Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photo by Autumn Martin on Unsplash

Holy Communion

There are two options for receiving Holy Communion in worship.

You may pick up pre-packaged communion elements and commune in the pew, or prepare your own elements in advance if worshipping via Zoom. The pastor will say “The body of Christ given for you and the blood of Christ shed for you" following the singing of the Communion Song.

The other option is to come forward to receive the bread from the Pastor and wine or grape juice from the Assisting Minister. The glasses will be pre-poured, with the grape juice in the inner circle and wine in the outer circle. Each person will take their own glass from the tray. The Assisting Minister and Pastor will remain masked during the distribution. Please keep in mind proper physical distance from other worshippers in coming forward to consume the elements. Empty glasses can be deposited in trays on the front pews. This will be a continuous communion, standing to receive the elements.

Feeding Our Faith

Sunday March 19, 2023, 9:00 am - 10:00 am

3/19/23 – Dr. Kristen Du Mez – Confronting Our Histories

Dr. Du Mez describes her process of studying the history of White evangelicalism for her best-selling book, “Jesus and John Wayne,” and challenges her listeners to dig deeper into and be honest about our own religious histories. Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics.

Midweek Adult Spiritual Growth and Study on Zoom

Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 7:00 pm

This is a time of gathering online for prayer, check-in, and conversation around the lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday.

7:00 – 7:45 pm: Brief check in and gathering prayer. Note: During Lent we'll be doing a deep dive into the Enneagram as a tool for spiritual growth.

About The Enneagram Institute®

The Enneagram Institute®, created in 1997 by the late Don Richard Riso and by Russ Hudson, was formed to further research and development of the Enneagram, one of the most powerful and insightful tools for understanding ourselves and others. At its core, the Enneagram helps us to see ourselves at a deeper, more objective level and can be of invaluable assistance on our path to self-knowledge. (from The Enneagram Institute website.) Click on the link to learn more about the Nine Enneagram types.

Midweek Lenten Worship Services

Wednesday Evenings in March, 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear is the theme of our Midweek Lenten Worships, held both in -person and virtually from 7-7:30 PM during Wednesdays of March.

We will be using "Joyous Light Evening Prayer", a beautiful sung liturgy, with two Scripture readings each week. We'll include some time to reflect on how God's great love for us calms our fears and empowers us to reach out to our neighbors with justice and love.

Join us at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall for a Soup Supper prior to worship.

Week 4 – The Love Faith Connection

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

Second Reading: John 14:15-31

Easter Flowers Orders

We are planning to have Easter lilies and tulips to adorn the sanctuary on Easter Sunday. If you are interested in donating a lily or tulip plant, please complete a form and submit it with your payment to the office. Each plant is $15. Orders are due by Sunday, April 2, 2023. Payment can be made electronically by PayPal at www.immanuelevanston.org. Please indicate payment for Easter Flowers 2023.

If you wish to mail a check payment to the church office, fill out this form or print out this form and complete it, and mail both the form AND the check to:

Immanuel Lutheran Church

616 Lake St.

Evanston, IL 60201-4413

Thank you for helping us celebrate Easter with beautiful flowers.

Generations Confirmation Lunch

Serve and Join!

Parker and Elora Kloster have been participating in a joint Confirmation program called Generations. The third 6-week unit will be at St. Johns (Wilmette).

It's Immanuel’s turn to provide lunch for the group at 12:30 pm each Sunday. Consider supporting this program by providing one of the lunches (feeding about 20). Lunch providers are encouraged to join in the meal, and stay for the class if you are so inclined. Here is a Google doc to sign up. Pastor Mark and Susan will do the first week. This is a great way to support and serve.

Indoor Winter Farmers Market

Saturday

March 18, 2023

8:00 am - 12:30 pm



Come for Breakfast!

Curt's Cafe is Back!

Immanuel's Rich Immigrant History....

Immigration has been a constant topic in the news recently. If you've ever wondered about the history of Immanuel and whether our church has connections to the American immigration story, you're in for a treat. Recently Laura McDaniel, who is pursuing graduate studies, received the following assignment...

The assignment for the final paper was to look at the immigration story of a group of people to the wider Chicagoland area. My thoughts immediately came to Immanuel. I fondly remember many of the stories Mid Carlson and Judy Hokenson (and others!) told me over the years. It became clear that the early Swedes of Evanston were to be my topic. 

Immanuel’s archives hold a treasure trove of information about a thriving, vibrant community. It was fascinating to read through records of meetings (always with singing and treats!!), pastoral reports, and newsletters in Swedish and English... As much as I took the time to dig though, I only scratched the surface. The history of Immanuel is indeed rich and deep. Even our library holds some gems like Ernest W. Olson’s History of the Swedes of Illinois (1908).  

My thanks to Jane Kaihatsu, Mark Kearns, Melisa Larson, Kathy and Jim Skelton, Laurie Stivers, and Pastor Mark for sharing leads along the path.

I laughed and cried many times while writing this piece. Oh, that Holy Spirit….  I hope you find it of interest.

--Laura McDaniel

More of Laura's research, other documents, archival photos, rediscovered videos and writings from long-ago will be featured in future Newsfeeds and the church Newsletter God's Hands in the coming months.

Friday, March 17, 2023, at 7 pm 

Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 3 pm

Reba Place Church - 620 Madison St., Evanston

Reba Place Church will be hosting the theater group Ted & Company for two shows of We Own This Now. Starring Ted Swartz and Michelle Milne, We Own This Now is a play by Alison Casella Brookins that looks at love of land, loss of land, and what it means to “own” something.

Chris has farmed the land his grandmother found as a home in Kansas after fleeing Russia almost 100 years ago; his daughter Riley is learning more about who was on that land before her Oma arrived, and the jarring connections she has to the fate of those people. We follow Chris and Riley as they navigate their changing relationship to each other and to the land their family has farmed for several generations.

Diving into historical documents, absurd situations, and extended metaphors, the audience discovers alongside Riley and Chris how the Doctrine of Discovery (the legal framework that justifies theft of land and oppression of Indigenous Peoples) is still being used and causing harm today.

We Own This Now provides a starting point for further conversation: What does it mean to “own” something? What is the relationship between “owning” and “taking” — and what is the relationship between “ownership” and (taking) responsibility?

Tickets Not Required / $10 Suggested Donation. Please note the play is intended primarily for settler audiences. Sponsored by Reba Place Church, Unitarian Church of Evanston, and Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary.

For more information click here.

Go 'Cats! Good luck in the tourney!

The Big Payback Documentary

is playing on PBS. This informative and engaging program tell the story of Evanston becoming the first community in the nation to pass reparations legislation.

Get free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests this winter

According to covid.gov, every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-⁠19 tests. Click the button to learn how to order your free tests.

Need help placing an order for your at-⁠home tests?

Call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).