Nic Cass ~ September
SUMMER YOUTH EVENTS
We had a great end to our summer youth events this past month. Early in August we headed down to Wisconsin Dells to spend a day at the Land of Natura water park. We had a beautiful day with lots of fun and only came back a little sore. The next week we were out at the airport for an evening of food, a campfire, and airplane rides. A special thanks to Jeff and Paul for giving rides to our youth. Finally, we ended the summer with a bonfire out at our new Mission Center. It’s been a joy to gather with youth throughout the summer and hope to bring this excitement into a new school year of youth group and other activities. Things kick off the evening of September 4th with our Nerf Battle at Immanuel Lutheran School followed the next week (September 11th) with the start of youth group as part of Eph4. All kids in 6th to 12th grade are invited to join us as we head into a year focused on building fellowship amongst our youth and growing in faith together.
A New Opportunity – Sunday Multigenerational Spiritual Growth
The move to our new site this past month has been an exciting time in the ministry of Immanuel. This move has brought with it challenges and opportunities as we learn how to use our new space. One element of our ministry that needs to adapt to our current situation is our Sunday spiritual growth time. We have developed a multigenerational model that will work well in our current building and provide an opportunity for all ages of Immanuel to grow in faith together. Our Sunday spiritual growth will begin with a time all together (children, youth, adults) to introduce the story for that day with songs, discussion, and videos. We will have a short time (15 – 20 min) to go deeper with those in our age group before coming back together to share with each other what we learned or took away from the day’s teaching.
I am excited for this opportunity for all ages of our Immanuel family to grow and learn together. I believe both young and old have great wisdom to share with each other as we gather around God’s word. I am reminded of two verses as we begin this new ministry: from Luke 18:17, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” and Job 12:12, “Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.” What blessing it will be to bring together the wisdom of the elder with the faith of a child. So, make plans to join us as we start this new adventure on Sunday, September 8th, 9:15 – 10 AM. Come ready to grab a coffee and donut and learn together as a community of faith.