News

News This Week

Sunday Worship – The Face of Grace and The Day of the Lord.

Over the next three weeks we will be thinking about the end times. “The Day of the Lord” is a significant theme, especially among many of the Old Testament prophets. But the New Testament also picks up on the idea of “the Day of the Lord” as it relates to Jesus’ return and the end of time. We’ll look most closely at St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and the hope and encouragement he holds out for us in light of that coming Day. It’s here especially that we see The Face of Grace. But I’ll also look at the reading from Amos 5 with regard to why we should take this so seriously. That coupled with Jesus’ own encouragement for all of us to “keep watch!”

As always, if you can’t be here in-person, take advantage of our live stream option. We live stream our worship services directly from the home page of Immanuel’s website through YouTube. You can view our worship live streams here: https://immanuelloveland.org/. Below are the Scripture readings if you want to take a look at them ahead of Sunday.

November 8^th – Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Fall Series: The Face of Grace
Old Testament Reading: Amos 5:18-24
Epistle Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:1-13
Sermon Title: “The Face of Grace and The Day of the Lord”

Donuts are Back!

Education Hour – 9:30am-10:20am every Sunday.

There are classes during the Education Hour each Sunday for all ages from preschool through adults. Look for the signs at the east and west side of the atrium for all the Children, Youth, and Adult Education class locations. Signs will also be by the elevator on both first and second floors. In addition, all the classrooms will have signs on the door indicating which age group/class meets in that specific room. Questions? Adult classes, email Pastor Glen (gschlecht@ImmanuelLoveland.org); Children’s Ministries or Student Ministries, contact Miss Emma (ehubble@ImmanuelLoveland.org).

Adult Classes:

A Closer Look at the Augsburg Confession – Gail Hein (Room #206 – Upstairs)
Heaven on Earth – There’s More to Come! – Kathy Schlecht (Room #207 – Upstairs)
Immanuel 101 – Pastor Glen (room #112)

For all children infants through 6^th Grade:

Infant/Toddler Class: Room 110 - This class is for 0-3, or 4-year-olds who are not currently enrolled in Preschool. This class will include music, a Bible story, and time to play.
Sunday School Opening: All 4-year-olds through 3^rd Graders start in Room 113 for opening. After Opening, children go to their age-appropriate classes as follows:
- Pre-Kindergarten-Kindergarten Class: Room 108 – 4-year-olds through Kindergarteners will gather for a Bible lesson, games, activities, and crafts!
- 1^st-3^rd Grade Class: Room 113 – 1^st through 3^rd Graders will gather for a Bible lesson, games, activities, and crafts!
- Bridge456: Room 204, 4^th through 6^th graders will gather for an overview of the Bible.

Middle School: At Immanuel, we hold confirmation classes with 7^th and 8^th graders, with the 8^th grade year finishing with the Rite of Confirmation (also called Confirmation Sunday). Confirmation is a time of faith formation in a student’s life where we learn about the Christian walk, work through big questions, and dive deeper into what it means to be Lutheran. Confirmation will meet in Room 205 on Sunday.

High School Bible Study: Meet in the youth ministry room (upstairs in the northeast corner of the building) for a time of Bible Study together.

Ask a Pastor Returns!

Ask a Pastor will be available next Sunday, September 13^th following the 9:00 combined single worship service and then the weeks to follow after both the 8:00 and 10:30 worship services each week. Ask a Pastor will be set up near the library book display in the atrium. You are welcome to raise any subject of interest to any of Immanuel’s active and retired pastors and missionaries who serve in this capacity. Immanuel is truly blessed with a wealth of loving, servant-hearted, and knowledgeable pastors and missionaries who are all very willing to address any questions at any time!

Deadline to Order Your Butter Braids is Monday!

Looking for a delicious way to support Immanuel Lutheran School? How do Butter Braids sound?! There is an Online Store where many delicious flavors as well as other products are offered for sale (Butter Braid Online Store) Money is due at the time of purchase either in person or online – checks can be made out to “ILS PTF.” Sales will run through Monday, November 9^th. Butter Braids will be delivered on Wednesday, November 11^th, available for pick-up from 2:00pm-2:30pm or on Thursday, November 12^th from 3:00pm-3:30pm.

Special Voting Assembly/Congregational Meeting Next Tuesday.

On Tuesday, November 10^th at 6:30pm there will be a special Voting Assembly/Congregational meeting at Immanuel. There will be two agenda items that night: 1) A final vote on the recommended changes to Immanuel’s Constitution and By-Laws; 2) And discussion about a recent land-use opportunity that has been shared with the Executive Council (EC). The EC believes this is a very positive opportunity, not only for financial reasons but also a good opportunity for expanding our ministry. More information will be coming out next week on both the final copies of the Constitution and By-Laws as well as details about the proposal about the land-use opportunity on our property.

Men’s Movie Nights at Immanuel.

Men’s Movie Night will start our next movie one week from Wednesday, on November 4^th, at 6:00pm, watching Young Washington.

For those not familiar with this movie, here’s a synopsis:
Before he was the Father of a Nation, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington into the center of a global conflict, testing his honor, loyalty, and courage. As alliances crumble and the frontier erupts into war, he must confront not only his enemies but the man he's becoming. This is the untold story of Young Washington.

If you’re open to doing a little homework ahead of watching this powerful movie, read Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World, a new book by Eric Metaxas.

Popcorn will be popping and pop and water will be served. No need to be a member of Immanuel to attend! We meet in room 36 – just follow the signs (and the smell of popcorn!). Hope you can join this great group of movie-loving guys on November 4^th starting at 6:00pm!

Women's Bible Study Offered Wednesday Nights & Thursday Mornings!

College Care Kits!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events!

Election Time at Immanuel.

Every fall we have key leadership positions that need to be filled. Might you have an interest in serving on one of these leadership teams? Pray about it and, if you are so inclined or have questions about more of the specifics involved in serving, contact the chairs of those teams. Or if you know of someone here at Immanuel who you think would serve well in one of these capacities, you can submit their name either to the chair of the team or to Pastor Glen as well. Thank you!

Executive Council: Shawn York, chairman, ECchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org The Executive Council represents the congregation while working with Pastors, staff, and all ministry teams to recommend a budget for congregational approval, to coordinate ministry activities and other Board-level administrative duties. Members are elected by the Voting Assembly for a three-year term and may serve up to two consecutive terms. This board meets on the third Tuesday of every month.
Elders: Ed Bublitz, 970-481-3000 ElderChair@ImmanuelLoveland.org An elected position for men to assist the pastoral office with spiritual care, staying in contact with their Elder group of Immanuel members and regular attenders, new member involvement, inactive contacts, serving communion, and overall spiritual health of the congregation. This board meets on the second Tuesday of every month.
Board of Christian Day School: Matt Renquist, BCDSchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org An elected position that oversees and sets the vision for the operation of Immanuel’s toddler and preschool through 8^th grade Christian Day School. This board meets on the first Tuesday of every month.
Immanuel Lutheran School Foundation: Scott Gilbert ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org The Foundation serves as a means for financial gifts to be given to the school through employer matches and other means beyond tuition and congregational offerings. This team meets about three times a year.
Immanuel Lutheran Church Endowment Fund and School Endowment Fund. These are two separate teams that meet once or twice each year to oversee the endowment funds for our church and for our school to ensure that the disbursement of funds is done appropriately. If interested in serving on either of these teams, contact ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org.

Honoring Our Veterans.

Here at Immanuel we have quite a few veterans and several active military personnel. This Sunday we will honor you by providing you with a red poppy at the main entrance to denote you as a veteran, showing a short video, and inviting you to stand and be recognized at the time of prayers.

We would also like to honor you next Wednesday at a special school chapel. See the details in the poster below. We would love to have you join us and allow the children and staff of Immanuel the opportunity to thank you for your service.

Support Immanuel Lutheran School’s Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) This Fall!

