The Image March 2017 Immanuel Lutheran Church 3214 Golf Road Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-832-7832 Pr. Jamie Brieske

Lenten Soup Suppers start on March 1

5:30 PM It’s an Immanuel Tradition!

Serving Soup each week

Church Council March 1

Mission Team March 8

H3 March 15

Choir March 22

ZIP March 29

Open sign-up April 5

Services during Lent

Ash Wednesday 7:00 PM

Evening Prayer 7:00 PM

Your 2017 Church Council Curt Carlson Peggy Blomenberg Al Ludwig Becky Wilcox Mindy Rosenberger Keith Martin Jerry Hanson Steve Isaacson David Schaffer Vicki Fankhauser

Free Indeed Devotions for Lent 2017 Pick up your Lent devotional books in the Narthex. We have small and large print options. Free Indeed brings Luther’s small Catechism into your home or devotional time during this year of observing 500 years of reformation. Each day features a reading from the catechism, accompanied by an evocative image, a quotation to ponder, a reflection, and a prayer. The writers bring their unique voices and wisdom to reflect on Luther’s teachings on the basics of Christian faith and practice. Excerpt from Free Indeed

Worship Servers Assistant Minister 01 Dave Langhus 05 Jason Duba 12 Chris Johnson 19 Kitty Rahl 26 Kitty Rahl Lector 01 Dave Langhus 05 Marianna Gilbertson 12 Nathan Schlieve 19 Casey Schumacher 26 Deb Kavanagh Ushers 01 August/Chapman Family 05 Barb & Thom Hokanson 12 Please Volunteer 19 Marty & Vicki Fankhauser 26 Diane & Larry Blanshan Greeters 01 Hagstrom/Riske Family 05 Mary Bader, Elaine Hagen, Elaine Schultz 12 Diane Kaufmann & Marv Kaufmann 19 Bob & Linda Lodahl 26 Reuter Family Bread & Wine 01 The Tarpenning Family 05 Sharon Lehman 12 Becky Wilcox 19 Rodger & Jo Stolp 26 Vicki Fankhauser Altar Care Jackie Johnson Offering Count Sue Luthy & Becky Wilcox Coordinators Assistant Ministers Altar Care Jackie Johnson 715-834-7532 Lector’s Becky Wilcox 715-835-9784 Ushers/Greeters Barb Hokanson 715-835-1524 Bread & Wine Melissa Tarpenning 715-858-1190

Walking Together: Getting the Word out March 18 9:00AM – 4:30PM – UW-Eau Claire Davies Center Register with our church office by March 5th The purpose of Walking Together is to equip God’s people to do ministry and build up the churches in the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. At Walking Together you will be EQUIPED with new ideas, inspiration, resources, and materials you can actually take home and use in your congregation. This is a very practical event taught by experts and practitioners who are excited to share what works in their congregation. Join others from throughout Northwestern Wisconsin for a day of learning, sharing, renewing and connecting at UW-Eau Claire, Davies Center. Over 40 workshops Worship and Music

Tangled Blue Lectionary? Common? Narrative? Revised?

Faith Formation For Shy Lutherans: A how to guide in Getting acquainted with your neighbors Feeling Called?/ The Way to Rostered Ministry Our Synod Lay School of Ministry-It’s for You

PR for the reformation 500 – Pictures and Resources Youth and Family

Youth Gathering information Your Voice Matters

Global Mission-Justice-Service Starving for World Hunger PR ideas? Mission Tellers Your Voice Matters How and Why to have Helpful Conversations about Race

Many, many more…

The Annual Chili Cook-off!

Have lunch after church March 12 at the annual Chili cook-off. Twelve Immanuel chefs hope that you will vote that their chili is the best. Taste each chili, vote for the one you think is the best, and if you are still hungry you can have a big bowl of your favorite! The free-will donations will support travelers to Malawi from Immanuel (maybe you?) on the planned 2019 trip. The event is by our ZIP group (Zomba-Immanuel Partnership), which works to keep the ties between us and our Malawi companions strong.

Join us in Luther Hall to enjoy this fun event.

