Emanuel Lutheran Church

July 2019

Enlightener

Sunday Worship Service 11 a.m.

Michael Holman, LLM

(231)824-6757 (cell)

holmi@1fj.com

Emanuel Lutheran Church: 906-942-7245

emanuel@tds.net www.be-Lutheran.org

Emanuel Lutheran Church of Skandia , ELCA

125th Anniversary ~ Sunday, August 25, 2019

1980-1989~ One of the dreams Emanuel had when building a new parish hall in

1979 was that the church would be able to provide a meeting place for community

groups. That dream was fulfilled over and over again in the 1980’s. Though they

temporarily had to meet elsewhere while the parish hall was under construction,

Emanuel gladly welcomed back the A. A. group and in 1983 offered a place for Al-

Anon to meet. In 1982, several members of our parish began the Little Folks Coop-

erative Nursery. Little Folks met on weekday morning and provided classes for 3

and 4 year olds. In late 1987, the Girl Scouts and brownies began using the parish

hall for their weekly meetings. The vision of opening our doors to others in the

community became a reality as the church opened its doors then and today, to

those in our community who provide a variety of important ministries.

Council Members

Sandi Ruotsi

Mary Lou Behrens

Jolene Kokko

Betsy Koski

Jane Sims

Jesse Kainulainen

Dan Bahrman

Christian Education

Betsy Koski ~ Confirmation

Leah Kainulainen , Karen Maki ~

Sunday School

Sandi Ruotsi ~ Adult Forum

Office

Jolene Kokko ~ Office Assistant

Michael Holman, LLM

(231)824-6757 (cell) Email: holmi@1fj.com

Office Hours: Mon. & Thurs. 9AM-2PM

Committee Leaders

Sandi Ruotsi ~ Council

President

Barb Bach ~ Stewardship

Sarah Kimball ~ Outreach

Betsy Koski ~ Christian

Education

Betsy Koski ~ 125th

Anniversary Committee

Leah Kainulainen ~ Youth

Mission

Jane Sims ~ Worship &

Music

Roger Kimball ~ Building

& Property

Pam Bahrman~ Cemetery

Business Manager

The deadline for submitting

information for the August

Enlightener is Sunday, July 21.

Emanuel Lutheran Church has both a

Face Book Page and website! Catch

up on upcoming and past events, our

monthly calendar and Enlightener

newsletters at:

www.be-lutheran.org

Congregational Leadership

Sunday Worship Service is at 11AM

through October .

Date Acolyte Ushers Lector

07/07 Luke Kainulainen Donna Oiver & Sandi Ruotsi Betsy Koski

07/14 Tiffany Ridolphi Dale Weingartner & Richard Cooke Patti Bergdahl

07/21 Ecumenical Service at Skandia Township Community Center

07/28 Hailey Ridolphi Bahrman Family Sally Weingartner

July 7 -Vonnie Stenfors

July 9-John Maki

July 11– Mark Krans

July 14-Ryan Rickaby

July 19-Lee Whitaker

July 20 –Mary Heath

July 22– Ron Smith

July 22-Ryan Yearicks

July 24-Leah Kainulainen

July 24-Isaac McMaster

July 29 Elizabeth McCarthy

July 13-Mark & Iva Arnett

July 13- Dale & Sally Weingartner

~ Thanks to Those Who Serve~

Birthday Blessings Anniversary Blessings

Thank you to Sandi Ruotsi for sponsoring

the July worship bulletins “in memory of

Al.”

Sisters and brothers in our savior Jesus the Christ, peace be with you

always.

By now most of the graduation parties are over and you would think that

we could all have a little time to just relax a little. No running from here to

there and back again, a little time to slow down, tend to the garden a bit

and watch the summer growing season take control. But wait there is more!

All of a sudden we find ourselves running off to weddings, family reunions,

holiday celebrations, or taking care of things at camp. We surely have busy

lives. Vacation travels and vacation travelers continue to fill our calendars

as well as adjusting for our change in worship time. Busy lives indeed hardly

a moment to smell the roses.

I suppose that all this busyness is good for us. It is the stuff that makes us

feel alive. Connecting with friends and family can lift our spirit and brighten

our days. It is a chance for us to grow, to plant and nurture new ideas and

to make new connections perhaps even unexpected ones. As we move

about the countryside this summer let us be open to the possibilities that

surround us. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide confident that wherever you

might be lead, however uncomfortable it might be, you can trust that our

Lord is with you.

