Growing Together Blog

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Written by Tom Smith Friday, 03 September 2010 14:31

When I did my first draft of this article about our Men’s Ministry here at Immanuel, I gave it to my wife to proofread. After all, she was an English major and an English teacher (NOTE: I avoided English like the plague, opting instead for Physics and Calculus.) She considerately read it, and calmly said “Dear, this is all about food. Do you think you should mention anything about your actual ministry time?” “I suppose you’re right”, I replied. “After all that is our primary purpose!”

All kidding aside, when we began our Men’s Ministry a few years ago, we had two primary goals in mind:

First, to provide a relaxed friendly environment where men could get together with other men to enjoy fellowship, build relationships, and sharpen each other as “iron sharpens iron”.

We accomplish this first goal by spending the first 30 minutes or so enjoying great food and fellowship, and building friendships. You would not believe the great barbecue, burgers and chili we have enjoyed… just to name a few!

Second, to add value to the lives of our men by helping us to understand how God’s Word applies to our lives right now, in today’s world, with today’s challenges, in a real and practical way.

In short, we are all about MEN, knowing other MEN in the Lord, and sharpening and strengthening each other in the process! Our men have come together to help each other build things, tear down things, and haul things.

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 27 August 2010 19:33

Worship … A. W. Tozer called it “the missing jewel of the evangelical church.”  That may sound rather strange to us because we talk about worship in the church all the time.  Most churches would label what they do on Sunday morning as a “worship service.”  But can we say that our worship …

… measures up to the right standard?  (The Word of God)

… depends on the proper dynamic?  (The Spirit of God)

… exhibits the correct motivation?  (The Love of God)

… and pursues the appropriate goal?  (The Glory of God)

That is certainly our desire.  Worship is one of the grand themes of Scripture.  Some form of the word appears nearly 200 times in the Bible.  We are invited, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6).  As Christians we are defined as those who “worship God in Spirit” or “worship by the Spirit of God” (Philippians 3:3).  And the Bible closes its pages with this strong admonition, “Worship God” (Revelation 22:9).

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Written by Administrator Thursday, 19 August 2010 15:26

This fall we are introducing a new initiative of small groups called Soma Life.  (Soma is a Greek word meaning “Body.”)  These body life groups are an opportunity for us to enrich our fellowship and connection with one another in the Body of Christ.  This is a “pilot program” in which we will evaluate if this will serve the congregation and meet the needs of God’s people effectively.  Here are the four topics and speakers for our fall sessions.  Participation will be on a first-come first-served basis.

SOMA LIFE Groups

DVD Series Synopsis

A series of four stand-alone DVD’s all revolving around one common theme:  Worldview, the theological, philosophical system that determines all we do.  All four DVD’s will rotate among the four SOMA LIFE Groups

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 13 August 2010 11:46

Easter Offering

The annual Easter offering typically provides an opportunity for the church family to give to a special need that is not included in the budget.  This year, the Easter offering was designated for some much-needed capital improvements at the church.  The Easter offering amounted to $17,987.  The proceeds were allocated to the following important projects:

• Repair the CE wing roof to mitigate water leaks                   $5,300
• Replace the air conditioning unit in the Primary area          $3,013
• Replace the air conditioning unit in the Mizpah area           $7,995
• Install windows in staff office doors to provide visibility   $  879
• Add an access door to the Nursery to accommodate nursing mothers$  800

This work has now been completed.  Thank you for your continued faithful support of this ministry.  – Dave Cummings and the Finance Committee

Giving Report