be sending out a Financial Update Special Edition within the next week or so that will speak more specifically to where things are currently at, some of what the Executive Council, Finance Team, and the Board of Christian Day School are working on and talking about, and some ideas about what each of us can do to make a difference.

On another topic, we have undergone some staffing changes, specifically in the area of our facility and grounds. This means we have some opportunities to serve and help in this large and significant part of our ministry together. We currently have most of our day-to-day custodial needs covered, which is critical for our school and childcare. But we will need some additional support when it comes to some of the bigger projects and ongoing needs. Those include things like our upcoming Spring Work Day, snow removal, and, before you know it, mowing all the non-sprinkled acres of our property, among many other smaller projects that arise on a daily and weekly basis. We are re-booting our Facilities Team and would appreciate some additional manpower, for those who have an interest – see the article about this in today’s update.

I also want to express my sincere thanks to several people who have stepped up in some very significant ways with some immediate facility needs we were facing. Those include Bob Kamtz, Joe Aigner, and Dennis and Luke Whitfield. Thank you, fellas!! You are very much appreciated!

When it comes to opportunities to help and serve, there seem to always be an abundance of those! Again, I encourage you to read on in today’s update and if there are some of those needs you can help fill in areas that you would enjoy serving, step in and join the fun! God is doing amazing things here at Immanuel as we carry out His mission and what a joy it is that you and I get to be part of His work! I can’t begin to name the names of so many of you who give and serve, oftentimes behind the scenes and without any fanfare – from the many facets of worship support, to serving on our many leadership teams, to just showing up for activities and ministries, to going shopping to purchase items for events and items to send across town and across the world for the sake of the Gospel. Our Lenten worship series is called Life Together – and that’s what makes this place so special – being in community and living Life Together! Thank you for being here, for calling Immanuel home, and for being integral parts of this awesome ministry!

Serving together in Christ alone!

Pastor Glen