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.
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
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!!
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!
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
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!
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
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.