DID YOU KNOW? 1.31.24
Immanuel is considered a "daughter" church of Trinity, bringing Word and Sacrament to a growing area of Memphis starting in the 1920s. In due time, God worked through Immanuel to help with the beginning of other churches. For instance, the pastors at Immanuel used to go down to Holly Springs (Zion) and Oxford, MS (Peace) to hold services in those areas once a month. The Oxford church had her humble beginnings in the home of Albert & Erna Fenger (grandparents of John & Jimmy Blatt). After a time, the church grew enough that they had to find a bigger place. They met at the YMCA. In the early 70's they were able to build on land across the street from the Ole Miss campus. The architecture firm won an award for this building.
Immanuel started a "Raleigh Branch" October 1, 1961 with 150 members. This became Messiah. They were able to break ground at the Austin Peay Highway location in July of 1962. The plans included a sanctuary, offices, fellowship hall, kitchen and educational facilities for the cost of $100,000 including a parsonage with completion expected in November!
Immanuel also planted Christ Lutheran in Arlington. This took careful planning and grooming. Several Immanuel families seeded the new church, and a pastor (Lonnie Jacobsen) from Immanuel went with them. There was an available church building in Arlington. It had been a Baptist church complete with a baptistry. Unfortunately, that building was damaged by fire.
Whether these churches met for a season or continue today, God worked through the people of Immanuel to spread the Gospel in our community.
DID YOU KNOW? 2.7.24
The property on Highland was pretty small. On it stood the school building, the parsonage and the church building. The property was bordered on the south by Faxon Ave., the west by Highland St., the north by Tutwiler Ave. and there were houses to the east. The school was built with a flat roof so that another story could be added. So, what's missing? There was no parking lot. You could parallel park on the street but most everyone parked at the Pic Pac grocery store to the south. We used the spaces closest to Faxon. The space between the school and the parsonage was the school's playground. Eventually, it was used for some parking near the end of our time at that location.
DID YOU KNOW? 2.14.24
Did You Know ... Immanuel was not the first name of our church. A January 10, 1925 newspaper article about the church purchasing the lot at the corner of Highland and Faxon reports that the church was formerly known as the "Highland Heights" church. Not surprisingly, there are 3 churches in the area bearing the Highland Heights moniker, so when it came time to buy property and build, we became known as "Immanuel Lutheran Church". Funds to purchase the lot were advanced from the Mission Board of the Western District of the Missouri Synod (the Mid-South District would not exist until 1966). The expenditure for the building was expected to range between 4 and 5 thousand dollars with construction to begin two months from the purchase of the lot.
DID YOU KNOW? 2.21.24
On October 11, 1925 the cornerstone was laid at the first church building on the Highland property in a ceremony that was attended by several hundred people (even though the membership was at 45). Rev. Dvorovy was the church's pastor. Rev. Bruggeman, pastor of Trinity Lutheran, delivered the dedicatory address.
Just 3 weeks later the church was ready for occupancy. It was a day of worship and celebration. The first service was at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Rittman of Gillett, AR as the guest pastor. At 3:00 in the afternoon another guest pastor, Rev. Demetrio - pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, took part in dedicating the new church. At 7:30 Rev. Bruggeman conducted the evening service. The church began regular worship services on November 15, 1925.
DID YOU KNOW? 2.28.24
The headline says, "Remodeled Church Opens Doors Again." On September 26, 1937, under the guidance and physical labor of Rev. H.E. Dueker, a new addition and remodeled church were rededicated. Plaster that was used in the remodel actually came from the home of Mr. Dueker at Fort Dodge, Iowa. The dedicatory service was the first service to be held at the church since the work began in the early Summer of that year. There is no mention of where services were held during the time of remodeling. Rev. Richard Jahn from Immanuel Lutheran Church of Chattanooga preached the sermon, "It Is Good for Us to Be Here," assisted by Rev. Dueker.
The design is referred to as Gothic Mission Style. This addition and remodel cost the church $5000.Notice that the door to the original part of the church was moved from the front of the building to the side. This was done because Highland Avenue (as it was then called) was widened.
The parsonage next door to the church was dedicated July 27, 1930. It was used on occasion for Bible Study and/or worship over the years.
