Announcements
Weekly Announcements
June 15, 2025
Immanuel High School Youth: Join Pastor Bryce and Nic this Monday for a quick lunch and fun activity. This will take place at Immanuel’s School building starting at 11:00am. See Pastor Bryce for details.
Immanuel Youth from 6th Grade to 12th Grade: Join us as we enjoy God’s creation at Rib Mountain State Park! The trip is set for Saturday, June 28. We’re planning for about a 1.5-hour hike and to eat while at the park. Make sure to bring good hiking shoes, water, and a packed dinner. Drivers/chaperones will be needed for this event. We highly encourage all parents to join us for this trip! We’ll leave from Immanuel Lutheran School at 2:00 PM (1-hour drive) and plan to return at 6:00 PM. Please RSVP today!
immanuelrapids.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2965081
Blood Drive
What: Immanuel’s blood drive – hosting for Versiti
Where: Immanuel Lutheran Church’s Mission Center
When: Wednesday, July 9 from noon to 4
Help take part in this essential way to Serve Community! Register below, or talk to us at the Red Wall.
donateblood.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/11612842
Immanuel’s Organ: During our church dedication service, Pastor Tim spoke about the blessings we’ve had with the old becoming new again. One example of that in our building is our pipe organ – which received a new Rodgers Organ console to go along with our beautiful pipes. The organ was installed by Classic Church Organs, which is owned by Val Bartlein.
Val holds a business and marketing degree from St. Norbert College in DePere, WI where he also studied vocal music performance and liturgical music. He has consulted with over 300 churches since 2003. Val is an experienced organist, pianist, and choir director.
Those of you who attend our 8am worship on Sundays have heard this beautiful instrument each week – played by our three gifted organists. Today, the 10:30am worship service is also in for a special treat. Val will join Caitlin Shuda and Elena Christensen on the Praise Team. Caitlin will play the piano, and Val will showcase your organ as he accompanies Caitlin using the organ’s broad variety of sounds.
Thanks, Val, for enriching our worship today! And thank you to all of Immanuel’s musicians for leading us as we sing praises to God every week!
Office Work: Over the past week, our volunteers continued to make great progress on our office space. The area is almost completely painted with primer and two coats of paint on the walls. Wall paint should be finished in the next day or two. The temporary lighting in the area has been a bit of a struggle. We will do any touch-up work needed and paint the door frames once the ceiling lights have been installed.
If you look through the office door, you will also see that volunteers have installed wood car-siding on the back walls of the office reception area. This is the same wood used for the ceiling of the sanctuary.
Finally, we received another gift of furniture again this week. TruStage Financial Group in Madison donated a significant number of desks and tables to be used in the new office area. TruStage is the company that previously donated over 800 stackable chairs to Immanuel for our church and school. Thank you, TruStage, for helping our congregation through this gift of your repurposed furniture!
This week’s landscaping work dates will be at the following times:
• Monday from 1pm to 5pm
• Wednesday from 3pm to 8pm
Save the Date: Immanuel Lutheran Church and School has three new teachers to help us share the love of Jesus! We now have a special date planned to welcome them. Save the date: Sunday, August 24.
During the 10:30am worship service, Jennifer Creely will be commissioned as a Lutheran school teacher. Mrs. Creely, Naomi Vogt, and Caleb Betts will also be installed as teachers in our school. We will use the service to bless all the staff and students for the upcoming year, as well. Please mark your calendars for this special event! Then afterwards …
Plan to join us for our Church and School Kickoff Picnic. After worship on August 24, we will move over to the Mission Center to celebrate! We plan to have an afternoon of food and fun for all the families of our church and our school. Details and signups will follow later this summer. For now, save the date!
Pastor Joseph Eggerman
Yesterday, Joseph Eggerman was ordained as an LCMS Pastor through an ordination service at his home congregation. Congratulations Pastor Eggerman! On the weekend of July 13, he will be installed as pastor in his new church: St Paul Lutheran in Aurelia, IA. Pastor Eggerman kindly shared one last “In the Loup” letter with us as he closed out his seminary year. Find it on Red Wall table.
Church Center: We are asking that everyone who has a smartphone – members and guests, both husbands and wives, adults and teens, technologically savvy and not-so-savvy – to download the Church Center App for your phone. It’s simple! Go to your App Store or Google Store, type in “Church Center,” and select the app with the logo like the picture above. Allow the app to know your location, and Immanuel will appear at the top of your list. Select Immanuel, enter your cell phone number, and you are ready to go! Need help? Stop by the Red Wall for assistance.
Native Plants: With 26 acres of land, Immanuel has a very large site to landscape. Throughout our property, we have made a conscious effort to select plants that are native to are region of Wisconsin, and are suited to our dry sandy soils. Our volunteers were able to thin out our original trees near the streets. The native species in that mix include white pines, red pines, black cherries, and at least 4 types of oaks.
Newly planted native trees throughout the site include quaking aspens, yellow birch, downy serviceberries, eastern redbud, common hackberry, eastern red cedar, Canadian hemlock, and a burr oak. Cultivars of native trees on site include autumn blaze maples, American Sentry lindens, and Spring Snow crabapples.
Native shrubs include American Filberts, Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle, St. John’s wort, ninebark, New Jersey tea, and staghorn sumacs. We also brought one azalea shrub with us from the old building. Perennials and plugs include pale purple coneflowers, sweet black eyed susans, yellow coneflowers, and blue wood asters. Some of the grass plants that you see surrounding the building include natives like prairie dropseed, little blue stem, big blue stem, switch grass, and indian grass. Finally, we have a 96-plant monarch garden under our large stained-glass window that is full of native plants.
Many of these plants will spend the year growing downward – with their prairie roots often traveling 6 feet deep. Since they are native, these plants should need less long-term care than many other plants commonly sold. Thanks to all who helped with this project!