Get a head start on Christmas shopping through our Pampered Chef fundraiser, which is open now through December 13^th. Pampered Chef items ship as they’re ordered, so purchases will arrive before Christmas, perfect for holiday gifts (or something for your own kitchen!). Shop the Pampered Chef Fundraiser

Check out the flyers for all the details, and thank you for supporting Immanuel’s students, teachers, and school community!

Christmas Program Rehearsal Starting Next Wednesday!

Youth Group Night – Bazaar Prep NEXT Wednesday!

New Adult Sunday Morning Class on Islam.

Starting on Sunday, November 15^th, Joe Sarr will be leading a new adult Sunday morning Bible study class on the topic of Islam titled, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. This is a 9-week study based on the remarkable journey of Nabeel Qureshi, a devout Muslim who became a Christian after spending four years examining the historical, biblical, and theological foundations of Christianity and Islam. His bestselling book and accompanying video series provide the framework for the study.

The primary objective of the class is to strengthen participants’ understanding of their own Christian faith while equipping them to engage Muslims in thoughtful, respectful, and Christ-centered conversations. Although the course examines the significant differences between Christianity and Islam, its ultimate focus is on the person of Jesus Christ, the reliability of Scripture, and the transforming power of the Gospel. All are welcome. This class will meet in room #206 starting on Sunday, November 15^th at 9:30am during the Education Hour.

Young At Hearts (Senior Adults) Eat Together Opportunity Next Week.

Calling All Young Adults!

Parents’ Night Out is Coming Soon!

Dinner, Crafts, a Christmas Movie, and more fun are in store to give parents the opportunity to do some holiday chores or have a nice quiet evening alone! Ages 1-14 are welcome, older students can join us as helpers! Cost will be $20 per child – thank you for helping support our Immanuel Youth Group! Checks can be made to Immanuel Lutheran Youth, or cash paid at the door. Friday, December 4^th, 5:00pm-8:00pm. Please RSVP to Emma at ehubble@immanuelloveland.org if you would like to participate or take advantage of this Night Out opportunity!

Serving and Giving

Christmas Gift Giving at Immanuel.

We are gearing up for the big Christmas Gift Giving program again. This year we’re expanding our reach to serve more children. We will be providing Christmas gifts to kids living in two Section 8 housing communities: Orchard Place and Willow Place. Each of the approximately 75 children will receive a gift from their personal wish list and an age-appropriate Bible. Please Note: We will not be providing family gifts this year.

The giving tree will be set up and ready to go on Thursday, November 19^th. In these early planning stages, the following help is needed:

Help fill out the children's wish list tags to hang on the Christmas Giving Tree (November 11-18);
Help set up the Christmas tree on Thursday, November 19^th at 9:30 am;
Help wrap and label 75 (or a portion) Bibles for the children (December 1-13);
Help deliver the Christmas gifts to the Orchard Place Christmas Party (Date TBD)

Questions? Please text/call Teresa Rost at 970-218-0719. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these families this Christmas as we show them Jesus and His love!

Help Us Feed Our Young Adults.

We are looking for people to help provide dinner for the young adult meal on Sunday, November 15^th. We plan to have chili and a baked potato bar. We are looking for the following items:

Pot of Chili
18 Potatoes
Cheese, Sour Cream, Bacon Bits, Green Onions
Homemade Dessert (serves 12)
Drinks
Safeway Gift Cards to help pay for the expenses

If you are interested in providing any of these items, please contact Teresa at 970-218-0719. Thank you.

November Run with Perseverance Challenge.

One of the big goals of our Run with Perseverance ministry campaign is building community and a growing togetherness in our ministry here at Immanuel. The November Challenge is to be part of Immanuel’s annual Christmas Bazaar which will welcome between 1000 and 1500 people through our doors. No need to RUN all over town – come to Immanuel’s Christmas Bazaar for great gifts!

Invite some friends or neighbors – for those with small children, they can come to see Santa Claus.
Sign up to help in one of the many ways to prepare, assist, or clean up. (https://signup.com/go/XZObuYD)
Offer to bring some needed food or supplies.

Check out more of the details elsewhere in this update. If you have questions about this, you can reach out to Kathy Schlecht (kschlecht@immanuelloveland.org). Let’s continue to Run with Perseverance together!

Operation Christmas Child – Shoebox Ministry - Deadline Sunday, November 15th.

This year’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is nearing an end. Shoeboxes are sent around the world, bringing Good News and Great Joy to children in some of the world’s most difficult situations. Pick up your shoebox and fill it with a WOW gift, fun and practical items, and a personal note. You can include the $10 shipping fee in the box (payable to OCC) or pay online and attach the label you receive to your box. https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/.

Please avoid liquids, toothpaste, food/medicine, breakables, and used items. All boxes are opened at the distribution center so please don’t seal them shut. More information is available on the table with the shoeboxes in the atrium. Our final day for collection is Sunday, November 15^th.

Dominican Republic Mission Trip!

Thanks to everyone who has shown interest already in our Dominican Republic mission trip for summer of 2027! This short-term mission trip is available for all ages. Anyone who has just completed 8^th grade and younger will need to be accompanied by a guardian. More information will be available soon and now is a great time to be thinking about passports! Please reach out to Emma with any questions at ehubble@immanuelloveland.org.

Immanuel Meals Ministry.

If you’ve ever had major surgery, brought home a new baby, or experienced the death of a loved one, you know what a gift it is to have some meals provided for you and your family. It can be a homemade meal but doesn’t have to be - it’s not the meal itself but the time taken to bring the meal and show Radical Hospitality that means the world to these families. We currently have a lot of needs in this area for our Immanuel community. If you would be willing to be added to the Meals Ministry Team, we’d love to have you! You would receive an email when a meal schedule is established, and you can then decide if one of the days when a meal is asked for would work for you. If so, you can sign up to provide a meal and, if not, you can wait until the next need is made known. When and how often you provide a meal will be completely up to you. To be added to this email group, let us know at churchoffice@immanuelloveland.org. Thank you!

Immanuel Service Opportunity.

For a number of years, Glenn Troester has kindly come to Immanuel each Saturday, September through May, to post signs for the Sunday Morning Education Hour. Thank you, Glenn! We are looking for someone to step in and fill Glenn’s shoes in this role This is something that can be done anytime on Saturday or early on Sunday mornings before the 8:00 service. The signs are ready, they just need to be placed on tripod stands in designated locations. If this is something you’d like more information about, please contact the church office (churchoffice@immnauelloveland.org, 970-667-4506). Thank you!

Sponsor-a-Student.

Immanuel Lutheran School is launching a Sponsor-a-Student opportunity for congregation members who would like to help provide tuition support for a child in need. One of our beloved Preschool 4’s families, who has been part of the Immanuel family since their child joined our Toddler Program, is facing financial challenges. Your generosity can help this child continue to grow in a place where they are known, loved, and rooted in Christ. Several of you have responded to this need in part – thank you! For others, would you prayerfully consider sponsoring this child:

A full year of Christ-centered preschool tuition: $2,964
Preschool registration: $100 – PAID!
Annual snack and classroom supply fee: $225 – PAID!

Every gift, large or small, helps remove financial barriers and invests in a child’s faith, education, and future. To learn more about sponsoring this child or another Immanuel student, please contact Matt Renquist at BCDSchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org or Cheryl Gilbert at cgilbert@ImmanuelLoveland.org.

Monthly Run with Perseverance Commitments Update.

Below you’ll find both the numbers and the graph for the monthly update on our ministry campaign, Run with Perseverance. Thank you for your faithful giving to the Lord through this campaign, which helps us to continue carrying out the Mission and Vision our Lord has entrusted to us. If have any questions about Run with Perseverance, or if you have not made a 3-year commitment, or if would like to know how to contribute toward this ministry campaign, contact the Church Office and they will put you in touch with one of our Follow-Up Team members. (ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org)

As of September 30^th:
As of August 31^st:
Total pledges: 120
Total pledged: $905,632
Received: $118,351

Compared to previous month, August 31^st:
Total pledges: 120
Total pledged: $905,632
Received: $108,220.74

Trouble Using Immanuel’s Giving App?

