He was staring up through the water at

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1 Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church th Street SW, Willmar, MN Office: (320) Parsonage: (320) Office Hours: 9:00am - 4:30pm, Tuesday - Thursday Website: MAY 2018 God s Encouraging Word when I feel hopeless He was staring up through the water at his dad, his uncle, and their friend. He could hear them talking and laughing. He can remember flailing his arms and legs. He tried to scream but water rushed into his lungs. He sank further and further down. He was drowning and he felt utterly hopeless. Then a large hand grabbed him by the back of his swimsuit and pulled him from the water. As his head broke the surface of the water, he gasped for air. His dad wrapped his arms around him and told him everything would be alright. To this day he remembers the name of his dad s friend who pulled him from the water. Although he hasn t seen him in over 30 years, he is forever grateful that he saved his life. Undoubtedly, at times you have felt like you are drowning in life s problems and it can feel utterly hopeless. Hopeless that your marriage will not survive its present struggles. Hopeless over your debt, your grandkids struggles, your sinful habits. Hopeless that you will ever find happiness. Hopeless that there is no way God could forgive you for your past sins or hopeless because you know death is coming. When you feel hopeless, you feel like you are drowning and that no one, not even God, hears your cries for help, for mercy and relief. So where is lasting hope found in a hopeless Pastor Craig Engel You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 world? In God s Word! There Jesus grabs you by the hand and pulls you from the depths of despair. There he breathes into you what your sin-sick soul is gasping for the forgiveness of sins. There Jesus wraps his nail-marked hands around you and reminds you that he has claimed you as his own and that nothing, not even death itself, can separate him from you. Why? Because he lives! And because he lives you have the sure and certain hope that you will live forever in heaven. True hope, happiness, peace, and life are found in Jesus! By God s grace to this day I remember the name of the one who saved me Jesus. Although I have never seen him, I am forever grateful that he has saved my life and given me the sure and certain hope of an eternity in heaven, just like he has for you! Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5 CHURCH NEWSLETTER

2 Hallelujah May Worship Themes During the month of May, we continue to bask in the joy of the resurrection of our Lord, even as we look forward to Pentecost, when he promised his Holy Spirit. Here are the themes for the month: Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 6 Branches in the Risen Christ Bear Fruit Ascension Day, May 10 The Conqueror Ascends in Triumph Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 13 The Risen and Ascended High Priest for Us The Day of Pentecost May 20 The Promised Spirit Is Sent The Holy Trinity May 27 God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity Sunday School The children will sing I Am Jesus Little Lamb on May 13th. The last day of Sunday School will be May 20th. Thursday Evening Divine Service Our Thursday services will begin on May 24th. August 30th will be the last Thursday service for the summer. The Thursday evening services begin at 7:00. Answer to puzzle on cover: Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:16, NIV Ascension Day Along with Christmas, Epiphany, Transfiguration and Easter, Ascension Day is one the festivals of our Lord. On this day we hear how Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection. His ascension assures his church that he now lives and reigns at the right hand of God the Father, ruling all things for the church s good. The ascension also assures us that Jesus will visibly return to raise the dead and give eternal life to all believers in him. Make plans now to join us for a Vespers service beginning at 7:00 pm on May 10th. Summer Bible and Music Academy Ms. Emily Schmidt, a student from Martin Luther College, will be with us at Immanuel again this summer to lead our Bible and Music Academy. She will offer free piano, organ, voice, oboe, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and/or percussion lessons to our members and to the community. Watch for more information about signing up for lessons. Each Wednesday we invite preschoolers through those entering sixth grade in the fall to join us for studying God s Word and learning some great hymns of the faith. Supper will be served to the children each week. Please join us! Share an invitation with your friends and neighbors. There will be more information in the bulletin and in the announcements after church in the coming weeks. 2 Prayer Dear Lord, let Your Word create in our hearts a steadfast and living faith. God, grant us the light and strength of Your Holy Spirit to believe. Bow our will and thoughts to sincere obedience of faith, so that we may build firm upon the solid rock of our salvation, on Your Son s obedience in suffering unto death. Amen. 7. O gracious God, Thy loving heart Was full of sweet compassion; And felt our woe and desperate smart, And planned our restoration; Thy grace and justice found a way To save us from death s horror; And everlasting judgment stay, And give us joy for sorrow. 8. On Christ, the rock, I m anchored fast, By faith in Him remaining; I ll weather every stormy blast, My peace of soul retaining; On Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, My ever firm foundation, Until the harbor bar is crossed, And I see God s salvation. 9. O Jesus, at my dying breath Hold Thou my hand securely, And may I in a living faith Hold fast to Thee most surely; That my last prayer to Thee may rise, My soul to Thee commending, And I shall find in Paradise The joys of life unending. T.H. Kingo,

