the immanuelite celebrating 121 years of ministry

September 2019 Volume 121 Issue 9

September 29, 2019 Join us for

10:00 a.m. Worship & Dedication 11:15 a.m. Tours & Refreshments

In 2016, we wondered, how, in our time and place, God called us to BUILD UP the BODY of Christ at Immanuel. At that time, our church fa-cility had 5 levels only accessible by stairs and only one accessible bathroom. We realized that our church facility was a barrier for people with limited mobility to be able to participate in our current ministries and it limited new outreach. The fellowship hall, kitchen, classrooms, pre-school, and offices were difficult, unsafe, and sometimes impossible for those with limited mo-bility to access. People either chose not to attend events or they needed to be carried up and down the stairs.

We started the BUILD UP the BODY 3-year Capital Appeal to raise $600,000 so that we could remove physical barriers to participating in church life. When the bids for the entire project were higher than we could do, an Immanuel member came forward to donate $150,000 so that we could complete a majority of the original renovations.

Construction is Complete & It’s making a Difference!

Already, people have used the elevator to attend funeral receptions, visit the offices, and to move large furniture. Pastor Molly gave a tour to an

Immanuel member who had never been on all 5 floors of the church because she is in a wheel­chair. Most of the church (including the entire sanctuary) has been refreshed with new paint and bright windows.

Immanuel now has: ⇒ An elevator that

reaches all 5 levels. ⇒ Extended lobby/

narthex area to South Street with new ADA restroom.

⇒ Extended musicians area in sanctuary. ⇒ Renovation of 5th floor musician’s office. ⇒ Bright, new gathering space on the 5th level. ⇒ 2 ADA restrooms on office level. ⇒ Relocation of office spaces and new work

room. ⇒ 1 ADA restroom on fellowship level. ⇒ 1 ADA restroom with shower and a bath/

laundry room. ⇒ New Storage in basement. ⇒ Upgraded electrical mechanical and plumbing. ⇒ Fresh paint in sanctuary and other spaces.

Sunday, September 8 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or until it’s done!

Immanuel Facilities & Grounds Clean Up Bring your work clothes, work gloves and lots of el-bow grease as we wash and clean our Sanctuary,

classrooms, hallways, kitchen, new spaces, old spaces-everything. There is much construction dust and work to be done now that the project is complete.

Wear Your T-Shirts! New ones available.

Let’s Celebrate! Accessibility Project

Completion We are many, but in Christ, we form one body, and we belong to each other. (Romans 12:5)

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Family Faith Gathering

“Sanctuary” or “You can’t believe everything you hear on TV” By Montana Synod Bishop Jessica Crist

By now many ELCA members have heard that the Au-gust 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly* voted to be-come “a sanctuary body.” For some people this an-nouncement came as good, life-giving news. For oth-ers it was much more troubling. It is important for us to understand what this declaration means and what it does not mean. It DOES mean that the ELCA takes very seriously the situation of migrants and of undocumented peo-ple. The ELCA has a long history of ministry to the stranger, based on biblical precedent. It DOES NOT mean than everyone has to respond in the same way. Some will choose to provide material aid to refugees relocating in this country. When there was talk of Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls being a backup location for unaccompanied minors in the case of a hurricane, I spoke with the Mayor about ways that the faith community could offer hospitali-ty. Offering hospitality is what we do. Some will choose to limit their response to prayer—which should never be discounted. And some will work with Luther-an Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) or AMMPARO. Still others will take further steps. It DOES mean that the ELCA is renewing our commit-ment to advocate for reform in our nation’s broken immigration system, and for humane treatment of immigrants and refugees.

