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From the Pastor’s Pen |
Dear People of Immanuel Lutheran Church:
First I should apologize for the Beacon coming to you in the middle of the month. December was a busy and short month for me, Michealle tried valiantly to keep me ahead, but when push came to shove, it was not possible to finish four bulletins and the newsletter before Christmas. Then I had a wonderful week of vacation. January started with several visits and a council meeting, so the newsletter got pushed again. So here we are in the bit of ordinary time that comes between Christmas and Lent, except that this year, Easter is very late (April 24), so Epiphany is very long.
I love Epiphany. I love all the light imagery, I love the stories of miracles and wonders. I enjoy contemplating what our response is, as the baptized people of God. How do we react to the signs of Jesus in our midst? Where do we see the face of God? How do we live into, and out of, our discipleship? During Epiphany this year, which is nine weeks long instead of the more usual four or five, we will take a walk through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters five through seven). This is an intense group of teachings, Jesus with his disciples on a mountain, instructing them about the life of faith. Using parables rich in metaphors, our Lord challenges us to turn from our old lives and take up a new way of being, following him.
Winter can be a quiet time, sound is muffled by the snow. This silence is a wonderful setting for contemplation, for getting ready for Lent, for reflecting on the gifts and tests the love of Jesus Christ brings to us. How is the Lord calling you to serve and to be served? Together we discern the future God envisions for us.
Peace,
Pastor Julie Winklepleck | | The joint Visitation Ministry Team will meet on Saturday, January 29, at 10 a.m. at Samuel Lutheran. In addition to debriefing our visits as necessary, our topic will be Taize worship. We’re going to brainstorm about the possibility of starting a conference-wide Taize worship service. All are welcome!This Friday’s movie night features Lars and the Real Girl, a fable about a small town rallying to support a young man going through an unusual crisis. On February 25, join us at 7 p.m. for Bonhoeffer, an examination of the life and work of this theologian and World War II martyr. Popcorn is provided; invite your friends. Sunday school for children continues during worship, sandwiched between the Children’s Message and communion. The Adult Forum meets after coffee hour. Currently we are trading off between Stephen Arterburn’s Being Christian: Exploring where you, God, and life Connect, and Book of Faith bible studies from the ELCA. What would you like to focus on during Lent? Perhaps we’ll delve into Making Sense of Scripture, a book-DVD combination by David Lose, preaching professor at Luther Seminary. The Quarterly Planning meeting has morphed into a joint meeting with St Luke’s Council to discuss our future joint ministry. You are invited to join council at St Luke’s Thursday, January 20 at 6:30 p.m. for a soup supper, followed by discussion.
Anyone interested in assisting in the selection of hymns should contact Karen Tornga. Annual Congregational Meeting is January 30 following worship. There will be a potluck after the meeting, please plan to attend.
All Committee Chairs, and Organization leaders should have their annual reports to the church office by Sunday, January 16, (yes, today). What activity would you like to see at church? Call pastor Julie to discuss how to make it happen. Save the date! On Saturday, February 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Immanuel’s leaders will gather for a Visioning Retreat. This is not just for council! Last year we developed a new mission statement: “Immanuel Lutheran Church is on a mission to share God’s love and laughter.” Now we need to continue this work with supporting statements about our purpose and goals. Plan to join us!
Thank you for the gift of a “bonus” this Christmas. Your generosity is wonderful. I’m proud to serve you at Immanuel. I feel so lucky to have a job I love.—Pastor Julie Congratulations to Sue Lathrop’s granddaughter Angela and her husband Scott Olejarczyk! Their baby, Cora Elaine Olejarczyk, was born on Tuesday, December 7, she weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. Steve & Michealle Cleveland welcome their new granddaughter Sandra Michealle (Cricket) VanTol. She was born on Thursday, December 2. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. and measured 21 inches long. She is the daughter of Marcie & Pat VanTol. She arrived home from the neonatal unit on New Years Day! Thank you to everyone for your cards, and prayers during my recent illness and surgery. They were greatly appreciated. Sue Lathrop Thank you to everyone for their cards, gifts, goodies and especially the words of appreciation and encouragement. I truly appreciate all the prayers and support you have given me and my family. Thank you also for all the prayers for Sandy during her stay at the NICU in Grand Rapids. Michealle Cleveland Each year Muskegon’s Downtown Clergy group works with Muskegon Public Schools to present a Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year it will be held on Tuesday, February 1, at 6 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church. Join us for music, art, and writing by MPS students. 2nd Annual Thrivent Day at the Winter Sports Complex is Friday, February 11 from 4:00—7:00 p.m. Registration before February 1 the cost is $10.00 for adults, and $5.00 for children under 12. After February 1 the cost is $10 for everyone. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Chips, Coffee & Cocoa are provided from 5 –7. No State Park Entry Fee is required. The Luge will be available, you must have proof of insurance and sign a waiver. You are encouraged to bring your own equipment. Contact or Paul Petersen (798-1143) if you are interested in attending. Muskegon Chamber Choir and Orchestra will perform Eighteenth Century Sacred - Bach Cantata 150 - Mozart Coronation Mass, on Saturday January 29, 7:30 p.m. at St Mary’s Church. General Admission is $10.00, students and Seniors are $8.00. Tickets are available at Meyer Music and at the door one-half hour prior to the concert. Relay for Life Kick-off is Tuesday, February 15, at 6 p.m. in the Reeths-Puffer Elementary Media Center. Please let Jill Hernandez and/or the office know if you can be our representative at these meetings. |
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Pastor wondered if I could be inspired to write something about my recent experiences at the neonatal unit. Inspired? I’m not sure that I can separate myself, emotionally, from what happened there to write anything objective or that even makes sense. So I’m going to start with the things that amazed me.
