L I F E AT I M M A N U E L

M A R C H / / A P R I L 2 0 1 6

FROM OURDEACON CHAIR

501 N. SHACKLEFORD RD.LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211

FOL LOW

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Early last month the Immanuel family gave praise to God by honoring His servants, Gary & Gwen Hollingsworth, as we recognized their service to the Lord and commissioned them to serve in their new South Carolina role. It was a moment in the life of our church to mark the transition toward the future that God has planned for us as we travel to new horizons. On that journey, let us commit ourselves to being all that the Lord calls us to be and to wholeheartedly serve Him.

While our passage through life brings change to us individually, our families, and our church, we can rest in trusting that God remains ever faithful to His children. In addressing the new generation of Israelites that would conquer the promised land, Moses reminded the people of God’s faithfulness and promise to keep his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep His commands (Deut 7:9). The faithfulness of God continues to emerge throughout scripture revealing His character and nature. In the Psalms, He is praised for His enduring faithfulness, being faithful to keep His promises, and being faithful to all He does (Ps 117:2, 145:13, 33:4). In Galatians, faithfulness is listed as a fruit of the Spirit of God indwelling those that belong to Christ Jesus (Gal 5:22-24). Finally, near the final scenes of Revelation, we see the rider of the white horse called Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). Our faith is in Him and He is the Faithful One!

Our journey together continues forward with the formation of the Pastor Search Committee and the beginning of their work in seeking out our next pastor. Pray for this group of our people called out to serve Him at this time. Even while in transition, we will continue Immanuel’s full ministries, Next Steps development, and diligently worship our Lord. We are being careful to seek God’s direction in all we do, remain obedient in our tasks, and patiently wait on His timing.

In Christ,Steve JenkinsChairman – Deacon Body

I’m the kind of girl that likes a plan. Give me a map and I will follow it. But the longer I live, the more I learn that God doesn’t really work that way.

Several years ago, when my oldest daughter was still in high school, I was visiting with her friend who was planning to drive them to another girlfriend’s house. As a mother of teenagers should do, I was asking lots of questions and I asked her friend where the other girl lived. She said she didn’t know. I’m sure I looked puzzled and asked her how she was going to get there then? She proceeded to tell me that she had a GPS and she just went wherever it told her to go. I couldn’t believe that the child had not inquired about the end destination!! What?! You would just head out, not knowing where you are going to end up? Just turning right here and left there? I explained to her that I always look at the ENTIRE route before I leave on my trip and she should too. I would never trust those things enough to just blindly go wherever they lead!

Immediately the Lord spoke to me in my spirit and said, “Traci, this is how you treat me too. You always want to know the whole

route. Can’t you just trust me to say, ‘Turn here. Go there.’ I am God. I am trustworthy.” I couldn’t believe it. It’s true. I do always want to know the plan. I can obey if I just know.

I’ve come to realize that knowing the plan doesn’t allow me to exercise my faith. If I

trust the person giving me each direction, (and I do!) then I should be okay with wherever I end up. So, I’m learning to just be faithful for today, and to do what God has put in front of me today. I don’t have to know where I’m going or when I’ll get there. I’m just going to enjoy the ride!

T U R N L E F T H E R E

TRACI HOGUE//Director of Children’s Ministry

“THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME TOO.

YOU ALWAYS WANTTO KNOW THEWHOLE ROUTE.

CAN’T YOU JUSTTRUST ME TO SAY,

‘TURN HERE.GO THERE. ’

I AM GOD. I AM TRUSTWORTHY.”

The world is constantly painting the picture of what marriage should look like. The Bible has a lot to say about marriage, and if we believe in God’s Word then it should play a major role in what our marriages look like. Scripture teaches that we each have a unique role in marriage, knowing that role is key to living out a Christ–centered marriage. Our nature is not to love sacrificially and put our spouse before ourselves, but that is exactly what the Lord has called you to do. You must rely on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you. With His help, you and your spouse can live out a God centered marriage.