It DOES NOT mean that the ELCA is condoning or ad-vocating illegal conduct on behalf of its congregations or members. It DOES mean that the ELCA is encouraging its mem-bers to exercise compassion, generosity, hospitality to all, and to speak up for “the least of these.” It DOES NOT mean that the ELCA is mandating that its congregations engage in any practice. (The ELCA Churchwide Assembly cannot mandate the actions of any ELCA congregation.) To find the document listing in detail what it means to be a sanctuary denomination see “Talking Points” and other resources at

https://elca.org/sanctuarychurch It is important to know what we as the ELCA think we did, not what commentators who were not there claim we did. *The ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the primary decision-making body of the church, is a process of communal spiritual discern-ment. The delegates include ELCA rostered clergy and congre-gational representatives both elected from each ELCA Synod. The Assembly takes place every two years.

Please join us for the Installation of Montana Synod

Bishop Laurie Jungling 11 a.m. Saturday, September 21, 2019

Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church 3580 North Benton Ave

Helena, MT 59602

Clergy and Lay ministers are invited to arrive at 10:30 to vest and process. Color of the day is red.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you

may know what is the hope to which he has called you. (Ephesians 1:17-18)

Family Faith Gathering September 8, 2019 4-6:15 pm (Marks’)

“The Great Bible Race”

Join us for the first Family Faith Gathering this fall, the Great Bible Race! Bring a side dish and drinks,

and Immanuel will provide hot dogs!

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Anniversaries: 9/1 Mick & Sharon Hanson—51 years; 9/4 Briar & Heidi Diggs—43 years; 9/7 Jay & Deb Getz—45 years; /13 Ron & Nancy Marks—44 years; Marvin & Tina Paulson—33 years; 9/16 Steve & Brenda Weber—42 years; 9/18 Dan & Lorrie Beaulieu—54 years; 9/19 Brenda & Brian Hallas—27 years; 9/27 Dick & Nancy Solum—33 years.

Birthdays: 9/1 Amy Galipeau 9/4 Levi Hoover 9/5 Brittney Marcure 9/6 Hanna Nagy 9/7 Jim Peterson 9/8 Jeff Fields, Mindy Hammitt 9/12 Patricia Berge 9/14 Macee Martin 9/15 Craig Happ 9/17 Kinsley Long, Mark Mohorcich 9/18 Sherika Fernando 9/20 Judy Wellert 9/21 Helen Petroff, Dean Ross 9/22 Patty Orr 9/23 Leslie Boileau 9/25 Andrew Nagy 9/27 Luca Khomenko 9/29 Jerry Jacobson

This & That

immanuel staff Pastor—Molly Sasser-Goehner Director of Worship & Music—Allen Sasser-Goehner Director of Christian Education—Sonja Wolsky Administrative Assistant—Lynn Rhynard Bookkeeper—Tudi Smith Choir Director—Nita Smith Preschool Teachers—Julie Sager, Wendy Deaton Preschool Assistant—Melinda Brady Custodians—Carrie & Mark Courter Funeral Coordinator—Nancy Marks Wedding Coordinator—Shirley Wanberg

Church Website: imluchurch.org Office Email: office@imluchurch.org

your 2019 church council

Ike Marks, President TJ Johnson, Vice President Judy Wellert, Secretary Tana Lambert, Treasurer & Finance Vacant, Fellowship Toni Johnson, Christian Education Albert Melby, Property & Grounds Tom Thompson, Service Ray Smith, Stewardship Gaynelle Stamm, Worship & Music Vacant, Witness Vacant, Youth & Family

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Naomi Circle Naomi Circle will meet the 3rd Wednes­

day in September, September 13 at 10 am at the home of Valer ie McNair ,

who lives near the church. Bring a salad or dessert for a potluck, Bible Study, and fellowship! Everyone is invited!

Special Congratulations to Jay & Deb Getz on 45 years of marriage!