On Sunday, I received word that there were some issues with our giving app, Pushpay. On Monday, I received the following email with an explanation and an apology, all of which I’m passing along to all of you.

Hello,
Yesterday morning, some of your donors may have tried to give online and had trouble connecting. If that happened in your church, I'm sorry — that's not the experience you or they should ever have on a Sunday. I want to tell you plainly what happened, what it affected, and what we've already done about it. Between 8:25 and 9:50 AM PDT yesterday, some individual donors were unable to connect to Pushpay’s web giving. Recurring giving was not affected. The cause: the additional server capacity we automatically deploy to handle Sunday traffic didn't deploy as it should have. Our internal systems identified the error early, and our team was already working to fix it before customers reached out to us. While this is the first disruption of this kind since 2020, we know that during peak Sunday morning services, any downtime is too long. We understand exactly what caused this, and we've already made the changes needed to prevent it from happening again. We continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure so we can remain the reliable, trusted partner you deserve. Your donors trust you in that moment of generosity, and you trust us to make it possible. Yesterday, for some of them, we didn't. We take that seriously, and we're committed to making sure we follow through on that trust every Sunday.
Sincerely,
Gruia Pitigoi-Aron
Chief Product Officer

Electric Mobility Scooter Available.

Are You a Drummer or Bass Guitar Player?

If so, we’d love to have you participate in leading worship at Immanuel’s 10:30am service as part of our worship team, Spirit Sounds. If you may be interested in playing about once a month and would like more information, or if you know of someone who may be interested, please contact Immanuel’s Director of Worship and Music, Kathy Schlecht (kschlecht@immanuelloveland.org). Thank you!

Serving Opportunity - 10:30 Altar Guild Team Member Needed

If you’re a 10:30am worshiper who prefers serving behind-the-scenes, this is for you! We are looking for an individual to complete one of our altar guild teams. The primary responsibility of this team member would be to serve following the 10:30am service once a month. If you would like more information about potentially serving on this vital ministry team, please contact Kathy Schlecht (kschlecht@immanuelloveland.org). Thank you!

Immanuel’s Worship Team.

Immanuel’s Worship Team. Immanuel’s worship team, Spirit Sounds, is looking for some new team members to join us in helping lead the 10:30am Contemporary Joy service (9:30am in the summer). We are especially looking for a drummer and vocalists. Those of us wh

o lead this way in our times of worship (high school and older) are not professional musicians; we are musicians who love the Lord and want to use the gifts of music He’s given us to return our thanks and praise back to him. If you would like more information about this yourself, or if you know of someone who would enjoy serving in this way, please contact Kathy Schlecht in person or by email (kschlecht@immanuelloveland.org). Thank you!

A New Giving Option.

At Immanuel’s congregational budget meeting last July, credit card fees were talked about as a significant budget line. The actual costs we incurred last year were $22,104, so we budgeted the same amount for this year. Why share this? Because now you have an opportunity to help reduce those credit card transaction fees. There is now an option for online giving to add processing fees to your online gift or regular online offering. Simply go to Immanuel’s website, hit the red “Give” button, fill out the form, and before the transaction or recurring gift is finalized, you can click the button that says, “Add 2.2% to contribute to processing costs*” (*This rate represents an approximation of the applicable processing rates; actual processing costs may be higher or lower.) This will dramatically help reduce this cost that we incur as a congregation. Thank you for considering this new option! If you have questions, you can contact either the Church Office (ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org, 970-667-4506) or Dawn, Immanuel’s Director of Accounting and Finance (dbowers@ImmanuelLoveland.org).

Ushers Needed! Ushers Needed!

Altar Flowers.

If you are interested in providing altar flowers for worship for a special occasion or for an individual in 2026, you may use the sign-up sheets located next to the Immanuel mailboxes or sign-up online using this link https://signup.com/go/GnbpHzF. We will order the altar flowers; you may either take them home with you after Sunday’s services or leave them to be used again the following week(s). Flowers are $60; when paying for flowers, please clearly indicate, “Altar Flowers,” whether paying by check (payable to Immanuel) or online. You may indicate the occasion on the sign-up or email the information to churchoffice@immanuelloveland.org. Thank you for helping beautify the altar and chancel area for our times of worship!

Want to Help With Immanuel Security?

Immanuel has a volunteer Security Team that typically helps out at larger events for our school and church ministries, in addition to occasional support during Sunday morning worship times. With the recent violence last week, several of our security team members were able to come and walk the grounds prior to school drop-off and throughout the day to provide a safe and secure environment for our children and parents. If you’re interested or have questions about this, contact churchoffice@immanuelloveland.org.

Are You a Thrivent Member?

FREE Money for Ministry! Everyone who is a client of Thrivent Financial is eligible for two $250 ministry grants a year. That’s $500 every single year for each Thrivent member! This is a huge blessing to Immanuel’s ministry. Just a few events that have made use of Thrivent grants so far this year include the Car Show, Vacation Bible School, Midweek Meals, and a congregational celebration. And we have many outreach opportunities coming up between now and the end of this calendar year for which a Thrivent grant would be helpful, including Fall Fest, Operation Christmas Child, the Christmas Bazaar, Lago Vista Christmas Shop, and Orchard Place Giving Tree. And there’s many more!

We want to make sure and capitalize on all grants available by keeping an updated list of Thrivent members and connecting those members with projects and events. We are also looking for an individual or two that would be willing to help Thrivent members make application for grants—the Thrivent member must make the application himself or herself, but they can have assistance in doing so. If you would be willing to serve in this role as an Action Team Grant Ambassador, or if you are a Thrivent member and would like your name added to our list of Thrivent members, please contact that church office (churchoffice@immanuelloveland.org). Thank you!

Reusable Shopping Bags

The Community Assistance Team will be collecting reusable shopping bags for the Lago Vista School Supply Drive. They will be collecting these throughout the year in preparation for the school supplies project later this summer. They will need 50-60 bags in total. There is a plastic tote on the table with food pantry items (across from the mailboxes) and shopping bags can be placed in the tote. Thank you for your support of this important caring ministry.

Our Flags are Flying!

Without having a facility director we did not have the manpower to put up and take down the flags on a daily basis (the American flag, the Colorado flag, and the Christian flag). Many thanks to Lorrie McLaughlin, one of the many veterans in our congregation, for purchasing solar lights for our flag poles which enables us to leave the flags up continuously. Lorrie’s sons, Shiloh and Shannon, and grandson Justin, from MAC Electric, brought over their bucket truck and helped with the installation – thank you all! What a blessing to have our flags flying and just in time for Veterans Day!

Help Spread the Word About Immanuel Lutheran School!

Want to help more families discover Immanuel Lutheran School? Community Outreach Kits are now available in the school office for congregation members to pick up and share around the community! Each kit includes ready-to-share flyers, posters, and information about Immanuel and upcoming opportunities for families to visit. Take a kit to a local business, childcare center (K-12 kits only to childcare centers), coffee shop, community organization, or anywhere families gather. Simply helping us get Immanuel’s name and story into our community can make a difference! Stop by the school office during business hours to pick one up. Thank you for helping us share Immanuel with more families!

Celebrating Baptism!

Last Sunday we celebrated the baptism of 8-month-old Ruth Ellen Linville, daughter of Courtney Linville and niece of Miranda and Luke Grossaint (Courtney is Miranda’s sister). At the 10:30 service, Ruth received “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7) Below are a few pictures of this wonderful celebration of life and the hope-filled gift of baptism our Lord pours out on us. The last picture is one of Ruth with some of her cousins!

Noisy Offering Thank You!

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Immanuel Spirit Wear!

Voted Loveland's Best!