On April 3, we have asked Gary Thomas to come lead us in our worship services and a conference entitled A Lifelong Love. A Lifelong Love will give you the practical help you need to infuse your marriage with spiritual passion that will not only change you, but will change the world around you. Dr. Dennis Rainey, host of FamilyLife Today, says,” Gary’s words carry some needed encouragement, instruction and hope. This is not just another marriage book; it lifts marriage back to the noble place where it belongs...one of transcendent and magnificent glory.”

A L I F E L O N GL O V E

PHIL SPIGNER // Associate Pastor for Ministries & Leadership

YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS TRUE.

DO YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOUR MARRIAGE?

A LIFELONGLOVE

CONFERENCE

SESSION 1Sunday, April 3

during both worship servicesat 9:00 & 10:30 am

SESSION 2Sunday, April 3

4:30-5:30 pm

SESSION 3Sunday, April 3

6:00-7:00 pm

SESSION 4Monday, April 4

5:45-7:00 pm

For more informationvisit our website at

ibclr.org/alifelonglove.

SPRING BREAKMARCH 21-25All Preschool, Kids and Student weekday activities will be cancelled the week of March 21-25. Enjoy a great Spring Break with your family!

EASTER PICTURESSUNDAY, MARCH 27 // 8:00AM-NOONPhotographer Frank Washburn will be taking pictures on Easter Sunday. Open to ALL families. Stop by the Preschool Indoor Playroom to get a picture of your family in their Easter best!

ACTEENS MEETINGMARCH 13 // APRIL 17 // 12-2PMCalling all Middle & High School girls who care about missions! Join us for our March and April Acteens meetings! Contact Melissa Sponer for info!

FA M I LY

We have watched these high school seniors worship, connect, grow and go here at Immanuel. Now we want to send them off right into their next

season of life! Join us in services on Sunday, May 1, as we honor our high school seniors who are about to graduate.

If you are a high school senior at Immanuel, please go towww.ibclrstudents.org to register for this special day!

There will also be a dinner for seniors and their families on April 30.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SUNDAYSunday, May 1 // 9:00 & 10:30 am Services

SR ADULT HIGH TEA & TOURTHURSDAY, MARCH 24 // 3:00 PM // $25Senior adults are welcome to join us at The Empress of Little Rock for High Tea and a tour. If you need a ride, the van will leave the South lot at 2:30 pm.

LOVE HAS WON: EASTER SERVICESSUNDAY, MARCH 27 // 9:00 & 10:30AM SERVICESCelebrate Easter with us as we proclaim that Love Has Won! Our Easter Music program featuring the Immanuel Choir & Orchestra will be presented during both morning services. There will be no evening services.

XYZ SUPPER CLUBMARCH 15 // APRIL 19 // HORNE HALL // 5:00 PMSenior Adults! Join us for dinner and entertainment at our XYZ Supper Club! Contact Mary Elizabeth Johnson at 225-0352 for reservations.

YA SINGLES RETREATAPRIL 15-17 // FERNCLIFF CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTERHey young singles! Join us for a great time of community and fun as our young singles get away for a weekend together! Contact Brandon Watson for more info.

A D U LT S

SESSION 1 // Sunday, April 3 during both worship services at 9:00 & 10:30 am

SESSION 2 // Sunday, April 3 // 4:30-5:30 pm

SESSION 3 // Sunday, April 3 // 6:00-7:00 pm

SESSION 4 // Monday, April 4 // 5:45-7:00 pm

For more information visit our website at ibclr.org/alifelonglove.

