Parish Life Page 1

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Escanaba, Michigan May, 2020

Activities and the Virus This issue of Parish Life lists activities we

have scheduled for May. You might check with the office, Pastor Dennis or the committee

chairs to be sure the activity is still going to take place before you head out the door.

Watch for emails and Facebook updates on

activities. Please call friends/members with this information if you know they do not have a

computer or other electronic devise.

Diaper Drive for Mission of Hope 2020

We are collecting diapers for the Mission of Hope, which as of now, is still being

planned for Sunday, August 30. Diapers can be dropped of during normal

office hours: Monday-Friday, 9-12. If you want, just set them in in the office hall. Diapers of all sizes, including adult,

will be accepted.

Painter Needed

The ILCW received a Thrivent Action Team gift card a while ago. With it they purchased three new triple plant stands. The other plant stands are still in good

shape but need to painted black to match the new ones. Once this is done, we will no longer need to drape the stands with

cloths. If anyone would like to take on this small project, contact Chris in the office.

She will gather all the old stands and have them available for pickup. There are

only 3-5 of them. Please use a flat or satin finish paint.

Chocolate Cross Sales Wrap-up I would like to say a huge thank-you to all who bought and sold chocolate crosses.

We did pretty well considering the circum-stances. We raised $610 to help send kids to Fortune Lake! Special thanks to Pastor Dennis for letting us use Thrivent Dollars and to Jim Franks for selling 200 crosses.

AMEN. Sandy Sovey

Yard Clean-up

Not knowing when life will go back to normal, but spring is here, we need to get our yard ready for summer. A date for yard clean-up will not be set, but people are welcome to come to church and work on the yard anytime it fits their schedule. The dead hydrangea and Hosta stalks need to be pulled, branches picked up, trash pulled from under shrubs, leaves raked and picked-up. These are all things that can be done individually or by following social distance guidelines. You can use your own tools, or Chris or Pastor Dennis can open the shed for you when they are in the office. Questions call Tom at 398-7934 or Terry at 786-5123.

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We received a letter from Fortune Lake concerning summer camps. It reads in part…

Many of you have memorized this verse around the campfire at Fortune Lake, accompanied by a chorus of guitars. The song uses the old language of the King James trans-lation—“everyone who loveth is born of God and knoweth God…”--but the message is the same. Love is at the heart of the gospel message. It is essential to the work we do at Fortune Lake and the mission we share. It is out of this deep abiding love for one another that we come to you with this message... The FLLC Board of Directors came together on April 18 and unanimously voted to cancel all Summer 2020 on site and Day Camp programs and postpone the 90th celebration which was planned for August. This difficult decision was made with heavy hearts. Like many of you, our summer doesn’t feel com-plete without camp! We never envisioned this scenario. Still, we know that God is love. We trust that when we take action out of love for others, Christ’s love flows through us. All registered campers will be eligible for full refunds, which we started processing on April 28, on all of the payments submitted. This includes campership funds from congregations to be refunded. You will be contacted via email with more de-tails about refunds, including an expected timeline, within the coming days. Please be patient with us, as we are living into this change while working remotely. Email, mail, and phone messag-es are being checked daily. Further questions or concerns can be directed to Amanda at campdirector@fortunelake.org As soon as we can safely do so, Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp will reopen.

Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp Phone: (906) 214-CAMP (2267)

Synod News If you haven’t taken the time, now might be the right time to check out the Northern Great Lakes Synod website.

There are tabs for covid-19 resources, daily devotions, prayer calendar, prayer requests, and resources and programs with drop downs that have much more information.

Bishop Finegan’s Easter sermon can be watched on it too. Check out the website, it has a wealth of information.

The Synod Council has determined that Synod Assembly will be postponed until May 13-15, 2021 at Finlandia University in Hancock, MI.

August 2 is the day the pavilion is reserved at Ludington Park for our church picnic. Hopefully the state will be open and

we can still have this fun, joyous, event.

