Emanuel Happenings

Special guests Branches Band will be leading worship at Emanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday, Dec. 19, at both the 8:00am and 10:30am services. Join us for a beautiful carol service to prepare our hearts for Christmas! Branches Band exists to serve Christ through their music. Members of the band Andy Braun (guitar, vocals, and harmonica) and Rachel Braun (vocals, small percussion, and piano) travel all over the country with this ministry playing hymns and original songs based on Scripture to edify worship services, add fun to church functions, help with VBS, and so much more! For more information visit: www.branchesband.com www.facebook.com/branchesband CDs and other merchandise will be available afterwards.

  All are invited to our Thanksgiving Worship services here at Emanuel Lutheran Church.  We will have in-person and live-streamed services on Wednesday night, Nov. 24, at 7:00pm, and on Thursday morning, Nov. 25, at 9:30am. The service will also be broadcast on 92.3FM at 9:30am on Thursday morning. Join us in person, online, or on the radio, as we give thanks to God for his abundant blessings!

All are invited to join our 3P and 4K students in worshipping the baby Jesus! The students will use their show and tell to teach you about the birth of the Savior! Join us Sunday, December 5, from 9:30-10:10am at Emanuel Lutheran Church, New London. You will be invigorated by the children's excitement for Jesus!  

  All children ages birth-5 and their grown-ups, siblings, and friends are invited to join us for Christmas fun at CHRISTMAS JAM (Jesus and Me) on Saturday, Dec. 11, 9-11:00am. We'll learn the story of Jesus with games in the gym, Christmas crafts, and holiday snacks. Hope to see many families there as we tell children the story of Jesus' birth!

  All women of Emanuel and the community are welcome to attend Emanuel's annual Advent by Candlelight event on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 6:30pm in the Emanuel Commons. Join us as we prepare our hearts and minds for the Advent season through song, word,  fellowship and desserts! Sign up for the event by calling the Emanuel office, at 920-982-5444 or emailing at church@emanuelnl.org or go online at www.Emanuelnl.org We are still looking for volunteers to host tables for the event. Please let the office know if you are interested in decorating a table.

The new blue hymnals are in the pews! Thank you to the members of Emanuel's Church Choir and additional volunteers (even the youngest ones!) for helping to break open and unpack 500 hymnals! Next time you worship, be sure to pick one up and explore the opening pages, which contain devotional resources, personal prayers, and even Luther's Small Catechism. We are so excited to use these hymnals to sing and proclaim the good news of Jesus for generations to come! "Come, let us sing to the LORD!"

After many months of prayer and preparation, we're ready to make a big step in Emanuel's ministry, beginning this weekend. Now is the time to respond to our Forward! Campaign with a personal COMMITMENT CARD.  Cards can be returned in a variety of ways: Place a commitment card in any offering box before or after worship this weekend. Deliver a commitment card to the church office throughout the week via mail or in-person Complete a commitment card online by following this link: FORWARD Digital Commitment As always, you are welcome to reach out with questions or comments, or if you would like to talk to our team about different ways to commit to the project. Continue to pray for the project and for the ministry that surrounds it and supports it!

Sixth-Grade Teacher Chris Luebke in Action  We were blessed with 13 Newline 75” interactive touch displays, Chromeboxes, and document cameras. The large screen 4K touch displays replace our vintage SMART boards and projectors. The onboard Chromeboxes (different version of Chromebooks) allow teachers to access all their files loaded in their Google Drives without added cables or devices. With cables, any device with an HDMI jack can be connected. The touch screen capability enables teachers or students to use their fingers to click, write, and annotate documents, forms, or anything displayed. And because these are connected to the Internet, teachers can show live video or anything online. The document cameras project any opaque objects directly to the screen. Thus far, nine of our rooms are equipped with them. Feel free to stop by one of these classrooms for a live demonstration.

 As we conclude our sermon series on Emanuel's FORWARD project, members are invited to prayerfully consider responding with a commitment card mailed at the end of October. Cards and envelopes are also available at the FORWARD Kiosk near the sanctuary entrance.  Cards can be returned to the church office in person or by mail or dropped in a FORWARD collection box before or after services. A DIGITAL CONNECTION CARD is also available.  Commitment Cards can be returned between November 14 and 21.    Contact church leadership or the pastoral team with your questions: church@emanuelnl.org.  God's blessings on our efforts as we go FORWARD!

 Beginning Sunday, November 14, you are invited to join us in studying God's beautiful truth in the beautiful words of the Psalms. The pastoral team will lead a 6-week course on "The Gospel in the Psalms" Sunday mornings at 9:15am in the sanctuary.

  This November begins a new three-week sermon series on the very important topic of HEAVEN.  As Christians who look forward to heaven, we often wonder about what to expect when we die or what our loved ones who have died are experiencing now.  This series is based on a new hymn from our hymnal, "When Will I Walk" and highlights three important themes of All Saints' Sunday, Last Judgment Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday.  Join us for all three weeks as we look at each verse of the hymn: When will I walk the shining streets of gold Which lie behind the massive gates of pearl Where saints triumphant live in bliss untold And all around the alleluias swirl? My days, O Lord, are trouble-filled and few, and I'm not home until I'm home with you. When will I wear the robe of brilliant white And raise aloft the victor's branch of palm, Where long-forgotten is the noble fight And glassy seas betray a perfect calm? My days, O Lord, are trouble-filled and few, and I'

 Dear Members of Emanuel: We wanted to respond with a note of appreciation of our own for the encouragement and support that you offered this past month as a part of Pastor Appreciation Month. We are honored and humbled to be serving you and pray that God would continue to guide us as we work together in ministry. Thank you for your generosity and for your love in Christ! Sincerely, Pastor Bill Heiges & Paula Pastor Marcus Schulz & Lori Pastor Mark Tiefel & Kate

 This past week, our eighth-grade classes helped to unload some long-awaited freight.  Copies of a new hymnal for our church and school have arrived! Christian Worship: Hymnal is a completely new version of our synod's previous hymnal. It includes hundreds of familiar hymns, and hundreds of new hymns as well.  We'll be unpacking the books during the next few weeks and will have them ready for use in worship by Thanksgiving. Students will also be receiving their hymnals in the next few weeks. If you ordered a hymnal, pick it up in the church office after November 8.