3 Kari and Aaron Buttenfoff moved to Willmar from Litchfield about three years ago. Since then they have been blessed with two children, Duane 2 and Arabella 1, who they faithfully bring to church to hear the Word. Aaron has ushered, serves on the Board of Education, and has taught Sunday School. Kari serves after church and any other time she is asked. Kari also bakes beautiful decorated cakes as a sideline. As a family they enjoy all sports, with the kids especially liking water, pool or lake. Kari is an accountant with Christianson PLLP working in Renewable Fuels. Aaron works in promotions. Buffonfoff Family: Aaron, Duane, Kari and Arabella Volunteers We are in need of some volunteers for the following: folding bulletins and newsletters and preparing the elements for the celebration of the Lord s Supper. Please consider helping out in this way. The sign-up sheets are on the shelf in the Narthex. Daily Devotions On our home page (willmarwels. net), there is a link for daily audio devotions. These devotions were written and prepared by a group of WELS pastors over the course of the last year. Take a listen to them and tell your friends about them. Spring Clean-Up Watch the bulletin for the date for the spring clean-up and consider joining us to take care of our property and grounds. 3

4 Walk the walk Do you rush, push, shout and become generally unpleasant on Sunday mornings? Do you complain about church? Are you irregular in your attendance? Are you overconscientious about matters that are not really important? Do you always criticize the pastor, the choir, the length of services and the usher crew? Then don t be surprised if your children grow up to look at Sundays as the worst day of the week. Karen Burton Mains, author of Making Sunday Special Bible Quiz While in Jerusalem for Pentecost, people from many faraway lands miraculously heard the disciples preaching in their own native languages. Which of the following modern-day places was/were represented? A. Egypt B. Libya C. Crete D. Rome E. All of the above F. A, B and D Answer: See Acts 2:9-11 Thanks, Mom! At his graduation, a young man tasked with giving a speech began reading from some notes. I want to talk about my mother and the wonderful influence she had on my life, he said. She s a shining example of parenthood, and I love her more than words can ever do justice. The graduate then paused, appeared to struggle a moment and looked up at the audience with a mischievous smile. It s really hard to read my mom s handwriting, he said. Church Council Meeting Minutes March 11, 2018 Members Present: Martin Fabrizius, Justin Kannas, Jim Buffington, Todd Marxhausen, Norm Riediger, Scott Schultz, Steve Kremin, Dwight Munneke We opened with a reading from Ephesians 1:1-14. Following the opening reading, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Steve Iverson. Agenda: The agenda was approved with 1 Add under New Business Easter Breakfast Secretary s Report: Motion was made, seconded and passed to approve the February 11, 2018 council meeting minutes as submitted. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES Elders Report: Motion was made, seconded and passed to transfer in Nathan Remmele from St. John s, Redwood Falls, MN Trustees Report: The trustees are working on seeking competitive bids for the yearly ongoing lift maintenance contract. The trustees had a second company, MEI, come out and look at the pump for the elevator. MEI did not see any thing wrong with the pump at this time. Trustees will continue to work on obtaining a 2nd quote from an elevator company for a yearly maintenance contract Financial Secretary s Report: A motion was made, seconded and approved to accept the report. Treasurer s Report: The General Fund balance is currently $8, and the Ready Reserve fund balance is $5,000. A motion was approved accepting the Treasurer s Report. OLD BUSINESS AV Committee: No report. Will be meeting soon. Called Worker Compensation Committee: No report have not met yet. NEW BUSINESS Usher Captains & Usher Guidelines Changes Martin presented updated usher and usher captain guidelines. The updates included a new process on having one usher remain seated in the back pew during the service. Further details are included in the guidelines. Upcoming meeting dates were reviewed. A motion was made, seconded and carried to adjourn. We closed with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully Submitted, Justin Kannas Secretary 5

5 Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church th Street SW Willmar, MN ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED