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Welcome to Emmanuel!

PROGRESSIVE

INCLUSIVE

CREATIVE  

CALLED TO SERVE

9:00 am Traditional Service in the Chapel

10:30 am The ReFresh Worship Service is in the Sanctuary in person, on zoom,

and recorded on Facebook.

If you would like to join us on zoom for the 10:30a.m. service, please click the button below.
 

 

 

 

If you need to be added to the email list, you may sign up for the list(s) for the items you would like to receive, by clicking on the button ("sign up for E'-News") at the bottom of this page. 

Bible Study each Wednesday at Noon on Zoom

with Pastor Frank Langholf. 

All are welcome.

To join our Bible Study group,

please click on the button below.

WELCA

(Women of the Evangelical Church of America)

Our next WELCA meeting will be on Thursday, January 18th at 9:30am. 

Come and join us.  Leader: Karen Van Howe

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MESSIAH

This year’s performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah by the Rockford Choral Union was held at 3:00pm on Saturday, November 25th and 3:00pm on Sunday, November 26th at Emmanuel Lutheran Church.  Many commented that it was absolutely wonderful.    

Upcoming at Emmanuel 

 Something for Everyone

Join Beth Campisi

for Cardio Drumming in November

Mondays, 6:00 - 7:00pm

Belly Dancing

Wednesdays, 6:00 - 7:00pm

Forest Preserve Hikes at 9:00am 

Wednesday, December 6

Saturday, December 16

RUMI's Wedding Night

Sunday, December 17th, 6:30pm

December 24

10:00am Combined Emmanuel/Calvary

Advent Service

10:30pm Christmas Concert

11:00pm Christmas Eve. Candlelight Service

Breathe

Saturday, January 13th, 5:00pm

WELCA - Thursday, January 18th, 9:30am 

 

All are welcome @ Emmanuel!!

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COMING SOON  - MARK YOUR CALENDAR

MOVIE NIGHT 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8TH AT 7:00PM

Meet in the Youth Lounge straight down the stairs when you enter by the North doors. Bring snacks to share.

Movie to be announced soon.  For more info.,

text Christyn, 815-289-7110

RUMI’S WEDDING NIGHT

Sunday, December 17th, 6:30 pm at Emmanuel

Rumi’s Wedding Night is the night the world’s greatest spiritual poet died at sunset, December 17, 1273. He called that night his “Wedding Night” with the "Beloved"!. Rumi comes from the Muslim world (Turkey), yet became someone that brought religious traditions together. It is a holy night in the Eastern world. We invite you to come and join in our community celebration: the sharing of Rumi’s poems, (you may memorize a short Rumi poem and share it with us), a Zikhr meditation

 (chant with body movement), and a sacred walk/ song.  Bring a drum if you like, to join in rhythms between poems, and chants.  This is a joyous and mystical night, especially in the magic of this Cathedral. Emmanuel is 3rd . Ave. and 6th St. 

Come in from the north parking lot entrance. Try to be here by 6:30pm. There is no cost, just your “normality”. 

Get your jingle on

in celebration of Saint Nicholas Day

10:30am Coffee Hour

Sunday, December 3

Sip on some hot chocolate.

Dena will be helping with a craft.

There will be simple treats for the kids

and a drop in by St. Nick, himself.

All ages will gather for a jolly good time!

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THE BIRTH OF JESUS

CHRISTMAS EVE CELEBRATIONS

 

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

920 Third Avenue, Rockford, IL

 

Dec. 24: 10:00am Combined Emmanuel/Calvary Advent Service

Message: Pastor Chuck Olson

Organist: Mark Calvert

 

Dec. 24: 10:30pm Christmas Concert

11:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Christmas Eve Message:  Pastor Frank Langholf

 

Music by Special Vocalists and Musicians,

and Emmanuel Choir

Piano/Organ Accompaniment:  Clea Arbogast

 

Monday, Dec. 25:  MERRY CHRISTMAS 

 

Sunday, Dec. 31: 10:00am Calvary/Emmanuel

Service of Lessons and Carols

Organist:  Mark Calvert

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Join Beth Campisi

for Cardio Drumming in November

Mondays, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

 

Regular Cardio Drumming  in the Celebration Room

All levels welcome in this class as well!

 

Contact Holly Blair-Cascio if you would like to Cardio drum with us!

815-543-1191 hollyblair@mac.com

Wednesday night is Belly Dancing

6:00 – 7:00pm     Cost: $10/class

Belly dancing is incredibly empowering. People of every size and ability level will have fun while building confidence, strength & grace. In the classes you will learn the Egyptian roots of Belly dance and the modern tribal & fusion styles. Short combinations will be incorporated into drills that focus on muscle group isolations, core stabilization, strengthening and lengthening of muscles, sharp & fluid motions, musicality & dance etiquette. No previous dance experience required and great for all fitness levels. 

 

All classes are held at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 920 3rd Avenue in Rockford.

Register with Holly Blair-Cascio,

815-543-1191 or hollyblair@mac.com

The Latest on the Celebration Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the stain (one of many) that defied our repeated attempts to remove??

Well, we found a crew with a solution!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, their hard work paid off!

It is absolutely beautiful.  

 

But we still need donations to pay the bill.  

Please help us out.  

Send checks to:  

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

P. O. Box 4362

 Rockford, IL 61110

         Or click the donate button on this page.  

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

and invite you to come and see our beautiful new

room, view the artwork and have a Cuppa Joe

with us!