Workday and Clean-Up Thank You!

A big thank you to the 19 church and school families who came out to help with our Fall Workday and Clean-Up! Here’s a list of the tasks completed which are a huge help as we head toward the winter months:

Winterizing mowers
Dump run of old file cabinets and phones
Tree and Bush clean up
Leaf Blowing and raking
Island flower bed clean up
Table Cloth reorganization

And a thank you to all who came out! Blake and Beth Bianco, Mick Greenlee, Shiloh Hatcher, Jeff Deaner, Daryl Meske, Bill Bowers, Tim and Deb Meyer, Don Gibbons, Judson and Brianna Knowles, Lonnie Leininger, Bob Kamtz, Matt Faga, the Hart family (Casey, Megan, Torston, Reese), Jake Hollen, and Carl Hinderer. Here are a few pictures of some our great workers!

Financial Update for September.

At the end of today’s update you will find the narrative of Immanuel’s financial update for September as well as the financial numbers of Budget vs Actual for September 2026. This is the comparison of Budget vs Actual for July 1, 2026 through September 30, 2026 and also the summary for this fiscal year. If you have specific questions about these, feel free to reach out to Dawn Bowers, Immanuel’s Director of Accounting and Finance (dbowers@ImmanuelLoveland.org or 970-667-4506), or Eva Knight, Immanuel’s Treasurer (eyknight@gmail.com).

September 2026
Church Revenue – Year-to-Date

Church Offerings $233,797; $3,797 over budget
Church Ministries & Other Revenue $39,319; $156 under budget

Special Gifts – Year-to-Date

Total Special Gifts $30,000; $0 over/under budget

Run with Perseverance Campaign – Year-to-Date

Total Contributions $55,012; $12,488 under budget
Current Operations allocation $30,565; Building & Facilities Reserve allocation $18,335; Operating Reserve allocation $6,112

School Revenue & Enrollment – Year-to-Date

K-8 Revenue $174,967; $21,881 over budget
PK Revenue $40,989; $7,795 over budget
Toddler Revenue $29,330; $320 under budget
Childcare/KKSC Revenue $106,577; $16,840 over budget
School Ministry & Other Revenue $29,159; $13,109 over budget

Overall Financial Performance – Year-to-Date

Total Revenue $743,283; $54,431 over budget
Total Expenses $541,870; $21,629 under budget
Net Operating Revenue Less Mortgage Principal & Interest Payments $121,656; $76,060 favorable to budget

Board-Designated Reserve Balances – September 30, 2026

Building & Facilities Reserve $35,741
Operating Reserve $11,931

Mortgage & Debt – September 30, 2026

LCEF Mortgage Principal Outstanding $3,478,530
Monthly Principal & Interest Payment $26,586

Worship Attendance Statistics and Online Viewing Statistics - October 2026

Executive Council Minutes Available.

Immanuel’s Executive Council met on Tuesday, October 20^th and the approved minutes of the September meeting are now available to download on CCB. To find the minutes, log into your Church Community Builder (CCB) profile page on your computer, pull up the group “Immanuel Lutheran Members,” and go to File. If you need help with this, call the church office at (970) 667-4506 or email ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Don’t Miss Important Updates!

Occasionally we send out text messages for big upcoming events, changes in worship times, cancellations due to weather, etc. Save our church texting number (970-500-0878) to your contacts. This helps prevent our messages from being filtered as spam. When we send these occasional texts with important news and updates, you can always text the number back if you have a question or need assistance.

Run with Perseverance Ministry Campaign Envelopes Now Available.

October Rooted to Soar!

Rooted to Soar is our school’s monthly newsletter from Principal Mrs. Cheryl Gilbert. It is designed to keep you connected to the exciting things happening at Immanuel Lutheran School. Read the October edition here to learn more about a family's journey to Immanuel. Each month, we’ll share academic highlights and faith-filled stories that show how we are living out our mission—partnering with you to provide outstanding care and education to help children soar academically, spiritually, and social-emotionally. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here to receive it in your inbox.

2026-2027 Proposed Budget Assumptions

Immanuel Lutheran Church & School Voting Assembly 7.29.2025 2026-2027 Proposed Budget Assumptions Church Offerings $950,000 – FY 25/26 giving Donations $147,500 – includes anonymous donation of $10,000 per month Special Giving $30,000 – includes School pledge of $20,000 (Year 3 of 5) Campaign Revenue $270,000 – projections from the Campaign Team School Revenue - projections from BCDS Toddler Care – 7 full-time/part-time toddlers Childcare – SY 25/26 revenue Kings Kids Summer Camp - KKSC 25/26 revenue Other Revenue – includes Benevity donations $20,000 (member giving plus corporate matching) Expenses Salaries & Benefits – salary increases of 4% for hourly staff and 1.25% for salaried staff in addition to benefit rate increases. Campaign Expenses – campaign fees to LCEF $50,000 Insurance Policies – average rate increase of 7% Utilities – rate increases of 10% to 13% Telephone/Internet – savings resulting from contract with new service provider

Giving Toward the Ministry Campaign – Some Clarification.

A question was asked about giving toward Immanuel’s ministry campaign Run with Perseverance. First, you can starting giving toward the commitment you made for Run with Perseverance at any time. Second, someone asked if they could include it in one check along with their regular giving. The answer to that question is, “Yes!” All that we ask is that you write in the memo line of your check the amount going toward each designation so your intent is clear as to where your dollars are to be directed. Thank you for your generosity and your love for the Lord and His Church here at Immanuel!

2026 Christmas Bazaar - Opportunities to Serve.

Immanuel’s Christmas Bazaar will be held Saturday, November 21^st, 9:00am-3:00pm. Last year, we had well over 1,000 guests along with 80 vendors in our facility for this event. Let’s be ready to extend Immanuel’s Radical Hospitality to our community! There are posters available in the atrium for you to pick up and post places where you work, shop, etc. (with permission, of course). Check out the sign-up sheets in the atrium or use this link to see the many different opportunities to serve leading up to, or on the day of, the bazaar: https://signup.com/go/XZObuYD

And, whether or not you are able to help, don’t forget to add this event to your personal calendar. Stop by for breakfast and/or lunch (pulled pork or chili!), purchase a cookie tray, view the beautiful homemade quilts, get your picture taken with Santa, give your kiddos an opportunity to make their very own Christmas gifts to give away (without mom or dad in the room with them), enjoy live Christmas music, start your Christmas shopping, and simply enjoy the festive community atmosphere the day provides!

Hiring School Bus Drivers (as needed)

Immanuel Pictorial Directory Available!

Immanuel has a Pictorial Directory, and you are welcome to pick one up to bring home with you! You can pick this up on Sunday morning or anytime you stop by Immanuel during the week. If we run out on Sunday morning, use the sign-up in the atrium and we’ll be sure to print one for you.

One of the quirks of our first run of a directory is this: by printing family photos, we are only able to print the contact information for the primary individual in the family. If there is a spouse or other family member for which you would like contact information, the best way to get there is to log into your Church Community Builder account. If you have never logged into Church Community Builder, now’s the time! In addition to all the photos and contact information, you’ll find Immanuel’s calendar, your Giving Statement, and more! You’ll find the button for CCB on the bottom-left of Immanuel’s website: immanuelloveland.org. If you need help logging in, contact the church office: churchoffice@imamnuelloveland.org or 970-667-4506.

If you don’t see yourself in this directory, it means we don’t have a picture of you – and we would like one and to have you in it! Or if the photo you see of yourself or your family in the directory is not a current one and you would like to update it before the next printing of the directory, please update the photo on your profile page in CCB, email a photo to churchoffice@immanuelloveland.org, or call the church office for assistance in getting a photo taken (970-667-4506). In addition, if there is information in the directory for you or your family that is incorrect, please update the information on your profile page in CCB, mark the “Church Copy” on the table with the correct information or email churchoffice@immauelloveland.org with the update. Thank you!

