Hope in the Face of Death

Holy greetings to you in the strong name of Jesus.

It has been a challenging week for many Immanuel families this week.  Since I last wrote, we’ve had three deaths in our congregation.  Rita Lund, Dorothy Teal, and Sheri Kimber all passed away in the past week.  Add in the memorial service for Shirley Montan, who died last December during the peak of COVID-19 cases on our area, and Immanuel will have 4 funerals/memorial services in the stretch of 8 days.

That’s a lot of grief.  In the midst of such sorrow, we need a powerful and hopeful word.  Thanks be to God, we have such a word.  Though the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death is transformed into the gateway to eternal life.

Does that make all our sorrow vanish?  Certainly not.  We grieve the loss of those we love.  We lament over their earthly death and the whole that it leaves in our lives.  But we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Be strengthened, people of God.  Strengthened to love.  Strengthened to serve.  Strengthened to live.  Strengthened to hope.  For though the journey is hard, we do not journey alone.  Praise be to Christ.

*********************** 

Our podcast is officially launched!  
In our very first episode of, “You Gotta Try This!” Pastor Nate and Pastor Megan discuss how to grow faith around mealtime, whether your household has young children, older children, no children, or if you live alone. And later in the podcast, Pastor Nate interviews Sara Ross and her son, Phil about a spiritual mealtime practice that started 10 years ago in their household with the gift of a six-sided die!  Find us on your favorite podcast app (search “Immanuel Wadena” or use one of the links below to watch or listen:

https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDX41shLiOU

 

School Kit Items Needed

The ICW is collecting items for School kits! These items can be dropped in the plastic tote in the concourse.
*Four 70-sheet notebooks wide or college ruled 8” X 10½”; no loose leaf paper
*One 30 centimeter ruler or a ruler with centimeters on one side & inches on the other
*One pencil sharpener
*One blunt scissors (embedded steel blades)
*Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers
*Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink
*One box of 16 or 24 crayons
*One 2½” eraser
*One sturdy drawstring backpack style cloth bag approximately 14” X 17” with shoulder straps (no standard backpacks)

Baby Care Items Needed
ICW is putting together baby care kits and need the following items to complete each kit: 1) Cloth Diapers; 2) Dark Hand Towels; 3) Bars of Soap; 4) Sleepers w/o feet (size 6-18 months).  Items can be placed in the plastic tote in the concourse

Wednesday Worship Each Week at 6pm
Join us at 6pm for a 30-minute service of worship with music, prayer, and an emphasis on household faith practices.  A snack/light meal is available beginning at 5:30pm.  Confirmation classes will meet for 7-9th graders at 6:30 and there will be a monthly Bible Study and a monthly service project for everyone else during that time, too.  September 22 is an intergenerational Bible Study.  And September 29 is a service project

Sanctuary Choir
Calling at singers!!  Sanctuary Choir rehearses each Wednesday at 7pm.  We sing in worship 2x/month.  All are welcome!

Book Club
The Immanuel Book Club will meet on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:00pm at Sharon Boline’s home. Beginning in October, they will continue to meet the 4th Monday of each month.

Our Worship Schedule Each Sunday:
**8:30am – worship in person, or online
**9:30am – worship on KWAD (920AM or 101.7FM)
**10am – worship in person

In our Prayers This Week
Matthew, Kylie, James, Isla, and Lily Quincer
Craig Reece

Family and Friends of Rita Lund
Family and Friends of Dorothy Teal
Family and Friends of Sheri Kimber

Military Prayers
Members of Immanuel:
Max Labarre
James Kloss

Friends of Immanuel:
Victor Barbado (Darlene Hennagir’s son-in-law)
Sean Evans (Greg & Alicia Johnson’s nephew)
Joe Holweger (Charles & Gladys Chase’s grandson)
John Kloss (David Kloss’ son)
Erik Naley (Wayne & Carol Aspengren’s nephew)

If you or someone you know would like to be included in our weekly prayers, please email (church@wadenaimmanuel.org) or call (631-2738) the church office.  Or fill out this form: https://www.wadenaimmanuel.org/prayerrequest Names will stay on our prayer list for 4 weeks.  Military prayers will remain on the list for six months, unless a request to remove comes sooner.

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