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A reminder that throughout the season of Lent, Wednesday evening learning will have a slightly modified schedule. The evening schedule is as follows: 5:30 pm: Soup Supper 6:00 pm: Classes (Confirmation in the library & Journey of Faith in classrooms) 7:00 pm: Worship We will resume our regular WoW schedule following Easter. Family Fun NIght Our Fun Night in March will be on Friday, March 3 at the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center. We will meet at the Sports Center at 6 pm for some fun and games! Cost is $10 per family – come when you can & stay as long as you like! Please sign up in the Narthex, as Alyssa will pay for the whole group. Our Annual Thrift Sale It’s almost Thrift Sale season! Start setting things aside for donation! This year’s sale will be on Saturday, April 8 with drop off the week prior. Large item pick up can be arranged, call the church office for details. Proceeds will again be split between the ZIP Team, and the Mission Trip Team, with a 10% tithe donation to a non-profit organization. Thank you for your support! Save the Date! This summer we will be welcoming back staff from Luther Park Bible Camp to help with Vacation Bible School! Our awesome week of VBS will be August 7 -11. We have also invited our friends from Spirit Lutheran to join us for the week this year, which will mean more fun and more friends! There will be lots of opportunity for involvement by the entire congregation – watch for details in the coming months!

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Luther Park Bible Camp Summer planning is underway! Immanuel loves sending kids to Luther Park Bible Camp! Our Trust Fund has, again, offered a 50% scholarship to anyone who registers for camp this summer! (100% scholarships are also available for anyone who needs them.) Talk to Alyssa for scholarship information, prior to April 1. Camp opportunities are available for those finishing grades 1 – 12! Summer Stretch Middle School Ministry All INCOMING 6-8th grade students (current 5-7 grade) are invited to participate in SUMMER STRETCH this summer! This fun and meaningful program involves a service project each morning, and a just-for-fun event in the afternoon. The programming will be from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm on June 15, 22, 29 & July 6 & an all day event at Valley Fair on August 3. Immanuel will be teaming up with youth and adults from Spirit Lutheran to make the most of this opportunity! Watch for more details and registration information on the table in the Narthex as well as the bulletin boards in Luther Hall. Registration due May 1! Outgoing 8-12 grade students are invited to participate as counselors (leaders) in this program. It’s lots of fun! Ruth Circle All women of Immanuel are invited to attend March 15th at 1:00 PM. Jo Stolp will be leading the Bible study. Audrey and Jo are your hosts. w-elca.org find resources for online daily devotions, articles and to find out more about the Women of the ELCA.

Faith Formation Alyssa Engedal

familyministry@immanuelec.org

Birthday’s 02 Austin Schumacher 03 Faly Rakotomahenina 03 Becky Wilcox 04 Jill Chapman 04 Melanie Harden 05 Alizah Felling 06 Patricia Isaacson 07 Toni Wahlstrand 07 Ralph Rosemore 11 Sonja Franko 12 Adam Anderson 14 Sue Koch 15 Katrina Barquist 17 Michael Schwengel 17 Dagen Rassbach 17 Bennett Brieske 18 Ryan Peterson 19 Ray Koch 19 Emma Calkins 21 Chris Johnson 22 Shirley Peterson 22 Sarah Wick 23 Brett Fey 25 Kim Bodeau 26 Joel Woletz 27 Howard Weber 28 Chris Ludwig 28 Ella Peterson 30 Walter Bille 30 CJ Haas Anniversaries 08 Al & Chris Ludwig 14 Troy & Marianna Gilbertson 23 Jack & Marit Barquist 28 Tom & Jodi Buchholz 29 Dan & Shelley Borreson Name Tags We have name tags to wear! With new faces in our congregation it is a good way for all of us to learn each others names. Please wear your name tag every Sunday. If you need one, put a note in the office with your first and last name.

ELCA presiding bishop responds to attacks on Jewish community CHICAGO (Feb. 22, 2017) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued a letter in response to recent attacks and threats on the Jewish Community. Dear Sisters and Brothers, These famous words attributed to the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller have been on my lips in recent days: "Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. … Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me." In the face of anti-Semitism, we are called to speak out – as an expression of our love of neighbor and as our faithful response to the love of God in Jesus. In doing so, we become ambassadors of hope in the face of despair, imitators of Christ. Our Jewish neighbors are once again living under threats, fearful for their safety and security. Over the weekend, a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis was desecrated, and on Monday, another wave of bomb threats was made to Jewish community centers across the country. This was at least the fourth round this year alone. As Christians, we affirm that Jews remain "beloved of God" and that an attack on them is an attack on those whom our God – the one God – has called "my people." In many places, with leadership from across this church, we are reaching out and showing up with our Jewish neighbors, often with ecumenical and inter-religious partners. We can and should continue and expand these important ministries of presence. There is also the critical long-term work. As a church, in our 1994 Declaration to the Jewish Community, we have pledged "to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us." This will not happen quickly. It will take concerted efforts to correct "the complicity of our own tradition within this history of hatred" and to seek deeper mutual understanding and cooperation between Lutheran Christians and the Jewish community. We have many excellent resources to aid us in these complicated but necessary tasks: ELCA.org/en/Faith/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations/Inter-Religious-Relations/Jewish-Relations. So, let us continue to speak out, to reach out, to show up, and to root out this deadly bigotry of anti-Semitism. For the courage to do God's will, and for the peace of our Jewish neighbors, we pray. In peace, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton Reprinted from the ELCA website

