Special Olympics Global Messengers Kurt and Lisa Nobel gathered with Immanuel Lutheran School students for chapel Wednesday.
Holy Week and Easter Services can take their toll on a pastor and I’m certainly not immune. And we had another worship service yesterday! It was the usual weekly school chapel, except it wasn’t usual.
Immanuel’s 4th grade students led us in worship and they did it very well. What a blessing to the whole school and one I enjoyed very much! Bible verses, song, and an offering, plus lots of standing and sitting back down…at the appropriate times of course. Some of their parents were even able to attend this midday service, blessing them too.
The blessings didn’t stop when chapel ended. We were joined by Special Olympics Global Messengers Kurt and Lisa Nobel, who thanked Immanuel for supporting the Hospitality and Game Tent on Sunday. They also stressed the importance of doing your best and supporting your teammates. More on that here…
See you in church and in the community!
Pastor Tom
My wife Carol at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh.
Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, is nestled in the Laurel Highlands outside of Pittsburgh. It is ranked among the best small universities, keeps its Catholic, Benedictine values, and is well-known as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp. It is also the home of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning & Children’s Media, the Fred Rogers Archive and has a fine exhibit of Mister Rogers Neighborhood. This display along with the exhibit at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh are two special collections of a man’s work that touched the lives of countless children for decades.
On a recent visit to Pennsylvania, my wife Carol and I first stopped a small winery in Chalk Hill. (Why not, it was on the way.) Sharing with the barista that we intended to visit a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright homes, the Flight 93 Memorial, the town of Johnstown where 2,208 people died in an 1889 flood, and the Fred Rogers exhibit, this young woman at once responded, “I remember where I was when I heard that Mister Rogers died.” She had no comment on the famous homes or memorials we mentioned, just Mister Rogers.
We quickly learned that whenever we mentioned Mister Rogers, special treasured memories were shared in conversation. From restaurant servers to the docents who guided our tours, the impact this soft-spoken man continues to have on people is remarkable. It was as though everyone considered themselves as Mister Rogers’ neighbor.
Fred Rogers hosted a thoughtful children’s show from 1968-2001. Children were treated like intelligent people who deserved television programming just as good as that for adults. From the moment he changed into his cardigan and sneakers, young people were enthralled. Mister Roger added puppets, marionettes and the Land of Make Believe, all making the show a true classic.
He created a calm, safe neighborhood, a place where children learned about themselves, others, and the world around them. Mister Rogers affirmed each child’s self-worth. He was always caring and trusting.
There are lessons to learn from his example. As Immanuel strives to reach people in our neighborhood who lack a strong relationship with Jesus, we do well to remember to bring a sense of calm and peace to all we meet. We are people who offer hope in difficult times. We must treat each person as a special creation of God, respecting their importance in God’s kingdom. When the name “Immanuel” is spoken, people must envision caring, trustworthy people.
Our school must offer the highest quality Christian education because the families who entrust their children to us deserve and expect nothing less. Our church cannot neglect its values and goals that have influenced past generations as it reaches out to its neighbors and to future residents.
Fred Rogers, a Presbyterian Minister, left a Godly impression on countless lives. Immanuel must do nothing less as we serve our neighborhood. May they all truly wish to be our neighbor. We are truly “Building a Community in Christ” in all that we do with our Stronger Together initiative.
Imagining something may be the first step in making it happen, but it takes the real time and real efforts of real people to learn things, make things, turn thoughts into deeds or visions into inventions. ~ Fred Rogers
It was standing room only for the second Community Meal held here at Immanuel last night. With the school faculty filling many of the necessary volunteer positions, “sloppy joes,” grilled cheese, salad and a variety of tempting desserts were on the menu. It was an amazing evening…not only did everyone enjoy the meal and good conversation, we also put together fishing kits for our Operation Christmas Child project. Fishing line, a hook, and a cork bobber, were all carefully wound together and placed in an empty prescription bottle. The kits will be included in gift boxes that will be shipped to needy children overseas next December.
