BIBLE STUDIES
Our men’s Bible study, which takes place on Zoom at 7 a.m. each Tuesday, has resumed for the spring. Please contact Ed Rath, Craig Russell, or Mark Dirksen for more information. The Women’s Bible Study, which meets on Zoom for the time being, has also resumed Tuesdays at noon. Please contact Carol Jeanne Muster for more information.
VESTRY AND OFFICERS
Part of annual meeting’s task each year is to elect new lay leadership. Welcome to our new vestry members, Carrie Hopkins, Hugh Bowman, and Libbie Morley. Welcome to our new officers, Laura Sonnichsen as Clerk and Mark Peecher as Treasurer. We are also very grateful for those rotating off vestry (Ed Sutton, Craig Russell, and Jean Mills) and for the extended faithful service of Roger Burrus as Treasurer and Wendy Bauer as Clerk. There are many kinds of lay ministry without which Emmanuel’s worship, outreach, and formation cannot function, but these formal elected roles, similar to a board of directors in a nonprofit organization, are important to our life together. Thank you!
ONE WINTER NIGHT
C-U at Home puts on this annual event that raises awareness about homelessness. Participants commit to spending 12 hours outside in a cardboard box in downtown Champaign and to raise at least $1,000 to help C-U at Home continue doing all we do to help our community throughout the year. One Winter Night takes place this year on February 4. Learn more at
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/own2022/
THE FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR
The flowers that adorn the Altar each week to the Glory of God are completely funded by members and friends of Emmanuel. If you would like to give flowers in memory of someone or in thanksgiving for a blessing, please contact Mary in the office to choose your preferred date. Many dates are open in 2022.
As I mentioned at Annual Meeting, Emmanuel is in excellent financial shape. The year I arrived, your total giving for the year was about $350,000, and in 2021 it was about $425,000. I think we can feel good about that growth in generosity, as well as the transition we made a few years back to using our endowment more responsibly and sustainably. I also mentioned how much physical plant work we have completed; Junior Warden John Aquino laid it out in an impressive print report. (Copies of anything you missed, by the way, are available from the office.) But as we slowly come out of this pandemic and look around at where we are as Christians in community, the question we need to ask over and over is about discipleship. How are we doing at encouraging one another in owning Christian truth, Christian tools, and Christian belonging?
