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Immanuel Lutheran Church was founded in
Brandon in 1970.
The first worship service was held on
April 5, 1970, with 91 people in attendance. Since that time Immanuel has
seen steady and impressive growth. Today more than 1,200 people call
Immanuel their church home.
Immanuel opened the doors to its elementary school in September
1980 with 72 students in grades 1 through 7. Today, we have over 150 students enrolled in
an education program that provides Christ-centered instruction in the Lutheran tradition
for children from Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Construction of our facilities on John Moore Road
started in
1972 with the initial worship center, classrooms, and offices. In 1982 we built our current
worship facility which has a seating capacity of 535. In 1989 we added the
Pastor Roger
Robinson Family Life Center which houses five classrooms, two locker rooms, a music room, a
commercial kitchen, and a 140’ x 80’ gymnasium.
In November 2005, our new daughter --
Lamb of God Lutheran Church -- started worship services in Lithia, Florida,
just a short eight miles away. The result of planning for more than
two years, Lamb of God is our first mission church, planted to the glory of
God and with His help and blessings. Pastor Wood (previously the
Evangelism & Missions Pastor for Immanuel) helped to establish the
Lamb of God mission and subsequently accepted a Call from the Lamb
of God congregation in March, 2008. Lamb of God is
the first of five missions we want to plant in the Brandon-Riverview-Wimauma-Lithia
area.
In September, 2007, on an afternoon filled with worship, fellowship, and celebration,
Immanuel dedicated to the glory of God its new Youth Room, Nursery, a Resource Library, many
sanctuary renovations, and an expanded breezeway with drive-thru/drop-off
capability.
The Youth Room is equipped with ping-pong, foosball, board games, an LCD projector, a pool
table, and casual seating. It is also used as a temporary meeting
room for the membership.
The Resource Library/Meeting Room provides books, video
tapes, pamphlets, DVDs, and periodicals for lending and check-out. Our
choir also uses this room for pre-service assembly and choir
robes.
The spacious new Nursery is bright, well-lit, and has plenty of room for
growth. Security is enhanced through the use of a check-in counter
that is separate from the main room. A pager system will be
available to parents who leave their children in our care. Closed
circuit TV will be installed to provide a feed from the sanctuary during
worship.
The Immanuel youth group chose to dedicate the Youth Room to former
member Cody Dykes as a lasting memorial to him. Cody
died in an automobile accident in 2005 while a student at Riverview High
School. During the Dedication Service, Mr Lee Dykes, Cody's father, spoke movingly to the
congregation about his son's relationship with God and his deep
understanding and knowledge of his salvation through Jesus Christ.
Henceforth, the room will be known as the Cody L. Dykes Memorial
Youth Room.
(Coincidentally, Cody's grandfather, Bob Dykes, was the architect for
the original buildings at Immanuel.)
The new facilities and renovations are the culmination of Phase 1 of the
three-phase Plowing New Ground Together Plan, started by the
Immanuel Voters' Assembly in August 2003.
Phase 2 of Plowing New Ground Together is now underway with the
theme "Forward in Ministry - Sowing The Seed" as part of
Immanuel's Capital Campaign. This phase will result in a new
school, a new and expanded preschool facility (our preschool will be
opening in August, 2008), and a new school administration
building.
Today, the people of Immanuel look forward to further growth and
the challenges, opportunities and blessings that come with it. As we look to the future
and how we may best serve the Brandon community, among our planned ministry
goals is to plant four more mission churches in surrounding area, establish a
pre-school program on our current campus, and with our sister and
daughter churches, support the establishment of a
Lutheran High School in the Brandon area.
Join Us!
We invite you to become an active member of
the family of Immanuel … to be a part of the next chapter of the history of how
Almighty God has blessed us with His grace to His glory. |
