In This Issue

Pastor's Word Christ says to our disciples in John Chapter 16, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again, a little while, and you will see me.” So, some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So, they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. (continued page 2)

Pastor’s Word Pg. 1-2

May Readings Pg. 2

Presidents Report Pg. 3

Elder Report Pg. 4

Birthdays/Anniversaries Pg.6

Financial Report Pg. 7

Calendar Pg. 8

Ministering Among Us Pg. 11

May Readings May 2 Isaiah 12:1-6 Jas. 1:16-21 John 16:5-15 May 9 Num. 21:4-9 Jas. 1:22-27 John 16:23-30 May 16 Ezk. 36:22-28 1 Pet. 4:7-11 John 15:26-16:4 May 23 Gen. 11:1-9 Acts 2:1-13 John 14:23-31 May 30 Isaiah 6:1-7 Rom. 11:33-36 John 3:1-15

The most annoying thing to hear as a kid in the Yeager family was … “in a little bit.” Or “in a little while.” This was my parent’s response to my question: “when are we going home?” I would always have to go with my parents on errands to the store or post office; and it was very boring. Especially as a kid. The only thing I was interested in was getting back home. “In a little while.” In the Yeager family, this response usually meant that my parents didn’t know when we were going to be back home, and they just wanted me to stop asking questions. Today, our LORD’s response, ‘a little while’, serves as a confession to the world of the joy that we have while we wait. This response is not because our LORD does not know when he is coming, instead our LORD knows exactly when He will return and that is why he says: “… a little while.” Here, Christ is speaking simultaneously about his death and resurrection; while also speaking to his church about His ascension and second coming on the last day. More importantly, in our waiting we can be filled with many sorrows. Tribulations like the death of a loved one, the burdens of medical issues, or taking care of loved ones who are getting weaker. The joys of our confession can sometimes be overshadowed by the sorrows of this world and tribulations of the devil. And yet, Our LORD comes to us every Sunday to turn our sorrow into joy. As He did with His disciples on the evening of Easter Sunday. Our sorrow is turned to joy today when we receive the absolution from the pastor; and when we partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Our sorrow is turned into joy when we receive Christ and when he appears to us through his word and sacraments. Therefore, as the sorrows of this world try to overwhelm your heart, look no further than the cross of Christ, and cling evermore to the promise that Christ makes to you today: Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

In the name of Jesus+

Amen. Pastor Christopher J. Yeager

From Our Congregation President Greetings Immanuel Family! God's Peace be with you! Well, we've had a rather tumultuous month haven't we? We went from the joy of celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord at Easter, to the low of accepting our pastor's resignation, to the joy of celebrating the installation of our new Associate Pastor, Chris Yeager, and accepting him and his family into ours. It has been an emotional month to say the least! I know that some are hurt, shocked, disappointed, and angry. Others may be feeling other emotions that are contrary to these for their own reasons. The point is, we all have them--emotions and feelings. I personally am very sad. George IS my friend! Amy IS my Friend. George IV, Thomas, Sofia ARE my friends! I will continue to pray for them and support them in any way that I can. I have forgiven. Christ has forgiven. I ask that everyone forgive. Then forget! For without forgetting, can true forgiveness be attained? Speaking of support, I am very appreciative of those of you who found time to go to Pastor Chris and Alex home and help them unpack, set up, and organize some of their things so they could settle in a little quicker. And for those that have brought food and other things for them, and also for all those who sent cards and gifts to them. You all are examples of what makes ILC a caring and loving place!!! The installation and celebration service was well attended and the dinner following was great as usual and enjoyed by all! Thanks to all those members who put in their time to make this evening truly memorable! Pastor Yeager by the time you read this will have had a couple of weeks in the office to get his feet on the ground and begin to work on the duties of the church and work with the various boards and folks who make things go. He has a church e-mail and can be reached in his office. Regarding the way forward... Pastor Yeager is and will be our pastor for the immediate future. THE PASTOR. He is not a trainee; he is a Called and Ordained Minister of the Word. Please be respectful in your dealings with him. The Board of Elders have already had discussions about going forward and I am not going to step on their toes in announcing anything here, but will say that I have complete confidence in their leadership and have faith that we are on the path that has been set out for us by God. We may not understand why, but we can move forward knowing that it is God's will. I ask again for your prayers for the leaders of our church, for our families, for Pastor Yeager and his family, and again for the Borghardt family. Pray for wisdom and strength in our decision making, pray for sympathy and understanding, pray for patience, peace and unity. I thank all of you for all you do! Yours in Christ, Mark Stevens President, ILC