Church Statistics as of February 2017 Active Member/Visitors 478 New Members 2016/17 42 Transferred 2016/17 22 Deaths 2016/17 4

Lent 2017: We Make the Road by Walking As we begin the month of March we enter the church season of Lent. Lent is a time where we get back to the basics. We try to de-clutter our lives and return to simple practices that bless our souls. Our Lent daily devotions this year will focus on a small part of Luther’s catechism each day with a fresh take by contemporary authors. You can pick one up at church. Try to find some space in each of these 40 days for reflection and prayer. Lent is also a time for reorienting our lives. We turn our focus back to God. This Lent we will be moving the focal point of the sanctuary to remind us of the radical reorientation and repentance that God calls us to. We make this road together. Check out the themes for Sunday Worship during Lent! Sunday, March 5th: A New Identity Matthew 5:1-16 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Our choice is clear from the start: If we want to be Jesus’ disciples, we won’t be able to simply coast along and conform to the norms of our society. We must choose a different definition of well-being, a different model of success, a new identity and a new set of values. Chapter 27 Sunday, March 12th: A New Path To Aliveness Matthew 5:17-48 “But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” So Jesus offered them a creative alternative: stand tall and courageously turn the other cheek, he said. In so doing they would choose nonviolence, strength, courage and dignity…and they would model a better way of life for their oppressors rather than mirroring the violent example they were setting. Chapter 28 Sunday, March 19th: Your Secret Life Matthew 6:1-18 “Pray then in this way, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” If you want to see change in the outside world, the first step is to withdraw into your inner world. Connect with God in secret, and the rest will occur “openly.” Chapter 29 Sunday, March 26th: Why We Worry, Why We Judge Matthew 6:19-7:12 “So do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” If you’re anxious about your life, you won’t enjoy or experience your life- you’ll only experience your anxiety! So to be alive is to be on guard against anxiety. Chapter 30 Sunday, April 2nd: The Choice is Yours Matthew 7:13-29 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” And what is the desired action? To take everything Jesus has taught us- all we have considered as we have listened to him here on the hillside and translate it into our way of living, our way of being alive. Chapter 31

March 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Kitchen use We have a lot of activities going on this month. This is a friendly reminder to please be considerate to wash and put away any dishes that are used for any activities or meetings throughout the year.

1 Ash Wednesday 10:15 am Sr. Bible Study Noon – Material Witnesses - Quilting 5:00 PM Soup Supper/Council Serviing 6:00 PM Confirmation 7:00 PM Worship with Ashes Choir After church 7:30 PM SHYN!

2 Handbell Rehearsal time TBD contact office or Tammie Delveaux for more info

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5 1st Sunday in Lent 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship/Learning Adult Forum Journey of Faith 11:30 Faith Formation Mtg.

6 6:30 PM H3

7 9:30 AM H3 6:30 PM Immanuel Yarners

8 10:15 am Sr. Bible Study 5:00 PM Soup Supper/Council Serviing 6:00 PM Confirmation 7:00 PM Worship with Ashes 7:45 PM Choir rehearsal

9 Handbell Rehearsal time TBD contact office or Tammie Delveaux for more info

10 Lay School

11 Christ Jam for Middle school students 8:00 AM Men’s Discussion Group Lay School

12 2nd Sunday in Lent Chili Cook-off 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship/Learning Adult Forum Journey of Faith Middle/HS learning

13 6:30 PM H3

14 9:30 AM H3

15 10:15 am Sr. Bible Study 1:00 PM Ruth Circle 5:00 PM Soup Supper/Council Serviing 6:00 PM Confirmation 7:00 PM Holden Evening service 7:45 PM Choir rehearsal 7:30 PM SHYN!