The Zoo Crew Children’s Ministry

Hi Everyone, Hope this finds everyone hanging in there okay. It’s been awhile since we have seen each other, and I miss all those smiling little faces!! I know that right now things are tricky. We are trying to homeschool our children, and in some cases, using technology that we are not familiar with. I realize that this has placed a burden on parents, and I do not want to add to that burden. If you would like some religious education opportunities, and are able to do them, I will give you a couple of suggestions. When we have children’s ministry, we typically will follow what-ever the gospel lesson of the day is. It is posted in the newsletter. What I would do is find a story that goes along with that, and you can find many, many Bible stories on YouTube. I highly recommend that you watch it first, before you show it to your child. I would also try to find a craft that would go along with that, and a good resource for craft ideas is the Pin-terest website. The amount of information that you can find out there can be very overwhelming. How-ever, if you are looking for things to do and you’re able to navigate it, you will get a wealth of infor-mation. As always, you can contact me with any questions or concerns. If you’re looking for specific things to do, I can help you out, or at least point you in the right direction. Looking forward to being together again. Traci 241-6793 tlcorrigan@hotmail.com

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Easter Lily In memory of Joyce Kasemodel from Bob In memory of parents and husband from Helen Breitzman In memory of Tom Barton from Deb, Samantha and Devin Barton In memory of Norman and Andrew Arntzen from Greta Arntzen In memory of Rosemary Corrigan from Gary, Traci, and Boys Potted Flowers

Two flowers in memory of parents and sister, June Rismeyer from Loren and Donna Woerpel Two flowers in memory of all loved ones who passed before us from Pastor Dennis and Kathy Meyette In memory of Dorothy Norman Groleau from Darlene Prokos and Judy Christensen. In memory of Mom and Grandmother, Joyce Kasemodel from Dave and Linda Mason, and family In memory of parents, John and Virginia Noblet, and Fred Breitzman from John and Barb Noblet In memory of loved ones from Jean Chapman

In memory of Kermit and Lorraine Johnson, Barb Johnson and Michael Johnson from Ralph Johnson Benevolence

In memory of parents and sister, June Rismeyer from Loren and Donna Woerpel In memory of parents, John and Virginia Noblet, and Fred Breitzman from John and Barb Noblet In memory of Tracey O’Connor and our grandparents from Jodi and Ron Chouinard Gift from Barbara Denny In memory of loved ones from Terry and Jolaine Anderson General Memorial In memory of Andrew and Norm Arntzen from John and Barb Noblet Fortune Lake

In memory of Rosie Opferkuch and Maria Luisa Soto de Gonzalez from Maria and Todd Caron Other In memory of Joyce Meteor from the Meteor family

Easter Memorials 2020

To Jim Franks and John Noblet for directing their Thrivent Choice Dollars to Immanuel. To Nancy Frischman for making all the beautiful new prayer shawls.

To Sandy Sovey for organizing the Sayklly’s chocolate cross sales for Fortune Lake Scholarships. To everyone for your patience, caring and kindness during this pandemic. Christ is with you during this unusual time as He is always. Thank you to all who have maintained your giving and those who have been able to give extra. We are appreciative of your efforts.

Outreach has been meeting by e-mails, phone calls, etc. during these past few weeks. They decided to send help Escanaba Public School (COID 19 Box Lunch Program.) $400 Salvation Army. $200 Jill Spencer (earmarked Masks in Delta County). $100 I’ve talked with Jill Spencer about getting masks once they have employees of businesses covered. However I am wondering if anyone who sews might consider helping out by making masks for those members that don’t sew. I can get the directions to them. I also have one of the nose pieces that they are using. Looks like just aluminum to me. Maybe some of the guys could figure out how to cut those. That way people can contributing something and give them something to do. Barb, banoblet@gmail.com

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Immanuel Lutheran Church Council Meeting

March 10, 2020 7pm Present: Tom Kozar, Deb Barton, Ralph Johnson, Jodi Chouinard, Sandy Sovey, Jim Franks and Pastor Dennis Absent: Tosha Mason, Kathy Stewart, Brad Schoff and Gail Johnson

*Shared joys and concern *Devotions by Pastor Dennis *Reviewed agenda

3-2020-01- Motion to accept agenda- Jodi C./ Deb B. - motion carried *Administrative Reports: • Secretary: viewed report

• Treasurer: viewed report and Jim discussed with us that we drew $13,000 from our Thrivent account.

