the juniper tree · 1 immanuel lutheran church / november 2018 every one take one! dear immanuel...

1 Immanuel Lutheran Church / November 2018

Every One Take One!Dear Immanuel friends,

We have a job to do! Each one of us! We have a directive from our God! If you attended the 90th Anniversary Service, you no doubt have thought about this since. At least I hope you have!

All three pastors directed us to be thankful for our past but lovingly look forward to the future. Here is where the “Every One Take One” comes in.

I am challenging each member in attendance on October 28th to prayerfully select an unchurched member to pray for and do so with persistence. Think who was sitting near you!

I am not asking you to select someone you know who is already an active member in another Christian church. Even though we miss their fellowship with us, we are accepting that they are now serving God elsewhere. I am asking you pray for one you know who is not being nurtured as an active member of a Christian church.

We must take on this task with great urgency! The harvest is ripe!

A member asked me as we were concluding the luncheon, “Now how do we get these folks to come back?” My answer was prayer as the first step.

1. Please ask God to reveal to you the one for whom to pray.

2. Contact that person and let them know you care about them, miss them. Maybe have coffee or lunch with them. Write a note and do it more than once. Make a phone call. Let them know you truly care.

3. Be consistent. Invite them to join you when you are in church. Make sure you set the example. Ask them to sit by you, attend Sunday School with you, Thanksgiving Eve service, etc.

4. Be in daily prayer for this person. Love them, let them know you care for them, miss them, and want to spend time with them.

I have this task to do, too. I will be praying for God to direct my thoughts,

The Juniper TreeA publication of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Easton, MarylandNovember 2018

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The Juniper Tree is prepared monthly for people who, like Elijah, find themselves somewhere sitting under a “Juniper Tree” facing life’s frustrations... exhausted, broken, perhaps even wishing for death as Elijah did. These pages are offered to encourage, to strengthen, to build up, to challenge, to inform, to share the Word of God and to offer opportunities for Christian growth here at Immanuel. May you grow in God’s peace and grace as you walk with Him this month.

The Juniper Tree is published by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Easton, MD. Copyright © 2018 by Immanuel Lutheran Church. All rights reserved. All submissions for the The Juniper Tree newsletter are due on the 15th of the month prior to

its publication. This allows us to publish the newsletter by the last Sunday of the month. We prefer them in an electronic format but do accept printed submissions. Unless otherwise noted, all pictures are by PJKreft.

(continued from page 1) ways, and my reception to the responses I may receive. I have had members flat out refuse my request to join me at Immanuel. But that does not mean that I should give up on them. I asked a family member to do the asking. They issued the invitation and that person attended the service and brought other family members with them.

Pastor Jim has asked this of us since he started his first sermon back in the winter of 2016. This is a Biblical directive!

So please go and be a part of the “Every One Take One” plan. God can grow our congregation if we believe, trust

Him, and ask His help. If you are not sure who to connect with pray for that answer, too.

Sharon Pahlman T

President’s PageThe Trustees recently held two special Voters’ Assembly meetings to receive congregational input into developing the 2019 Spending Guide and to discuss setting goals for the future of our church. The meetings were well-attended and the suggestions that were offered were shared in last month’s newsletter. (See the “President’s Page” in October’s Juniper Tree).

The suggested items for goal-setting were prioritized at the October Trustees’ Meeting. Those considered to warrant immediate attention include:

1. Return to full-funding of our designated missions

2. Discuss use of our facilities with Latino church leadership

3. Find ways to help our membership take ownership and feel more motivated to participate in all aspects of the church (maintenance, fellowship, leadership roles)

4. Contact members who are “on the books” but not attending

5. Explore ways to serve in this community (activities for teens, welcome baskets for new babies and families moving into the area)

We are happy to report that the first two items have been acted upon (continued on page 3)


already. The Trustees have set as a goal to return our giving to missions to 100% by January 2019, if not before. We have also met with the leadership of Luz de Vida and discussed Immanuel’s current financial situation and our shared use of the building. The meeting was very productive and enlightening, and we plan to meet with them regularly. Each of the leaders of Luz de Vida expressed concern and a desire to work with us to maintain our facilities. They repeatedly asked us to call upon them to help. As a matter of fact, the very next Wednesday evening, just in time for our 90th anniversary celebration, fifteen members of Luz de Vida completely

cleaned the Fellowship Hall floor; vacuumed the halls, narthex, and sanctuary; and washed the windows in the sanctuary, narthex, library, and meeting room!

Other items on the list of suggestions which will receive attention include the following:

1. Hire an administrative assistant (secretary)

2. Purchase an outside digital sign to replace the current deteriorating one

3. Contact SED to receive a demographic report as well as a resource person to share this with us

4. Hold a midweek service

5. Investigate putting solar panels on the back side of the roof to save money in the long run

6. Provide a means for online giving

Copies of the proposed Spending Guide for 2019 and the revised and approved Constitution and By Laws are available in the church office for congregation review prior to the November 18 Voters’ Assembly meeting.

