“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.â€
(Jeremiah 29:11)

What a blessing to have so many of you invest in Immanuel by lending your voices to the conversation about our future at the Voters’ Assembly on June 24! The decision made in that conversation is to partner with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) in embarking on VisionPath: a facilitated process to discover God’s vision for Immanuel’s ministries.

VisionPath is an approximately 10-week process, which for us will begin this August and conclude in October. Some highlights include:

• The formation of a Leadership Team to work with me and our Facilitator (Rev. Billy Brath) to engage the entire congregation in the process
• Participation in a Congregational Survey, to give every Immanuel member a voice in the process
• Attendance at the Vision Event, where Pastor Brath will lead us in the processing of questions and the voicing of ideas
• The production of a Vision Statement, summarizing our shared vision of the mission and ministry of the congregation

Converting the dreams of VisionPath into realities will require more time and effort. As VisionPath draws to a conclusion, we will come again as a congregation in the September Voters’ Assembly to consider the next steps (what LCEF calls Ministry Mapping & Messaging) and whether to continue with them.

This month, much of the groundwork for VisionPath will be laid behind the scenes. When our Summer break has ended, we will be rested and ready to embark on the journey of VisionPath. Here we go!

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Pastor VanOsdol