DID YOU KNOW? 3.6.24
Under the auspices of the Lutheran Laymen's League, The Lutheran Hour began broadcasting a half-hour weekly program on Thursday, October 2, 1930. The programs were transmitted over a 34-station network at 9 p.m. The first program included The Bach Chorus of Cleveland under the direction of F.W. Streiter, and a sermon by Dr. Walter A. Maier, professor of Old Testament exegesis at Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis. At this time there were 3 LCMS churches in Memphis. They were Trinity, Redeemer and Immanuel.
3.13.24 Newsletter
HAVE YOU NOTICED THE ADDITIONS TO THE NARTHEX? The six black-on-white panels on either side of the entrance near the information desk represent the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism: The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord’s Prayer, Sacrament of Baptism, Sacrament of the Altar, and Office of the Keys. These panels used to adorn the Multi-Purpose Room in the school when that space was used for Sunday services (1979-1989). They were designed and painted by Mike Sites, father of Denise Barton and Rosie Blatt.
The second addition is the lighted stained glass hanging near the seating area to the west side of the narthex. This window was commissioned in 1973 by The ITS (Immanuel Teen Society) in memory of a 1972 ILS graduate who died in an accident. The window, designed and produced by The Laukhuff Stained Glass Company who also created all the other stained glass windows in our church, was originally displayed in the door of the youth room at the Highland Street school. When the property was sold, the window was removed and preserved in a framed and lighted box. Through the years it has hung in or near the pastor’s office. Now it graces our narthex.
DID YOU KNOW? 3.13.24
Thursday, November 24, 1955 (Thanksgiving Day) was the first service in the new $145,000 sanctuary. The service was at 10 am. Pastor Everett Grese was the pastor at this time. Pastor Paul Koenig from Holy Cross delivered the sermon.
The dominating feature of the interior of the sanctuary was a stained-glass window in the shape of a cross, showing the crucifixion of Christ.
The exterior and interior of the building had redwood trim and the chancel furniture and pews were light oak. In the basement there was a kitchen and auditorium. The old sanctuary to the north of the new structure was demolished.
DID YOU KNOW? 3.20.24
In 1957, our stained glass windows were considered "modern." The twenty-seven windows made of thousands of pieces of glass, a joint project of Rev. Grese and Mrs. Ralph Laukhuff, were initially received unenthusiastically by the congregation. They expected to take years for all of the windows to be purchased as memorials. Members weren't too enthusiastic about the simplicity of the design until the first few windows were installed. Then they started selling like "hot cakes" at a cost of $800 per window. At this time, many churches of modern design such as Immanuel were falling away from the use of stained glass. However, the windows soon because a point of pride for the congregation - so much so that when the church relocated to Raleigh-LaGrange, the windows (with the exception of the window in the shape of the cross depicting the crucifixion) were moved to the new location and adorn the sanctuary and the narthex today. Plain frosted glass windows replaced the stained glass at the Highland location.
DID YOU KNOW? 3.27.24
On December 6, 1970, the worship service was at 10 am. After the service, members along with their pastor formed a caravan from the Highland location to travel the 6 miles to the Raleigh-LaGrange land for ground-breaking ceremonies. Pastor Gordon Gross was the pastor at this time. The first building to be built on this 10-acre property was the school consisting of 6 classrooms, office space, kitchen and multi-purpose room at the cost of $250,000. John Reimold had been the principal since 1958. The school had an enrollment of 150 students and served mostly the children of our membership. When room allowed children of other denominations were welcome to enroll. Tuition was not charged for members. A free-will offering financed the school. Other children were charged a tuition on a cost-only basis. Completion of the building was expected to be in the fall of 1971. The first graduating class was spring of 1972.
DID YOU KNOW? 4.3.24
Perpetual Motion
Immanuel has always been planning, expanding, relocating, etc. On Thanksgiving Day, November 28. 1968, the 1955 building committee along with Gordon Gross (the current pastor) and Everett Grese (the pastor when the building was built) participated in burning the mortgage with the aid of an altar candle.
While this chapter closed, a new one was just beginning. A new building committee was set to begin a two-phase building project: a new wing to be added to the Highland church building that included a conference/meeting room and a new day school on the 10-acre site on Raleigh-LaGrange. The church addition was dedicated on March 15, 1970.
