Emmanuel Lutheran Church One church...multiple communities February 2021 Mooring Line Drive Campus 777 Mooring Line Dr. Naples, FL 34102 239-261-0894 Sunday Services during the pandemic In-person services: 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - Traditional Service in Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. - Contemporary Alive Service in the Family Life Center 11:30 a.m. - Bilingual Service in the Family Life Center 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. will be livestreamed as well. www.naplesemmanuel.org (Check out the “Weekly Schedule” on our Home Page) 10:00 a.m. - Drive-In Service at Emmanuel Park 2770 Oil Well Road, Naples, FL 34120 Email: [email protected] Our Mission: A Christ-centered community where God’s Spirit guides our lives as we worship, learn, love, share and serve. Staff and Church Council Our Staff: Rev. Steven E Wigdahl, Senior Pastor - [email protected] Rev. Dr. Rick Bliese, Associate Pastor - [email protected] Rev. José Lebrón, Associate Pastor for Mission Development - [email protected] Rev. William Kittinger, Associate Pastor for Mission Development - [email protected] Karole Langset, Resident Pastor - [email protected] Lois Sorensen, Resident Pastor - [email protected] Jim Cooper, ELCA Deacon, Youth & Family - [email protected] Frine Donadelli, Administrative Assistant at Pebblebrooke - [email protected] Gina Fidler, Office Manager - [email protected] Joyce Finlay, ELCA Deacon, Music & Worship; organist - [email protected] Carol Hartman, Parish Nurse - [email protected] Nieves Lebrón, Children’s Ministry Specialist - [email protected] Dee Schleutker, ELCA Deacon, Service & Outreach - [email protected] Theresa Shaw, Executive Director - [email protected] Vivian Shea, Chief Operations Officer - [email protected] Alex Tovar, Maintenance Manager - [email protected] Deborah Vacca, Bookkeeper - [email protected] Jennifer Ziegelmaier, Publication Coordinator - [email protected] Church Council: The Church Council is made up of nine dedicated people who act on behalf of the church membership. According to Emmanuel Lutheran’s Constitution,“ The Congregation Council shall have general oversight of the life and activities of this congregation, and in particular its worship life, to the end that everything be done in accordance with the Word of God and the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” Please do not hesitate to contact a council member if you have any questions or concerns. They are here to involve all mem- bers of the congregation in worship, learning, witness, service, and support. If you would like to communicate with the mem- bers of the Emmanuel Church Council, you will find their names and e-mail addresses below: Here is your Council for 2019-2020: Tom Jackson - [email protected] Carlos Dominguez - [email protected] Ann Berlam - [email protected] Zetty Rivera - [email protected] Steve Esala - [email protected] Sylvia Boynton - [email protected] Kaitlyn Ziegelmaier - [email protected] Jeff Heier- [email protected] Dennis Reustle - [email protected] HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COUNCIL MEETING IN JANUARY: Staff assessments are underway. We reached our goal for year-end of receiving an additional $100,000 thanks to everyone’s generosity. The Stewardship Committee has completed the brochure for the 2021 appeal. Stewardship has requested that January – March, which is our Stewardship fund raising time, we will not be fund raising for any other organization. Stewardship Sundays are January 31, Feb- ruary 7 and Commitment Sunday is February 14. Volunteers at the church started on Monday, Jan. 11th with food distribution from Harry Chapin Food Bank (Care and Share Program) to seniors in the area. This will take place the second Monday each month at Emmanuel. If anyone would like to volunteer, please con- tact Mark Fiebrink. March Newsletter deadline is February 20th. Please e-mail Jennifer, [email protected], with any information by this date. 2 Upcoming Events Stewardship 2021 Thank you for your faithful support in 2020! During this time of year, we celebrate God’s abundance and as a congregation we express our gratitude for all God is doing in our midst and prayerfully discern our commitment looking ahead to 2021. I want to thank each one of you who support Emmanuel Lutheran Church with a financial gift. More than 97% of our annual operating revenue comes from those who pledge and give regularly. Every contribution of any and every size counts and serves to sustain the breadth, health, and future of this ministry. Our 2021 Stewardship theme “The Growing Faces of Emmanuel-Part 2” reminds us of our growth in vision and