Tag: The LCMS

Unwrapping god good gifts' poster with a white background

Unwrapping God’s Good Gifts


On the last two Sundays of Epiphany—the last two Sundays before Lent begins—the Sunday Readings feature the Ten Commandments: the giving of them to Moses and Jesus expounding a few of them. This unfolded at the same time I was pondering a theme for our midweek Services of Lent, so I decided to make those Commandments the theme.

Doing so means that this year our theme will emphasize the original focus of the Season of Lent, as Lent began in the Early Christian Church as a time of instruction for those who were preparing for Baptism at Easter. The instruction of those “catechumens†focused more on Christian living than the Passion of Jesus. That will be our emphasis this year.

The wisdom of the Commandments—while Divine—can be known in part by simple human reason and should be heeded by any community, society or civilization that wishes to survive and flourish. But we see the Commandments also in the context of God’s grace in Christ, finding newer and richer meaning in them when viewed that way.

Thanks to Martin Luther and his Explanation of the Commandments in his Small Catechism, we see in the Commandments not just negative prohibitions—things we’re supposed to keep from doing—but works of love urged upon us. We can even see in the Commandments gifts God gives, wrapped in commands for their protection.

That will be my approach to the Ten Commandments on the Wednesday evenings of Lent: the gifts God gives, complete with instructions for their proper use. And the gifts are these: Family, Marriage, Life, Property, Speech and God Himself.

Please plan to gather with your Immanuel Family each of the Wednesdays in Lent—beginning Ash Wednesday, February 26—as we unwrap these good gifts God has given us and talk about their place in the Christian life. Meals will be served each Wednesday at 6:00 PM, followed by a Service at 7:00 PM.

Pastor VanOsdol

A cross with the words ministry plan in the background.

Ministry Plan

 

Because our Planning Process has one name—and the various Steps in the Process have other names—for the sake of clarity the only name I will use in this update is the Ministry Plan. The Ministry Plan is a document that will be the product of the first two Steps of our Planning Process and will be used to guide our decision-making in the future.

The Ministry Plan is where our conversations, meetings, prayers and ideas find a tangible result: a list of prioritized Goals for Immanuel. I am working on this Plan with Pastor Brath and a few members of the congregation. The Immanuel Church Council viewed the work to-date at its May meeting.

While still a work-in-progress, the Plan is organized into various Goals: Campus, Christian Education, Fellowship, Financial, Human Care, Ministry, Outreach, School, Staffing and Worship. Each Goal has one or more Strategies to accomplish the Goal: these are activities and projects assigned to groups in the congregation. Some of the Strategies are in the future; some are already in process, like exploring Online Giving, Adding a Worship Service, Sunday Hospitality and School Connections. My goal is to have the Ministry Plan ready to present to the Congregation in June.

One Strategy already in process is work on a Master Site Plan for Immanuel Lutheran Church & School, to give us a glimpse of what the Immanuel campus could look like in the future and to determine the best usage of our property and resources. Immanuel’s Campus Team was set up as a subset of the Council to help ensure that a variety of viewpoints are considered as we move forward in this process. This Team consists of:

Dana Emberton, President
Dave Houghton, Vice President
Catherine Benecke, Christian Education
Dan Thelen, Finance
Dick Sunderman, Facilities
Jeff VanUffelen, Immanuel Lutheran School

After several meetings with local firm McMillan Pazdan Smith, the Campus Team has shared the latest with the Council and has invited the Lead Architect for our project to present the Site Plan to the congregation, fielding comments and answering questions. You are invited to be part of this Informational Meeting that will take place following the Divine Service on Sunday, June 2. (No votes will be taken at this meeting.)

The school year is about to end and Summer is set to begin, but there is still plenty going on around Immanuel as we step into our future. Thank you for your prayers and faithful presence and stewardship. Please continue to lend your time, talents and treasures to the shaping the future of Immanuel Lutheran Church & School!

Pastor VanOsdol

Blog Note: New to Immanuel? Catch up on the entire VisionPath and Ministry Planning process to date here, here, here, here, here, and here.

A picture of the miraculous mission logo.

Register Now! VBS 2019 is Miraculous Mission


Vacation Bible School 2019 Miraculous Mission: Jesus Saves The World takes off in Five Forks on Sunday, June 9th and returns from orbit on Thursday, June 13th. Dinner is at 5:30pm and VBS is 6pm to 8pm each day. Your kids (age 3 through 5th grade) will have fun learning about Jesus through games, crafts, songs, and more!

Register now! https://vbsmate.com/events/ImmanuelLutheranSC/17911

See promo video on Immanuel’s VBS page.

A hand pointing to the word ministry mapping.

