Ministries

 

Adults

 
Because Jesus Christ is God's revelation to us, we bring ourselves to the Scripture to understand Christ and open our lives to the fullest impact of God's self-revelation.  At Emmanuel Lutheran Church we offer a variety of opportunities for spiritual growth and connection.

The Men's and Women's Ministries exist to build up, equip and strengthen men and women to grow as a community, to live out God's calling and to touch the lives of others through Christ.  These groups meet monthly for Bible study and fellowship.

We also offer a combined Bible study for adults.  These sessions are designed to help us study God's Word  on a deeper level, with important references to Church history and theology as needed.  The sessions usually last four to eleven weeks depending on the topic, but are designed so that a new person can join at any point.  These include pastoral teaching with open discussion, and sometimes video presentations.

Numerous group gatherings enliven our faith and help us build a deeper sense of community.  They are fun events like potluck fellowships and dinners, picnics, ice cream socials, and even floral arrangement classes!

"We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightfully so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love you have for each other is increasing."
                                                                                            ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:3 

Children and Family Ministries

 
Do you have a dream for your child's life?  At Emmanuel Lutheran Church we have a vision for the children whom God has entrusted to our care.  We believe that a life-long committment to discipleship starts at birth as the child is upheld by God's promises and grows in life with families that uphold their baptismal promises.

Our Children and Family Ministries Team takes this responsibility seriously and we offer Bible teaching to guide and strengthen the hearts and minds of our children.  All our ministries and special events are designed to help our children grow socially, mentally, and spiritually.

We look forward to loving your children and teaching them about Jesus.

College and Young Adult Ministries

 

With three colleges located within a 10 mile radius of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, we believe it is important to intentionally invest in the lives of young adults. Our "Friday Food & Fun Nights" are focused on building community and designed for people ages 18-30 who have graduated high school, whether you are taking classes, working full time or something in between. This group meets on the first Friday of every month to enjoy yummy food, play some games and have a great time together.  

Wherever you are in regards to faith, we look forward to seeing and walking alongside you.

Music


At Emmanuel Lutheran Church we are committed to pursuing worship that is God-directed, Christ-centered, and congregationally participatory.  In Colossians 3:16 we are commanded "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs."  Accordingly, we want to be a church that sings with vitality!  The content of what we sing matters.  It informs what we believe and bears testimony to our faith.

Our Worship and Music Team seeks to provide music that is contextually and liturgicallty appropriate for each service.  We have two worship services. At our classic Lutheran liturgical service, the Church Choir enhances the congregation's worshhip through musical offerings.  Our Worship Team leads the congregational singing at our contemporary worship service called Morning Song.  

Guests vocalists and instrumentalists are invited to praise the Lord through special music.  Whatever we do musically, we strive to do wtih excellence, and all is offered to God as an act of worship.

Each month we seek to find a great hymn of faith to repeat each week so our congregation can continue to tap into the rich heritage of inspired songs and continue to build our hymn vocabulary.  We select songs that are theologically rich and easy to sing.  We seek hymns that glorify God and go deep into our minds and hearts, helping us learn the gospel message so that we can be shaped by it.  We seek songs that enable our congregation to experience the beauty and the depth of our faith.

Prayer


Emmanuel Lutheran Church is a praying community of faithful followers of Jesus.  We believe prayer is necessary to every aspect of congregational life.  Our Prayer Ministry Core Team meets weekly for intercessory prayer on behalf of the needs of our church, our community and the world, as well as offering praise and thanksgiving.

Our Prayer Shawl ministry make and give shawls and lap robes to people who are suffering, as well as to people celebrating positive milestones in life.  When completed, members of the group lay hands on it and offer prayers for the individual who will receive it.  These are a means of expressing our love and concern for members and friends of our congregation, wrapping the recipients with our love and commitment to stay alongside them in prayer. 

Missions and Outreach


Emmanuel Lutheran Church supports missions within our community and around the world.  Our prayer is that, through our giving, the love of Christ will be made known - that many will hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Lutheran World Relief is used by our State Department because of their commitment to use volunteer help and their high efficiency in responding to disaster relief around the world.  Our quilters meet weekly to create beautiful quilts that are donated to local agencies and Lutheran World Relief, an organization that provides excellent humanitarian aid, disaster and emergency care.

Christian Aid Center:  The local Christian Aid Center provides compassion and restoration to those in need.  The Center is a ministry that offers hope through housing, food, and spiritual support through Jesus Christ.  Our congregation provides financial support through our benevolence budget.  Our adult and youth volunteers plan, cook, and serve meals on a set basis.

Helpine:  Helpline was established by our local congregations and it serves an important need.  Helpline serves as the front door to help the poor and homeless with food, clothing, furniture, prescriptions, transportation, utilities through direct assistance, screening and referrals to partner agencies.  Emmanuel Lutheran Church assists by providing financial support.  Our members also donate clothing, hygiene items, and volunteer time to support this cause.

Education:  We provide financial support for pastors and seminarians studying at the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings, South Dakota.

Bible Translation:  To help the church with its world wide mission to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) Emmanuel Lutheran Church provides financial support to Lutheran Bible Translators via assistance to a missionary couple who are bringing the Bible to people groups that do not yet have the Bible in their own language. 

Missionaries:  We provide sponsorship funds for families who are presently serving internationallly.  These are vetted and have local and relational connections to Emmanuel Lutheran Church. 

If you have a heart to serve there are plenty of ways to get involved. 

Service Opportunities


"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." ~ 1st Peter 4:10 

Everyone wants to make a difference.  We believe that serving God and others is one of the most significant ways you can do this, and it is a great way to meet new people.  We have all been given talents, abilities, and interests that we can used to bless others and bring glory to God.  Emmanuel Lutheran has a wide variety of opportunities that enable you to servas as little or as often as you would like.

Whether its greeting people with a friendly smile before worship, serving as a Sunday School teacher, singing with the church choir or the contemporary worship team or weeding the yard, there is a place for you here!