Immanuel Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Missouri Synod3000 W. Main Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006
269-345-8090
Divine Service with Holy Communion
each Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday Evening Service at 6:00 p.m.
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Pastor's Letter -- Pastor's Notes I do look forward to sharing Easter with you all. The Lenten season of worship has been particularly meaningful for our church this year. We had the most well attended Ash Wednesday Service in recent memory. This devotion has carried through so far with all services, especially Wednesday Night's Holden Evening Prayer Service. The church seems to have a heart for doing something "extra" this year during Lent -- be it worship, study, service or fellowship. We have experienced the loss of loved ones and we have welcomed new believers into our community. We have had long relaxed conversations in the narthex and have quick hugs on the way to our many activities. Church and school and work and family have called us to their various needs, hurts and desires. The nights seem to come early and the mornings even earlier. I am amazed at how much our "little" church does in a week. The start of our Epiphany season feels like it was last year and not 2011! Spring Break should give us a chance to get a bit of rest and prepare for Holy Week? which in some ways is a bit quieter. I would encourage you to come to Maundy Thursday service and Good Friday (at Zion (from 12:00 to 3:00) and Immanuel (7:00)). We are also having a "Sunrise" service Easter Morning. We have many opportunities to invite friends and family to worship with us. Easter is about as late as it can be this year -- the feel of Spring is in the air -- it is a good time to celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord and share this celebration. Behind the scenes the leadership of the church has been preparing nominations for our coming elections of offices and directors. The good news here is that we have all the qualified people we need God is thoroughly in charge and has blessed us in so many ways. Some folks will get a chance to come off a job and others the opportunity to start one. This is a good and healthy mix of "old" and "new". You can be confident that our church is well administered, well lead,and peaceful, which is the most important part. The heat "blowing" in the building is from the new system. The air blowing on us will turn to cold air some day (although it feels far away). So at this point, minus some restoration work on our windows, we have brought our building up to the "standard" for a church building in our community for this time. It is good to see this accomplishment after all the planning and work that went in to it. Thank you to all who participated. The next middle of summer wedding will be really "cool" in more ways than one. It is a joy and privilege to live life with you, to worship and pray and cry with you. One of my new communion assistants looked at me with amazement after his first time of service in the chancel and said, "Being up here (in the chancel) is so cool. You can feel the Holy Spirit!" I replied, "Now you know why I love my job so much. You can feel the Holy Spirit and my chair is the best seat in the house!" But to be honest, I feel the Holy Spirit a lot at Immanuel; all over the church. Do enjoy our coming time of worship. I look forward to seeing all of you some time in the next few weeks. May God bless you and our worship. Have a Holy and Blessed Easter. He is Risen! Pastor David H. Sidwell 
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