• Pastor: Went over “Three “I’s” of Stewardship”. Looked over his report. Discussed holding a Community Service Project on Sunday, 9/13/2020. He will talk to Brian from Thrivent about speaking to our congregation for a generosity series in May. Task force: + Outreach: viewed report + Property: Tom K. talked to us about the black top project and Jim F. said they have some 90-day plans in place. 3-2020-02- Motion to accept administrative reports- Jim F./ Tom K. - motion carried *Discussions: • Decided to advertise for Easter on Facebook rather than the newspaper.

• Received final draft of the Constitution and By-Laws and went over the changes. They will be sent to the synod for approval and then to the congregation to accept.

• Went over 90-day plans

• Went over what will be discussed at the Congregational Event on Sunday.

• Decided the Annual meeting will be held on 6/28/2020 and the reports are due on June 10th. Discussed how some people are asking for more of the traditional hymns and if it is possible to define on the screen where a new sentence starts

3-2020-3- Motion to adjourn at 9pm- Ralph J./Tom K.- motion carried Submitted by: Sandy Sovey

Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear.

I am your God. I will make you strong,

as I protect you with my arm

and give you victories.

Isaiah 41:10

Bible Verses of Encouragement and Hope

3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is

a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4 He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same

comfort with others in trouble. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

3 But that’s not all! We gladly

suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure.

4 And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will

never disappoint us. Romans 5:3-5

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Those Who Serve in May

Scripture Readings

May 3 May 10 May 17 May 24 May 31

1 Peter 1:17-23 Isaiah 43:18-21 1 Peter 3:13-22 Acts 1:1-11 Acts 2: 1-21

Psalm 23 Psalm 31:1-5 Psalm 66:8-20 Psalm 47 Psalm 104:24-34

John 10:1-18 John14:1-14 John 14:23-29 Luke 24: 36-53 John 20: 19-23

Meetings, Special Events

and Deadlines

May 12 Council 7:00 pm May 18 XYZ, possibly 12:00 noon May 18 Property 7:00 pm May 22 Deadline for June Parish Life May 26 ILCW 5:00 pm

March 1 70 $1,848 Lent March 8 60 $1,228 March 4 31 $120.00 March 15 34 *(74) $1135 March 11 11 $160.00 March 22 5 *(60) $1,595 March 18 ? $ 65.00 March 29 3 *(50) $2,280 March 25 *(20) $90.00

*(viewers on-line)

This is basically the April chart. If you are not comfortable attending worship due to the coronavirus don’t feel as though you must fulfill this volunteer service. It is understandable. And please participate via Facebook. Usher Captain: Brad Schoff

Altar Guild: James Judson Communion Prep: Jim Franks

Communion Assistants

Lay Reader

Tech

Greeters

Nursery

Fellowship

May 17

Ralph Johnson and Jean Chapman

Dave Mason

Rylee Mason

Jeff Tuer

Kim Pepin and need a volunteer

Stewart, Peoples, Swans and Kern Families

May 24

Linda Mason and Kim Pepin

Barbara Denny

Avry Corrigan

Grant and Lois Ziems

Rylee Mason and Renee Cutter

Todd and Maria Caron

May 31

Jim Franks and Jeff Tuer

Chris Borgstrom

Gabby Chouinard

Deb and Sam Barton

Linda Mason and need a volunteer

Corrigan Family

Worship in Our Building Unless the governor’s stay at home order is extended, we are looking at having on-site worship on May 17. Worship via Face-book will continue. Be looking for future emails and Facebook postings with updates on this as the month continues.

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May Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 10:30 worship on Facebook 8:00 AA

4

5

6

7

8 9

10 10:30 worship on Facebook 8:00 AA

11

12 7:00 Council

13

14

15 16

17 10:30 worship on Facebook and maybe in the building

18 12:00 XYZ, Possibly 7:00 Property

19 20 11: 30 Bible Study, possibly

21

22 23

24 10:30 worship on Facebook and maybe in the building

25

Office closed

Happy Memorial

Day!!