I want to thank all who participated in our Special Voters’ meetings and everyone who has sacrificed to help reduce our budget deficit.

Fred Hildenbrand T

90th Anniversary Celebration a Success

What a joyous 90th Anniversary celebration we held here at Immanuel on October 28th to Praise God for being in this place, past, present, and in the

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(continued from page 3) future. It was truly fun and a joy to act as chairman of this project because so many people came forward to offer their talents. I would like to praise God for the work of those who contributed their time and energy.

The day started with a Service of Praise in which Pastor Engel, Pastor Kreft, and Pastor Shaefer participated. Amanda Brown and her committee planned the service and arranged for the guest speakers and musical arrangements. The church was decorated with flame banners

made by Regina Chapman and hung with the help of Val Green. The beautiful flowers were provided by Robin’s Nest florist for both the Sanctuary and the table centerpieces for the luncheon. The many members who sang in the choirs, performed musical accompaniment, greeters, guest book attendants, parking attendants, and ushers contributed to making the service feel special.

Other committee members worked long and hard before October 28th to prepare for the occasion. Sharon Pahlman sent e-mails and special invitations to past and prospective members. Linda Phillips took charge of collecting memorabilia and pictures.

Pastor Kreft was responsible for the two slide shows that were running with pictures of past pastors and members, confirmations, picnics, and children’s programs. Joanne Smith helped compile a revised history and sent press releases to local newspaper publishers. Nadine Culver created flyers which were placed around the community. Post-it notes were hand written to remind members to invite their neighbors and family. As a result, the Worship Service was attended by 214 people!

As missions have been a priority with Immanuel, a couple of projects were initiated to raise money for our various mission outreach. Linda Brown was instrumental in creating an outstanding quilt that commemorated our past. The back of the quilt was made of individual memorial blocks which were sold and raised over $2,000. Some of the sewers of the quilt include Mary Chaplain, Lou Diefenderfer, Amanda Clougherty, and Linda Brown. Fred Hink worked the Cat’s Meow Company to recreate a small wooden replica of the church building. These were sold and several are still available. The profit, again, is going to missions.

After the service there were more surprises in store for guests. Nadine Culver was responsible for providing a memorable luncheon. She and Linda Brown, who employed the students from Easton High Culinary Class, provided an absolutely delicious hot meal, beginning with a salad and bread, including pork or turkey, potatoes, green beans, and more. Many, many members baked cakes for desserts. Our youth, along with the help from the culinary class, helped serve. A complete crew set-up the Fellowship Hall with tables, table clothes, chairs, and plates. Lace crosses were stitched by Mary Chaplain, Barbara Galloway, and Regina Chapman as favors at each place setting. Before


Picture provided by Fred Hink.


the meal David Schmidt was master of ceremonies for a short program and led us in grace. This meal served about 150 people. It was a great time to greet past members and fellowship together. However, such an endeavor required clean-up. Another crew pulled into action and cleared the tables, distributed left-over food, cleaned the kitchen, and returned the Fellowship Hall and classrooms to “normal.”

As a remembrance, each family was given a keepsake book that reflected our theme, God is in this Place, Past, Present, and Future. Each section was headed with the scripture, taken from each pastor’s message during the worship service. Joanne Smith, Lynn Hildenbrand, Regina Chapman, and Pastor Kreft compiled the script. The layout and printing were executed by

Sean Clougherty. If you haven’t received a book, please be sure to pick up one from the Church Office. Share it with a family member or neighbor so that they can learn a little more about Immanuel.

This entire project had a $0.00 budget. Ray Chapman was able to obtain $250 from Thrivent. The remainder of the expenses were absorbed by members. The cost of fabric, thread, cakes and cookies, paper plates, napkins, table runners, flowers, and the printing of the keepsake book were all donated. Financial contributions also helped cover other expenses.

I believe nearly every member was involved and contributed to the joy we all experienced that Sunday! So, I ask you: what’s next? How can we share that God is in this place in the future? I am ready, will you join me?

Regina Chapman T

A Call to PrayerAs you hopefully know, we recently held two special Voters meetings to seek input from Immanuel’s members about what we need to do as we face long-term trends of decreasing attendance, participation, and finances. These two meetings provided a wealth of comments and insight from the congregation to the Trustees.

I believe most people would agree that change is needed. In fact, many would agree that change is needed now. Yet I would humbly ask everyone to stop before we jump too quickly into action.

I’m reminded of Nehemiah. He was a man of decisive action. Much needed change happened under his watch.




(continued from page 5) Do you remember his story?