A LIFELONG LOVE CONFERENCEApril 3 & 4 // With Gary Thomas

As a follower of Christ, Easter is and always will be a special day. The fact that God sent His only son (fully God and fully man) to live on earth among common, ordinary people - just like you and me – to die a horrible excruciating death and then to rise again from the dead shows just how much God wants an intimate personal relationship with each and every one of us! His Word tells us “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (NKJV)

Last year, Easter brought a whole new special meaning in my life. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share the Gospel all over the world. The Lord has really opened my eyes to have a burden for the lost and to be obedient to the calling He’s placed on my life to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19a). I was preparing for one of my upcoming trips when I got this overwhelming conviction that I would go halfway across the world to share the Gospel, but I was too scared to even talk with my dad. I wasn’t sure

if my dad had a personal relationship with the Lord. My conviction was so strong that I mustered up the courage to plan a fishing trip with him on Good Friday. Fishing is one of our favorite father/daughter pasttimes so I thought doing something he loved would make the conversation flow easier. I got the chance to tell him about my upcoming trip and what all we would be doing. I shared how I gave my life to the Lord and how He has been working on me ever since. Then with butterflies in my stomach, I asked my dad to share his story (still unsure if he even had one). With tears streaming down his face, he shared with me how he gave his life to the Lord! I’m forever grateful to have an earthly father who loves the Lord and has a personal relationship with Him, but eternally grateful that I have a Heavenly Father that loves us so much that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice just for you and me.

FAT H E R - D A U G H T E RD I S C I P L E S H I P

MELISSA SPONER // Student Ministry Associate for Girls Ministry

The difference between taking the Great Commission seriously and taking the Great Commission personally is extremely subtle, yet quite significant. In the last five years, the Immanuel family has commissioned 836 people to serve on 80 different GO Teams spanning every corner of the globe. Through the equipping, support and onsite ministry of those teams, the Immanuel family has, by extension, served more than 81,000 people and shared the full Gospel message with more than 21,000 of them. Throughout that time, 3,870 have come to faith in Jesus Christ! Furthermore, 43,565 copies of God’s Word – each in the host language – have been purchased and personally delivered by you and your teams across dozens of countries into the hands of many who have never even heard the name of Jesus.

CLEARLY, WE ARE A CHURCH FAMILY THAT

TAKES THE GREAT COMMISSION SERIOUSLY.

BUT ARE WE ACHURCH THAT TAKES

IT PERSONALLY?

Clearly, we are a church family that takes the Great Commission seriously. But are we a church that takes it personally? The GO magazine recently distributed is formatted in a slightly different way because we want you to know exactly how God has used – and is using – our church family to impact not only our community, but our nation and world through your faithful praying, giving, going and sending. I pray that what is found in the magazine will both inform and inspire each of us to increase our efforts and our intentionality in the coming year. In other words, we want you to take this personally. To that end, we have designed dozens of entry ramps in 2016 for you to jump in and begin investing personally into the spiritual eternity of the peoples of our world. In the magazine you will learn more about our approach to national and global partnerships at Immanuel and what opportunities are available within each one. Our prayer is that you will find a place in 2016 to put YOUR NAME on the table in order to make HIS NAME famous throughout the earth. Together, in one accord, let’s keep pressing! Psalm 8:1, “O Lord, O Lord, how majestic is YOUR NAME in all the earth.”

Y O U R N A M EMARK ADERHOLT // Associate Pastor for Missions & Evangelism

G OWIND TUNNELSWind Tunnel prayer meetings are held Sunday evenings at 6 PM in the living rooms of church members around our city.

GO INFO MEETINGSUNDAY, MARCH 6 // CHAPEL FOYER // 5:00PMWhere is God calling you to GO in 2016? Come to our GO info meeting to find out more information on our upcoming trips to Ghana (11th & 12th grade), Peru, New York City, Paraguay and San Diego (9th & 10th grade).

UPCOMING GO TRIPPlease be praying for our GO Team headed to Asia, March 11-19. Pray for God to move in the hearts of our team and the hearts of the people they are GOing to reach. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel and for safety.

THE WHOLE CHURCH TAKING THE WHOLE GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE CITY

Impact hundreds of families right here in our city through this one-day GO Trip known as Impact Little Rock! Get your entire family involved in block parties, medical clinics, service projects, school renovation, and neighborhood events

alongside GO Partner Neal Scoggins and City of Refuge. Cost is free to all. Deadline for registration is April 15.