Originally, the Highland school building was designed with a flat roof in order to add on by building a second story. Immanuel was just boxed in on the Highland property. Even with the limited space, the enrollment of the school was at 110 when the land on Raleigh-LaGrange was purchased. The congregation considered adding the ninth grade after the move to the new facility. In 1971 the enrollment was 150. The members didn't pay tuition; non-members paid $32.50 a month. The new school was expected to accommodate 180 students.
DID YOU KNOW? 4.10.24
On Sunday, August 12, 1979, there was an open house at our "new" Rala Chapel. Multi-Purpose Room was an apt name because during the school week the space was used for various activities including lunch. However, on Saturdays a group of volunteers turned it into a chapel for the Sunday morning worship. The chapel was considered an extension of Immanuel Lutheran Church in an effort to serve the Raleigh, Bartlett and Cordova communities with regular worship services. The guest speaker for the service was Rev. Norman Groteluschen, Executive Director of the Mid-South District of the LCMS. A reception followed the service.
DID YOU KNOW? 4.17.24
In 1981, two more classrooms (the current 6th and 7th grade rooms) were added to the school building, and in 1985, our 11,000 square foot Family Life Center was added to our Raleigh-LaGrange property. These additions cost $589,986 to build. A dedication service was held January 27, 1985, at 3:00 p.m. Appropriately, Rev. Everett Grese, pastor from 1945 to 1961 and founder of the school, was invited to deliver the dedicatory address.
DID YOU KNOW? 4.24.24
In November 1989, the wheels were in motion to finally unite all the services onto one campus. Dr. Robert Sohn, a member of the church board, told newspapers that officials decided It was time to sell the old school building, the parsonage and the church building on the block of Highland between Faxon and Tutwiler. The asking price was $650,000. Services were held on both campuses until the Highland property sold. While the property was on the market, plans for the size and design of the new sanctuary and offices were being finalized in order to begin construction as soon as the property sold. At the same time, 5 more acres were being purchased next to the school on Raleigh-LaGrange at the purchase price of $191,250.
It was nearly 10 years that services were held at both locations. Demographics proved to be a deciding factor in the move to consolidate. At the time about 70% of the members lived out the Interstate 240 loop and most lived close to the Raleigh-LaGrange property.
DID YOU KNOW? 5.1.24
After consolidating our services onto one campus (on Raleigh-LaGrange) and putting the property on Highland on the market, we were met with a lot of local competition as several of the churches in the Highland Heights area were relocating East. It took some time to find a buyer. We were asking $650,000 for the property. We leased the property in 1991 to Covenant Community Church (a non-denominational church). They eventually purchased the property for $402,500 on September 23, 1993. Since then, Bellevue Baptist purchased the property for their Hispanic ministry (Bella Vista) at a cost of $475,000 on July 5, 2007.
DID YOU KNOW? 5.8.24
Much of our history has included the name Rev. Everett Grese as he pastored Immanuel from 1941 to 1962. He served congregations in four states and served as the executive secretary of the Mid-South District from 1967 to 1973. He returned to Memphis after retiring from his last church in Peoria, IL. It stands to reason that when it came time to commemorate the 55th anniversary of his ordination that Immanuel would host the celebration for their pastor emeritus. Attending the celebration were his wife Jane and 10 of their 11 children. Pastor Norman Groteluschen, president emeritus of the Mid-South District, presented a 55-year certificate to Pastor Grese on behalf of district president Elmer Callies. Even though Grese was retired, he occasionally continued to preach and lead Bible studies at Immanuel.
DID YOU KNOW? 5.15.24
Al Boysen became our sixth pastor in August of 1975 following a nine-month vacancy when Ross Schuler left the church November 1974. Pastor Boysen is also the pastor with the longest tenure at Immanuel. He was ordained in 1958 and retired in August of 1998. Twenty-three of his 40 years in ministry were spent at Immanuel. On Sunday, August 30, 1998, Immanuel honored the Boysens at a Sunday afternoon retirement service. Pastor Besalski, a seminary classmate and friend of Pastor Boysen, spoke at the 4 p.m. service. A reception was held in the Family Life Center after the service. His retirement plans included filling in as needed at churches in the District. He also hoped to hit a few more golf balls.