Nehemiah heard about Jerusalem’s broken walls. Its gates were broken and burned. The news broke his heart. He received permission from King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. And he did so, immediately.

Oops, not so fast. That’s not exactly the way it happened. No, when he got the news, he did something else. We can read about the first thing he did in Nehemiah 1:4.

“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Before he acted, before he took a first step to change or attempt to change anything, Nehemiah fasted and prayed.

I would encourage Immanuel’s members to do the same. Fast and pray. We must first seek God’s direction and guidance for our future or we will fail. Anything we seek to do without beginning and covering it throughout in prayer will fail.

To that end I would ask that you pray for your church’s leadership. Specifically, I ask that you pray that Immanuel’s leaders have…

• the wisdom to lead Immanuel through this unknown future

• the courage we will need to lead and move forward

• the strength needed because effective change leadership can only come from and through God Himself.

Don’t forget to pray for yourselves. Ask God to help you see the need for change and for the reception of His understanding of our future direction. May He provide you with the guidance and direction you need to place this process entirely in His hands.

Yes, Nehemiah’s reforms were wildly successful. Yet he did not do it alone. It only occurred when he went to his God in prayer and continued to bathe the entire process in prayer from before it began all the way through until it was fully accomplished.

We need your prayers for this undertaking. If you’d like to be identified as one of our “prayer warriors”

leading this prayer effort, please mark this on your attendance card. We’ll keep you informed and updated as to our prayer needs as we move through this change process.




And be assured that we, the leadership of Immanuel Lutheran Church, are right now in the midst of doing something. We’re bathing this in prayer

and seeking God’s preferred future direction for our church. Please join us in this.

Regards, in Christ, Pastor Jim T

Joining Jesus on His Mission Emphasis ContinuesImmanuel Lutheran is becoming a Joining Jesus on His Mission congregation. Pastor Jim introduced this emphasis last year. He’s had two different sermon series to present the emphasis. Last Fall we had two different midweek “missional groups” seek to Join Jesus on His Mission as they read through the foundational book, watched short video snippets, and prayerfully discussed what God

was revealing to them through the sessions. One continues to meet on a monthly basis. This Fall we are offering this overview during the Sunday morning education hour as well.

During Epiphany, which begins with Epiphany Sunday on January 6th, we’ll offer the second book in this series. Entitled Joining Jesus—Show Me How, author Rev. Greg Finke will take us even further on our discipleship journey.

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples…” These words of Jesus are as scary as they are inspiring. Somehow a myth has grown up around discipling. We have come to believe that discipling is so complex, so scholarly, so beyond the ability of simple Christians that only biblical scholars and spiritual

superheroes should attempt it.

Yet this myth stands in sharp contrast to what we see Jesus actually doing in the gospels.

The way Jesus disciples people is simple and results in unschooled, ordinary believers participating in the mission of the Father and discipling others to do the same. Joining Jesus—Show Me How will help you regain the clarity and simplicity of how Jesus disciples people in the gospels so that you can disciple your children, friends, neighbors, or fellow church members to get up, follow Jesus, and join Him on His mission, too.

Interested? Feeling pulled by the Holy Spirit in this way? Here’s the way to begin. As you walk out your front door and into the new day, you can have two simple questions on your mind: Jesus, what are you up to today? And then, how

would You have me join You in that? Simply ask God to open your eyes





and open your heart to what He’s doing all around you. He’ll do so! And you, too, can join Jesus in His mission of redemption and reconciliation that He’s still on even today! T

Operation Christmas Child Packing Party a Success!This year’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) mission project brought in donations for Operation Christmas Child. As promised, we had a Packing Party to fill the shoeboxes. We met in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, October 6th.

Offerings from VBS students and staff gave $250 to purchase materials to place in the shoeboxes. Other Immanuel

members caught the vision and purchased and donated additional items to place in the shoeboxes. A total of 66 boxes were packed!

With seed money from Thrivent, we provided a meal for all who came to pack the shoeboxes. While the meal was free, a free will donation of

$525 was collected to pay for the shipping of the shoeboxes.

Each shoebox will touch the life of more than its recipient. Other family members and friends will also benefit from these gifts. Each child is given the opportunity to learn about Jesus and, if they complete the special discipleship class, will receive a Bible in their own language.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this mission project which began this past summer. The shoeboxes will be delivered to the Collection Center here in Easton the week of November 11th. After that they’re taken to a Processing Center

and then sent around the world to touch the lives of children and their families. T

Worship Services in November 2018Sunday, November 4 — Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: “Let it go” – Mark 10:21.

Scriptures: Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1–3; Matthew 5:1-12.

Sunday Schedule:8:30 AM — Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion9:45 AM — Sunday School & Bible Classes




11:00 AM — Praise Worship Service

Sunday, November 11 — Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: “God looks at the heart” – Mark 12:43b-44.

