All Are Welcome!This Sundays Service, 10-6-24
is at 11:00 AM. Please Join Us! CONTACT US:Pastor Kari Pancoast
EMAIL: [email protected] How To Find Us:Immanuel Lutheran Church of Hillman is located at the intersection of County Hwy 27 and County Hwy 47. It is one mile west of County 8.
Contact Us
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, In confirmation this year we have been learning about living as disciples of Jesus. To help us remember the Marks of Discipleship, we have been using a silly acronym that the Synod Lutheran Youth Organization came up with and used as a teaching tool and theme for a retreat a few years ago. That silly acronym is PIGS SEW. If you are wondering what it looks like to live as a follower of Jesus, just remember PIGS SEW. PIGS SEW helps us remember that as disciples of Jesus we Pray, Invite, Give, Study scripture, Serve, Encourage, and Worship. PIGS SEW. During our recent lesson on Inviting, the confirmation students and I were talking about how most people who come to a church for the first time for worship, or gathering or event of any kind, are there not because they saw the church advertised or saw it on Facebook, although those do help people feel familiar with the church before they go. Most people who come to a church for the first time are there because someone invited them. The confirmation students and I talked about how it is much easier to invite someone to come with you to a place that you like being at. So, I asked them what they like about being at Bethel and Immanuel, what do they like about being at and belonging to their churches. (I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know that it isn’t the inspiring sermons that they like best. Haha!) When I asked them what they like best about their churches, the kids said they like playing the music (at Immanuel), reading the lessons, the people, and the fellowship time after worship. I understand their answers to mean that what the confirmation kids like best about their churches is that they know they belong and they matter. They have a role in helping out with things, they know people care about them, and they enjoy spending time with those people. It is interesting to note that the people that the kids are talking about when they say they “like the people” are mostly quite a bit older than them. The church is one of the last places in our society where we have an opportunity to know and interact with people of all ages! We laughed a little at their answers that day in our confirmation class. It seems that saying you like fellowship time after church best is like saying lunch is your favorite subject in school. But it is actually quite profound. If we are going to be any good at inviting anyone to church, our church has to be a place that we like well enough that we want others to experience it! I’m thankful that both Bethel and Immanuel Lutheran Churches are places that our young people feel like they belong! And I hope that you can say that you also feel like you belong and are a part of a family of faith where you know you are accepted and cared for! I love being a part of both congregations and, like the kids, I love our fellowship time after worship, too! It is so good to be a part of people talking and laughing and sharing life together; knowing and supporting each other in our lives as disciples of Jesus. I encourage you to make an effort to get to know more of your congregation better. Maybe even sit by someone new at fellowship? And I especially encourage you to invite someone to come to church with you! Remember, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to invite others to know the grace, mercy, and love of God to whom they also belong! In Christ’s love, Pastor Kari
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