Emanuel Lutheran Church. July Enlightener

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1 Emanuel Lutheran Church July 2018 Enlightener 125th Anniversary ~ Sunday, August 25, 2019 During the decade, Emanuel was served only two years and four months by a regularly called pastor. Vice pastors and many student pastors were available during the time. At the 1924 annual meeting it was decided to leave the ministerial work to the church board. Sunday School was a high priority, even when there was no worship service, Sunday School was held. In 1925, the Sewing Circle became known as the Ladies Aid, a name that would be with the group formally until the 1960 s when it became the Lutheran Church Women. Sunday Worship Service 9 AM Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) or (906) (cell) pastor@bethanyishpeming.org Emanuel Lutheran Church: emanuel@tds.net

2 Congregational Leadership Interim Pastor Warren Geier (906) Council Members Sandi Ruotsi Mary Lou Behrens Donna Oliver Jolene Kokko Betsy Koski Jane Sims Jesse Kainulainen Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ Confirmation Leah Kainulainen, Karen Maki ~ Sunday School Sandi Ruotsi ~ Adult Forum Office Jolene Kokko ~ Office Assistant Emanuel Lutheran Church has both a Face Book Page and website! Catch up on upcoming and past events, our monthly calendar and Enlightener newsletters at: Committee Leaders Sandi Ruotsi ~ Council President Barb Bach ~ Stewardship Sarah Kimball ~ Outreach Betsy Koski ~ Christian Education Betsy Koski ~ 125th Anniversary Committee Leah Kainulainen ~ Youth Mission Jane Sims ~ Worship & Music Roger Kimball ~ Building & Property Patti Bergdahl ~ Cemetery Board The deadline for getting information for the August Enlightener is Sunday, July 22. Thank you! Worship time is 9 AM beginning July 1 through October.

3 Date Acolyte Ushers Lector 07/01 Tiffany Ridolphi Donna Oliver/Sandi Ruotsi Betsy Koski 07/08 Hailey Ridolphi Dale Weingartener/Richard Cooke Barb Bach 07/15 Luke Kainulainen Tom & Barb Bach Jesse Kainulainen 07/22 Ecumenical Service at Skandia Township Community Center 07/29 Tiffany Ridolphi Donna Oliver/Sandi Ruotsi Ronda Barr July Worship Leaders July 1 Mrs. Virginia Paulson July 8 Mrs. Virginia Paulson July 15 Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick July 22 Ecumenical Service at Skandia Township Community Center (10AM) July 29 Pastor Chrys Levesque Hendrick July 22 Ryan Yearicks July 24 Leah Kainulainen July 24 Isaac McMaster July 7 Vonnie Stenfors July 29 Elizabeth McCarthy July 9 John Maki July 11 Mark Krans July 14 Ryan Rickaby July 19 Lee Whitaker July 20 Mary Heath July 22 Ron Smith July 13 Sally & Dale Weingartner Iva & Mark Arnett

4 The Monday after the flooding in the Keweenaw, Bishop Katherine Finegan called me and said that an effort was underway to gather food, water and other supplies to be delivered to the Copper Country. Could my church in Ishpeming be the area drop off site? Maybe you could just set a table in the narthex and hopefully the word will get out and we ll get enough to fill it. Twenty-four hours later, the table was full and then some! The narthex was piled high with what had been asked for. All day long on Tuesday people arrived at the church, some with large amounts, some with smaller amounts. One woman came all the way from Petoskey saying that she used to live in the Keweenaw and still knows lots of people up there and she just wanted to do something. The original plan was for one woman to come with her car at 5 o clock on Tuesday and take what had been collected up to Houghton. Instead, at the end of the day on Tuesday it required several car and truck loads, some made the trip on Tuesday night, some on Wednesday. All in all, it was tremendous outpouring of generosity on very short notice, a positive response to a difficult situation. The flooding and damage that occurred are the kind of thing that we expect to happen to other parts of the country. We get 200 inches of snow and people say, At least we don t have floods and fires and tornadoes like they do in other places. This time though, such a thing did happen to us. The UP even made the national news, which doesn t happen very often.

