A Prayer Writing Workshop will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 11:00 am

The Saturday service on July 4^th has been cancelled. Enjoy your 4^th of July Celebration and join us Sunday morning at 8:30 or 10:00 am. Also, the church office will be closed on Friday, July 3.

Enjoy fresh flowers on the Altar? We still have an opening on July 5^th. Flowers may be given in memory or honor of a person or special occasion. A donation of $30 covers the flowers for a week, and they are yours to take home after the late service. Contact the Office or sign up in the narthex.  

Let your creativity show and help VBS! On Sunday, July 5th and Sunday, July 19th join us in the Fellowship Hall at 12:30 pm. We will be creating snowflakes, possibly snowshoes, scarves and earmuffs for our flamingos and other Everest inspired decorations. If you knit or crochet bring your needles - we will provide yarn.  

Sunday, July 12th we will be Celebrating Chris Schaefer! Chris is completing his time as our Youth & Family Minister and kicking off a whirlwind tour of new adventures this summer with CPE, his marriage, and then his teaching parish rotation for seminary. Our celebration will begin in the sanctuary at 11:30, with a FIESTA lunch to follow in the Fellowship Hall. A main dish and dessert are provided. Please bring a salad (fruit or veggie) or side to share. Questions? Please contact Pastor Christine.

Detroit Youth Gathering Diaper Collection ~ Imagine sending your baby or toddler to preschool or daycare wearing a plastic grocery bag instead of diapers. That is happening in Detroit. In fact, diapers are such a hot commodity, pharmacies and stores sometimes keep them behind glass. Got Diapers? Our youth will be traveling by bus and can take several boxes of much needed supplies to Detroit. Please drop off any size diapers or pullups at church by Sunday, July 12. Opened packages that have been "outgrown" are fine! Thank you for helping support the young families in Detroit. For those who prefer to shop online: you can also send diapers directly to Immanuel Lutheran Church, 13031 Chandler Park Dr, Detroit, MI 48213.

Upcoming Tuesday Women's Bible Study Changes ~ Our next meeting, Tuesday, June 30, will be 12-1:30pm in the Youth Center. We will not meet the following week (7/7) but will resume 7/14 at our usual 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. On 6/30 we wrap up discussion of Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor. Come when you can; bring your lunch or a snack, if you would like. If you have questions or want to be included on our email distribution list, please contact Pastor Christine.

Join us on Wednesday, July 15 for our next Exploring Faith gathering. Those who traveled to Cuba will share their experiences, including stories, photos, insight about church and culture, and possible ministry partnerships. This is a great chance to see a bit of Cuba through the eyes of some of our members. Come at 6:30 pm for dinner and fellowship (sandwich bar and fixings provided); discussion at 7:00 pm.  

Our Saturday Dinners Out after the Saturday service have been great fun! Mark your calendar for the next meet-up Saturday, July 18 around 6:15 pm at Chipotle in the Kentlands. We look forward to spending time together in a casual environment. All are welcome!  

Join us Monday, July 20 at 7:00pm for Bible Study! This is part of a three-session adult evening Bible Study being held during the summer on the third Monday of each month (6/15, 7/20, 8/17) from 7:00-8:00pm. We will meet in the sanctuary to study the Bible and how we can put His Word into practice in our everyday lives. (You do not need to attend all 3 sessions - come as you are able!) We had a great discussion about "abiding with God" during our June session. Our next topics will be mirroring His Son and being led by the Holy Spirit. We look forward to spending time discussing these topics as a group in order to live out our life's purpose! Bring a Bible and beverage if you wish, light refreshments will be provided. Questions can be directed to Sherry Kienzle.   

Join PoP Playgroup on Saturday, July 25 at 2:00 pm at the Germantown Splash Park (18056 Central Park Circle). There is an entry fee of $4 per person, but families may bring their own drinks, snacks, and coolers inside. The park has many "just right" water features for toddlers and preschoolers, and this year includes a new jumping pillow! (See http://www.montgomeryparks.org/enterprise/park_facilities/south_germantown/splashplayground_minigolf.shtm for more information.) PoP Playgroup is a great way for families and their babies/toddlers/preschoolers to connect with each other. Please contact Jamie or Lauren with any questions! 

Thank you to all who are contributing to our Capital Campaign! All donations will make an important difference! We especially want to thank those who have signed authorizations to transfer their Capital Campaign donations to the Debt Reduction Fund in order to reduce our mortgage. So far, we've received authorizations from about 60% our donors, representing more than 78% of the contributions. We invite others to join in this effort by filling out an authorization form if you've donated to the Capital Campaign, or by making a donation to the Debt Reduction Fund. Watch for more updates!    

You Made a Difference! Thanks to your generous contributions to the Debt Reduction Fund, we were able to pay an additional $9,917 on our mortgage principal with our June payment. This enabled us to reduce our current loan balance to $572,629. Because of those who have authorized their Capital Campaign contributions to be transferred to the Debt Reduction Fund, we also expect to make a major principal payment in July. Thank you!

Church Use Announcement: During the Summer months, Mad Science summer camp, will be renting our Fellowship Hall Monday-Friday 8am-6pm for 6/15-7/10 and 8/3-8/7. During that time, the Youth Center will be available for church meetings and events. 

Pastor Steve will be leading a trip to the Holy Land in September of 2016!

ELCA Disaster Response is helping people affected by the spring storms and flooding in the US. Visit the ELCA Disaster Response webpage (http://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response) to donate or learn more about how you can help.