Today's date is Wednesday Aug 20, 2008.

Here is our church calendar for this month.

Pastor Senn has returned from vacation and is tending to pastoral care and fall activities. The surgery on his left elbow is healing fine. He's seeing a physical therapist twice a week to get his new elbow working and to improve his mobility. He will be back in the pulpit on August 17.



Evangelism - August news

The Evangelism Committee has met to discuss creative changes to Café Immanuel when it starts up again on September 7. We continue to fine tune Café Immanuel to make it even more welcoming and enjoyable, both for our membership and for the whole community. Please invite a friend, a neighbor, a relative, or all three to Café Immanuel on September 7 to enjoy a delicious gourmet breakfast and warm fellowship before worship.

On August 30 the Evangelism Committee is sponsoring a bake sale at the Evanston Farmers' Market. Proceeds will go towards retiring the improvement debt, and we will use the event to distribute information about Immanuel. We need all kinds of helpers. Please contact Bill Pullin if you would like to help make this bake sale a big success. EVERYONE can help by starting now to bake and freeze your favorite cookies. We will also sell fresh baked goods that you can deliver the day of the sale, but the classic item will be a baggy full of cookies that someone can munch on while strolling through the market on Saturday morning. Questions? Ask Bill Pullin.



Social Ministry - Lutheran World Relief School Kits Social Ministry is collecting school supplies for Lutheran World Relief. LWR school kits are given to children around the world returning to school after the disruption of war or natural disaster.

We particularly need: ▸ 30-centimeter (12") rulers, ▸ erasers (2.5"), ▸ construction paper, ▸ boxes of 24 crayons.

Place the items in Fellowship Hall near the Swedish flag.



Café Immanuel on Break

Café Immanuel will be closed for a Summer break from July 27 through August 31, 2008. Service will resume on September 7, 2008. The breakfast menu until summer break will include eggs made to order, waffles with topping, and the usual beverage options. The evangelism of Café Immanuel is to invite the entire community into our building, to provide fellowship and refreshment as a preparation for worship, and to show the community that we are a hard-working, talented group of believers in the spirit of Christ.





Immanuel’s Anniversary Celebration

The Evangelism Committee is working to help plan and conduct the celebration of Immanuel’s 120th anniversary. The two day event will include food and live music on Saturday, September 27, and a festival liturgy on Sunday, September 28, followed by a birthday party during coffee hour. The evangelism of this event is to publicize events effectively and make the community aware of what is going on at Immanuel. We will also proclaim our message and activities at the events of the weekend.



What You Can Do for Evangelism

Evangelism is about making and strengthening connections with the church. If you see someone at church whom you don’t know well — whether that person is a member or a visitor — go out of your way to greet that person before or after the service, above and beyond the sharing of the peace. Think of what you know about Immanuel that might be helpful to that person.



THE YEAR OF PAUL

Pope Benedict XVI declared the year between June 29, 2008 (the Festival of Peter and Paul) and June 28, 2009 to be the celebration of the 2,000th birthday of St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. The ELCA has also initiated a “Book of Faith” emphasis to get members to read and know the Bible. Beginning with the letters of Paul would seem like a good place for Lutherans to begin. Pastor Senn recommends as a good general introduction Garry Wills, "What Paul Meant" (Viking Press 2006). Wills is not a biblical scholar. He is a reputable historian with a classical training who is now Professor of History Emeritus at Northwestern University and an active Roman Catholic. This is a book that could be discussed in an adult study group that might meet with Pastor Senn at his house on Monday or Tuesday evenings in the fall. Since we are also in the year of Matthew, we could follow up "What Paul Meant" with "What the Gospels Meant", also by Garry Wills, and also a good introduction to the four gospels. A very important perspective on St. Paul is provided by the late Swedish Bishop and Harvard Professor Krister Stendahl, "Paul Among Jews and Gentiles" (Fortress Press 1976). Interestingly, Stendahl also wrote about "The School of Matthew."

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