DID YOU KNOW? 5.22.24
Immanuel's Diamond Jubilee (75 years) Celebration was held on November 21, 1999. Three of our former pastors preached at the various services that day. Rev. Boysen who retired the previous year was the speaker for the 8 and 11 a.m. services; Rev. Gross brought the message at the 9:30 a.m. service; Rev. Grese, our pastor emeritus (82 years old) preached the 4 p.m. Homecoming service. More than 500 attended the morning services and more than 300 attended the Homecoming service. Pastor Gross (92 years old) plans to be in attendance for our June anniversary service and potluck.
A catered reception was held in the gym following the Homecoming service. There were still 4 charter members living at the time. Three were able to attend: Aubin Reinhardt, Elmer Blatt & William (Bill) Paschal. Matilda (Tillie) Anderton was unable to attend. All of the charter members are now with Jesus.
DID YOU KNOW? 5.29.24
Can you name 10 plants or trees from the Bible? You should Google "plants of the Bible." It's an impressive list. Wikipedia not only lists the plants but provides the scripture references as well. To surround our new church building in 1996, Rick Pudwell, former Director of Horticulture at Memphis Botanic Garden and member of Immanuel, created such a garden using plants that are actually named in the Bible. At the time, he also gave lectures to the public on the subject. It is amazing all the different types of plants God created for our pleasure or for food or for medicinal purposes. Through the years, other plant materials have been added to the church landscape; however, if you look, you will still see many of the plants that were part of the original Bible garden at Immanuel.
DID YOU KNOW? 6.5.24
Lonnie Jacobsen was ordained and installed as Pastor of Mission and Outreach on July 30, 2000. The service was blessed with the participation of many friends, former professors, and mentors. Pastor Bingenheimer was the presiding minister while Pastor Halamka served as lector and Pastor David Callies performed the duties of ordination and installation. Even Pastor Jake's (his preferred nickname) children took a part in the service as Michaela was the acolyte and Jordan was the crucifer.
Pastor Jacobsen had a heart and passion for people and relationships including organizing marriage-strengthening seminars. Immanuel was in the process of planting a church in the Arlington area. Several families were being nurtured and prepared to make the transition from Immanuel to Christ Lutheran in Arlington. Building on that foundation, Christ Lutheran held its first worship service on Easter 2002 with Pastor Jacobsen serving as its first pastor.
DID YOU KNOW? 6.12.24
On June 13, 2004, Pastor Ronald Halamka re-retired after serving as Immanuel’s part-time Minister of Pastoral Care. He originally retired from full-time ministry after having been the pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church (formerly at Highland and Central) since 1983. Pastor Halamka came to Immanuel in 1999 when Pastor Bingenheimer became Senior Pastor after Pastor Boysen’s retirement to help in areas of ministering to the hospitalized and shut-ins. He was instrumental in developing Immanuel’s Stephen Ministry. He and his wife Claire moved to Texas to be close to family.
DID YOU KNOW? 6.19.24
Rev. Dennis Bartels was installed at Immanuel January 8, 2006. Dennis had served his vicarage at Immanuel under the tutelage of Al Boysen in 1980. He was one of five vicars who would serve Immanuel during the Boysen era. Dennis's first church after his ordination was St. Paul in West Memphis. He serviced there from 1982-1986. He then took over his father-in-law's church in North Miami. During the nearly 20 years that he served Holy Cross in Miami he received 17 calls to other churches. When he received the call to Immanuel he felt God was calling him to us.
DID YOU KNOW? 6.26.24
When Pastor Reuter came to us in September 2007, there was plenty to do. His very first week he delivered two sermons, performed a baptism, and conducted a memorial service. He was quoted as saying, "All that was left out was a wedding." Pastor Lane was just 38 years old when he came to us from Grace Lutheran Church in Knoxville. The Reuters were excited that the church had a school as he and Michelle had three young children - Katie 7, Caroline 4, and Will 1. Now their children are grown, and they have been blessed with a grandchild.
Pastor Lane's focus was to reach unbelievers. His plan was to end each sermon with "Who can you invite to church next Sunday?" He felt his three strongest gifts were building relationships, preaching, and teaching.
We are pleased that he is joining our anniversary celebration as our guest preacher this Sunday, June 30, at 10 a.m.