Congregational Officers.

According to Immanuel’s by-laws, officers of the congregation are elected from the Executive Council members and that election takes place by the Executive Council at the start of the new calendar year, after the congregational elections are complete. That took place at the January EC meeting this past Tuesday. Our 2026 officers for the EC and Immanuel congregation are:
Shawn York, President (ECchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org)
Nathan Klein, Vice-President
Scott Siefert, Secretary
Eva Knight, Treasurer

As a point of information, here are the officers on both the Board of Elders and the Board of Christian Day School.
Board of Elders
Ed Bublitz, Chair (Elderchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org)
Jeff Deaner, Vice-Chair
Scott Gilbert Secretary

Board of Christian Day School
Matt Renquist, Chair (BCDSchair@ImmanuelLoveland.org)
Lori Aadsen, Vice-Chair
Bill Sandau, Secretary

Are You NOT Receiving the Updates, Prayer Emails, or Bring it Home Devotions?

We’ve discovered over the past several years that our email system will on occasion randomly remove people from various email groups. If you were on my (Pastor Glen’s) email prayer group or the daily Bring It Home devotions email group but now are no longer receiving them, this was not done intentionally! Or if you no longer receive either my Monday or my Thursday email updates or if you hear from someone who has experienced this, please email ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org to let us know that you’re no longer receiving emails so we can get you added back onto those email groups. I apologize for this and don’t want you to feel like we’ve kicked you out – that couldn’t be further from the truth! It’s an ongoing mystery we haven’t been able to figure out so please let us know of any unwanted changes that you’ve noticed!

Weekly Immanuel Sermon Podcasts

Don’t miss the opportunity to subscribe, listen, review, pray through, and apply God’s Word and spiritual encouragement that Pastor Glen shares weekly through his sermons given Sunday mornings. Yes, Immanuel has a weekly podcast! You can subscribe to receive them every week through your favorite Podcast provider – search “Immanuel Lutheran Loveland” to find the podcast or click one of the following links for your preferred platform: Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio Podcasts, or Spotify Podcasts. You can also find links on our website on the bottom of the page or on the Immanuel website “Sermons” page: https://immanuelloveland.org/sermons/ or subscribe to our YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@immanuellutheranloveland). You will be blessed in your growing relationship with Jesus by making our weekly Podcast part of your life’s routine! In addition, you can share those episodes with friends! Thanks for listening and for sharing this resource with others!

November 5, 2026 - Election Day and Perspective from Dr. Jerry Kieschnick!

Friends of Immanuel,

Election Day 2026 has come and gone. Half the country is elated while half the country is disappointed. Granted, there are plenty of people who unfortunately sat out and did not exercise their right to vote, and still plenty of others who are either ambivalent, who have given up hope for our country and the election process, or who don’t care. We live in an amazing country that allows for this wide spectrum with the freedoms we enjoy.

Here at Immanuel, we will continue to pray for all of our elected leaders in worship, regardless of party affiliation, because the Lord urges us to do so and, as we know, our leaders all need the Lord’s guidance, wisdom, and direction to carry out these significant responsibilities entrusted to them by all of us.

One matter for which I’m praising God is what appears to be the passing of the three propositions on our Colorado ballot, Propositions 133, 134, and 135. These are the propositions I urged us to sign the petitions to get on the ballot and then to give a “yes” vote to. These propositions were “Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor,” “Male and Female Participation in School and Collegiate Sports,” and “Prohibit Surgery on Minors in Response to Perception of Sex or Gender.”

Then I would like to share with you a blog post of a man and a pastor for whom I have much respect, a former president of our church body, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Dr. Jerry Kieschnick. He’s been writing a weekly blog for many years and his comments on this week’s elections I felt were worth passing along to you as a thoughtful and helpful response for us as Christians. Dr. Kieschnick and his wife Terry have lived in Texas most of their lives. Here is what he wrote today:

Volume XVIII Number 23 – November 5, 2026

Elections

A couple weeks ago I prepared two Perspectives articles. Sort of proud of myself to plan ahead for an extended absence from my computer. Yesterday morning’s news changed that plan. Wednesday I awoke to news about elections across the country. Many people were ecstatic and happy. Many others were disappointed and sad. Many were surprised. Many others were not. Time will tell whether this huge change is for the better or for the worse. Most of us have our opinions.

What’s the best advice a Christian person would do well to heed at a time like this? We can all provide an answer, maybe in accordance with our political leanings. I encourage you to consider this one:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

A few thoughts for reflection on these words from Holy Scripture:

Rejoice! Our joy is not dependent on circumstances beyond our control but on our faith in Jesus.
Be gentle. Let the love, patience, and compassion of Christ be evident in the way we treat others. Republicans, love your Democratic opponents. Democrats, love your Republican opponents.
The Lord is near. We are never alone. Jesus is present with us in every circumstance. Elected leaders come and go. Some are considered heroes. Others are called bums. Amazingly, Jesus loves them all.
Do not be anxious. God invites us to bring our worries, concerns, fears, and burdens to Him in prayer. Regardless of which political party “controls” the country, God is still God. Elected leaders are not God.
Give thanks. Even in difficult circumstances, we have countless reasons to thank God for His goodness and grace. Among those blessings are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The peace of God. Our times are in God’s hands. Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt. 6:34
The main message of this part of God’s Word: We are called to rejoice because God is with us. Called to be gentle because His love is in us. Called to be at peace because our concerns are in His hands.

An especially comforting reminder: We are not told that we will have nothing about which to be anxious. We are simply invited to take everything that makes us anxious to the Lord in prayer.
Dr. Gerald B. "Jerry" Kieschnick

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

November 2, 2026 - Reflection of All Saints Day!

Friends of Immanuel,

Yesterday’s All Saints Day observance was a very emotional morning for me as we took time to reflect on the many saints in our lives who have helped us to see and know Jesus. The hymns and songs we sang in both services, the handbell choir piece, and the Rite of Commemoration and reading of all those names, spoke powerfully to me – and I hope and pray it was a similar encouragement to all of you. We live with amazing hope that our Savior has given us through faith in Him – faith of being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see! (Hebrews 11:1)

As I asked all of us to reflect on the saints in our lives during the sermon yesterday, I’m going to share a bit more about myself and the journey the Lord has been on with me, sharing some of the saints in my life and the impact they have had on me.

The first are my parents who faithfully brought me to the waters of baptism when I was 16 days old – that began my journey of faith and life in Jesus! They brought me (and my sisters) to worship and Sunday School every single week without fail. My dad served in various leadership roles regularly in our little church in Wisconsin, as did my mom. And I have many memories of us kids going along with my mom to various older, homebound people’s home, as she would often bring them cookies or food and then would stay and visit with them (for what seemed like hours!!!). But with all of this, my parents demonstrated what faith-lived-out looks like as they both shared Jesus and His love in various ways, even if I didn’t fully appreciate it as a kid!

My pastor growing up was amazing. He came to Immanuel in Adams right out of seminary and Pastor Larry Hauser and his family became good and close friends of our family. He was at Immanuel for 10 years throughout my growing up years and through high school before taking a call to Milwaukee. During those years I so appreciated Pastor Hauser’s amazing preaching, which was very down-to-earth and real, regularly using illustrations from the Peanuts with Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the gang (which I loved!), stepping out and using a new translation/paraphrase of the Bible, and incorporating many other very creative approaches to preaching and ministry. When I confirmed my faith in 8^th grade, it was Pastor Hauser who asked me if I had ever considered being a pastor – which I had not to that point. But from that day forward, it was very much on my mind and in my prayers. I spoke with him many, many times throughout my high school years about being a pastor and his influence was the main reason I’m a pastor today.