mission as we continue God’s work. As a part of our 12-month Stewardship plan, it is our hope that each of you during the months of January – March will determine how you might use your time, talents, and treasures for the uplifting of God’s kingdom. Our ministry is taking a different shape in this different time. Here’s one such story: Our church at the Park immediately transformed its vision to have a drive-in ministry since COVID-19 had prevented in-person worship. What a blessing for so many. Their ministry in partnership with Meals of Hope is providing food for over 400 cars weekly. Through their various ministries, they have grown their membership and have become a part of the community. Thanks to generous members they now have a heated pool to use for baptism and they were also blessed with a new John Deere Gator utility cart to help transport the stage and equipment for Sunday services. We have all found ways to shift to address the immediate needs before us. Our church at the Park is only one example of how we as a church are stepping up to meet the needs of God’s people and do our part. During my Takeout Tuesday’s devotions, I try to encourage us to give thanks to God for what we see and what we have re- ceived - to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and the many beautiful sights. In all seasons God is faithful and provides for us. But you can give thanks for that moment and every moment freely given to you. Even in this difficult time, I celebrate that we can worship God together, although it is not as we expected. It reminds me that God can span the distance between us, and that God is always here. We look forward with hope and gratitude for your continued support of our many ministries. Blessings, Theresa Shaw 3 A Message from Pastor Steve We have never experienced an Annual Meeting like the one just held on January 27th. I want to thank all of you who attended, some who came to the Family Life Center, and oth- ers via ZOOM (which requires a little sense of humor). As I sat in the meeting, preparing to get up to speak…it was a small “epiphany” for me to see the church gathered in a new way. Never have I experienced an annual meeting orchestrated as such…some face to face and other faces spread upon the view of a large screen. I would have never envisioned this when I entered the ministry nearly 38 years ago! I served a small church with a “family” feel to it. Most decisions were made by congrega- tional leaders in the coffee hour following worship. Yet Emmanuel Lutheran is uniquely placed within a very different world. Last evening’s meeting revealed how“ changing times” (including COVID) can draw us into an entirely new “reformation” (remember the Reformation of the 16th century?) on how to be the Church in the present era! I know many people are frustrated and even shaken by all this change, but all indications point to even greater adjustments in the years ahead. Many use the term “exponential” to indicate the algorithms of waking up to something new every day!!! This morning I was thinking about my grandparents born in the late 1800’s. The century looming before them would burst forth from the horse and buggy era to landing a man on the moon! I remember my grandmother never learned to drive a car, and I am certain she would not have been able to fathom the ZOOM meeting we had at our Annual Meeting. 1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. So declares the Teacher in Ecclesiastes, chapter 3. Personally, I can easily gravitate to the misnomer of believing past times were simpler, but every generation is faced with challenges within the framework of their time. I look forward believing in a future that can be filled with excitement and hope, relying upon the Spirit of the Living God to lead and guide us. At the Annual Meeting…I again felt this call for our con- gregation and the greater church to take steps into a new era…with bold initiatives to meet the challenges of our times! Come, Lord Jesus, come! The other day I talked to a man on the phone who lives up north in Pennsylvania. He has been a member of Emmanuel since 1998, a year prior to my arrival. He has some emerging health problems and is not certain he can return to Naples as in prior years. What he did tell me, however, is that he still feels Emmanuel is his congregation, and with our new technology of livestreaming worship and education, he told me he still stays connected! How wonderful, for I do not want him to become a lost face in the crowd, forgotten with the passing years. Whatever we become; we must remain the body of Christ. May our hearts not turn to stone, but rather be filled anew with the love of our Savior.