Scriptures: 1 Kings 17:8–16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24–28; Mark 12:38–44.

Sunday Schedule:8:30 AM — Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion9:45 AM — Sunday School & Bible Classes10:10 AM — The Pines Worship Service11:00 AM — Praise Worship Service

Wednesday, November 14 — Midweek Communion Service

Formerly called our Homebound Service and offered for those who have a difficult time attending on Sunday mornings, we’ve opened this short service up to any and all who wish to attend. This is a casual service that features Holy Communion. We encourage you to join us at it!

Theme: “God looks at the heart” – Mark 12:43b-44.

Scriptures: 1 Kings 17:8–16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24–28; Mark 12:38–44.

Schedule:11:30 AM — Midweek Worship Service with Holy Communion

Sunday, November 18 — Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: “Endure to the end…” – Luke 17:17-18.

Scriptures: Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-13.

Sunday Schedule:8:30 AM — Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion9:45 AM — Sunday School & Bible Classes10:10 AM — The Pines Worship Service11:00 AM — Praise Worship Service

Wednesday, November 21 – Thanksgiving Eve

Theme: “Return to give thanks” – Luke 17:17-18.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 8:1–10; Psalm 67:1-7; Philippians 4:6–20; Luke 17:11–19.

Service Schedule:7:00 PM — Thanksgiving Worship Service





Sunday, November 25 — Last Sunday of the Church Year

Theme: “Stay awake” – Mark 13:37.

Scriptures: Isaiah 51:4–6; Psalm 93; Jude 20–25; Mark 13:24–37.

Sunday Schedule:8:30 AM — Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion9:45 AM — Sunday School & Bible Classes10:10 AM — The Pines Worship Service11:00 AM — Praise Worship Service T

Did you know that…… we already have a Midweek Service that meets regularly each month? Formerly called our Homebound Service and offered for those who have a difficult time attending on Sunday mornings, we’ve opened this short service up to any and all who wish to attend. This is a casual service that features Holy Communion. We encourage you to join us at it! Invite your friends, too! If you plan to attend, please let the Church Office know so we might prepare enough materials and communion for all attendees. Thank you. T

… Immanuel Lutheran will hold its Thanksgiving Worship Service on Thanksgiving Eve, November 21st, beginning at 7:00 PM? Plan to “Return to give thanks” to God for all of the blessings which He continues to bountifully pour out upon us all! T

… we still have copies of our special 90th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet created by our 90th Anniversary Committee for the special 90th Anniversary Celebration? If you didn’t get a copy, please contact the Church Office and we’ll get you a copy! T

… we delayed our November issue of The Juniper Tree to include materials from our 90th Anniversary Celebration? Our goal is to have the newsletter

available by the last Sunday of the prior month. Remember, you may receive a copy of our monthly newsletter in one of the following ways: we’ll place it on our website, we’ll email it out to our email list using MailChimp, we’ll mail it via USPS to homebound, and we’ll have several printed copies available to pick up at Immanuel. If you would like to receive a printed copy mailed to your home, please let the Church Office know. T

… Immanuel’s 90th Anniversary Quilt (which you can see pictured on page 12) raised over $2,500 for missions? Thanks to all who donated for this worthwhile project. Their names are listed on the back of the quilt. The front features Immanuel’s original families and those professionals who served Immanuel over the years. T



Immanuel’s November Birthdays, Baptismal Birthdays, and AnniversariesNovember Baptism Birthdays

David Asche ............................................................. 11/1Dee Craig ................................................................. 11/1Braden Fluharty ....................................................... 11/1Tony Kohn ............................................................... 11/1Craig Walsworth ...................................................... 11/2Sharon Pahlman ...................................................... 11/3Sean Clougherty ...................................................... 11/7Paul Hughes ............................................................. 11/7Casey Baynard ....................................................... 11/17Jim Mitchell ........................................................... 11/18Nancy Melchior ..................................................... 11/20Kasey Schmidt ....................................................... 11/23John Collins ........................................................... 11/26

November Baptism BirthdaysWesley Brown ..........................................................11/5Kaitlin Coburn ......................................................11/10Debra Grey .............................................................11/13Tara Mildenberger .................................................11/13Doris Zebley ..........................................................11/13David Asche ...........................................................11/14Marjorie Boone ......................................................11/27Drema Marks .........................................................11/29Carol Trice .............................................................11/29

November AnniversariesEarl & Debra Grey ...................................................11/2Ralph & Doris Zebley .............................................11/3Don & Barbara Galloway ......................................11/10Debbie & Steve Hale .............................................11/14Bill & Lois Yeager ..................................................11/27


Immanuel’s 90th Anniversary Quilt


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Immanuel Lutheran Church7215 Ocean GatewayEaston, MD [email protected]


the juniper tree · 1 immanuel lutheran church / november 2018 every one take one! dear immanuel...

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