During the coming weeks we will hear many stories about what it means

to be part of “The Way”, to be a follower of our Lord and Savior Jesus. If

your busy schedule finds you out of town, search out a local place of

worship and join them in singing praises to Almighty God, the author of life.

Reach out and offer prayers to those around you who are in need and

demonstrate the love of Christ that lives and breathes in you. Push your

comfort zone a smidge and watch the amazing things that God places

before you.

Safe travels as you go along your Way, bursting with confidence and joy

that the Lord is with you.

Shalom,

Michael

July 2019

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wed Thursday Friday Sat

1

AA-7pm

2

Quilting

At Toni’s

9:30AM

3 4

Independ-

ence Day

5 6

7

Worship

11 am

8

AA-7pm

9

Quilting

At Toni’s

9:30AM

10 11 12 13

Felllowship

Hall

Reserved

during Day

14

Worship

11 am

Council

Mtg. 1 pm

15

AA-7pm

16

Quilting

At Toni’s

9:30AM

17 18 19 20

Skandia

Day’s

Parade

11AM

21 Ecumenical

Worship

Service

Skandia

Center

10AM

22

Outreach

Mtg. 10AM

AA-7pm

23

Quilting

At Toni’s

9:30AM

24 25 26 27

28 Worship

11 am

Christian

Ed. Mtg.

after fellow-

ship

29

AA-7pm

30

Quilting

At Toni’s

9:30AM

31

New Roof Raffle~ 500 Tickets Still To Sell!

A beautiful handmade quilt donated by Connie Ritter and

a handmade Michigan stone lamp donated by Carol

Mattson are the prizes for our raffle this summer for the

new roof. Tickets are $1 each. You do not need to be

present to win at the drawing, to be

held at our 125th Anniversary Pro-

gram on Saturday, August 24. We

need help selling tickets! Please see Roger Kimball after

Sunday worship for tickets to buy or sell. Thank you for

helping this fundraiser for our new roof a success!

An Update on the Roof

By the time you are reading this, our new roof should be complete! Okler Construction from Norway has done tremendous work and the end result is a beautiful new roof that will last for decades. Many thanks to the workers from Okler, to Roger Kimball for all the time and energy spent in organizing the project, and to Laurie Beau-champ and Jolene Kokko for providing lunch for the workers.

As with many construction projects, once begun the need for more repair becomes evident. So is the case with the roof. Many of the boards beneath the cedar shakes were rotten, so an underlayment had to be installed. It is a minor miracle that our steeple was still standing, and additional repairs were required to keep it stable. These two factors increased the cost by over $9,800. Our monthly loan payment is $466. Please prayerfully consider making regular gifts to help with this each month, in addition to your general fund giving. Thank you for your generosity and for making this beautiful new roof a reality.

Remember in Prayer …

Our members, family, and friends who are ill, have health

concerns, are grieving, or are in need.

Our members who are absent from worship and unable to

attend … Herb Anderson

and prayers for Lori Linna-Cooke, Paul Johnson, Bill Johnson,

Sonny Robinson, Vonda Berglund & Toni Peterson.

Our Thanks and Praise to God.

If you have a prayer request, please let the office know by

calling or by leaving a message at 942-7245.

Outreach Update

Our next monthly Outreach Meeting is Monday, July 22 at 10 a.m.

Thank you to all the Ladies who stepped up to help me with food

for Monday, July 8, to serve lunch to the crew at Habitat for

Humanity. We will probably be asked to serve again in August, so if

you can help please let me know, Sarah Kimball, 906-942-7492.

We are hoping to have a few more raffle items for the Annual

Holiday Bazaar and Quilt Sale in November. We are looking for

handmade items with a value of over $25. If you know of someone

who makes a handcrafted item, please ask them if they would con-

sider donating to our annual bazaar raffle. This year’s event date is

Saturday, November 23. If you have any questions, please ask!