DID YOU KNOW? 7.3.24
Dates are important when putting together a timeline or historical account. We are celebrating 100 years of Immanuel Lutheran Church. During that time, we have had many ministries. Probably the most important and enduring is the school. The church decided to start a Christian day school in 1947 on the heels of the Great Depression and World War II. The church considered it important enough that no tuition was charged for church members and non-members paid a nominal fee. They were even able to build a separate building for the school on the same property as the church on Highland. Interestingly, the school is so important that when steps were being taken to relocate to Raleigh LaGrange, the school was built first.
DID YOU KNOW? 7.10.24
Do you know what Echo is? If you don't have a child in the youth group, you might not know. Youth Ministry is a vital ministry of the church…so much so that every three years since 1980 the LCMS has held a National Youth Gathering. The next one is July 19-23, 2025 in New Orleans. Tens of thousands of Lutheran youth will descend upon NOLA for an experience that will enrich their walk with Jesus.
Back to Echo... that is what our youth group is currently named. Our youth group has simply been called Junior Youth or High School Youth at times. In the late 60's and early 70's, the high school group was called ITS - Immanuel Teen Society. At that same time the college age kids were called The Group and were led by Doc & Mrs. Sohn. Immanuel members may remember other names for our youth groups as well.
Much earlier in the history of the LCMS, youth groups were part of the Walther League, but that was dissolved in the 70's.
DID YOU KNOW? 7.17.24
Immanuel’s women have been about the Lord's work for many decades. They collect "mites" in their small boxes. Those mites have been used to further God's kingdom all over the world. The ministries provided by the coins in those little boxes add up in a mighty way. Grants are requested from the LWML, and many of them are granted and then fulfilled over a period of time. The women engage in activities that help the church, the local community, and even other countries.
Beginning in the 1850s, women of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) started local auxiliaries (groups) to meet the needs of people—mending clothes for seminarians, equipping hospitals, establishing schools, developing convalescent and retirement homes, assisting orphanages and residences for people with disabilities, gathering clothing, furniture and food for indigents, and funding mission endeavors at home and abroad.
When you see a group of Immanuel’s women wearing purple, you can bet they are doing something for the kingdom. For more information, see www.lwml.org.
DID YOU KNOW? 7.24.24
The Altar Guild is a ministry comprised of volunteers who serve the Triune God lovingly and faithfully by caring for the Lord’s altar. All the linens, paraments, brass items, etc. are handled carefully.
The Guild prepares the sanctuary for Holy Communion, cares for the linens, orders the appropriate supplies, prepares communion vessels, and changes the paraments to reflect the Church season. Members of the Altar Guild also set up for special holidays, weddings, baptisms, and funerals.
Pastor Gross was our fourth pastor. In the late sixties or very early seventies, he had come to the place in the service one Sunday when he was about to begin the communion liturgy only to discover that even though the vessels were on the altar and covered with the usual linen, there was no wine or bread. He calmly signaled to one of the Altar Guild members who came quickly to remedy the situation. He then turned to the congregation and the organist and announced that we would take hymn requests and sing until we could resume with communion.
DID YOU KNOW? 7.31.24
From the March 1955 edition of The Reporter:
Contributions made to Immanuel (exclusive of those made for special purposes) are divided by the congregation. Only 80% of the offering supports the work of the local congregation; 20% is allocated to the work of the church at large. The treasurer remits 15% of the offering to the District each month. The remaining 5% is held by the treasurer until the end of the year. It is then divided among worthy institutions and charities which are not directly supported by the Synodical budget. Immanuel does not make it a custom to have special offerings for these agencies during the course of the year. The 5% Fund - as it is commonly referred to by the Voters - divided what was accumulated in 1954 as follows at the January meeting:
Western District Church Extension Fund $547.05
Lutheran Hour 100.00
Cooperative School - Memphis 50.00
Valparaiso University 50.00
Radio Station KFUO 50.00
American Bible Society 25.00
Bethesda Home 25.00
American Lutheran Publicity Bureau 25.00
Mid-South District Walther League 50.00
$ 922.05
At the same time, the offerings at the Children's Christmas Eve services were divided as follows:
School for the Deaf (New York) 25.00
School for the Deaf (Detroit) 25.00
Orphanage (Des Peres, MO) 59.78
$109.78
"Let us not be weary in well doing!" Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
DID YOU KNOW? 8.7.24
Music ministry has always been an integral part of Immanuel's worship. The small pump organ used in our first church is quite different from the computerized organ with its recording options that we use in worship today. Many of our organists were also teachers in the school, likely because piano or organ was a required part of the curriculum for becoming a Lutheran teacher. Fred Kraemer, Immanuel's second school principal, was organist in the 50's. Evelyn Brockmeier, one of our school teachers, also took a turn as organist. From the late 50's through the late 70's, our organists were John and Margie Reimold. When John went into the seminary, Martha Israel and Margie shared organ duties until Margie and the Reimold kids joined John in Corning, Arkansas. Martha was not only the organist at the time, but she was choir director. Through the years choral music has beautified our services under the leadership of a number of choir directors including Ellis Winter, Sarah Meyerose, Lori Mell, Claire Halamka, and Pam Sneath. Currently Allen Piepenbrink directs the Men's Choir, and Lori Mell leads the Adult Choir.