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Council Highlights Immanuel Lutheran Church Council Highlights—August 6, 2019 Council Members Present: Tana Lambert, Isaac Marks, Tom Thompson, Raymond Smith, Gaynelle Stamm, Pastor Molly Sasser-Goehner Guests present: Jean Larson and Brandy Hafner Prayer was held before a picnic. Meeting called to order just after 7PM. Meeting minutes for the June Council meeting were passed as submitted. Reconciliation in Christ (RIC): Jean Larson (JL) and Brady Hafner (BH) • Guidance on reconciliation is found in 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5. RIC started in 1974 as part of an organization called Reconciliation Works

in Minneapolis. It is an independent organization formed to guide and encourage the ELCA on issues of sexual orientation and full inclusion. • We discussed whether Immanuel and Campus Ministries are welcoming. BH found us to be intentionally welcoming. • JL, when doing campus ministry, heard stories about gay students struggling. • JL and BH want to bring all the ELCA Churches in Missoula to a training called “Building an Inclusive Church.” Immanuel’s Council is being

asked to support the training and send members to it. This training would be put on by ‘Reconciliation Works.’ Each Church would send at least 4 to 5 members to the training. These 4 to 5 people would become a core team that would then meet/talk with the rest of their respective congregations. Additional members from each Church would also be welcomed to the training if they wanted to come, up to a total of 8 per church. The training is planned for Friday PM and all day Saturday, October 11 - 12, 2019. The main thrust of the training is on gender, but the training does help a church be more open to marginalized groups. There will probably be no charge for the training because they are working on a grant. We decided we will invite some members to participate, and we will also ask for volunteers.

• JL & BH gave a flier to Pastor to post at church and a flier and two-page information sheet to each of the Council members. Safety Training: Jean Larson • JL talked about the safety meeting that she, Jim Peterson, Ray Smith, and Jim Steenberg attended. The PowerPoint presentations from the

meeting were distributed to the Council members. • The MT Protective Security Advisor from Homeland Security and a representative from the Antidefamation League (among others) talked at

the meeting. Most comments from the participants, who represented many local churches, revolved around being welcoming and, at the same time, being safe.

• During the discussion period after the presentations JL pointed out that one of the ways the Homeland Security presentation suggested to deal with security is to have armed members at services, which is an insurance and safety issue. In response to this, one of the Catholic priests said that NO guns are allowed at Catholic services.

• Bottom line: The first step in increasing church security is to form a dedicated core team to assess each particular church’s situation. More information is available at www.fema.gov , http://rems.ed.gov, and www.churchsecurityinsights.com. The core team will then make recom-mendations to the Council.

Book Tour: Allen Sasser-Goehner • Allen mentioned that the author Juliet Rehrig Cutler (who is also an ELCA Lutheran) will be having a book tour this fall for her book “Among

the Maasai”. She will be in Missoula on November 7 to 11. He would like the Church to host an evening presentation which could be paid for with an Endowment grant. The council supported the idea.

Pastor’s Report: Pastor Molly Sasser-Goehner • The presentation by Damian Kok last Sunday was well received. • Sunday, Aug 25th worship service will include the blessing of the backpacks. Also, the children of the congregation who attended FLBC this

summer will give a presentation about their experience. • This month Pastor will preside over two funerals, a wedding, and a baptism. • The official date for “God Work. Our Hands. Sunday” is September 8th. • On September 8th or 15th we will have one service and the dedication of the new elevator construction. We will have one Sunday service

each week until then so we don’t confuse everyone when we change the number of services each Sunday. • We received an anonymous gift for Fellowship Hall furnishings. • Another Missoula Interfaith Collaborative core team training will be held Aug. 30 from 5-9 PM and Sept. 5 at 5-9 PM. • We will need to revisit our Vison Statement in 2020. • We need people with an ‘eye’ for decorating to form an Arts Team to see how we can redecorate the entire church building. • Painting is mostly done, but the sanctuary still needs to be done. • Swede Gustafson is pulling together a ‘punch list’ of things still left to be done. Finance: Tana Lambert • In July we spent $4,565.36 more than we took in. This year, as of the end of July, we have a $8,753.35 deficit. This is $1,313.89 better than

this time last year. General Questions: • We hope to have three options for service on “God’s Work Our Hands Sunday” (Sept 8th): a kid-friendly project, a cleaning the building pro-

ject, and a service project. • Does the Washington Middle School Team need more help? Worship & Music: Gaynelle Stamm—We will continue the one service schedule until the dedication of the elevator/new building. Christian Education: The shortened VBS schedule went very well. We had 25+ kids. The volunteers really liked the shorter week. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m., Judy Wellert, Secretary