16 Handbell Rehearsal time TBD contact office or Tammie Delveaux for more info

17 18 Walking together synod Event @ UWEC

19 3rd Sunday in Lent 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship/Learning Adult Forum Spring Break for ECASD – No youth learning this week

20 6:30 PM H3

21 9:30 AM H3 6:00 PM Preschool Board 7:00 Church Council

22 10:15 am Sr. Bible Study Serving at Community Table 5:00 PM Soup Supper/Council Serviing 7:00 PM Holden Evening Service 7:45 PM Choir rehearsal

23 Handbell Rehearsal time TBD contact office or Tammie Delveaux for more info

24 25 8:00 AM Men’s Discussion Group

26 4th Sunday in Lent 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Fellowship/Learning Adult Forum Journey of Faith Middle/HS learning

27 6:30 PM H3

28 9:30 AM H3

29 10:15 am Sr. Bible Study 5:00 PM Soup Supper/Council Serviing 6:00 PM Confirmation 7:00 PM Holden Evening service 7:45 PM Choir rehearsal

30 Handbell Rehearsal time TBD contact office or Tammie Delveaux for more info

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Excerpts from the council minutes You can find a complete copy on the church bulletin board Immanuel Lutheran January Council Meeting Minutes January 17,2017 Present: Vicki Fankhauser, Peggy Blomenberg, Pastor Jamie, Mindy Rosenberger, Jerry Hanson, Becky Wilcox, Keith Martin, Marcia Bowman, Curt Carlson Absent: David Schafer, Steve Isaacson, Elizabeth Johnson Thank you notes: Jackie Johnson for the many things she does at Immanuel. Guest: Tim Knutson Tim Knutson from ELCA Foundation Fund gave a presentation to the council. He works with individuals who want to leave a gift to their church. Tim is hoping to cultivate interest and raise awareness of our trust fund. He talked to Immanuel’s Trust Fund board about getting the word out more to the congregation through newsletters and bulletin boards. He stressed the importance of educating people about giving to the church, not only through stewardship, but also through estates and legacies. Old Business: Organ repair update: and work days: Steve Isaacson gave an update on Sunday, and what to expect the next couple of weeks. New lights have been installed with a dimmer switch and new cases are being made for the pipes so that they can be accessed and serviced. The money for this has been raised and contributions are still coming in. This helped pay for the additional work that is being done. New Business: Create-a-World 2017 budget – Dee Schlieve brought the budget to the preschool board on Sunday. It was approved by the preschool board. The council had a few questions on the preschool budget and would like to see copies of last year’s budget before approval is given for Create-a-World’s 2017 budget. Mindy will get answers to the questions and report back to the council. 2017 Budget Proposal -Casper presented the 2017 budget to the council for review. The budget of $249,000 is about a 3% increase of 2016’s actual budget. Casper stated that expenses are normally what they have been. Camp Create and Lunch Bunch added $1000 to the budget, and the nursery attendant is another expense. Also, lawn care expense is not a budgeted item. Building assessment through Mission Investment Fund. This organization would come to Immanuel, and recommend what building/maintenance projects should be done, and give a potential timeline for them to be completed. They can give ideas of what needs to be done now and what can wait until later. It is a free service. Pastor Jamie and Jerry will talk more about this. Constitution Amendments – The amendments pertain to language defining Ministers of Word and Sacrament to replacing clergy references and Minister of Service replacing Deacons and Diaconal minister. The section on seasonal memberships also needs to be updated giving parameters as to what this type of membership can and cannot vote on. Becky Wilcox will summarize the changes at the annual meeting. There needs to be a 30 day notice to the congregation for constitutional amendments. Therefore, a special meeting will be called later in the year for the first reading of the proposed amendments. Financial Reports: We finished the year with $20,542 gain. Compared to last year’s loss, Immanuel is in very good shape. Keith Martin moved to approve the financial report. Becky Wilcox seconded the motion. Motion carried. Children’s Choir – Helissa has offered to start a children’s choir. This would encompass kids from third through 8th grade. Practice would be on Wednesday night from 4:45 – 5. The choir would perform one Sunday a month. A decision needs to be made on what type of music the choir will sing. Keith Martin made a motion to endorse the concept of a children’s choir 3rd to 8th grade and authorize suitable compensation for the position. Mindy Rosenberger seconded the motion. Motion carried. Marcia Bowman led the council in a closing prayer. Next meeting: February 21, 7 p.m. Adjournment 8:55