Another pastor who was a significant influence in my life was Pastor Zeile. Pastor John Zeile was my vicarage supervisor and I served under him during my third year at seminary when I was assigned to Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA. Kathy and I enjoyed a delightful year of vicarage (internship) in the Washington D.C. area and what I learned from Pastor Zeile was so formative. Whenever I was going to preach, I had to write out my sermon in full and give it to him to look over the week before. He would then give it back with suggestions and feedback. Over and over again, I remember seeing written at various places in my manuscript, “So what?” He pushed me to preach beyond theological truths, pushing me to make those theological truths relate to the lives we lead as followers of Jesus. If I was going to preach, it had to be real and relative to life. Every sermon I write, I still hear in the back of my mind, “So what?”

Other saints in my life include a number of people from my home congregation in Adams, WI – specifically Mrs. Baumgart, Mrs. VanTassel, Herb and Debbie Barnes, Mr. Pollock, and Bud, Jan, and Penny Wormet. All of these people, in various ways, showed me Jesus – as Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, elders in the church, leaders, and even as, what I perceived as a child and a youth, crusty old people, but people who loved Jesus! God’s Church is filled with people of all different personalities, dispositions, likes and dislikes, various opinions, gifts and abilities – a beautiful and interesting mosaic, as are described in yesterday’s reading from Revelation 7, a multitude of people from every nation, tribe, people, and language. We are all loved by our Savior and part of His Body.

There are many others I could name, but I’ve gone on long enough. I hope yesterday’s All Saints Day celebration prompts you to reflect a bit on the people God has put into your life to help shape and form you in the faith you have in Jesus, as well as have you reflect on how you are impacting the faith of those in your life. With this week’s What Now?, I’ve already started on that for myself personally, as I’ve reached out to Pastor Hauser and Pastor Zeile and I hope to have a conversation with them today to thank them for the important part they played in my life!

What Now?

Take time to reflect on and give thanks for the people in your life who have been The Face of Grace to you, showing you Jesus and helping you know and follow Him. If they are still living, reach out to them and thank them for the impact they have had on your life.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 29, 2026 - All Saints Day!

Friends of Immanuel,

This Sunday, November 1^st, is All Saints Day on the Church calendar. Since the mid-8^th century, November 1^st has been the day the Church sets aside to celebrate, remember, and give thanks for those faith-filled people of God who have died in the faith. It has historically been a very significant day in the Church. In fact, as a tie-in to last Sunday’s celebration of the Reformation, it was on the Eve of the All Saints Day celebration that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, because he knew that there would be a throng of people who would be coming to worship the next day.

Why celebrate and remember “saints”? As a little spoiler with some of what you’re going to hear on Sunday, saints are not perfect people, Super Christians, or people who have done super special amazingly great things for the Kingdom. We don’t pray to saints, either. To put it most simply, saints are people who know and believe in Jesus – people still living and people who have died. That’s it! And that means that, yes, you and I are saints, too! So it’s a celebration and a time to remember the blessings of grace that our Lord has poured out on all of us as His people, those He has made and has named as His saints!

All Saints Day is one of my favorite days of the Church Year – an opportunity to just stop and remember the amazing people (saints!) God has brought into my life to encourage me, help me, and guide me in my faith. I’m sure that among that throng is included people who have shared Jesus with us and have eternally changed the course of our lives! There are others who quietly, yet faithfully, lived their lives worshiping, serving, and following Jesus, people we’ve never met or heard of. There are others that we know quite well – spouses, parents, children, siblings, other family members and relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances.

We hear in Hebrews 12:1-3 the wonder and mystery of how “we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” who are cheering us on in this “race” of life, encouraging us day-in and day-out to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. What a gift and what joy to be part of this family of God, this Body of Christ!

I look forward to gathering together for worship again, to bask in our Savior’s grace, and to be reminded of the new identity He has given us as His children. We’ll dig deeper into these profound promises and assurances on Sunday as we worship, hear and reflect on God’s Word, sing His praises, and gather around His Table in that profound mystery of knowing this is a foretaste of the feast that is yet to come! See you in worship!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 26, 2026 - Pastor Appreciation Month! Thank you!

Friends of Immanuel,

The month of October has been designated Pastor Appreciation Month and I want to take time in my article today to express my thanks to all of you. I appreciate the number of cards I’ve received and your many kind words and the encouragement that so many of you have given me. Thank you to Ashley Jones, our Director of Communications, for her Facebook post on our Immanuel page expressing thanks for me and my ministry with all of you. And thank you to all who commented on that post with even more humbling, kind, and encouraging words!

When I was called to Immanuel in 1989 as the Associate Pastor, I had no idea what this journey was going to be like. In 1991 I was called to be the Senior Pastor and the journey continued. As with any pastor, the call you extended to me to serve as your pastor included many basic expectations – to preach and teach, to lead worship, to baptize and preside at the Lord’s Supper, to visit and reach out to the sick and homebound, to see that ministry is provided to people of all ages, to reach out to others and to encourage all of you to share the Good News of Jesus with friends and neighbors, to marry and to bury, to walk alongside you in various stages, challenges, and joys of life, and to be your shepherd.

To be able to do all those things and more has been and continues to be such a joy for me. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1, I echo his thanks to all of you today – “³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Through the ups and downs of ministry and life, I truly do thank God for all of you and the privilege God gives me to serve alongside you day-in and day-out. I’m honored to be invited into some of the most important and significant times of your lives. I’m humbled when you share the stories of what God is doing and how He is working in and through you.

As our journey together continues, I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us next! No, it’s not always smooth sailing, but life on this side of eternity rarely is. But together and by God’s grace, we continue pressing on, striving to carry out the mission our Lord has given us to the very best of our ability. Opportunities abound and I believe there are some exciting times ahead for us. This is an amazing ministry filled with so many amazing people. Thank you all for sharing your gifts and abilities and time and resources in so many ways. And thank you for allowing me to be your pastor!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 22, 2026 - Reformation Sunday!

Friends of Immanuel,

This Sunday we’ll be celebrating the Reformation. On October 31^st, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses (matters he wished to debate and discuss) to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany – an event that is recognized as the beginning of the Reformation.

I’m not going to go into any other historical detail here, but if you’d like more info or other suggestions to learn more about this world-altering period of history, here’s the trailer to “Luther,” an excellent movie which came out in 2003 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe84Aolmmcg – you can rent or stream this. Here is a link to a well-done documentary by Ligonier Ministries called “Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer”: https://youtu.be/6VK0p-tuuao. And one more resource is Rick Steves’ “Luther and the Reformation,” which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXK9NNp1yk4.

I’m thankful for Martin Luther and the other bold reformers of that time. No, Luther was not perfect, he was not without sin, nor can we take everything that he said, did, or wrote as biblical truth. But he did get a lot right and God used him in a very powerful way for that time and for future generations. The Lord tapped Luther’s passion, his intellect, his abilities – all gifts from God – to accomplish His purposes. While God’s Church and His people had gotten off-track in a variety of ways, the Lord used Luther to bring about the necessary reform and to bring us back on track again.

I marvel at how patient God is – we see that so clearly throughout God’s Word, especially the Old Testament, when God’s chosen people would time and time again make promises to be faithful and to follow the Lord, but almost in the same breath (or so it seemed), they would turn away and do their own thing. And yet God didn’t give up on them.

I take solace in that biblical truth because that’s how God is still working! And we can certainly praise Him for that!! How often do we have the best of intentions but then drop the ball? I want you to hear loud and clear that when you and I do that, our Lord doesn’t give up on us either. The “banners” of the Reformation – Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone – remind us of the power and the gift of what God’s grace means for us. On Sunday I’ll be talking about the freedom Jesus brings to us and our lives through these grace-filled gifts. God’s grace brings us true freedom – freedom from fear, from worry and anxiousness, from shame, guilt, and regret, and from so much more. It is His grace that assures us that He will never give up on us but will always be here for us.

I hope you can join me Sunday as we once again look into The Face of Grace and consider this amazing gift of His grace and all that it brings to our lives today!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 19, 2026 - He Chose Us!