Enjoy your summer days,

Sarah

Our Anniversary Celebration Continues

As we continue to celebrate the 125th year of Emanuel’s founding, be sure to take note of the following:

Cookbooks, Mugs & More: Be sure to get your copy of our 125th Anniversary cookbook ($7); an anniversary mug ($6); a Christmas ornament ($3); or one of several notecards depicting Emanuel ($1). They are available each Sunday or by contacting Betsy or Jolene. Skandia Days Float: Be a part of the fun as we walk alongside Emanuel’s float in the Skandia Days Parade on Saturday, July 20th. Youth and adults are invited to show their Emanuel spirit! We will meet at Maple Lane Farm to assembly the float and walk the parade route. Watch your bulletins for time and more details.

August Celebration Banquet: Reservations for our Saturday, August 24 banquet are due by August 1. The banquet will be catered by the A & M café and will include a complete turkey dinner, as well as lasagna, garlic bread and

dessert. Cost is $12 for adults; $6 for children 5-12; and children 4 and under eat free.

If you’ve lost your reservation pamphlet, stop by the church

office for a copy, or simply send a check noting number of adults/children. Please include your check (payable to Emanuel) with your reservation form.

August 23-25 Celebration:

In addition to the Saturday evening banquet, plan now to attend the following events:

Friday, August 23 - 4:00-7:00 p.m. – Visit with old and new friends, including Pastor Tamra Harder (and Everett) and Pastor Chad Christensen who will be returning for the event.

Friday, August 23 – 7:00 p.m. – Enjoy the “Gospel Guys” in concert at Emanuel – refresh-ments following. The community is welcome!! Saturday, August 24 – 1:00 p.m. – Guided Cemetery Walk through both Emanuel and Haglund cemeteries.

Saturday, August 24 – 5:30 p.m. The Celebration Banquet and

Program will be held, with Bishop Katherine Finegan bringing greetings, the story of Emanuel in pictures (and a few words), and a great meal. We give thanks to God for the many blessings we have experienced as a congregation through the past 125 years!

Sunday, August 25 – 11:00 a.m. – Worship with special music

and liturgy, followed by refreshments.

Even as we remember the past – people,

ministries, events – please know that our

present congregation is strongly

encouraged to take part in all these events.

YOU are the Emanuel of the present and

future, and while we celebrate the past and

build on its foundation, your presence is a

gift beyond measure.

Share the joy of celebrating God’s faithfulness to this little brick church on the hill for 125 years!

~From the Bishop

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This last month, May 16-18, our Synod

assembled voting members and visitors

from all eight conferences and all eighty

congregations. We gathered for Opening

Worship in the beautiful sanctuary of

Bethany, Escanaba and attended to the

details of being Church together in the Besse Center of Bay

College.

Opening Worship at Bethany, Escanaba

We heard our keynote speaker, Dr. Dwight Zscheile from

Luther Seminary discuss our new reality and how to meet our

current challenges. We were introduced to our ministry

partners, checked out the display tables, attended workshops,

had conversations, celebrated anniversaries and so much

more. It was an uplifting and Spirit filled gathering and I want

to thank every congregation for your commitment to identify

and support the attendance of people from your community of

faith.

Because the Synod Assembly is important. That we gather

together is important. Because at this singular event we are

reminded of what is just too easy to forget: that together we are

the Body of Christ, together as a Synod, together as the ELCA,

together as a global church. And the Assembly is what we do to

steward the gift of God’s grace to us, among us, and through us.

The Houston Youth Band with some pastors at Closing Worship at the Besse Center

Yes, there is the “business” of the church. I prefer to call it “the

necessary details”. We elected a new Synod Vice-President,

Chuck Thomas who is a member at First, Gladstone, and a new

Synod Secretary, Pastor Kay Richter of the New Evangelical

Parish at our west end. I am grateful for their willingness to take

on a crucial leadership role and I will be working with them and

the Synod Council as we do our best to equip congregations

and pastors for ministry. There is a saying that “the devil is in

the details.” I will say that as people of faith, we claim that it is

the Holy Spirit that is in the details. We look for and trust that

God is present, even in the smallest decision, the paperwork,

the system structures, and constitutional work; all that is the fine

minutia that keeps the whole body in good working order. Next

year we meet at Finlandia University from May 14-16, 2020.

Mark your calendars! It’s your turn to attend Synod Assembly.

Yours in Christ, Bishop Katherine Finegan

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