5 When natural disasters occur, especially when they involve loss of life which sadly this one did, a question that often comes up is, How could God let this happen? It s a variation of the Why do bad things happen to good people? question, to which there is really no one answer that adequately satisfies every situation. I m not going to try and answer it here either, other than to say that unfortunately, tragic events almost seem to be necessary as a means of reminding us of how good we can be. As has been the case with the flooding in the Copper Country, the response in the face of such events winds up being a love thy neighbor response as people make sacrifices to help those in need. The faith community is always a big part of it. One of the quotes I wind up going back to (and I m not sure who first said it) is, Everything that happens is not God s will, but God has a will in everything that happens. Rather than to question Why? we do better to ask what God would have our response be. As we answer that, the love of God is enacted through the love of the neighbor in the midst of the tragedy. Rather than to question God, we do better to question ourselves and ask, Why does it take a disaster to cause us to be who God would have us be? Why aren t we like that all the time? As we answer that, we can perhaps keep in mind that there are always people in need, it s not just when disaster strikes. No one can do it alone but that s where the church comes in. Together as individuals, as churches and as a synod we can do quite a lot! ~Pastor Warren Geier

6 In 2019, Emanuel will celebrate 125 years of ministry! We invite all current and former members to be a part of the celebration. All should have received a copy of our 125th Anniversary brochure. Please be sure to RSVP regarding your attendance at the July 20 dinner so that we can plan accordingly. We will be having a Scandinavian Smorgasbord, Friday, July 20, 4-7 PM at Emanuel. We still need vegetables, salads, and desserts made to accompany the main dishes of potato sausage, Swedish meatballs and ham. A sign up sheet is on the counter in the Fellowship Hall. A free will offering will be appreciated and will support Emanuel s upcoming 125th Anniversary events. Bring your friends and family who are in town for Skandia Days and enjoy a great meal! Please Help Support Our New Church Roof! Tickets are still available to win this beautiful handcrafted quilt made and donated by Sarah Kimball. Tickets are $1 each and can be bought from Roger Kimball after Sunday worship. The drawing will be held Friday, July 20 at the Scandinavian Smorgasbord here at Emanuel. You do not need to be present to win. Thank you to Sandi Ruotsi for sponsoring the July worship bulletins in memory of her Dad.

7 In May, Emanuel was blessed to meet Pastor Anna Makyao from our sister synod in Tanzania, while she was visiting our country and Pastor Chrys. Pastor Anna is in partnership with MOASIC, their mission: Embracing God s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life. Pastor Anna shared her passion for helping children with disabilities and their families. Through her visit to the U.S. she was enlightened to see how our country includes all children in our school systems through funding and learning experiences, unlike Tanzania. She shared stories how MOSAIC has involved people with disabilities becoming involved with the church in Tanzania which has made amazingly positive outcomes in many lives! After her inspiring talk and visit, members of Emanuel wanted to know how to help Pastor Anna in Tanzania. Pastor Chrys shared with us that along with praying for Pastor Anna, the best way to give monetarily is through someone visiting Tanzania in person. We are fortunate Bishop Finegan will be traveling to Tanzania this summer! Pastor Chrys will be sure to give any donations to her and she will hand deliver them to Pastor Anna. Pastor Chrys will lead worship at Emanuel on July 15 and that is the deadline to do this. If you write a check, make it out to Chrys Levesque Hendrick, she will process it and give it to Bishop Finegan. If any donations are given after that date, Pastor Chrys will be sure to follow-up that they get to Pastor Anna. You can learn more about the MOSAIC program and Pastor Anna online at: The sign up sheet for serving during fellowship following Sunday Worship service and hauling the weekly garbage, is on the kitchen counter in the Fellowship Hall. Nothing fancy is needed and help is always available! Thank You!

