Week of May 9 eNews -- Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Emmanuel Lutheran Church eNews

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Week of May 9, 2021

This week at Emmanuel...

May 8: Worship @ 5pm
May 9: Worship @ 8:30am and 10am
May 11 @ 10am: Torah Tuesdays w/Donna Batchelor
May 13 @ 10am: Thursdays Together
May 14: @ 9:30am: Centering Prayer w/Birdie Clark
Signup is now open for Altar Flowers and Eternal Candle dedication for May-July of 2021 through the links below or contact the church office.

Kite Flying on Venice Beach

Sponsored by our Evangelism Committee. Visit the Events Page on our Website to view a slide show of more photos from this and other recent happenings at Emmanuel.

Check Us Out!!!

We are happy to announce that Emmanuel is now a member of Venice Mainstreet. Click here to see the article in the latest edition of their Newsletter. This will be another avenue in getting the word out about Emmanuel and "God's Work Our Hands" in our community.

We need pictures please...

If you have a group or any activity at Emmanuel, please take some pictures and send them to the office at info@emmanuel-elca.org. We would like to put current activities on our website for others to see and explore!

Livenson turns “Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones”… with help from his friends.

We have all felt the fears and isolation of the past year living in a Pandemic. It appears we are on the mend finally and are grateful and excited for the future. We thank God for keeping us safe.

The conditions in Haiti are extreme. Not only are they battling the Pandemic, the violence and political upheaval is at an extremely high level. Four nuns and a few priests were recently kidnapped and the roads are unsafe to travel. Pastor Livenson's children must stay at home at this time as it is not safe to travel to and from school. But Pastor Livenson has been working hard trying to continue to bring the message of the Gospel to our brothers and sisters in Haiti during this time as well. He is also distributing the PPE that arrived from Emmanuel’s benefactors, Harry and Nancy Lukas, as he is able. He has distributed the PPE to 18 of his 35 congregations in the countryside a little at a time. Most of the Synod Haiti Team projects have been on hold since the Pandemic started and as the violence continues but God’s grace and love is known to the people of Haiti through his love and dedication. There is much that Haiti still needs in supplies and work is being done to try and get more donations to Pastor Livenson and our many Lutheran congregations in need.

Pastor Livenson has 14 new small congregations getting ready to be part of the Lutheran Church of Haiti so the work continues in spite of the many “Stumbling Blocks.” He will be asking for help from the Synod to offer seminars in the fall and winter for these new communities of faith to teach the doctrines and beliefs of the Lutheran Church to them. God’s love is bringing hope to the Haitians.

Pastor Livenson sends much love and gratitude to our Emmanuel family. Pastor Livenson says that without our generous support and help over the years, the Lutheran Church in Haiti would not exist, let alone continue to grow through these challenging times. His work in Haiti continues to turn “Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones” of faith for his people. Our Emmanuel community of faith has a beautiful bond with our family in Haiti and Livenson continues to say “Thank You.” As we continue in partnership with the LCH, we also turn ”Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones.” Thank you for continuing to be a part of this wonderful and much needed ministry outreach.

Be a Stepping Stone…Prayers and hope for the future,

Lynne Ross, Haiti Team Liaison

Want to help out at Emmanuel but only have a few hours a couple times a month? We have the job for you. We need someone (or a couple) to take over the delivery of food collected at Emmanuel to the South County Food Pantry. This would need to be done a couple times a month. Please contact the office if you are willing to help! Thanks so much!

The South County Food Pantry cart will be in the Narthex this month to accept donations. Please only bring items when you come to worship. Donations during the week may be dropped off at the Pantry located at 121 Warfield Ave, Venice, 9am to 12noon weekdays.

As we plan for more activities at Emmanuel, we are in need of Blood Pressure Volunteers. Contact Barb at parishnurse@emmanuel-elca.org.

Barb's Medical Minute

The jury is out on how little or how much plastic is safe for human health. Some researchers say the average person consumes up to 5 grams a week—the equivalent of a credit card!

To reduce the plastic you may be taking into your body, experts advise that you:

Drink tap water not bottled
buy and store food in glass, silicone, or foil
eat fresh food that is not packaged in plastic
vacuum regularly since house dust may be loaded with plastic and chemicals that are found in plastic.

