Pastor's Message
July / August 2012
Children of God at Emmanuel,
✞ - God bless – gone fishin’. Pastor Dave – Child of God
[Don't be discouraged by the brevity of his message -- Pastor Dave has a busy couple of months planned. In addition to the events listed below, he grabbing a few days' vacation in early July before attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 18–22 with three of our high-school youth.]
News from the Congregational Council:
Minutes from the monthly council meetings are always posted with a graphical financial report outside of the church office but here are some highlights we’d like to share from the June meeting:
Lots to do at Emmanuel
There is always something exciting happening at Emmanuel. Coming up this summer are the SAFE events including a big celebration for the 25th anniversary of Pastor Dave’s ordination. We will also participate in two parades in downtown Ypsilanti for the Fourth of July and the Heritage Festival. Coming up this fall is the return of the friendship dinners. This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors in Christ at Emmanuel. If you haven’t signed up yet we encourage you to do so. These are just a few of the many things happening in and around Emmanuel. Check the calendars attached to this newsletter for more!
Sabbatical for Pastor Hendricks
It is the recommendation of the ELCA to give a sabbatical to pastors for seven years of service to a congregation. This year will mark Pastor Dave's seventh year with Emmanuel and thus in honor of the 25th anniversary of his ordination and in appreciation for his work with us the Council has approved a one month sabbatical for him in August.
What this means for Pastor Dave is that he will be away from all of his church duties for July 30 - August 31. This is a time for renewal for him. He may elect to do training or travel or simply reflect on his calling in God's greater mission. As for us the people of Emmanuel, it will simply be as though Pastor Dave is on an extended vacation with his smart phone turned off. That is we encourage him to step away from the church business at Emmanuel during this time. But just like a vacation we will have supply pastors and lay ministers lead the Sunday worship services and there will be a local pastor on call for emergencies.
We are excited to be able to offer this time of renewal to Pastor Dave. If you have any questions or concerns about this we urge you to contact the council.
The Call
It's that time again. In the spring of 2013 Pastor Dave's two-year term call with Emmanuel will be ending. That means that we the people of Emmanuel must deliberate about where we are and where we are going so that we can make an informed recommendation to the Southeast Michigan Synod about our needs in a spiritual leader. This summer a call committee will be formed to begin this work. They will start by reviewing our mission and congregational profile as we defined it four years ago when we entered into our first term call with Pastor Dave. They will meet with members of the Transformational Ministry Team, the council, and the people of Emmanuel. We have begun this process by having Pr. Beck from the SE-MI Synod come talk with members of the council about our options. Please note that one option is to extend a call to Pastor Dave but we are urged to prayerfully consider all of our options to make sure that we continue to move in the direction that God is calling Emmanuel to go. We ask for your prayers and your input as we begin this process of reflection.
Respectfully Submitted by
Laila Poisson, Council Secretary
on behalf of the Congregational Council at Emmanuel