 Dear Family of Immanuel,
"There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6). We are the Body of Christ no matter what, even when separated by distance and time. Christ has died and risen for us all bringing us close to Himself in forgiveness, life, and salvation. It is my prayer, that the current context of “social distancing” will do the opposite of drifting us apart. In fact, I believe that this is a tremendous opportunity for us to draw even closer to one another, perhaps closer spiritually as a family of faith than ever before! I will lay out ways in which I see this happening below, but first I need to notify you of an update of services at Immanuel. I had a conference call with the Board of Elders with the consultation of Glenn, our council president, and Pastor Acton. It was determined that our best option at this time is to suspend all in-person gathering for Worship, Bible Studies, and activities through the end of March. At that time, we will reevaluate the situation and decide how to proceed. (The only exception could be the Food Bank, which could be a critical resource for many who will be suffering from loss of employment during this time. Ken Manon has been receiving several directions from our food bank supplier on how to proceed in a safe and sanitary way for both workers and recipients.) This situation continues to change. Most of the LCMS Churches in our region are now suspending services or are contemplating doing so. In addition, I should hear further direction from our district by this Thursday (3/19). Services I will post videos twice a week as a continuation of our regular Sunday Worship and Midweek Services. I encourage you to gather your family and follow with the service when prompted and sing with hymns when provided. Those videos will be able to be seen on our Church Website here: http://immanuel-lindenwood.org/news/category/sermon Links will also be supplied on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ImmanuelLindenwood/ Advanced: You can receive instant notifications on videos if you subscribe to our YouTube Channel and click the bell icon. The added benefit of accessing these services through YouTube is that, if you have a smart TV, you can find the videos through the YouTube App and play them on a larger screen for the whole family. You can find our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmNLU0KnbHU14jqzFIRRKg For those who do not have a computer, a printed copy of my sermon will be mailed to you. Bible Study I am looking at a conferencing app called “Zoom." You can download it onto your computer and/or smartphone. You will receive an email with the login and you can, but are not required, use audio and video from your computer to ask questions and give comments. I will be able to share images and the text right there with you. The app can be found here: https://zoom.us. More information forthcoming! Home and Family Devotions With the children home, now is a wonderful opportunity to establish regular home devotions. Concordia Publishing House has graciously sent out links to free resources. They can be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/tstyhca Staying Connected The Elders have each taken one quarter of the membership list and will call upon their assigned members regularly as long as this situation continues. They will seek to check-in on the physical and spiritual needs of our family of faith. Of course, you are always welcome to contact me for further spiritual counsel. Offerings During this time, you may still send your offerings to the Church as a check. There are also ways to set up a direct transfer through your bank to the Church. In addition, we are looking into options to facilitate e-giving. This situation has disrupted all of our lives and has caused us to adapt for the time being. Let’s make sure that it is only cause for us to be drawn closer to our Lord and together as a family of faith. Thanks be to God, we have the ability to stay connected. Christ’s Peace, Pastor Rosebrock |
