Announcements

The JULY Messenger is available to be picked up at Church or online.

Please No Lilies IN THE CHURCH! Due to a potentially life-threatening allergy of one of our staff, absolutely no lily of any kind is allowed on the church premises. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation in this matter. The Congregation & Staff of Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Also, do not leave any flower deliveries containing lilies on church property. Please return them to the sender & explain the reason for non-delivery. Thank You! If you have any questions about floral arrangements or deliveries, please check with the Pastor or Office Staff at 231-796-8293 or www.immanuelbr.com

Dick Lindsey, Cliff Whitfield, Gene Harris, Ellery Vargo, Dee & Woody Neumann, Jean Swarthout , Nedra Neumann
Roger Cousineau, Ron Schuberg, Matthew Windquist, Tom Pennington, Ron Kast, Christina Calhoun

Ongoing Prayers for:
Gary Smith, Doris Lidell, Shirley Baumunk, Dick and Jackie Perrin, Debbie Hagedorn, Nancy McReynolds, Loren Sheffer, Virginia Schuberg

Altercare Care Facility
Gary Smith

Metron Nursing Center
Doris Lidell
Loren Sheffer

Reed City Hospital Rehabilitation
Gene Harris

Immanuel's Heritage Timeline: will remain up in the Fellowship Center throughout the summer. Please add your memories and faith & life dates/dots to the timeline:
BLUE - Baptism
NEON ORANGE - First Communion
NEON RED - Confirmation
                                                                        NEON YELLOW - Joined/Began Attending
                                                                    GREEN - Marriage
                                                                          RED (smaller) - Funeral
                                                                      Our gratitude to Pastors Jake & Dawn Kaufman for guiding us through the "Remember When..." Event on May 21st & a BIG
                                                                          THANK YOU to the Ministry Leadership Network for all of their energy in planning this event.

I'd like to bring to your attention, to a new outreach and service opportunity here at Immanuel. Starting this spring, we're going to begin a new outreach program that will meet quarterly with a group of people who feel the call to be a blessing to those who are house bound, who've been ill, who are grieving, who haven't been able to attend regularly, who are lonely, or have any other need. This could also include reaching out to visitors, new attendees, former attendees and former members, and be a group that supports Pastor Peggy and Shirley with the purpose to provide more of a personal connection with anyone with a specific need or who might otherwise feel a disconnect from the church. Please pray and consider whether this is something you'd like to participate with in any way. Call Kara Kizer with any questions at 231-519-0570.

Healing Garden Team: If you are someone who loves flowers, plants, trees, grass - we have just the ministry for you! Come and join the Healing Garden Team. We are small, but mighty, and looking for nature lovers to assist us. This year our plan is to make use of oure beautiful garden as a spiritual sanctuary for everyone. To that end, we invite you to join us at WEED AND FEED! We meet monthly during the summer, spend time planning, weeding, trimming, sprucing up the garden and grounds, and then go out to dinner together. We welcome anyone who is interested in assisting, no green thumb needed.

                                                    Dates for this summer, all at 5:30 p.m.:
                                                                   Thursday, May 18
                                                                     Thursday, June 15
                                                                     Friday, July 21
                                                                   Friday, August 25
We will have a picnic in September and a "close the garden" party in October. Watch for Garden activities all summer: Contact Carol Wilson-Jungck (231-670-3220) or Linda Greene (231-679-5516) for more information.

Save the Date...W/ELCA Retreat/Convention on Sept. 19 - 30, 2017 at The Shack in White Cloud, MI. Registration due by Aug. 28, 2017. We will have Ann Sarver as our church-wide representative, coming to us from Pennsylvania, bringing us news of what new resources are available to us and how our offerings have made a difference in the many different causes we support from Raising Healthy Women and Girls, Anti-human trafficking, PV for Phebe (solar panels for a hospital which frequently has interruptions or no electricity!), etc.!
In addition to Ann, Pastor Sarah Friesen-Carper Will be inspiring us to be all that we can be in Christ. The Shack is a beautiful setting in the north woods on a small lake....And has a tradition of evening banana splits.

Please Note - There will be a Workshop of the Institute of Lutheran Theology's "The Life and Theology of Martin Luther', hosted by St. Paul Lutheran Church, 435 W. 5th St., Evart, MI on July 22, 2017 from 10-5pm. This is in conjunction with the 500 anniversary of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, a reform movement that would return the focus of Christian Theology to pointing to Christ alone for salvation. Your congregation, youth, council is invited to this workshop and it is free with food to be provided.

Manna Pantry of Big Rapids
Manna Pantry of Big Rapids will hold its first annual "share the Harvest" benefit dinner on Friday, August 11 at 6;30 p.m. in the heart of downtown Big Rapids on Michigan Avenue north of Maple Street. The Pantry is partnering with the Downtown Big Rapids Farmers Market, area farmers and local chefs so celebrate the harvest season with a "farm to table" feast. Attendees will enjoy the best our community has to offer in locally grown and prepared foods, and the Big Rapids-based Key West Permafrost Blues Band will provide live entertainment.
Tickets can be purchased for $50 each starting July 1 from Manna Pantry board members, the Old Pioneer Store and Emporium, Three Girls Baker, Patterson's Flowers, and Currie's Gas Station. Only 150 tickets will be sold. All proceeds will be used to feed the hungry in Mecosta and Osceola counties. Last year, Pantry donors provided emergency food for 4,045 adults and 1,741 children. Contact Executive Director Kevin Courtney for more information at 1mannapantry@gmail.com or 231.580.1463