Friends of Immanuel,

As I had a long list of announcements at the end of worship yesterday, I thought it might be helpful just to hold up a couple of those, as well as a few more thoughts from yesterday’s sermon. These are all matters that speak to what an amazing place Immanuel is and the opportunities we all have to serve our Savior together in sharing His love and the Good News of the life and hope that Jesus brings to us.

First of all, tonight (Monday, October 19^th) at 7:00pm we’re hosting a Voting workshop, A Biblical Framework for Civic Engagement. This is being led by Brent Pilgrim, a layman who is a member of a sister congregation, Faith Lutheran in Johnstown. Brent is involved in Forging NOCO, a regional group similar to Immanuel’s Christians Engaging the Public Square group. Both groups work to encourage Christian engagement in important issues in our communities. The goal of tonight is not to tell everyone how to vote but better understand how we as Christians can evaluate various issues and candidates through a biblical lens. It’s an opportunity for us to be thoughtfully engaged in the world in which we live. This will take place at Immanuel in the sanctuary.

This Saturday we will have our annual Fall Clean-Up and Workday at Immanuel from 8:00am-12:00pm. There’s plenty that needs to be done and all ages are welcome. If you have a leaf blower, please bring that with you. As we do not have a full-time Director of Facilities, this will be a helpful as well as fun time for all of us to work together on making our facilities look good! As we work together, it can be an opportunity to get to know a few other people who call Immanuel home.

Fall Fest is one of our major outreach events. It has continued to grow and more and more families and children from the community are coming because they know this is a fun and safe place for their children. This year’s Fall Fest will take place on Wednesday, October 28^th from 5:00pm-7:00pm and will include Trunk or Treat, horse-drawn fall rides, a free dinner, and more fall fun. There are multiple ways you can be involved. You can decorate your vehicle for Trunk or Treat and be a friendly face to the several hundred children who will be in costumes and excited for some yummy treats. We currently have 15 vehicles and it would be fun to have a lot more! You can sign up to provide some of the needed food items that will be part of the free Grab-and-Go Dinner. You can also be a parking lot attendant, or you can help serve and clean up the dinner. Here’s the link to sign up – https://signup.com/go/jMhnaSg.

Fall Fest is an opportunity for us to express our Lord’s Radical Hospitality to children and families in our community and from our school (many of whom don’t have a church home and are just now learning more about Jesus thanks to our school ministry!). A smile, a word of welcome, a simple hello, introductions, and conversations can go a long way to sharing Jesus and His love! Grab one of the flyers to share with friends and neighbors and spread the word.

Then I want to share just a couple final thoughts on the sermon as we went basic and talked about Jesus as The Face of Grace. Related to what I’ve shared above, Jesus is the reason that we do all of this. When you read Thursday’s email update, you’ll read about many, many more opportunities we have here at Immanuel to give of ourselves, to serve others, to grow in our faith, and to share Jesus and His love.

What difference does Jesus make in your life? How has knowing and believing in Him shaped and formed you to be the person you are today? What is so amazing is the gift of God’s grace to us – He provides us with everything we need to live securely in the sure and certain hope we have because of Jesus. As we heard in 1 Thessalonians 1, we are loved by God and He chose us! Those powerful words of grace are true – gifts given in baptism and through the work of the Holy Spirit in God’s own Word. Take them to heart! Jesus loves you – spread that Good News! And here’s this week’s What Now? for you to consider this week:

What Now?

Make it a point each day this week to reflect on some of the many names of Jesus. What message of His love and grace do those names speak into your heart? Also look for opportunities to share His grace and love with others in tangible ways.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 15, 2026 - LWML Sunday with A Special Mite Box Offering!

Friends of Immanuel,

Heads Up!! This Sunday we will be having a “Noisy Offering” as part of worship. What does that mean? It means that after each of our worship services there will be a special door offering where you are encouraged to bring your loose change (paper bills are welcome, too!) to drop in metal buckets that will be at each of the three sets of doors out of the sanctuary.

This Noisy Offering will be part of our recognizing and thanking God for our Lutheran Women in Mission LWML group here at Immanuel. This is a group of women in our congregation who are part of a much larger organization within our church body (The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) that was established in 1942 with the primary focus to support worldwide missions. Their Mission Statement is: As Lutheran Women in Mission, we joyfully proclaim Christ, support missions and equip women to honor God by serving others.

The ladies here at Immanuel meet every month for fellowship and encouragement. They will typically have a program that will highlight a mission project or another opportunity to learn and grow in their faith. They meet together with other Lutheran Women in Mission groups along the Front Range in the spring and again in the fall for a more in-depth time of growth, worship, fellowship, and encouragement. There are also both District and National gatherings of the women of Lutheran Women in Mission LWML that occurs every two years.

One of the hallmarks of Lutheran Women in Mission has been the mite box, the idea taken from Luke 21:1-4 and the account of the poor widow putting all she had, which was only a few pennies, into the offering at the temple. All the Lutheran Women in Mission have their own small purple mite box where they collect loose change for missions. They then bring their mite boxes to the monthly meeting where they are all collected and sent into the Rocky Mountain District.

Immanuel’s Lutheran Women in Mission LWML is supporting 10 specific missions this year. These include the following from Northern Colorado: Able Light (a Christian group that helps people with disabilities learn to overcome their daily challenges), St. Matthew’s Medical Clinic, Mountain States Children’s Home (a Christian group based in Longmont that nurtures children to the point that they are able to re-unite with their families), and Immanuel Lutheran School. Their prayers and mites also support International Missions including the Lutheran Heritage Foundation (translates Lutheran theological works and children’s books into many languages for distribution around the world), and Missionaries in Korea, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Immanuel’s Lutheran Women in Mission LWML uses the sales from their booth at Immanuel’s annual Christmas Bazaar to give toward these various local mission projects.

The mite box offerings that go to the Rocky Mountain District LWML for 2026-2028 are supporting Ysleta Bringing the Gospel to Mexico Missions; Lutheran Valley Retreat City to Sanctuary Foster Kid Camp Fund; Mercy Meals of Colorado Springs Providing Food and the Gospel to Starving People; Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch Physical and Mental Wellness for At-Risk Children; Lutheran High School Parker Missions Program; Child of God Lutheran Equipping All God’s Children: Expanding Access to Special Education; Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, seeks to enhance its Food Co-op Freezers; Lutherans in Medical Missions: Bringing Wellness and the Gospel; Giving Great Honor to the Least of These: Caring for People with Developmental Disabilities; Phil’s Friends Care Packages & Cards of Hope; and Lutherans for Life “For Faith” Ministry Development. Each of these will receive between $4500 and $10,000.

The Rocky Mountain District LWML in turn sends a percentage of those mite box offerings to the national group, which has about 33 missions they are supporting for 2025-2027 totaling about $2.7 million! At the end of each year, it’s amazing how much is collected – literally millions of dollars for missions from loose change and special gifts!

The Noisy Offerings given this Sunday will supplement the support of these mission projects. Thank you in advance for prayerfully considering bringing some loose change (and more) to support the missions through our Lutheran Women in Mission group.

And thank you to all the ladies who are part of Immanuel’s Lutheran Women in Mission. Below is a recent picture from their annual 4^th of July picnic. Some of the women will be helping serve this Sunday in worship as ushers, greeters, Scripture readers, and more – you’ll be able to identify them as they will be wearing purple!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 12, 2026 - Showing Radical Hospitality Here at Immanuel!

Friends of Immanuel,

I want to give a follow-up to yesterday’s sermon in our fall series, The Face of Grace, as we talked about Radical Hospitality. In the sermon I focused primarily on the Radical Hospitality that God has shown and continues to show to us. We dug deeply into the prophecy in Isaiah 25:6-9 and the vision of eternity using the imagery of a lavish banquet that the Lord has prepared for us and for all who believe in Him. As I mentioned, that is the place we need to start – with God’s Radical Hospitality toward us!