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BBLB/Preschool/Cookin’ & Craftin’

Preschool begins Tuesday, September 3rd! There are several more openings in Immanuel’s Preschool classes. School starts September 3rd, but we will take new students as long as there are openings. Registration forms are available online at www.imluchurch.org/Preschool/Registration Form, contact the office or the Preschool Director, Julie Sager.

Cookin’ and Craftin’

On Wednesdays from September 25—December 4, Immanuel will hold an after-school work-shop called Cookin’ and Craftin’ for students from Washington Middle School. It will be held in part of the Fellowship Hall and the kitchen from approximately 3:45-5 p.m. Each week we will offer a cooking class AND a crafting class. The students will be divided into two groups. Six students will cook and six will craft. The next week we’ll offer the same cooking and crafting classes, but the groups would switch. Six volunteers are needed each week to lead or assist in workshops, and to walk the students from Washington to Immanuel and assist in the workshops.

If you are interested in helping provide this fun opportunity, please attend a planning meeting on Wed., August 28, at 3:30 at church.

Judy Wellert wellert2012@gmail.com

Immanuel Brown Bag Lunch Bunch Connect with other members and our community at Immanuel’s monthly Brown Bag Lunch Bunch! WHEN: Third Wednesday of each month TIME: 12 noon - 1:00 pm (unless otherwise noted)

Wednesday September 18 "Journey to the unknown land; the mystery of God's pow­er." Fidelis Temuken. Come hear the story of Fidelis Temuken, a refugee from Cameroon in Af­rica. He, his wife and 4 children live in Hamilton where he serves as a Pastor for the Corner­stone Bible Church and also the director for the Salvation Army in Ravalli County. He also helps refugees in Missoula who speak only French, since French is his official language. In addition, he puts together a container to send supplies and furniture to his home church in Cameroon. Im­manuel’s chairs from the Fellowship hall and old hymnals we had in storage will be headed there in October. Come learn about his journey to Montana. Have an idea for a Lunch Bunch presentation? Contact Nancy Marks at mslamarks@gmail.com or 406-396-5494. We’re always looking for something interesting to share!

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MIC/FP

Family Promise- Time for a rest! By Nancy Marks, Family Promise Co-Coordinator

We had a busy summer with Family Promise and we get a little rest between now and when we serve again in October - in our building!!! Won’t it be great to offer laundry facilities and a bathtub or a shower for those families when they stay with us. Thanks to Nancy Melby and Carol Fleharty for getting our bedding and supplies in place in our new store room! How great to have items all in one place and an elevator to move them to LEVEL 2 to set up rooms! THANKS TO ATONEMENT A special thank you to Atonement Lutheran for partnering with us during our year and a half of remodel. They have offered a welcoming place not only for our families but for Immanuel’s volunteers. We appreciate their hospitality! Upcoming Dates for Family Promise at Immanuel: Immanuel will house families at our church for two weeks and will have additional volunteers to provide support in October. •October 13-27 (with Atonement and added volunteers) Donations- Are you interested in helping Family Promise with donations? Check out the new webpage http://micmt.org/family-promise/get-involved/give-supplies/ for ways you can help.

SEE THEM HOME- Mark your calendars. Come learn more about the See Them Home Project September 22 after worship in the Fellowship Hall. MIC and the YWCA Missoula have been working together to raise funds to build a Family Housing

Center and Domestic Violence Shelter in Missoula. This center would mean that when a family experiences homelessness, they will have a place to go that night. Through the generosity of many donors we are over 86% of our fundraising goal! Come learn more about it and how you can be involved.

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FP/Quilts

See Them Home….