What amazed me most was the number of babies taken care of there. At one point there were 94 babies in the neonatal unit. Some babies only stayed a day or two, others were there for several months. So many of them were very tiny; often less than 2 pounds at birth. I was amazed that my granddaughter could sleep through all the buzzers and alarms but would get very agitated whenever another baby cried. I was amazed by the dedication of the staff, not just doctors and nurses but receptionists, social workers, lactation specialists, therapists, x-ray and lab techs. All of them dedicated to caring for these tiny little people. Then there were all the volunteer groups. They provided meals at the Ronald McDonald House and the Renucci house. They provided stocking caps, blankets, toys, pictures or ornaments to hang on the baby’s bassinets for each holiday. It is a place where you see the good in people, they are all there to help, they are there to make the stay as smooth as possible. They work very hard at making sure that no one falls through the cracks, and that not only the babies but the families are cared for. It is an amazing place and it is filled with “God moments.”
They say the average stay at the neonatal unit is 18 days. Cricket was there for 30 days. It was a process and her treatment took time, even more time than the doctors expected. Whenever we would get frustrated or anxious, a new baby would come in to the nursery, or a roommate would have to go for surgery. Because of the privacy laws we weren’t allowed to ask any questions and if we did they wouldn’t answer them, but we could get a sense of what was happening. All we had to do was look around the nursery or talk to a parent in the waiting room, and know that so many of these babies were in more dire condition than Cricket. Life and death decisions were all around you. Some babies would go home with excited parents and grandparents, others would go home to God. It was a moving experience, never have I coveted prayers more, never have I offered more prayers for people I didn’t know.
What I learned from my experiences is that life is fragile, that childbirth without any complications is truly a miracle. It is inconceivable to me that anyone can go through this experience without support from family, friends, and prayer warriors. I can never adequately express my gratitude for all your prayers and support during this time. The prayer warriors at Immanuel are awesome. Cricket is doing well, her blood sugars have been pretty steady (praise God!). We are glad to have her home and all we want to do is hold her.
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Members in Action |
Don & Margaret Sheffer |
Don and Margaret Sheffer have been a part of Immanuel since we were in the “little” church, before they were married, before many of us can even remember. They celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this month (January 22). They care intensely about our Lord’s church.
Like many faithful disciples, they would never hold themselves up as examples of faith. Yet between them, they’ve held almost every position on council and participated in just about everything that Immanuel does. They do what they do willingly. They step up when help is needed; often they see what needs to be done and do it before we realize it needs doing. Currently Margaret serves as education chair while Don is council president. Margaret sets up coffee for the Tuesday Love, INC classes, while Don comes and cleans up afterwards. Margaret is active in the handbell choir, sometimes bringing grandson Noel along to play. Don coordinates our Habitat for Humanity participation. Margaret is secretary of the Altar Guild, while Don is a professional usher. They are also good at being: both Don and Margaret have active prayer and devotion lives.
Don gives DeColores much credit for deepening his spirituality. Margaret learned to play the guitar largely in order to play at DeColores events. Their son Matthew invited them on their first weekends, and grandson Caleb is now active in Deco-TEC, the teen movement. They would urge all of us to try a weekend: it’s the best gift you can be given, Don has said.
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Coming soon to our narthex is a suggestion box for brainstorming about Immanuel’s parking lot-to-be. Here are questions just to get you started:
Suggestions for a civil engineer/architect to come up with a plan to maximize the number of cars that will fit into the space
Suggestions for a general contractor, as well as for specialties such as asphalt.
What are your dreams, hopes, visions for modifying the church as a part of this project?
Revamp the entrance by the choir room, perhaps create a double-door entry?
Improve handicap access not just at that entrance, but throughout the building?
Upgrade the boiler, perhaps then would be the time to add air conditioning, at least to the sanctuary?
Replace windows and / or increase weatherproofing?
Upgrade the kitchen, adding a spray sink to the back kitchen?
Find a closet space to add a shower?
While we’re dreaming about the building, what painting, carpeting, or decorating projects are overdue?
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At our budget meeting, some members noted that this information had slipped out of the bulletin. We apologize for this oversight. Our goal is to print the data once a month, and to include a more detailed update in the Beacon.Needed in December $ 12,129.00
Received in December: $ 10,419.00
Needed in 2010: $145,550.00
Received in 2010: $107,419.00 2011
Needed per month: $ 11,137.92 What these numbers mean, at least in part, is that we are mostly current on our bills, but we “borrowed” nearly $20,000 from our savings account last year. We are on payment plans to catch up around $1,500 to the ELCA Board of Pensions and about $2,000 to Lascko for boiler repairs. While council trimmed the budget significantly, including a 10 percent salary cut for Pastor Julie, giving needs to remain strong to cover winter heating bills and to rebuild the savings. Thank you for all you do to support Immanuel’s ministry.
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Immanuel Lutheran Church
930 Creston St in Muskegon | | |
| | Site maintained by: immluth muskegon immluth1@frontier.com 930 Creston Muskegon Michigan 49442 United States of America Phone: 231-773-2572 Fax: 231-773-6255 |
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