Planning Process Update

 

“Immanuel, God With Us, serving our neighbor
and one another with His love and
forgiveness.â€

Here is the latest on the steps taken in our Planning Process during the month of April and what is to come in the month of May:

1) Rev. Billy Brath (LCEF Planning Facilitator) was onsite Tuesday, April 2, to work with us on Step Two (Ministry Mapping) of our Planning Process. More than 40 members of Immanuel’s Church Council and various Boards participated in a Ministry Mapping Workshop; Pastor Brath leading us through a creative process of examining and enhancing some of our ministries. Three groups began work on 3 Goals:

a. Expansion of Worship opportunities (an additional weekly Service and/or expanded worship space)
b. Hospitality (enhancing the Church & School visitor experience through improved traffic flow, signage, fellowship and facilities)
c. Creating ministry opportunities to Immanuel Lutheran School families (strengthening the Church/School connection)

2) After Easter, portions of the same 3 teams will be invited to get together again for further planning toward these Goals. Also after Easter, other Goals will be identified and teams assembled/assigned to address the Goals.

3 ) The Goals identified will become part of a Ministry Plan that will be presented to the congregation. Rev. Brath’s timelime calls for the Ministry Plan to be in place by the end of May.

4) An important piece of the Planning Process puzzle is an evaluation of our current resources, including land and facilities. As the last Master Plan for Immanuel is nearly 20 years old and many changes have come to the Church & School, Five Forks and our Woodruff Road corridor in the last two decades, it is important to have a current update to guide future growth and development. At the March 31 Voters’ Assembly a motion was passed to enlist the services of an outside firm to help us put together an updated Master Plan and resource assessment: a planning document and conceptualization of how Immanuel Lutheran Church & School might exist in the future. The firm of McMillan Pazdan Smith has been retained for this work and Immanuel’s Campus Team (Dana Emberton, Dave Houghton, Dan Thelen, Dick Sunderman, Doug Eggert, Catherine Benecke, Jeff VanUffelen, Pastor) had an initial meeting with this firm during Holy Week.

New to Immanuel? Catch up on the entire VisionPath and Ministry Mapping process to date here, here, here, here, and here.

Pastor VanOsdol

A bell with the words now hiring handbell director.

Handbell Director Job Opening


Immanuel Lutheran Church & School

Simpsonville, South Carolina

Job Description: Handbell Director

Goal of the position:

Support a church music program that includes at least one offering of special music (vocal choir, handbells, instrumentalists, soloists, etc.) each Sunday from September-May.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Direct a handbell choir in weekly rehearsals in preparation for participation in Sunday Services from September through May.
  2. Prepare the choir for participation in special Services throughout the Church Year, including: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday (as determined by consultation with Pastor, Organist and Choral Director).
  3. Recruit members to the choir, providing an atmosphere of community and musical learning.
  4. Cooperate with the Pastor, Organist and Choral Director to accomplish planning tasks and provide leadership to the music program.
  5. Perform these duties under the direct responsibility of the Board of Elders and in keeping with the congregation’s annual budget.

Skills and Qualifications:

  1. Experience in handbell conducting, knowledge of appropriate church music and ability to relate to others with good interpersonal skills required.
  2. Music degree and knowledge of the role of music in Lutheran worship preferred, but students and new graduates are invited to apply.

Compensation:

  1. Salary is negotiable and will be based on an expected number of hours per week (September-May) in preparation, rehearsal and performance.
  2. Compensation is paid on the 15th and last day of each month.
  3. Church musician continuing education will be reimbursed up to $250 annually.

Please copy and paste your cover letter and resume below to submit an inquiry about this position. You may be asked to email an electronic copy of your cover letter and resume once your inquiry is received. You may also contact the church office at 864-297-5815.

[contact-form to=’jpatti58@yahoo.com, revjvan29681@yahoo.com’ subject=’Handbell Director Job Inquiry’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Cover Letter’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Resume’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

Now hiring choral director.

Choral Director Job Opening


Immanuel Lutheran Church & School
Simpsonville, South Carolina

Job description: Choral Director

Goal of the position:

Support a church music program that includes at least one offering of special music (vocal choir, handbells, instrumentalists, soloists, etc.) each Sunday from September-May.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Direct a vocal choir in weekly rehearsals in preparation for participation in Sunday Services from September through May.
2. Prepare the choir for participation in special Services throughout the Church Year, including: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday (as determined by consultation with Pastor, Organist and Handbell Director).
3. Recruit members to the choir, providing an atmosphere of community and musical learning.
4. Cooperate with the Pastor, Organist and Handbell Director to accomplish planning tasks and provide leadership to the music program.
5. Perform these duties under the direct responsibility of the Board of Elders and in keeping with the congregation’s annual budget.

Skills and Qualifications:

1. Experience in choral conducting, knowledge of appropriate church music and ability to relate to others with good interpersonal skills required.
2. Music degree and knowledge of the role of music in Lutheran worship preferred, but students and new graduates are invited to apply.

Compensation:

1. Salary is negotiable and will be based on an expected number of hours per week (September-May) in preparation, rehearsal and performance.
2. Compensation is paid on the 15th and last day of each month.
3. Church musician continuing education will be reimbursed up to $250 annually.

Please copy and paste your cover letter and resume below to submit an inquiry about this position. You may be asked to email an electronic copy of your cover letter and resume once your inquiry is received. You may also contact the church office at 864-297-5815.

[contact-form to=’jpatti58@yahoo.com, revjvan29681@yahoo.com’ subject=’Choral Director Job Inquiry’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Cover Letter’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Resume’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]