February 22, 2012

Immanuel Lutheran Church

616 Lake Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201

Colors? Close Panel

Q: Why does your website change colors?

A: You will notice that our website changes colors with the liturgical seasons:

Advent - Blue is used for its references to hope.

Christmas - White/Gold is used, as a reference to the purity of the newborn Christ, and to our light and joy in him.

Lent - Purple is indicated, as the stark color of repentance and solemnity.

Easter - White/Gold as the color of joy in the Resurrection.

Pentecost - Red as the color of fire is used when we remember the tongues of fire descended on the crowd in Jerusalem.

Other Sundays of the year use green to indicate our growth in faith as we follow the teachings and ministry of Christ.

02 Jun 11

Immanuel's Social Ministry committee has several activities throughout the year to support social causes in our community and around the world. There are also several service groups outside the committee. Participants are mostly members of Immanuel, but several non-members also participate. Click the menu to the left to find out more and see some photos of our ministries at work.

Regular events:

+ First (and often the Second) Thursday of the month, 10:00 am Sewing Group

+ Usually the Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm Evening Quilters

+ Fourth (or sometimes Fifth) Friday of the month, 7:00 pm Evening Quilters

Evening Quilters is frequently rescheduled due to varied uses of Fellowship Hall. Check the church calendar for the month for the exact date.

We no longer have a set time to get together and knit or crochet, but we have an annual holiday project for which members make hand made mittens and hats and present them to a children's program at a worthy local school. Members also make tote bags and back packs for Lutheran World Relief. At an annual drive, we collect school supplies to filll these packs.

Volunteer groups from Immanuel occasionally help out at ESCCA (Evanston School Children's Clothing Association) and at the Night Ministry. Also twice a year, we provide snacks for the Hospitality Center.

Our Green Paragraph

Do you know what a locavore is?

It was the New Oxford American Dictionary 2007 word of the year, and it's a green thing to be. A locavore is a person who only eats foods produced within 100 miles of where they consume it. That is a bit difficult for us Midwesterners in the middle of winter, but we can still buy Michigan grown apples that are sweet and crisp and mushrooms can be grown just about anywhere. You probably already eat Wisconsin cheeses. Have you tried an Illinois wine? There are many opportunities to find locally produced food, especially at the Farmer's Markets. In this era of reading the labels for nutrition and trans fats, also look to see where the food comes from and choose local when you can.

08 Jan 12

Ministry Groups

Sewing Group

This group meets the first Thursday from 10 a.m. on, enjoys lunch together, and works on quilts for Lutheran World Relief (see below) as well as other projects that help the needy.

Evening Quilters

This group meets from January through October, usually on the second Thursday and fourth Friday of the month. They assemble quilts and comforters for Lutheran World Relief. Several members make quilt tops at home. Others are created at church. Most are batted and tied. In September, the quilts are displayed throughout the church before being boxed and shipped.

Hospitality Center for the Homeless in Evanston

We have occasional drives to collect healthy snacks for the Evanston Interfaith Action Hospitality Center. We provide juice and other beverages, crackers and spreads several times a year.

The Night Ministry in Chicago

The Night Ministry is a group in Chicago that serves people of all ages on the streets of Chicago. When needed, a group from Immanuel spends a weekday afternoon or Saturday morning organizing health items to be handed out on the Night Ministry buses. Occasionally, the Social Ministry Group pairs with the Youth Group to prepare and serve a meal to the people who come to the bus.

Lutheran World Relief

Lutheran World Relief is an inter-Lutheran and international organization that meets crisis situations in various parts of the world. Immanuel supports Lutheran World Relief throughout the year, but mostly in late summer and early fall when we gather supplies for LWR kits. These may be school kits, health kits, or sewing kits. In 2010, we assembled over 75 school kits. We also collect money to help pay for the delivery of items to the people served by LWR.

08 Jan 12

Cafe Immanuel

This innovative ministry serves a gourmet breakfast to members, friends, and guests the first Sunday of the month between 9 and 10 a.m. It provides opportunities for fellowship before worship and outreach into the Evanston community. Sometimes members celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries at the Café. Under the direction of Chef Sarah Stegner, co-owner of the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, and Chris Djuric, who relates to several farmers' markets in the Chicago area, a high number of volunteers (both members and friends of the congregation), including adults and youth, prepare and serve breakfast and welcome guests.

A typical Café menu

The Café menu changes to reflect the bountiful variety of produce, cheese, and meat available to us, and the rich experience and creativity of the Café chefs. On a typical Sunday you can expect your choice of:

A fresh buttermilk waffle with a yummy topping
A creative and satisfying presentation of fresh eggs
Fresh-squeezed fruit juice or fruit smoothies

Join us for breakfast before worship on the first Sunday of the month! Please bring your friends and enter through the courtyard door to the Café, which serves meals in the Fellowship Hall.