Fieldworker Ben takes his first run at leading an IYC Night this Sunday, April 7th at 6pm. He's got plenty to say about being a rebel and living out our faith in this world, and we'll be talking about that during our discussion time. We'll also have some good singing time as he leads us through some new songs to praise God with. Join us at 6pm at church!

"i am loved" conference for teen girls...

Immanuel's girls and their friends are invited to caravan to the upcoming "I Am Loved" confererence. The cost is only $25 and the sign up deadline is March 20th. Call Janet Justus for more details

a truly "inspired" app

For those of you who have an smart phone or i anything, here is a link to a free bible app. Looks like you can carry a searchable bible with you everywhere you go now, and why wouldn't you want to do that? If you get it, use it and let me know how good it is or if you know of anything better.

iyc this sunday the 17th...

Concordia U Fieldworker Emily wraps up her Senior Fieldwork Project this Sunday with a final cinema and culture night for teens and parents. We'll be meeting at church on the lower level beginning at 6pm. Call me if you have questions, and feel free to bring an interesting snack... or chocolate chip cookies!
In Christ, Tom

iyc night "hot topics" this sunday the 10th

This Sunday we'll be gathering for IYC Night for a final "Hot Topic" before Easter. In this series, we're hitting some of the most difficult and controversial moral issues of the day head-on, examining them in light of God's Word and discussing how to reflect that in our daily lives.
This time around we will put the finishing touches on our discussion of the Christian response to homosexuality. Last time we discovered what the Bible says, and this time we'll be working out how to live this out in our lives and relationships. We will meet in the church library beginning at 6pm.
 In Christ, Tom

super bowl bash!

We’ll be gathering this Sunday for a Super Bowl party worthy of this internationally-hyped event. What will be the best thing about it… The commercials? The spread of food and drink?? The tattoos??? Maybe even the actual game???? Whatever the outcome, we’ll be meeting at the Spilky’s Subterranean Party Complex (4810 Washington in DG) beginning at 5pm. Count on starting with the faith n football lineup, and bring a dish to pass (no punt intended)- side, appetizer or dessert. Feel free to bring a friend, and a board game, too, if you’re not satisfied with just watching the big game!

iyc night- the end (again!)

Since we made it through December 21st, the most recent "End of the World", we're going to take one more look at the end times that really are coming anytime now. We'll wade through some of the crazy misinformation that's out there using God's perspective, and hopefully come away with a fearless and faithful outlook. Join us Sunday, Jan 20th at 6pm...

iyc/confirmation meeting... degrees of silliness!

dunes 2012... up to our necks in fun!

It  started as a classic IYC Dunes Trek, with lots of suntanning and sand digging and soaking in the water. Then a nasty storm rolled through at dinnertime, drenching the dunes and sending most everybody but us home. When the rain passed it ended up being a unique evening of hiking around the cool, wet sand, and we even got a sunset! Take a look at some of the snapshots from our great day at this link. Thanks to the parents and adult volunteers who made this trip possible!

"made" in china grove

We returned from a classic awesome mission week in the wee hours of July 1st. Our China Grove Workcamp was doubly blessed by God- a blessing to us and to the people of that region. Share the adventure in the pictures of our crew on the worksites and during other "fun stuff". Say a prayer of thanks for all that God did through and around us!

iyc summer update hits the newstand

Watch your mailbox or click on this link to get a look at what's coming up through August. We're welcoming the 2012 confirmands, rolling out the summer schedule and Diving Deep plan 1.6.

a hot time at walcamp!

Spring turned to summer as we retreated at Walcamp May 19th-20th and the temps soared into the 90's! Turned out to be a good time to roll out the balloon launchers and blast about 200 balloons across the big field.  It was a great 30 hours of meeting new friends, reconnecting with old friends and meditating on God and his presence in our lives. Take a look at some of the pics by clicking here!

what a walcamp weekend!

God blessed us with a great November weekend at Walcamp! Our theme of prayer was a vital one, "Trust", and we explored all kinds of aspects of prayer, including an all night prayer vigil done in 15 minute shifts. Concordia DCE Fieldworker Carlea created and led this great experience. If you couldn't make it, we missed you! Take a look at some of the photos at this link to see what you missed...

"connecting" in hamburg- workcamp 2011

Our Workcamp week was so great- we connected with God, each other and the residents of western New York as we served in Jesus' name. Take a look at some of what life was like when we were not serving at our job sites in the photos at this link. Then take a look at the pics from the 49 work crews that ministered in the region all around Hamburg, NY at this link. Thanks again to our parents, youth volunteers, family and friends and the wonderful support of the people of Immanuel for making this trip possible!

"essence of dune"

No, that's not a designer IYC fragrance, it's the photo album from our road trip last Sunday! Our 2011 Dunes Trek is in the books now, and it was a day of extremes, with blistering sun and sand on the one hand and glacial water temperatures on the other. We made the most of it, though, and had a wonderful day in God's wonderfully diverse creation. The "essence" of our trip is contained in the photo album at this link- check it out!

spring overnight- wet but worth it!

Walcamp had just about been washed out the day before, getting 8" of rain, but we went and made our own splash last weekend. Paige and Michaela created a great retreat experience around four great songs and we listened, discussed and grew in faith and friendship. Courtney and Ruth got us warmed up with icebreakers on Saturday morning, too. It was also a great weekend to welcome the 8th grade confirmands to the IYC, and we were thrilled to have Sam, Christian, Elyse and Amanda join us. Take a look at this link for some of what we experienced...

farewell zach!

The time... it flies! Zach has been faithfully serving here at Immanuel since the fall of 2008, and he has completed his fieldwork. In honor of that, we sent him off into his DCE internship with a nice BBQ Party. We also said a "see you in the fall" goodbye to Nicole, Carlea and Stephanie, our other fieldworkers who could make it that Sunday. We sent him off with lotsa love and graditude- take a look at some photos at this link!

In Christ, Tom

fall retreat- what a blast!

God blessed us with a great weekend at Walcamp! Our theme was a vital one, "Trust", and we explored all kinds of aspects of trusting each other, the world and God. Concordia DCE Fieldworker Ben did a wonderful job of planning and leading the retreat. If you couldn't make it, we missed you! Take a look at some of the photos at this link to see what you missed...

back from the dunes...

We had a stunningly beautiful day at the beach last Saturday, and I'm thanking God for all the good fun we had. Take a look at some of the pics at this link, and be ready for next July!

echoes from "we believe"!

Wow! Our National Gathering week was a real adventure! Our team really did a great job of diving into everything the Gathering had to offer, and I think each would say that they were blessed and strengthened in many ways as we grew and experienced life among 25K teens in the diverse city of New Orleans. Get a hint of what it was like at *this link*...