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New Book for Spiritual Journeys

        Tuesday group

9:30  - 11:00am 

We  invite you all to join us on what we think

will be an interesting read and discussion. Timothy Beal’s “The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book” looks to "debunk the myth of the Bible’s infallibility and reveal a richer and more authentic way to read it.” Beal is a religious scholar and former evangelical Christian. Some of Beal’s insights:

 

Christianity thrived for centuries without any Bible. Early congregations used collections of scrolls; there was no official canon of scriptures and no book existed that was big enough to hold them. There is no original Bible behind the thousands of different Bibles on the market today. 

The further back we go in the Bible s history,

the more versions we find. 
The idea of the Bible as the literal Word of God is only about a century old. 
Beal offers a chance to rediscover a Bible, and a faith, that is truer to its own history not a book of answers but a library of questions. 

 

To purchase book:  

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Bible-Timothy-Beal/dp/0547737343

 

To join the book study click on the button below.

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Winnebago County Forest Preserves Interest Hikes

Come hike with us.

Join Soul Garden for continued hiking experiences in the Winnebago County Forest Preserves. Dress for the weather!  Text Holly if you want to join the hikes 815-543-1191

All hikes start at 9:00am

Link to Descriptions of all 44 Forest Preserves

https://www.winnebagoforest.org/items

Wednesday, December 6th 9:00am

Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve

5360 Mulford Road & 5801 Perryville Rd, Cherry Valley, IL 61016

 

Saturday, December 16th 9:00am

Cedar Cliff Forest Preserve

7901 Kishwaukee Road, Stillman Valley, IL 61084

We Are the ARK,

Acts of Restorative Kindness

 

Care for Creation Committee of Emmanuel Lutheran is in the process of creating a prairie close to the vegetable gardens behind the church.  We want to share with you why this is such an important venture especially now as we grieve the loss of so many birds, butterflies, bees and  insects due to habitat loss, pollution and the use of toxic chemicals'.  These little creatures are truly the foundation  of the life we experience around us.  We need them and we are losing them.

 

A prairie is one source of support for these beautiful and amazing creatures.  Since much of the land is in now in private hands it is up to us to provide safe and nourishing places for them to survive and thrive.  A prairie is such an ecosystem and is native to the area we live in. Very little prairie remains in Illinois which was once carried the proud title "The Prairie State".  We hope our small plot of prairie connects us to a larger vision of what is possible when we care for what is right next to us

 

There are other kinds of native ecosystems that provide food and places to live and bring forth more generations of these "little ones" who are so desperately needed.  If you are interested in knowing more about this and also may be interested in creating your own ARK please notify the Care for Creation Committee.  On behalf of the Creation team I am Sally Roberts 815.566.22776

           Emmanuel's Food Pantry

Needs Your Help

With inflation up for food, gas, rent, and multiple other living expenses and SNAP benefits down, all the Rockford pantries are seeing more customers, Emmanuel's pantry included.  We have had a 100% increase in the number of households each month.

The first Sunday of each month, the pantry will have a cart outside of the Chapel for the 9:30am Service and the Sanctuary for the 10:30am Service.  The preceding Sundays, we will let you know what kind of food we will be needing for the 1st Sunday of the next month.

We are will be asking for food for yams, cranberry sauce, boxed chicken or turkey stuffing, turkey gravy and boxed mashed potatoes.  

 

If you don’t remember to bring your donations on the first Sunday of the month, you may bring them to the pantry anytime in December.

Women’s Interfaith Potluck

All women are welcome to attend the Women's Interfaith Potluck on Monday, November 27, at 6:00 p.m. at the Baha'i Center, 1650 N. Alpine, Rockford. Phyllis Peterson will speak on "The Empowerment of Women".  PLEASE REMEMBER: Our Muslim sisters do not eat pork or non-halal meat, and our Jewish sisters do not eat pork, so please respect this in the choice of food you are bringing to the potluck.   Plates, silverware, and beverages will be provided. Hope to see you there!

 

UPCOMING Women's Interfaith Potlucks:

- Monday, Dec. 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran. Christyn Rittenhouse will speak.

  - Monday, January 30, at 6:00 p.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Rockford 

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                Breathe
How quietly the earth breathes forth new life.

How eagerly the sun bleeds for the spring,

                  I AM LISTENING

I am listening to the sky 

                 with its many changing moods,

                 to flashes of lightning, peals of thunder,

                 to opening buds and greening grass.

  

I am listening to the breaking forth of light                

                 in the vestibule of dawn,

                 to the freshness of the morning.

 

The next Breathe Service will be coming

January 13, at 5:00pm at Emmanuel Lutheran in the Sanctuary.


Come join us and Breathe

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 140th Anniversary of Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Emmanuel celebrated its 140th anniversary on July 17, 2022.  Emmanuel’s history and evolution began with the Swedish immigrants’ courage, boldness, and hard work, conserving some of their Swedish Lutheran traditions all while adapting, in a new context with a new language. 

Emmanuel continues to evolve, enriching the Spiritual Life of the Community with the Arts including music, poetry, artwork, dance, communing with nature, retreats, and other expressions of our Spirituality.  We meet you where you are on your journey.    

SERVICE TIMES

Sunday

9:00am - Traditional Worship (Chapel)  

10:30am - ReFresh Worship (Sanctuary) 

Breathe Meditation Service:

 (Next Breathe is January 13th

at 5:00 PM.)   

All are welcome to come as you are to our worship services!

 

Parking is available on Third Avenue or the parking lot north of the church.

Why Emmanuel?
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