But it can’t end there. We are the recipients of grace upon grace – how blessed we are!! As we recognize those blessings and that grace in our lives that assures us a place at our King’s banquet table, we can’t help but ask, “What now? How can I thank You, Lord?!”

To answer that question, we turn back to our King and His Word. He lays out very simply and very clearly His answer to our faith-filled question. His desire for us is that we seek Him day-after-day, to follow Him, and to serve Him. Here at Immanuel we have the seven Marks of Discipleship which include being in God’s Word every day; praying every day; gathering for worship each week; giving – including tithing and using our gifts and abilities; being intentional about our faith and spiritual growth; being in healthy relationships; and looking for ways we can walk with other people through the ups and downs of life.

We also have so many different opportunities to serve our King as we serve the people in our lives, including people we know as well as those we do not know. Some immediate examples that are coming up include: the Habitat for Humanity Immanuel Build Day on Saturday, the Fall Fest, the Loveland Community Kitchen, Operation Christmas Child, our annual Christmas Bazaar; Meals Ministry; helping with food and serving when funerals come up; serving in one of the many ways in worship (greeting, ushering, bringing the offering forward, sound booth, screens, live stream operator, altar guild, playing an instrument, singing in Spirit Sounds, reading Scripture, and more); helping with our Clean-Up and Work Day; teaching or helping with Sunday School; and so many other ways. If you have questions about any of these immediate opportunities, reach out to ChurchOffice@ImmanuelLoveland.org and one of us on staff will be happy to answer any questions you have or help you get connected!

In a more personal way, you can look for opportunities to reach out to your neighbors or co-workers or friends. As you heard in the prayers yesterday, there are so many people who are going through a pretty difficult and challenging season in their lives right now. Send a note or a text or an email, give them a call, invite them to coffee and just listen. There are many ways that we can express this Radical Hospitality in our own lives just by showing our Savior’s love, compassion, and care to others.

It’s a privilege we’ve been given by our King to know that He has laid claim to us and our lives. He loves you and I pray that you never forget that! He has prepared His banquet table and He has a place just for you.

What Now?

In response to our Lord’s Radical Hospitality, give thought and prayer to whom you might show Radical Hospitality and invite to join you at a service event, small group/Bible study, or a Sunday morning.

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 8, 2026 - Showing Radical Hospitality & Serving Others!

Friends of Immanuel,

Radical Hospitality is one of the hallmark pieces of our vision here at Immanuel. This Sunday with our Face of Grace fall series, I’ll be going deeper into what Radical Hospitality truly is, far beyond just what we do. In preparation for Sunday, I thought it would be great to do a quick review of our overall Mission and Vision here at Immanuel and why Radical Hospitality, along with several other key biblical directives, are so important for each of us.

Immanuel’s Mission
Transform lives by Loving, Learning, and Living in Jesus

Immanuel’s Vision
We reveal the love and grace of Jesus to our community by our Radical Hospitality, Transformational Learning, and Fearless Living

Our Mission and Vision come straight from our Lord in His Word. At its most basic level, why we do what we do comes from Jesus’ own words that He spoke 40 days after His resurrection and immediately before His ascension. From Matthew 28:18-20 – ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We see our Mission as transforming lives. This happens not by our power, ingenuity, and creativity – the power to transform lives is God’s work. As the Holy Spirit guides us, our prayer is that through our “loving, learning, and living,” the Holy Spirit would work in the hearts, minds, and lives of people who are touched and impacted by Immanuel’s ministries and by each of us who are as followers of Jesus.

You and I have the opportunity to be God’s means of grace – the ways in which His grace, love, and the saving message of Jesus get shared with other people. That’s where the “Loving” and “Radical Hospitality” parts of our Mission and Vision come into play. It begins with God pouring His love and grace into us, which we experience together every single week in worship. In worship we are reminded of and we receive our Savior’s grace and love through our time of confession and forgiveness, the hearing of His Word, the sermon, and the receiving of the Lord’s Supper.

As that grace and love fill us, we are sent into the world to share it with others. We have the opportunity to invite others to join us in this journey of following Jesus. We can invite our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members to worship or a Bible study or some of our many other gatherings of youth, young adults, and older adults. We have some awesome big events that happen, which are also great opportunities to invite people to experience a bit of what we’re about here at Immanuel and sharing Christ’s love – like the upcoming Fall Fest and Christmas Bazaar, the summer Car Show and Vacation Bible School. And many people are interested in learning about opportunities to serve our community, like Habitat for Humanity and serving at the Community Kitchen.

There are so many simple ways we can share Jesus and extend invitations for people to come and experience what God’s grace is all about – from the many things happening at Immanuel to how we go about our day-to-day lives, rubbing shoulders with lots of different people.

I encourage you to be praying for people in your life. Pray for the courage to open the door to faith conversations and to extend invitations for others to join you in some of the ministries that are happening. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you, helping each of us to be The Face of Grace to others! I hope to see you in worship Sunday as we again experience our Savior’s Love and Radical Hospitality!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen

October 5, 2026 - Keep Pressing On!

Friends of Immanuel,

Yesterday in worship we had a little fun with “taking out the trash,” based on chapter 3 of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Paul’s interesting take on “trash” is that he considers everything trash – except Jesus! And the two ways he urges us to look at this is, first, to recognize and acknowledge (and confess, where necessary) the trash in our lives that needs to be taken out. Praise God for His grace, knowing all that Jesus did to clear the trash from our lives and to offer us the ongoing gift to remove our trash.

He then urges us to recognize, celebrate, and give thanks for what it means to “know Jesus.” This is where everything else seems like trash – in comparison to knowing Jesus and the wonder, the power, and the joy of knowing Him and living under His grace each day.

I didn’t say much about the last section of this reading, Philippians 3:12-14. “¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I’ve preached and written before about the “now/not yet” aspect of our faith. In the most basic way, what that means is that our faith is so real that we are living “eternal life” right now in this world because we know and believe in Jesus. And yet, there is still more to come – which is the “not yet” aspect of this.

What Paul is emphasizing in these verses is the “not yet,” the physical reality of what we actually see with our eyes. We’re still running this race, a race that will continue to be filled with moments of fatigue and exhaustion, times of exhilaration and joy, ups and downs as we go through this life. That means we haven’t yet obtained everything the Lord has in store for us who believe. We haven’t—nor has this world—yet been made perfect.

We need to keep going, pressing on to daily take hold of that for which Christ Jesus told hold of us. Understand this verse as stating the objective Gospel truth of our justification by grace through faith. That is, “Christ Jesus took hold of us” – He saved us by His work on the cross to pay for sin and by His resurrection from the dead, bringing us forgiveness, victory, life, and grace. And in response to that, we “press on”! We seek, with the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance, to live Christ-like lives, continuing to run this race every day.

This is part of the powerful comfort I pray you hear in this passage: we’re not out there on our own, needing to figure out how to survive this life. We are in the strong, powerful, loving hands of our Savior! He’s put His claim on our lives and we are His!

Because of that, we forget what is behind (leaving the memory of our sins and sinful past behind us in the reality of the cross and the assurance of Christ’s forgiveness) and we strain toward what is ahead – the joy of our lives in Jesus; a joy that we can experience in the day-to-day of life in this world the Lord created for us to enjoy, and in the assurance of a life we can’t even imagine that is still in store for us in eternity.

What a gift we’ve been given! In light of that, here’s this week’s What Now?:

What Now?

This week take a personal inventory of your walk with Jesus and consider what housecleaning needs to be done, throwing out any unnecessary trash (literally or figuratively!).

And let’s do this, looking straight into The Face of Grace, praying for the Lord’s help and guidance in this, that amidst all the trash in our lives, He would continue to provide us with a good and healthy perspective, mindful of what our real Treasure is, of Who our real Treasure is, that is Jesus!

Serving together in Christ alone!
Pastor Glen