Our involvement with The Community Meal is just one part of Immanuel’s Stronger Together outreach to our neighbors. Look for the date of the next Community Meal at Immanuel to be announced soon!
We are extremely grateful for our relationship with The Community Meal. The Community Meal was founded in Barrington by Mary Sandner, a Barrington High school graduate. Meals are held in various locations. For more information on the Community Meal, including the dates of all the upcoming meals, please visit www.TheCommunityMeal.org.
Pastor Warren, me, Mary Sandner, and Pastor Donald
For more on our first experience with The Community Meal, see Serving the Community.
See you in church – and maybe at dinner!
Pastor Tom
Now that Hilary Clinton’s campaign is over, there is no longer any confusion over the Strong Together slogan! No longer will people wonder if we are referring to Hilary or Immanuel when we say “Stronger Together.” Of course, Hilary never used the second half of the slogan, “Building the Community in Christ.” It makes one wonder that if she had used the second half, would the election have ended differently?
Of course, the second half of the slogan is more difficult than the first half. It is one thing to realize that we all benefit if we come together, break through any barriers that may exist and simply cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate. It should be obvious that we will accomplish much more, because we are “Stronger Together.”
But putting this into actual practice, that is truly changing lives for the better, requires our full attention — not apathy — and looking outward — not inward. Take, for example, the Community Meal we served last month. Preparing and serving a free meal for anyone who walks in the door requires a whole lot of planning and preparation. Before the first plate of pasta is served, scores of volunteers have cleaned, cooked, set-up and prepped to feed 100+ people. People freely gave up their time, their money and their skills to make a difference.
So, Immanuel, let’s continue to work as a team. That includes youth, elderly, members, non-members, new Christians and old Lutherans, all! For building a community in Christ requires everyone to use whatever God has given them. It requires changing old practices and habits. It is the old comfortable way of doing things that has led to the necessity to build up the community in Christ. Think about it!
Check out this passage! It’s from The Message, which often gives us a different insight into scripture:
You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 The Message
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School opened its doors to the community last Thursday and the community responded. Hosting our first “Community Meal” event proved to be very exciting and rewarding for the scores of volunteers who prepared the food, served, organized the room, and even directed traffic. More than 200 meals were served as people enjoyed spaghetti, meatballs, salad, rolls and a rich assortment of homemade desserts.
The Community Meal was founded in Barrington by Mary Sandners. Mary’s vision of providing for friends, families and others in need in Barrington has now expanded to Palatine. Immanuel’s new Director of Youth Ministries, Pastor Donald, worked previously with Mary…they reconnected and planning began for the meal last summer. With the success of the first Community Meal in Palatine, another Palatine meal is planned for January 12, 2017 5-7 p.m. at Immanuel.
For the last year Immanuel, has intentionally reached out to the greater Palatine community through a variety of events under the theme “Stronger Together.” Last summer we hosted a free baseball/softball clinic for children coached by volunteers, including Bill Campbell a former Cubs pitcher, and another former pitcher, Immanuel’s own Pastor Warren. We’ve also hosted Social Media Awareness meetings, an annual Bobcat 5K, and this weekend was the fourth annual “Trunk or Treat” which drew an estimated 600 plus people.
Next month, Michelle Williams (former singer with Destiny’s Child, songwriter, actress, producer, WNBA team owner, and creator of the Believe home products line) will speak with Immanuel’s students, alumni and other young women of the community.
Other community outreach efforts include American Heritage Girls, Trail Life for Boys, Centershot ministries which shares the Gospel of Jesus using the life-skill of archery (beginning early 2017), as well as painting and other repairs for homes of people unable to take on those tasks. Our youth program has expanded through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school and our middle school. Next spring, we are planning to make another trip to Cambodia to help a small rural community. Earlier this year we brought over many pairs of used glasses and matched people with poor eyesight with the proper lenses.