From January 1979 through December 1989, when worship services were held at both Immanuel locations (Highland and Raleigh LaGrange), a piano or small organ was used in the multi-purpose room played by Ellis Winter, Lenore Sande, or Kris Pudwell. When the Highland property was sold and worship was held in the Family Life Center (gym) from January 1990 through November 1996, Ellis and Kris played a rented electronic organ since our Highland Street organ was placed in storage while the new sanctuary was being built. During this time of worshipping in the gym, on Easter 1994, the Praise Team led our first Hosanna service. Original members of that team who still serve today are director Lori Mell, guitarist Tim Blackwell, and bass player Jeff Luebbe.
A number of other musicians enhance our worship experience. Originally utilized to help us learn hymns and liturgy from the "new" Lutheran Service Book, our vocal leaders (Lynn Payant, John Leeseberg, Mathilda Doorley, and Allen Piepenbrink) provide vocals for our streamed services, something that was especially helpful during Covid-19. From time to time, instrumentalists accompany choir pieces or play solos and duets. Our Handbell Choir, currently directed by Cathy Winter, plays preludes or offertories for services; Dianne Bingenheimer was the original director prior to 2004. On special occasions such as Reformation, Christmas, and Easter, we enjoy the sounds of the Brass Ensemble which has frequently included members of the Payant family. The Brass Ensemble is currently scheduling rehearsal times so that they are ready to play for this year's Reformation services. Indeed, Immanuel has been blessed through the years with musicians who use their God-given abilities to edify the Church and to glorify Him!
DID YOU KNOW? 8.21.24
Many of you may have T-shirts that say "Immanuel has left the building." Those were worn on Service Project Sundays when, after one abbreviated worship service, we would go out into the community to do prearranged service projects. The Shelby Farms Park Cleanup project involved small groups picking up litter in various areas of the park. The "Thanks for Your Service Tour" involved visiting nearby Memphis and Bartlett Police and Fire Stations to bring healthy snacks, bottled water, and encouragement. Some projects involved visiting area senior citizen facilities to sing and enjoy a hands-on project with the residents. At times, we also partnered with other community groups including Jacob's Ladder where we helped clean a community center and neighborhood yards. These and other projects provided an opportunity for Immanuel to serve our community. After the projects were done, we returned to the church for lunch and fellowship.
DID YOU KNOW? 9.4.24
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 10:35-38
We often hear that there are fewer and fewer people going into church work. It seems appropriate to take a look at people who grew up at Immanuel Church or School and did follow a path to work in the LCMS. It's always dangerous when you start naming names and surely we will miss a few. If you know more to add to the list... let us know.
Here are the ones who came to mind:
⦁ Robert Seaton
⦁ Tony Alter
⦁ Josh Hatcher
⦁ David Callies
⦁ David "Butch" Brabender
⦁ Mark McCrory
⦁ Michael Croom
⦁ Betty Ann Haase Bolitho
⦁ Marianne Oberton Collins
⦁ Megan Collins
⦁ Jeremy Winter
⦁ Jennifer Smith
⦁ Madi Kurtz
DID YOU KNOW? 9.25.24
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Hebrews 9:1-4
God wanted to preserve for generations to come His laws and some of the history of His people.