From Our Head Elder

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am very excited about the arrival of Pastor Yeager as our new Associate Pastor. His official Installation Service is Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 5:30 P.M. Pastor Yeager is going to be a great addition to our Church Ministry Team. With the events of this past week I know that our church is goIng to go through some very stressful times in the near future. Please feel free to reach out to your assigned Elder for any needs or concerns that you may have. The Elders will be contacting their assigned families in the next two weeks to get input about an Action Plan that will be developed at the Regular May Elders Meeting. This Action Plan will be presented to the Church Council at their Regular May Church Council Meeting for approval. This Action Plan will be presented to the Voters at the June Voters Meeting for approval. It is very important that our Church Family support each other during the next few months. That means Loving Your Neighbor (especially your Church Family), Loving Jesus and promoting our Vision Statement of being Dedicated to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people whose lives we touch. Please pray for our church to support all members and become more united in our efforts of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Please pray for Pastor Yeager and his family as they transition from Michigan to Bossier City. Please pray for Pastor Borghardt and his family during this very stressful time in their lives. Please contact me with any needs or concerns that you may have. In Christ, Jimmy Cox-Elder Chairman

March 30, 2021

Mr. Mark Stevens, Council President Immanuel Lutheran Church 2565 Airline Drive

Dear Mr. Stevens:

On behalf of Renesting Project, Inc. I want to personally say Thank You for the recent commitment by Immanuel Lutheran Church for a generous donation of Bibles. Thank you for supporting a Non-Profit that provides for the "least of these". We understand that those we serve are not always easy to embrace and their faces do not make for beautiful billboards. We also realize that they are human beings that deserve a chance to start over and move forward toward meaningful lives and function with dignity in their dwelling. Providing Bibles to our clients most definitely adds to their comfort.

Although the partnership between Immanuel Lutheran and Renesting is not a new one, I felt compelled to reach out today and say thank you. We look forward to our continued partnership.

"There but for the grace of God, go l..."

16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. – Hebrews 13:16 (ESV) Dear Immanuel Family, This letter from ReNesting is a tangible sign Immanuel’s vision statement is more than words. We do touch the lives of people in our community in so many ways. Our God has blessed us in so many ways and we strive to have our action reflect the scriptures in daily practice. Thank you for being part of the body of this church! Our God is great! Alleluia! Mark Stevens President, ILC

May 2021 Birthdays & Anniversaries

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Hank Turnage

2 Keira Jenkins

3 Joe Morris

4 Jackson Pieper

5 David Ambrose

Anniversary

Jill & William Weiss

6 Carolyn

Neerman

7 Matthew Wright

Anniversary

Janie & Mike McKim

8 Heather

Kleinsasser

9 Dale Ward

10 Kristen Soelter

11

12

13

14

Anniversary Joanne & Roger

Davis

15

16

17

18

19 Anniversary

Kathleen & Ken Krueger

20

21 Sandy Jones

Anniversary

Brooke & Ryan Hutchison

22 Priscilla Bogart

23 Anniversary Julie & Brett

Allen Janie & Rick Krusemark

24 Philip

Moorehead, Jr.

25 Adeline Kirsch

26

27 Tami Rutten

28 Tristan Jenkins

Anniversary

Doris & Philip

Moorehead

28 Braxton Heffern

29 Alexandra

Soelter

30 31 Wesley Sisemore

Anniversary Sara & Mark Robertson

FINANCE NEWS

Budget status as of 31 March February 2021

Actual Income $125,944 Actual Expenditures $106,377

Budgeted income and expenditures $120,474 Net Income (Actual Income minus Actual Expenditures) +$19,567 2021 Church Operating Budget- The 2021 budget was set at the December Voter’s Meeting. The yearly budget is complex and is worked during the last quarter to be presented to the Voter’s Meeting held in December. Immanuel’s budget is $481,896, a strong but obtainable effort for the church. If you have any questions or suggestions about a budget item, please see someone in that board or a Finance Committee member. Storm Update- Things are financially stable at the end of the 1st quarter 2021. The Finance Committee will be working closely with the Council and Board of Elders to provide needed information as we attempt to stabilize our pastoral staff. We are still finding the need to replace and repair church furnishings. The Building Fund is a worthwhile donation if you are looking to give a little extra to the church. Financial Secretary Position- Tammy Szekacs is the Treasurer’s assistant, so if you have any financial questions, please see her or Charlie Johnson for help. Now we are looking for a person, or team, to train with our Financial Secretaries, Glenda and Earl Kroll, to aide them and to possibly assume the position in the future. Their position receives the weekly donations, deposits funds in our bank, and reports to the congregation. Pray for congregational solidarity, our pastor and all church workers, for the missions of the church, world peace, government agreement, for those involved with and suffering from the Corona Virus, other world disasters, and for those in need. .