Immanuel’s intentional outreach to the community will continue as we are given new opportunities to serve people. The temptation is always to remain in one’s own comfort zone, in a setting that is very familiar and to simply let someone else help. However that isn’t what Christ had in mind when he said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me . . . (Matthew 25:35).”
See you in church, and in the community,
Pastor Tom
What do Michael Hyatt, Patrick Lencioni, Chick-fil-A and Immanuel’s Dan Heuertz all have in common? Join us next Saturday morning to find out. Summit II will bring these three men and one corporation together as we build upon the success of our first Summit last June — although only one of them will actually be there in person…I’m sure you can guess which one.
Be prepared to hear what lessons Immanuel can take from successful business practices. You may be surprised to hear just how vital “Organizational Health” is, not only for a business but also for a church.
Three key concepts will be explored:
Collaboration
Connections
Community
How do we work together at Immanuel to create something special in the kingdom of God? What connections do we have in this community and beyond as we come together and volunteer our time to make a difference in someone’s life? Immanuel is a community of Christian people held together by the common belief that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We are also part of many other communities including our various towns, schools, work settings, and even our families. How can we help our communities reach out to others in need?
Join your friends and meet some new people next Saturday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. in the gym. This is for members and friends of Immanuel. We will continue the conversation begun last June and move into some new areas. If you missed Summit I, don’t worry, we will help you catch up.
Hear what Immanuel is doing to reach out into the community.
If being a member of Immanuel has become only an obligation to attend worship when your schedule allows, then perhaps you need to consider joining us next Saturday morning. Be a part of the movement we call Stronger Together! This is the right time for you to make the time to make a difference. Regardless of age or circumstance in life, you are welcome.
Please contact Diana Broj at dbroj@ilcp.org or 847-359-1549 to R.S.V.P., if you have questions, or to make arrangements for childcare.
Open up President Dan’s video and listen to his message for Immanuel. Hear how we work together, cooperating with his office and the other congregations, pooling our resources and reaching people who do not know Jesus.
Two weeks ago, Immanuel welcomed three guests from our Lutheran Church district office – the Northern Illinois District: Pastor Dan Gilbert, the district president, Pastor Keith Haney of the president’s staff and Pastor Kris Whitby, a member of the board of directors and pastor of Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Mount Prospect. They visited our studio and recorded videos to encourage the 215 district congregations in community outreach. Our district’s efforts to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ is called “New Starts, New Believers.”
Immanuel is one of those 215 congregations from Northern Illinois. Having the district president visit is always an honor considering his demanding schedule. He recorded two videos, one specifically for Immanuel and another for all 215 congregations. His words for Immanuel are linked to this blog.
As you open the video you will see the district president sitting behind a lavish desk in front of a world map and the logo for “New Starts, New Believers” prominently displayed. You may wonder, “where is he?” No, I did not have my office remodeled. He is actually in our studio (a room underneath my office) made possible through our Stronger Together initiative. Working with a tight budget, watching for sales, and negotiating with manufactures, we now have this amazing technology to produce videos for our ministry needs, especially outreach and as a hands-on laboratory for our school students. (Our middle school now offers an elective, AV Studio…students in that class even record school announcements a few times per week.)
NID President Dan Gilbert’s Message to Immanuel
Open up President Dan’s video and listen to his message for Immanuel. Hear how we work together, cooperating with his office and the other congregations, pooling our resources and reaching people who do not know Jesus. His plea to “just do one thing” for outreach gives me pause to consider. What one thing am I doing today with the help of the Holy Spirit to share Christ? How about you?
If we work at living out our personal values, it has an incredible impact on those around us.
On Saturday, Immanuel held a special Stronger Together meeting to discuss values. The meeting was ably facilitated by Dan Heuertz and attended by a rich assortment of Immanuel people, representing many ministries and boards. The purpose of this meeting was for the group “to develop a list of the specific values that will continue to guide us all – leaders, team members, and the whole congregation – along the path to “Build the Community in Christ.” The discussion was fascinating – and it’s not over. We will be convening to finish the work we started –a date and time will be shared soon and I hope you can attend.
