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Welcome to Council Corner. This
page is designed to keep the Emanuel congregation
apprised of the workings and other issues addressed
at our monthly council meetings.
May 20th, 2010:
Dear Friends
Members of Emanuel Lutheran
Greetings, Emanuel, God is with us.
Throughout the past two years, Emanuel Lutheran has
struggled to meet an annual budget which has been
cut down to a point where we are, at times, barely
able to keep the water running and the lights on.
We are now faced with the question of whether or not
we can afford to keep and maintain a full time
Pastor. We understand that all are experiencing
economic hurdles in uncertain economic times.
Church attendance is slowly decreasing. We are
seeing about one third of the confirmed members of
Emanuel attending services. We know there are a
number of reasons for not attending. Some are
without transportation, others may feel that “God
has turned his back on us when we are in times of
need, why should we worship Him”. God in turn asks
why “we turn our backs on Him when we are times of
need”. Whatever the reason, we need to ask God for
guidance in our commitment to Him, and to our
congregation. With bills piling up, we often look
at church offerings as one of those things that we
can sacrifice. We often think that if we don’t make
a commitment to the church, someone else will.
As we struggle through 2010, one of
Emanuel’s main priorities is that of stewardship.
What is stewardship? Stewardship in
a Christian context refers to the responsibility
that Christians have in maintaining and using wisely
the gifts that God has bestowed. The first example
of stewardship in the bible comes from Gen. 2:15: “The
Lord
God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden
to till it and keep it”. Stewardship is the
responsibility of all members of Emanuel; to
maintain our congregation, our church family, and
our building; all are gifts which God has graciously
bestowed upon us.
We all demanded Jesus pay a bill for
us, and payment was that of his life. For that I am
grateful, and undeserving. In return, the least we
can do is to honor Him by continuing God’s work in
our community. I ask that all members of Emanuel
pray about these issues, and ask God how best we can
help this situation. We can pull together with
God’s help and overcome our shortfalls.
Because of our financial shortfalls,
we need to come together as a congregation and
discuss our future. This is why it is imperative
that all members of the congregation are present for
our congregational meeting on June 13th, 2010. We
will hold a combined service that day at 10:00am,
with a potluck/BBQ and congregational meeting to
follow. I look forward to seeing and talking with
you all.
God's grace and blessings be with you
all.
Tim Reasoner, Council President.
Jan. 10th, 2010. The annual
meeting was a success and well received by the
members who attended. We have been making
progress with our financial issues, and hope that
you all ask God for his guidance on how you can make
a commitment to share with others what you have been
blessed with by our Creator. We looked at the
big picture, which was a bit much to take in;
however, when we look at what what happens when we
all work together toward a common goal, the numbers
seem quite a bit more manageable. God wants
our commitment, and part of that commitment is a
commitment to each others as brothers and sisters on
Jesus.
In the coming weeks, the minutes
of the annual meeting with be published on this site
and forwarded by conventional means to everyone
listed on the Emanuel Lutheran roster. Along
with the minutes we will include a copy of the
approved budget, and BY NUMBERS ONLY statistical
information on 2009's commitments.
Additionally, if you are unable to attend services
on a regular basis, and still wish to fulfill a
commitment to God, contact one of your council
members or the Emanuel office for information.
Please feel free to contact any of
our council members for questions or concerns.
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