Our LWML is scheduled to meet May 18th at 10:30 a.m. at Immanuel. This will be our last meeting until Fall. As in previous years, we will not have a guest speaker or in-gathering at this time, however, after a short business meeting, we will go to lunch. Please make plans to join us for a time to praise and give thanks to God, for visiting and for lunch." Thank you, Shirley Fortune

MITE SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY MAY 9 AND 12!

Thanks for supporting LWML and our mission

goals!

May 2021 Calendar of Events

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Rummage Sale

2 CONFIRMATION Divine Worship

9:00 AM Sunday School and Bible Study

10:30 AM

3

4 Education Board

6:00 PM

Sewing Mission 9:00 AM-3:00 PM

5 Evening Prayer 7:00

PM

Moms In Prayer 9:30 AM

6 Senior Center

Group 10:00 AM – 12 Noon

7 Family Fun Bingo

6:30 PM

8

9 MITES

Divine Worship 9:00 AM

Sunday School and Bible Study

10:30 AM

10 11 Preschool Board

5:00 PM

Finance, Evangelism, and

Stewardship Boards 5:30 PM

12 Evening Prayer 7:00

PM

Moms In Prayer 9:30 AM

13 Elders 6:00 PM

Senior Center

Group 10:00 AM – 12 Noon

Newsletter Deadline

14

15

16 Divine Worship

9:00 AM Sunday School and Bible Study

10:30 AM

Blood Drive 8:00 AM -12 Noon

Ladies Painting

3:00 PM

17

18 Church Council

6:00 PM

LWML 10:30 AM

19 Evening Prayer 7:00

PM

Moms In Prayer 9:30 AM

20 Senior Center

Group 10:00 AM – 12 Noon

21

22

23 Divine Worship

9:00 AM Sunday School and Bible Study

10:30 AM

24

25

26 Evening Prayer 7:00

PM

Moms In Prayer 9:30 AM

27 Senior Center

Group 10:00 AM – 12 Noon

28 Sewing Mission

Outreach

29 Sewing Mission

Outreach

30 Divine Worship

9:00 AM Sunday School and Bible Study

10:30 AM

31 Memorial Day Office Closed

Sewing Mission Outreach

Mission Outreach continues to meet and sew at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Bossier City. Anyone may come and join the activities so feel free to bring a relative or friend who wants to learn to sew or who wants to make the service projects. Some sew personal items while enjoying time together with friends. Some drop off finished Love Wrappers and Comfort Caps and pick up more supplies to sew at home. I do encourage that each one make a Love Wrapper as their first project and we will teach methods for doing these if the sewer is a beginner and wants help. The participants are an awesome, loving, and very generous group. It is an honor to lead this group. Dates/times for meeting are April 23-24 and May 28-29. 9:00-3:00. You may come for any or all of the time. Lunch is a pot luck that we share together. Future dates will be provided next month. Contact me (call, text or email) if you have questions or want to get your name on the email notification list..

Congregational Concerns BE KIND TO YOUR FAMILY

A death in the family, either expected or unexpected is a tremendous life changing experience. From experience I can say, you find yourself numb and unable to process actions and thoughts. You are expected in this confused state to plan the funeral, select a coffin and put together funeral service material. Why do this to your family? Immanuel Lutheran staff has prepared a document called “Funeral Guidelines”. This document benefits the bereaved by explaining what elements are significant in the funeral service. It provides liturgical guidelines, orders of worship and appropriate funeral music. The information you provide for your family will be invaluable to them. You can request certain Biblical readings that are important to you. You can tell them what music you want at the funeral and elements of your life you would like to be mentioned in the service. The information also helps the church staff contact family members and know what your wishes are. The form will be kept in the church office in a secure place known to Pastor. Please contact the church office to request one of these forms to complete and return to the church. Love your family and be kind to them. Board of Congregational Concerns

Family Fun Night by the Evangelism Committee BINGO! May 7 at 6:30 PM

Fellowship Committee

The Fellowship Committee thanks everyone for their help with Pastor Yeager’s installation dinner. It was a tremendous showing of love and Immanuel’s best food was definitely leading the way. Words do not remotely express the fellowship of Christ’s Salvation our church family shared at this event. Truly great foods, a wonderful time, and moment of sharing enjoyed by visitors and our church family.