Ground was broken on August 21st for the Mead­owlark- the new MIC Family Housing Center and YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter. “The meadow­lark is the state bird of Montana and in folklore its presence is a sign of peace, safety and easier times ahead. That’s exactly what we hope to pro­vide for the people who walk through the doors of this building.” Cindy Weese, YWCA

Chili Cook-off and Pie Auction A fundraiser and information sharing

to support the

SEE THEM HOME CAMPAIGN September 26, 2019

First United Methodist Church 300 East Main Street

6:00-7:30 pm Join in the fun to identify which congregation has the best chili and most expensive pie and find out about the See Them Home Campaign to build a Family Housing Center in Missoula. Learn about family home­less and be inspired to donate and volunteer! Please RSVP at http://micmt.org/family-promise/ (just search for Family Promise-Missoula).

Thank you for picking up Ragtime Quilt Kits. Please return the completed quilt to Room 207 by November 1st. If you would like to pick up 1 or 2 at another time, or have questions, call Carole (728-4412) or Judy (370-0254). Ragtime Quilts are easy to sew! All materials and instructions are included.

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Family Housing/Clean Up

Clean Up Immanuel FINALLY OUR BUILDING IS LOOKING LIKE WE LIVE HERE! With the elevator up and running, we had a group of volunteers plus help from the Missoula Works Get it Done Crew to help move some of the heavier stuff around and get the basement cleaned up and ready to be used. The Preschool teachers have been hard at work getting their area done. And what a joy to actually be able to host an event (our Family Promise Orientation) in our Fellowship Hall and be able to say “Come on down-- you can ride the elevator!” It was fun to see some of our folks taking a tour of the different floors with their wheelchairs and walkers! Thanks again to all who helped with cleaning up and getting rid of the many unneeded items. Moving, dusting cleaning, mop-ping and hauling items to the dump or to be donated. It’s be-ginning to look like a new place!

SEE THEM HOME- Family Housing Project

The long-awaited Family Housing Center is now becoming a reality! Over the past 3 years, much time and effort has been put into planning for a new MIC Emergency Family Housing Center in conjunction with the YWCA Domestic Violence Shel­ter. Between July and December, you will be hearing a lot about the “SEE THEM HOME” campaign…as we work toward meeting our fund­raising goal and creating awareness in Missoula about this project. Be watching for events to learn more about it and in the meantime check out their website www.seethemhome.org and check out the stories behind it and give a donation to help get it go­ing. Groundbreaking ceremony was August 21, 2019 with projected end date of December 2020.

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i m m a n u e l

evangelical lutheran church

pastor molly sasser-goehner 830 south avenue west

missoula, montana 59801-7912 office: 406.549-0736

fax: 406.728.2123 email addresses: church: office@imluchurch.org pastor: pastormolly@imluchurch.org allen sasser-goehner: allen@imluchurch.org sonja wolsky: sonja@imluchurch.org church website: www.imluchurch.org

The Immanuelite is the official publication of news and events at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church.

We want to thank everyone for the love, support and condolences in the loss of our mom, Betty Holm. The church was an important part of her life and she will be sorely missed. Thank you all for your kindness, care and compassion.

- Vicky Harris, Randy Holm, Deanna Stoneking, Steve Holm, Jeff Holm, Laurie Johnson and families.

UPDATE Accessibility Enhancement Project (AEP)

September Projects: ⇒ Completion! ⇒ Elevator is up and running and final painting to be completed! ⇒ Financial Gifts continue to be contributed regularly, are much need­ed and appreciated!

Immanuel Lutheran Church 830 South Avenue West Missoula, MT 59801 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit org. U.S. Postage

PAID Missoula, MT 59801

Permit # 132

Join us for worship! One Worship continues each Sunday in September at 10 am

Faith Family Gathering—September 8, 4-6:15 pm at the Marks’

Join us for The Great Bible Race!

BUILD UP THE BODY CELEBRATION! Accessibility Enhancement Project September 29, 2019 Worship 10 am Celebration and Open House 11:15 am—1 pm