8 July 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Worship With Holy Commnion 9AM Christian Ed. Mtg 10:30AM Independence Day Worship With Holy Communion 9AM Quilting at Toni s 9:30AM Outreach Meeting 10AM 15 Worship With Holy Communion 9AM Council Mtg. 1PM Quilting at Toni s 9:30AM Scandinavian Smorgasbord 4-7 PM 21 Skandia Days Begins with Parade 11AM Ecumenical Service Skandia Township Community Center 10AM Worship With Holy Communion 9AM Anniversary Mtg. 10:30AM

9 All are Welcome to enjoy a Scandinavian Smorgasbord!! Friday, July 20 4:00-7:00 p.m. Emanuel Lutheran Church 9812 U.S. 41, Skandia The menu includes ham, Swedish meatballs, potato sausage, vegetables, salads, desserts, and beverage. A free-will offering is appreciated and will support Emanuel s upcoming 125th Anniversary events. Bring your friends and family who are in town for Skandia Days and enjoy a great meal! A generous grant from Thrivent Financial will help support costs related to the dinner.

10 June Council Meeting Highlights* ~The Christian Education Committee will meet Sunday, July 1, 10:30AM. Of the topics discussed will be our First Communion policy. First Communion classes will be held in September. ~ God s Work. Our Hands ELCA-wide service event is Sunday, September 9. ~A fall Stewardship Program called Growing in God s Service through Generosity, Joy and Sacrifice is being planned. ~Laurie Beauchamp received a Thrivent Grant to repair the office copier. She successfully repaired the copier and it will be used for the printing of the 125th Anniversary cookbook and other anniversary event needs. ~Interim Pastor Geier reports there is no news on the call for a new pastor at Emanuel If a new seminarian graduate does become available in the fall, Bishop Finegan will recommend them for the Emanuel Lutheran/Bethany Lutheran of Negaunee vacancy. ~A loan application for the new roof has been submitted. Their decision is pending. Other possibilities will be looked into also. Before a financing decision is made for the roof, a congregational meeting will be held to discuss possibilities, loan terms and a vote will be held on a final financing plan. ~Our local benevolence designation for 10% of our giving on the third Sunday of July will given for the Keweenaw flooding assistance. ~Our next meeting will be held Sunday, July 15 at 1 p.m. * The complete June council minutes (pending council approval) and financial reports are posted on the bulletin boards in the entry ways in both the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Outreach Committee God s Work. Our Hands. is Sunday, September 9. We need volunteers to help finish painting the out buildings at the Skandia Township Community Center. Please let us know if you can help! We have offered to help make lunch for a building crew for Habitat for Humanity, we re waiting to hear from them for the date sometime this summer. Quilting at Toni s for both Lutheran World Relief and our annual bazaar continues on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. Please note that some Tuesdays quilting will not be held. We are looking for a small shopping cart to use for the Country Cupboard food collection display. Our next Outreach meeting will be Thursday, July 12, 10 a.m.

11 Flood Recover Update for Keweenaw Area Pastor Bucky Beach, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (updated June 25, 2018) Flood recovery goes on! Again, thank you to all who have helped in ANY way. This week we are beginning to move from the initial response phase to recovery phase. Here is what you can do for days and weeks to come: WHAT WE NEED Pickup trucks and trailers to move debris piles into dump sites. Volunteers to make and deliver lunches and various supplies to work sites. Volunteers to help finish the mucking out stage. Visquine, duct tape, smaller (12 oz) Gatorade or Powerade, fans, dehumidifiers. Financial donations can be made through Keweenaw Community Foundation ( ), Portage Health Foundation ( )., Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan / Lutheran Disaster Response ( or any other organization that you may be aware of. WHAT WE DON T NEED Bottled water, clothing, furniture, food, most tools. LONG RANGE PLANSA long range plan is being set in place with city and county planners. It will facilitate the transition from mucking out houses to necessary demolition to electrical and construction work on homes. After licensed people do the necessary assessments it will be up to us to organize as many work crews as possible to help keep individual homeowners costs down. Most people will not be covered by insurance. The current estimate is that approximately 500 were damaged. To help, call the volunteer help line at THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Pastor Bucky Beach, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church/ Lutheran Campus Ministry

12 The July Enlightener Emanuel Lutheran Church P.O. Box 160 Skandia, MI Emanuel Lutheran Church is a people centered in Christ, rich in heritage and beauty, living out Christ s openness to all. Our ministry is to spread the Word of God in our community through service, education and fellowship, creating a sense of family as we break bread together in the company of Christ. Worship Time 9 AM