Kuddos also for the welcome outpouring to Pastor Yeager and his family through your donations to the gift cards. This was truly appreciated.

The Fellowship Committee

Ministering Among Us This Month ALTAR GUILD Diane Derbonne, Cathy Ward, Tammy Szekacs, Christi Walters

USHERS Jeff Lacy, Monica Lacy

GREETERS Gail and Dan Pearce

ACOLYTES

May 2 Lawson Deblieux

May 9 Madi O’Neal

May 16 Emma Hooker

May 23 Acolyte: Katherine Huhn Crucifer: Matthew Wright

May 30 Elisabeth Huhn

POWERPOINT

May 2, 16, 30 Tristan Jenkins

May 9, 23 Kaleb Castanes

A/V

May 2, 16, 30 Charlie Johnson

May 9, 23 Lee Anderson

ELDERS

May 2 Woody Lemon, Greg Hershberger

May 5 (W) David Langston, Mike McKim

May 9 Scott Broberg, Jaret Jenkins

May 12 (W) Jimmy Cox, JD Varilek

May 16 JD Varilek, Terry Rogers

May 19 (W) Scott Deblieux, Scott Andrews,

May 23 Jim Owens, Greg Hershberger

May 26 (W) Mike McKim, David Langston

May 30 Woody Lemon, Jimmy Cox

CHURCH HISTORIAN UPDATE

Thanks to Earlene Winham for volunteering to take on the role as our new historian!

Youth News

May 1 there will be a Rummage sale 7:00am to noon. Set up will be Monday April 26 - April 30 from 6-8pm. Congregation is welcome to shop during set up. May 8th the Senior Youth group will be going to Sibley to help lay down new carpet from when Lake Bistineau flooded as well as help clean up the house. It's for Paul Jones' grandmother who is unable to afford having it done by contracted labor. Youth will meet at the church at 8:00am and work until done then leave. Lunch will be provided. An escape room is planned once back in Bossier City as a job well done. More details on the escape room will be out soon. The youth going on the Higher Things trip are: Dustin Hooker, Emma Hooker, Kaleb Castanes, Abbey Castanes, Robyn Ford, Peyton Deblieux, Tabitha Langston, and Sloane Engle. The adults who are registered are Erin Castanes, Stephanie Hooker, Ann Engle, and Justin Lacy. The dates of the trip will be July 4 - July 10. The dates of the conference are July 6 - 9.

Confirmands 2021

Please join our Immanuel Congregation in welcoming

Tabitha Langston Romans 3:28 “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

Keira Jenkins Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor

things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sloane Engle

Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Ethan Froehlich

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God.”

Into full membership in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Vacation Bible School June 14-18, 9:00 AM to Noon

Wrap Up Picnic June 20 after church

Ladies Painting Event May 16 at 3:00 PM

The ladies of Immanuel are invited to another painting party on Sunday, May 16 at 3:00 PM.

Our past painting gathers have been a successful time of fellowship, creativity, and friendship! Please contact Therese Turnage or Sandy Jones for specific details.

Jesus does the impossible! We will be discovering through bible lessons, crafts, songs, and fellowship with one another that Jesus does the impossible. VBS dates: June 14th - 18th, 9AM to noon. An online registration site will soon be announced so you can register your 3yo to 5th grade students. A sign up sheet for helpers will also soon be posted in the fellowship hall. Notification of these will occur via bulletins, Wednesday emails, or by calling the office.

The April 10th Men's cookout was great! Ten men attended, ranging in all ages, bringing food, fun, and fellowship! Looking forward to the next one. Keep eyes peeled for the next outing notification that will occur in the bulletin, newsletter, or email blast! Hope to see new and old faces (not age related, LOL).

Church Directory Time

The 2021-22 church directory will be printed in June. Would you please take time review your information in the current directory for correctness? If there are updates or you have found an error, would you please contact the office ilc@immanuelbossier.org? Thanks! May is a “5th Sunday” Month!

Our Fifth-Sunday collection will support Homeless Veterans. Proceeds will go to the Women’s Vets Homeless Program and Woody’s Home for Men. Let’s show our love and support for our veterans In their time of need!