Great….something else to worry about!

Upcoming Events and Opportunities:

Explore Centering Prayer to enrich your prayer life. Birdie Clark leads this group for those new to Centering Prayer as well as those who have perhaps practiced before on Fridays at 9:30am. All are welcome!

Please email or phone Birdie if you are interested or have questions at birdieclark48@aol.com or 941.488.4360.

Join via Zoom on Fridays at 9:30am

See the Torah Tuesday Video Showcase - Click Here

Join via Zoom this Thursday @ 10am

Embark on an epic quest through hidden ruins, ancient caves, and dense jungles. At Treasured VBS, kids dig into action-packed, faith-filled adventures. They’ll discover God’s greatest treasure isn’t diamonds, gems, or gold–it's them! Click the button below to view an introduction video and for online registration for both kids and volunteers.

Our Garden Angels were busy at work starting to clean up the landscaping around the church campus. If you would like to "dig in", they will next be working on May 17th at 8:30am. Hope to see you there!! Contact Lynne Ross.

In Our Prayers...

Walter Anderson (Mike's father), Jack Eagon (in St. Louis hospital), Jon Fusselman, Sharon Graves, George Hawkins, Marlys Huselid, Jean Mosby, Darold Sage, Don Stratton, and Tom Zwetschke.

Ewen & Mary Ellen Bryden have relocated to Illinois to be closer to family.

We welcome Don & Janice Lutz to the Emmanuel Family. They are coming to us from Lakeside Lutheran and now live at VOTI.

The best source for up-to-date information about our members is by using the mobile directory. To receive the link and password for this, email info@emmanuel-elca.org.

If you do not have access to this directory, a new printed copy of our membership information is available at the table in the Narthex.

May thru July Now Available!

July sign-ups are now available. Click the links below to reserve your date to remember or honor a loved one or a special event by sponsoring the Altar Flowers or Eternal Candle for April-June. Please submit your dedication with payment no later than 2 weeks prior to your reserved date. If you have any questions or are unable to sign-up online, contact the office.

Altar Flowers May-July

Eternal Candle May-July

Registration Information

You may also register for this coming weekend as well as next weekend through our website www.emmanuel-elca.org.
When you register for worship and find your preferred service is full, you might want to check another service.
If you need to edit or cancel your registration, use the links provided in the email confirmation you received when registering.

Remember these guidelines when coming to worship:

6 feet social distancing requirements - do not crowd pews.
Remember to wear a mask with nose and mouth covered and use the hand sanitizer available in the narthex or pews.
Limited seating is available in the balcony. Please wait for an usher to escort you. The seats in the back of the sanctuary should only be used when the pews are "full".
Please do not stop and visit in the narthex or inside the sanctuary.
Wait for the ushers to dismiss your row. They start at the back of the sanctuary. For everyone’s safety and proper distancing, follow the ushers instructions.

Reminder: Please wear your Name Badges when attending worship so we know who you are while wearing your face masks!!! Also, please silence your cell phone out of consideration for all worshippers.

Readings for This Week

May 9

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:44-48

Psalm 98

I John 5:1-6

John 15:9-17

May 13

Ascension of our Lord

Acts 1:1-11

Psalm 47

Ephesians 1:15-23

Luke 24:44-53

May 16

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 1:15-17,21-26

Psalm 1

I John 5:9-13

John 17:6-19

For your information...

Want to know more about some of the items in eNews? When viewing the eNews online or on your mobile device and you see the pointing finger when running your mouse over a graphic or text, you will be able to link to more information such as a flyer, website, etc. Try it with the top picture of the church!!

Previous copies of the eNews may be viewed by clicking here.

Devotional/worship: Sunday Worship is posted after 8:30am to the website and the 10am service is live-streamed on FaceBook. Thursdays Together with Pastor Hall is accessible through the Zoom link above. All previous worship services are also available through our website by clicking on the Vimeo logo in the upper left corner of the posted video on the website.

Check out Emmanuel's website on the Events page to view upcoming events, Sunday's announcement PowerPoint, and pictures of recent activities as available.