I had the privilege of opening Saturday’s meeting with a devotion. I’d like to share the gist of it with you now, with a note of caution. The “core values” discussion is a large one and our “core values” have not been finalized. In a values discussion, sometimes the “values,” or faith practices like prayer, we hold dear will not be listed out as a “core value” but instead treated as a basic necessity for a church. See Paul Alexander’s excellent blog post: 6 Things Your Church Should Know About Core Values for more on that. Believe me, there was discussion on the “permission to play” concept as well.
The point of the devotion at the meeting — and what I share with you now — is to focus our eyes, and hearts, on God’s mission.
Let’s start with this concept: “Every believer has been sent by Jesus with the gospel in community to the culture for the sake of the King and His kingdom.”
The challenge, therefore, is for every follower of Jesus around the world to embody the mission and message of Jesus everywhere they go!
Simply understood, this means planting the gospel in the culture and through Christ displaying and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Lord! But HOW does this happen?
Rather than looking for new ways to “be missional,” it may be helpful to identify patterns of missional behaviors that can be “practiced” each week. Let’s identify behaviors that demonstrate our Core Values. These behaviors then become Core Practices (habits) that everyone in the church family begins to exhibit.
For example, if our core value is “authenticity” – then the question to ask is: “how do we as a community demonstrate authenticity”? The answer is expressed in behavioral terms.
We confess our sins to each other.
We do not pretend to be “spiritual.”
We speak the truth in love.
Another Core Value might be “Compassion” which could be demonstrated by:
We bless someone three times each week.
We serve others three times each week (or every day).
We write an encouraging note to someone three times each week.
We pray with anyone right away whenever a concern is expressed.
Another Core Value might be “Community” which could be demonstrated by:
We share a meal with other believers once each week.
We meet to remember Jesus once each week.
We give “grace” to one another daily.
Another Core Value might be “Intimacy with God” which could be demonstrated by:
We daily read and reflect on Scripture.
We set time aside each week to listen to God (1 hour or more).
After identifying these behaviors, we begin to “practice” them each week. Imagine a group of Christians that are reading and reflecting on Scripture, listening to God, confessing sins, not pretending to be spiritual, and speaking the truth in love, who are serving others, blessing people, writing encouraging notes, praying together, sharing meals, remembering Jesus and being gracious. If we work at living out our personal values, it has an incredible impact on those around us.
Another way to identify behaviors might be simply to ask: “What would it look like to be Jesus to those around me?”
Identifying missional behaviors cannot be a program, it must be a lifestyle. Changing the way you behave isn’t easy. As the Holy Spirit helps you to identify ways to “be Jesus” to those around you, adopt the thinking and behavior that demonstrates the gospel.
Missional behaviors are redemptive, reconciling, merciful, gracious, and other-oriented. If we “just” worked hard at “being Jesus to everyone everywhere” – we’d probably be headed in the right direction.
Keep asking – “How do we display the gospel to those far from Christ?” Certainly this will lead us to spend time with those far from Christ. A few more ways to get started might be:
We share a meal in our home with non-believers every week.
We pray at 10:02 for laborers for the harvest (Luke 10:2) He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
We frequent the same “third place” each week at the same time to develop relationships with non-Christians.
We join our “Neighborhood Watch” group (or start one) on our street.
We adopt the closest school to our home and start volunteering each week.
Don’t give up.
See you in church, and in the community,
Pastor Tom
The MLB All Star Break may be over, but I think Immanuel’s “All Star Break” break occurred during the last two weeks in June, though it wasn’t a break at all…it was a chance for us to perform like All Stars, by the grace of God of course.
Pastor Warren, Pastor Donald and a dedicated team of volunteers hit a home run with the “Shining Stars Baseball/Softball Camp” last week. Over 50 children attended!
I had the opportunity to stop by. The excitement among the children was contagious. Everyone was ready to “play ball” and they were so well-behaved and totally respectful of their coaches. A few Parks and Recreation workers even stopped by to see the young ball players. I know the program made a difference among many youth and their parents. Read more about Shining Stars on Immanuel’s website.