26

5:00 ILCW

27 11: 30 Bible Study, possibly

28

9:00 am RICC

29 30

31Pentecost

10:30 worship on Facebook and maybe in the building 8:00 AA

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The Journey @ Immanuel… “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV “Everything must change. Nothing stays the same…” These are the lyrics to a song by George Benson an R & B singer. Change is inevitable as noted in the book of Ecclesiastes. Everything must change. Yet we yearn for things to remain as constant and balanced as possible. Living with ambiguity is unsettling. Still things change despite our desire for consistency and certainty.

The song that comes to mind for me is the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Bryds… click on the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM The song is based on the biblical text of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 as the seasons of life change and change and change. Life it seems changes all the time as Benson says, “Nothing stays the same.” We are always living through change and this season in our lives today has captivated us amid huge change. I know some of you do not like… not only the change we are experiencing right now, but change in general. I too… am con-cerned with this change… and I live for change… I thrive on change… However, I do yearn for times of calm and peace. As the Ecclesiastes points out… There is a Time for Everything…

“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.”

As I try to wrap my head around what we are experiencing during the Covid 19 crisis and what God may be trying to say to us I am reminded of what Jesus’ friends might have been experiencing during the three days of suffering, cross, and resurrection. How they were handling the change they were experiencing. How Mary Magdalen felt going to the empty tomb. Jesus actually speaking to her. The friends Jesus comes upon on the road to Emmaus. Thomas… needing proof. Furthermore, how to understand Jesus’ resurrection. As I look over the landscape of what this virus is doing to us as a society, I must take pause… not only what it is doing politically, but also spiritually. Both emotions hit me hard. Both have consequences for our lives. What has been happen-ing politically has been impacting society now for decades. It is a cross we all bare on both sides as we try to discover unity. We continue to bare this cross. Spiritually… will this virus crisis create a rethinking of our morals and lives? Will the risen Jesus and the empty tomb bring a new hope and vibrant life? Crisis tends to help us reorient and rethink how we are living our lives. You have to go back to WWI… the Spanish Flu… and WWII to experience the type of spiritual disruption we are facing today. We are certainly facing a new season of life that is likely to be with us for some time. This crisis season will impact us for the foreseeable future. Life will be different. The Rev. Beverly R. Wallace, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care, Luther Seminary, was scheduled to be the speaker for the 2020 Trout Lectures, now canceled, at my alma mater, Trinity Lutheran Seminary said this…

“In this current season, a new plague is upon us. Caught off guard, even those who believe in death and resur-rection as evidenced in the story of Jesus the Christ still yearn for things to get back to normal.”

In this pandemic, everything we knew is not the same – and perhaps that’s a good thing. Spiritual, Theological, and Polit-ical understanding is changing. We’ve been talking about change, doing things differently, being innovative, but if all we really want is to redecorate, then nothing will really impact our lives to any extent. Benson serenades…“Everything must change. Nothing stays the same. Mysteries do unfold, ‘cause that’s the way of life.” And perhaps that “mystery” is the good news. Perhaps then… we will have a season for love and peace. Blessings to you and your family in this season and time of change.

“I am creating something new, there it is! Do You See It?” Isa. 43:19

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Immanuel Lutheran Church 600 South Lincoln Road Escanaba, MI 49829 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Find us and “like” us on Facebook! Immanuel Lutheran Church

Escanaba, ELCA Web page:

www.ImmanuelEscanaba.org

Immanuel Lutheran Church is a congregation of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and part of the Northeran Great Lakes Synod.

We are a barrier free facility and welcome people of all faith backgrounds and walks of life.

Worship Schedule Children's Ministry cancelled till September

Prayer Group, Sunday, 10:00 am Sunday Worship, 10:30 am

Walking Together Study Group, Wednesday, 11:30 am

Pastor: Rev. Dennis Meyette 1-586-854-5660

E-mail: revdennis0621@gmail.com

Office Hours Monday - Friday

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 906-786-6771

Administrative Assistant: Christine Smauley E-mail: immanuel@immanuelescanaba.org

Parish Life – May, 2020

Please send your story to Pr. Dennis at revdennis0621@gmail.com. Each month, when we have a story, it will be published in this “My Story” section.