Announcements
Weekly Announcements
June 1, 2025
Immanuel’s plants and trees will arrive this Thursday, June 5. We need many hands to get these new plants in the ground to beautify our landscape. If you can only help out one day on this project, Thursday is the day! Please come any time between noon and sunset. Bring your own shovel, garden hand trowel, or wheelbarrow if you have them. We’ll supply the dirt!
Can’t make Thursday? We have other work to be done throughout the week. Join us at the following times:
• Landscape preparation:
o Tuesday 9am-noon
o Wednesday 9am-3pm
• Landscape planting
o Thursday noon-sunset
o Friday 9am-3pm
• Painting
o Monday – Thursday, 9am-3pm
o Other times by appointment
Thanks in advance!
VBS: One week to go until VBS! We have a great group signed up already, and there is still room for more to attend. Give a friend one of the printed invitations for VBS available at the Red Wall, or forward them the link below!
immanuelrapids.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2839759
Versiti Blood Drive
Have you donated blood before? First time? Either way, you are invited and encouraged to participate in Immanuel’s blood drive on Wednesday, July 9. The drive will take place in the Mission Center from noon to 4pm. Help take part in this essential way to Serve Community!
The Blood Drive will be conducted by Versiti – one of the blood supply networks that serves our state. As they share in their campaign material, “There is no substitute for blood. It is precious. It is perishable. And the need for it is vital.” Register below!
donateblood.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/11612842
Status Update: Over $50,000 was initially raised for our office buildout campaign during our first match drive. The same donor has offered an additional $25,000 match for any new gifts given towards the completion of the office project! After 2 weeks, we are at the $3,000 mark for new gifts that have now been received and matched. If you are moved to donate, use the envelopes available at the Red Wall, use the Church Center App, or give online through the link below.
immanuelrapids.churchcenter.com/giving/to/office-buildout
Our North Wisconsin District LCMS Convention takes place today and tomorrow in the Wausau area. Immanuel’s ordained/commissioned pastors and teachers will be traveling to the convention to participate. Our voting delegate from Immanuel, Russ Roquet, will represent Immanuel.
Among the items of business that take place will be recognizing the appointment of Pastor Tim Ritter as the Circuit Visitor for our area congregations. For elections, Brian Hanson is a candidate for the District Board positions. For more information on the convention, see the district’s convention page linked below.
Dr. Dwayne Lueck: Our retiring District President Rev. Dr. Dwayne Lueck wrote an invitation to attend the opening worship service at the convention. He writes:
This is an invitation to all of you, whether you are a delegate or not, to attend the convention opening worship service at Mount Olive in Weston at 4:30pm on June 1. It will be worth your time, and it only happens every three years. This year we will have the privilege of hearing The Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, LCMS president, preach God’s Word. In addition, a choir has been practicing and will further enhance worship. … Come and join me at Mt Olive and then the convention center on June 1 & 2. It’s all about carrying out the Lord’s business. See you there.
Immanuel’s adult choir will be participating in the opening service. Join your fellow area Christians for this occasion to worship!
The North Wisconsin District asked district members and churches to take part in the Labor of Love Campaign, which provided an endowment to help District church and school called and commissioned workers reduce their educational debt. The $1,000,000 goal has been met! Thank you to all who gave!
Help visit Immanuel’s homebound members to keep them connected to Immanuel and to their Christian community. Become a Project Compassion team member and make a monthly visit to a homebound member. Contact Nancy Starr or sign up through the Group page on the Church Center App.
Evening Guild
Last week, the Evening Guild invited you to donate supplies for distribution to people being released from our county jail. The Evening Guild is taking the lead on this project for the Love INC area churches. Please bring in your supplies to the church by June 7. See the supply list at the Red Wall.
Pictures In!!
• To all those who ordered a pictures or directories from Harmann Studios – they have arrived! Please pick them up at the Red Wall before or after worship.
• Please continue to include Naomi Vogt in your prayers this week as she deliberates her calls to teach at Immanuel or in Alaska.
• If you wish to send a card to Pastor Joseph Eggerman, his church address is: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 501 Locust St., PO Box 278, Aurelia IA 51005
Our Congregational Assembly will take place next Sunday, June 8. The meeting will begin at 6pm in our sanctuary. As discussed, the meeting was rescheduled to June 8 to accommodate the large group of staff and members travelling to the district convention today.
This meeting for Immanuel’s members will take place in person and online. The meeting agenda is linked below. It includes approval of the yearly budget, discussion on the status of building/property/loan issues, discussing steps to a new strategic plan, and calling a high school principal (more on that below).
Calling a High School Principal: We shared that there is an area group looking to start a new LCMS high school. They are interested in starting the school at the campus of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Plover for the 2026-27 school year. The group has taken steps to be part of the LCMS as a RSO, and to be approved as an appropriate entity for business and tax purposes. That approval takes time, and has not yet been completed.
Starting a school one year from now is an ambitious goal. In order to make that goal a reality, the group needs to call an administrator for the school now. That administrator would spend the year reaching out to potential students, preparing for additional teacher calls, and preparing the school. Since the new high school’s formal approval from the LCMS and others has not occurred, they cannot yet extend a call to a commissioned principal. That’s where they are asking you to come in.
Immanuel can call a principal on behalf of the new Lutheran high school. The call would be one of spiritual support and authorization, not of fiscal responsibility. The high school group has a candidate they wish to call now. Immanuel was the area congregation that had a congregational assembly already scheduled. That is why the request was made to us. The high school would be responsible for his salary (they have money on hand). The principal would be working through Immanuel’s authority for synod and tax purposes, until such time as the high school would be able to formally and directly call them. Further nuances can and will be discussed at the June 8 meeting for you to consider.
From last week: Our first order of engraved memorial stones has arrived for placement in our memorial garden. We look forward to seeing them placed as our outdoor work progresses! For now, they are safely stored in the Mission Center garage.
If you want to purchase a memorial stone for a loved one as part of our second order placement, please pick up an order form at the Red Wall or the church office. We will submit our second order as soon as we have 25 new requests.