In 1955, when the cornerstone was laid at the "new church", many items were included in a metal box behind the stone so that when future generations looked in the cornerstone, they would see what was meaningful to the members of Immanuel. The items included a Bible, hymnal, Small Catechism, Lutheran Book of Prayer, copy of the Augsburg Confession, copy of the Lutheran Witness, copy of the constitution of the congregation, a Memphis newspaper, list of the officers of the congregation and members of the building committee, and the names of the architect, contractors, sub-contractors. The metal box was sealed in the hope that these items would be preserved.
The cornerstone from the previous church buildings were moved and imbedded in the brick of our present building. It would be interesting to find out if the items from 1955 were moved to this building and whether additional items were placed in the most recent cornerstone.
DID YOU KNOW? 10.2.24
There has been an anniversary committee working since the beginning of the year to commemorate Immanuel's 100 years of ministry, mission, and service. The evidence of their planning can be seen in the special logo that was designed to be used on anniversary items such as the T-shirts people are wearing, invitations, the beautiful time line at the back of the sanctuary, special banners, etc.
The planning has also included choosing a menu from our caterer for our celebration banquet on November 3rd. Martha Israel, who grew up at Immanuel, brought us a gem this past Sunday ... notes handwritten by her mother, Ruth Israel, in the back of her copy of the Immanuel Lutheran Church Cookbook outlining the menu for the banquet at the dedication of the church in 1955:
Food prepared for Thanksgiving Buffet for 250 people
⦁ Ham - 22 pounds
⦁ Turkey - 84 pounds
⦁ Potato Salad - 73 pounds potatoes
⦁ Green Beans - 42 pounds
⦁ Cranberry sauce (fresh-strained) 20 pounds
⦁ Relishes - 2 trays 1 refill
⦁ Dressing - 100 cups
⦁ Pies (9 inch) (7 slices per pie)
⦁ Pumpkin - 16
⦁ Apple - 21
⦁ 6 pounds coffee
⦁ 1 quart whipping cream
⦁ Milk (When counting children over 12 as adults, remember they still drink milk.)
Thank you, Martha, for sharing this. I still haven't figured out how to cut a pie in 7 slices!
DID YOU KNOW? 10.9.24
One of the signs of a healthy church is that the membership is comprised of people of all ages/generations with a variety of talents and skills. We have infants, children, teens, college kids, young adults, couples and even senior adults. We have musicians, singers, teachers, computer gurus, carpenters, seamstresses, cooks. This list is never ending. Most importantly, we are all the body of Christ.
As we think of our 100 years of history, some of our membership is more recent and have only ever known the Raleigh-LaGrange location. Then another segment of the membership have worshipped at both the 1955 church building on Highland and the Raleigh-LaGrange location. There are a few people who have been in worship services in all 3 of our church buildings. They are Carol Ruff Carr, John & Jimmy Blatt; all offspring of charter members. All three were baptized in the first church building and confirmed in the second church building.
DID YOU KNOW? 10.16.24
Lutherans like their traditions. We follow a calendar for the church year. It tells us when to celebrate certain happenings in the life of Christ and the church. For many years during the Advent and Christmas seasons, the church was adorned with a large number of nativities that belonged to the Doc & Lois Sohn. In the sanctuary of the Highland church, the Sohns decorated the windowsills with nativities they had collected from all over the world. When we moved to Raleigh LaGrange, they set up tables in the narthex to display them. A number of years ago, they auctioned off their collection and donated the proceeds to Immanuel. That was always their practice - if you bought something from them like the kneeling Santas and JOY yard decorations, they didn't take the money at all. They just told you to give it to the church.
Do you know what Chrismons are? This word "Chrismon" is a reduction of two words, "Christ" and "monogram." In 1957 a Lutheran woman named Frances Spencer from Virginia had the idea of designing and creating ornaments for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. The ornaments were white and gold symbols of Christ. Her idea spread around the world, and churches of all Christian denominations now decorate trees with Chrismons.
In the late 60's, the LWML "Day Guild" crafted our first set of Chrismons. The beautiful, handmade ornaments made using various items including jewelry and styrofoam served us well for many Advent and Christmas seasons. After many years, the ornament began to deteriorate. New ornaments have been made for the tree, and some more are in the process of being made.