The Guild is responsible for the
preparation of the Altar area to ensure it is ready for worship services.
Contact: Faith PlumbTop
(Emergency Care Help Organization)
Started as a
way to provide food and clothing to those in need of short-term assistance
in the Brandon area, ECHO's primary means of support comes from the
generosity of local civic organizations, churches, businesses, and citizens
-- ECHO gets no funding from any local, state, or federal agency.
Would you like
to help? ECHO always needs non-perishable food items (spaghetti sauce, dried
beans, peanut butter, flour, etc.) Diapers (sizes 4 and 5) are also
needed.
Place your
items in the wooden box in the breezeway labeled "Food Pantry" and they will
be delivered to ECHO.
Contact:
Therese Roberts
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(Self Help And Resource Exchange)
SHARE is a cooperative
effort with other area congregations providing quality food through the
exchange of volunteer hours.
This is a non-profit community program providing quality food through
the exchange of volunteer hours. $35 worth of food is exchanged for $14
plus volunteer service.
Immanuel has been a host site for this Outreach Ministry established by
the Tampa United Methodist Center. Immanuel’s schedule for Share
distribution is the 4th Saturday of every month.
Anyone who volunteers two or more hours a month at the church is
eligible: ushers, trustees, elders, Sunday School teachers, greeters,
counters, school volunteers, youth workers, etc., as well as anyone
volunteering outside the church.
Contact: Rita Fitzsimmons
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These young people support the ministers during the worship service by lighting and extinguishing altar candles, carrying the
cross during processions, and assisting the Communion teams.
Contact: Church Office
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Greeters welcome visitors to
Immanuel's three worship services and also provide
needed information and assistance.
Contact:
Church Office
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Making sure that everything is ready for
worship services, these servants straighten the Service Books and Bibles in the
pew racks, remove any loose paper or items left behind, and resupply the
pencils, communion cards, and attendance books. This is a one-day per
week (weekday) activity that usually takes about an hour or less. If
you would like to serve, please contact Jackie Anton thru the church office.
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The usher teams serve during
worship services in various ways, including helping worshippers with seating,
helping with
the offering, and providing an orderly system for Communion distribution.
Contact: Kerry Drake
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Immanuel Lutheran
Preschool |
We are blessed to offer an exciting, new, Pre-Kindergarten program
for four-year olds for the 2009-2010 school year.
The “Little Eagles” Pre-Kindergarten is a five-day a week program held
from 8 am - 11 am. There is also an option for you to enroll your child
in our extended care program from 6:30 am - 6:30 pm for an additional
fee. Our school holidays will follow the Immanuel School Handbook, which
will be provided at your request.
The primary purpose of our pre-school is to provide a quality Christian
educational foundation for our students, and to enable our children and
their families to share the love, joy and peace of Christ among
themselves and with those around them.
Contact: Angela Ocampo
Read More
About Our Preschool
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Our Social Concerns team is an
umbrella over other activities which are already "up and running" as
well as new projects that need attention.
Our responsibility is to show
the Immanuel Church family many ways to serve our Lord by helping those
in need. Social Concerns is a busy group of Immanuel people and we can
always use more involvement.
Here's a brief report about our current activities and how we're
involved:
Our ECHO support program is going well, and the
ECHO folks appreciate the specific categories of food we have been
collecting for them. January is "Cereal Month" and we are hopeful we can
get people excited about bringing in lots of boxes.
We are FEEDING THE HOMELESS on the first Saturday of each month.
It is a pleasure to see how many people are willing and have been
wanting an opportunity to do this. More willing workers and food
preparers are always needed and welcomed.
Our FUNERAL RECEPTIONS program is in place but has not been
needed in the past few months. Whenever a reception is needed we are
ready with a list of people to donate and serve food.
The WE CARE group visits those who are ill, in the hospital, in
rehab, home bound, unable to come to church, or just need a friend to
talk to. We always need people who are willing to drive someone to
church on Sundays.
The Florida Blood services BLOODMOBILE has been coming to
Immanuel at regularly scheduled times, usually quarterly. It's a great
convenience for our congregation as well as a "no excuse" opportunity to
help others.
Our HURRICANE HOMES program was, thankfully, not needed this past
season. However, we do have a list of procedures and rules ready to make
available when the next hurricane threats come up.
THANKSGIVING PIES were brought in by the dozens this past year.
We were surprised and gladdened at the participation on the part of the
Immanuel family as a whole. This project didn't require a lot of work:
we brought pies to the Fellowship Room kitchen and Jim Dunger picked
them up.
Our BLOOD PRESSURE program is conducted in the Cry Room every
second Sunday after both services.
The BUSINESS DIRECTORY & TALENT SURVEY is a program awaiting
input from Pastor Farnsworth. This has been delayed due to his medical
problems.
Our NURSING HOMES outreach program is partially served by the "WE
CARE" team. Others have participated by doing craft projects or coffee
parties for residents.
MIGRANT MISSIONS were blessed by receiving so many shoes, sox and
underwear for the "Back-to-School" Outreach sponsored by the Ladies
Guild. Also, many random donations are given throughout the year in the
form of used furniture and clothing.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE NEEDY turned out to be a special event
that was not on our original agenda. Its second year was such a big
success that we are making this a permanent program for Social Concerns.
You can help us!!
1. Bring peanut butter & jelly for ECHO (Brandon's Food Pantry) - always
needed.
2. Support our Bible Translators for $1 a month.
3. Sign up to be in our driver's pool for those who need a ride to
church, etc.
4. Help serve the homeless (in Brandon) one Saturday a month...or bake
cookies.
5. Be a Hurricane Home for an Immanuel Evacuee.
6. Bring a dish of food for a Funeral Reception.
7. Donate blood at the Oktoberfest.
To learn more about these projects and the Social Concerns team, call
the church office or contact Neoda Dumke (you can email her at
neoda.rae@gmail.com)
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Crossbearers visit
the people who visit Immanuel. They provide our visitors with information about our
congregation and make sure they know that they are welcome to return and join us in worship.
Contact: Bill & Dona Trlak
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This is the organization for women in
the congregation. Immanuel’s Ladies’ Guild includes the local activities of the
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) as well as several other types of
activities.
Contact: Mona Geidel & Edith Mattson
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Immanuel conducts
a Vacation Bible School (VBS) each summer for our children and the children of our community. Planning
and preparation for the actual conduct of the VBS takes several months. As a result, there
are many opportunities to serve before, during, and after the week of the VBS.
Contact: Church Office
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In operation since 1980, Immanuel
Lutheran School has over 150 children enrolled in Kindergarten
through Eighth Grade. More than an alternative to public elementary
schools, Immanuel is first and foremost a Christ-centered school in the
Lutheran tradition. We offer students an opportunity for a quality
education in an atmosphere that fosters learning about created things
without neglecting the Creator.
Immanuel Lutheran School
is primarily for the training and education of the members of Immanuel.
However, we also welcome children from the Brandon area who are not
members of Immanuel. Our policies help ensure that children who do
enroll in Immanuel will be afforded an opportunity to continue and
complete their elementary education here.
As part of their educational
experience at Immanuel, students may participate in activities like
student council, yearbook production, Hillsborough County Science Fair,
Scripps National Spelling Bee, and the National Geographic Geography Bee.
Immanuel Lutheran School also offers many opportunities for parents to be
involved in their children’s education and extra-curricular activities
ranging from annual events like
Oktoberfest and the "Spring Fling" to seasonal sports and the ongoing
choruses, band and orchestra.
For more information
about Immanuel Lutheran School,
visit the school
website.
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