IMPACT: LITLE ROCKApril 16

VIETNAM // MARCH 6SAN DIEGO // MARCH 6PERU // MARCH 13NYC-FSF // MARCH 20NEW YORK CITY // APRIL 10

LITTLE ROCK // APRIL 10AMAZON // APRIL 17TORONTO // APRIL 17PARAGUAY // APRIL 24

The Project Management section of Facilities Operations has been busy since the congregation approved several projects in September. Approximately 90% of the work has been completed and is in operation.

We are continuing to monitor our energy and water usage to insure we are operating the building in the most efficient and cost effective manner. Our energy management efforts along with the implementation of these projects will be an investment for the future savings of our facility. Thank you for your support of this work!Tim ChildressDirector of Operations and Engineering

PARKING LOT LIGHTINGThe parking lot is much brighter now thanks to 38 new LED lighting fixtures. These fixtures increased the lighting levels as well as reduced the energy consumption by 65% and are expected to be trouble-free for 10 years under warranty. Also, approximately half of them have dimming motion sensors that reduce further the energy consumption, but brighten when people are moving to and from the building.

ROOFINGThe recent roofing project is completed which involved removing and resetting 20,000 square feet of the most vulnerable areas of roof slopes facing west. The shingles were reinstalled with new underlayment as well as with screws instead of nails. This work is expected to reduce or eliminate shingles from blowing off the roof due to strong winds.

DUST COLLECTION SYSTEMThe woodworking shop in the Maintenance department will be much cleaner now thanks to a new dust collection system that collects sawdust and airborne particulate resulting from cutting and finishing wood. The project is approximately 90% complete and due to go into operation within the next month.

CHOIR REHEARSAL LIGHTINGThe IBC choir has seen the light and are much happier to also see their music now since all new ceiling lights were replaced with LED fixtures recently. The project is still in progress involving approximately 8 additional wall fixtures to round out the lighting levels in the rehearsal area. This project is approximately 80% complete and is planned for completion by mid-year.

ELECTRICAL SWITCHGEARThe IBC electrical distribution system has a greater degree of protection from electrical spikes and voltage variation since a new Phase Guard device was installed to allow the main breaker to trip when trouble is detected. This prevents damage to motors and transformers such as what we experienced last year. The project is complete and has been in operation since last November.

GATHERING HALL STAINED GLASS WINDOWSThe drywall along the edges of the Gathering Hall stained glass windows has been repaired. Condensation over the last 12 years has damaged the wallcovering and drywall, so this was repaired and looks like new.

FA C I L I T I E S U P D AT E S

TIM CHILDRESS // Director of Operations

Staff Highlight

BRIAN SPIGNER

The fact that Brian Spigner loves playing, watching or coaching sports is no surprise, considering he serves as Immanuel’s Associate Pastor of Recreation! In this role, Brian oversees the Recreation Ministry,

specifically ministry programming and daily operation of the Recreation Center. Brian graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts, and continued his education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education.

Brian has been a member of Immanuel since 1990 and on staff for 11 years. When Brian is not here at Immanuel keeping things going in the Recreation Center, you can find him in friendly competition elsewhere... “I also love playing games, whether it is video, board or a card game. I enjoy it!” If you are in the building during the week and run into Brian, please give him a pat on the back and let him know how very grateful you are for his hard work and love for Immanuel.

R E S O U R C E SCHECK OUT THESE GREAT MARRIAGE RESOURCES

AND MORE ON RIGHTNOWMEDIA.COM!

VISIONARY MARRIAGE | ROB & AMY RIENOWThe Visionary Marriage series is designed to equip married and engaged couples with a compelling Christian mission for their life together.

HIS NEEDS, HER NEEDS | BY BILL & JOYCE HARLEYHis Needs, Her Needs is designed to change the course of a marriage. This resource helps couples understand why their best intentions are not enough.

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