Shining Stars is not all the end of June brought:
Immanuel held the first ever Stronger Together Summit.
Trephina Bedell and Carolyn Rappoport headed up a dedicated volunteer team that produced a very successful Adventure Bible Camp (ABC).
Immanuel’s teachers, though on summer break, were busy. Some volunteered their talents for ABC, some attended conferences, others attended the Summit, and many were spotted at Immanuel attending to things that better our students’ experiences.
Discovery Camp staff took great care of students in a fun way, as they’ll do all summer.
Pastor Donald and some of the youth volunteered at a soup kitchen.
Jenny Laabs held Band Camp, providing students with an important fine arts opportunity this summer. (I’m going to hold off on “beat the band” puns.)
And so very much more…
Plus, much happened in July too! Stay tuned for more this summer…
An episode of the DC Comics based Supergirl TV show.
A song by the recording artist and songwriter Shannon known for Freestyle and dance-pop music.
A movement at Immanuel bringing together ministries to work cooperatively to reach people throughout our community and beyond.
They are all correct. “Stronger Together” is a slogan that has been used in many circumstances. Bill Gates, Queen Elizabeth II, Nancy Reagan and many more have used the slogan to describe everything from the future of computers to striving for peace, even embryonic stem cell research. These are indeed powerful words.
More than just powerful words, our Stronger Together movement is a powerful collaboration! On June 25th, Immanuel held the first Stronger TogetherSummit. Nearly 100 participants came together and worked together. People showed up not knowing what to expect, and ministry teams left empowered with goals, 90-day as well as long-term, and plans to reach our community.
I’d like to point out that this was on a beautiful Saturday morning in June no less. I truly appreciate the time commitment Summit volunteers and attendees made – past, present, and future. At this groundbreaking Summit, we emphasized three absolute necessities:
We need to unify.
We need to collaborate.
We need to mobilize and establish more outposts.
I think my favorite part of the Summit was that it was a conversation, with different groups of people each talking, planning, working together and then all of us coming back together. As each ministry shared their goals and purpose with everyone, other groups saw opportunities for unprecedented collaboration. The enthusiasm was truly inspiring.
Huddled for a pre-Summit Prayer. This is how we began – Dan Heuertz, our gifted facilitator, Tom Hensley, the leader of the Stronger Together movement, and Immanuel’s pastors. Pastor Donald then welcomed everyone and officially opened the Summit in prayer.
Immanuel is blessed with many gifted people who are willing to give their time and gifts for this vital campaign. Our success is a combination of God’s rich blessings and people following through on the opportunities that open before us. We are doing nothing less than changing the direction of our church and school, not “just to survive” in this ever anti-Christian environment but to effect real, lasting, God-pleasing change in the lives of people. We are truly “Stronger Together.”
Mark your calendar now for the Stronger Together Summit II – Saturday, September 24th in the gym. Be there!
Finally, remember that we help each other in different ways. God has given us all different talents to advance his kingdom and help others. As St. Paul writes…
The evidence of the Spirit’s presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone. The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge. 1 Corinthians 12:7-8
See you in church,
Pastor Tom
P.S. Of course, this Summit would not have been possible without the Herculean efforts of the incredible volunteers on the Stronger Together team. Sometime I have to tell you more about them, but right now I know they are as excited as I am by what happened when EVERYONE came together at the Summit, and want me to focus on that. I am deeply grateful for this talented team.
Fishing line, a hook, and a cork bobber, were all carefully wound together and placed in an empty prescription bottle. The kits will be included in gift boxes that will be shipped to needy children overseas next December.
Building the Community in Christ
Of course, the second half of the slogan is more difficult than the first half. It is one thing to realize that we all benefit if we come together, break through any barriers that may exist and simply cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate. It should be obvious that we will accomplish much more, because we are “Stronger Together.”
Which is the correct statement?
Pastor Tom's Blog 