If you attended my Installation Service, you heard the announcement that the offering would go to Strengthen the Church, one of our UCC denominational offerings. Since Immanuel is a "5-for-5" congregation, we contribute each year. During this month of May, you will receive bulletin inserts and an offering envelope to inform and facilitate your giving on Pentecost Sunday, May 23.

When you give to Strengthen the Church, you contribute to the future of the United Church of Christ. You help fund new church starts and efforts to revitalize older churches. You support youth and young adult ministries. You help lay and clergy leadership get the training they need for these specialized ministries.

And you support the Stillspeaking ministry, a ministry that is visible in our congregation. In our narthex you may locate various booklets and flyers that you may share with your friends and neighbors when you invite them to worship with us. You may also go to ucc.org  to view the new Language of God video that you may also share with FaceBook or Twitter or email contact friends.

Our conference retains half of the Strengthen the Church offering submitted by its churches to fund related projects within the Indiana—Kentucky conference. So your contribution helps congregations nearby and far away. Please read the bulletin insert stories and prayerfully consider contributing.

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Thank You to everyone who helped make my Installation Service a joyous occasion. Some of you provided music. Some of you had roles in the liturgy. Some of you hosted the reception. Some of you ushered and helped to welcome our guests. A number of you showed your support by attending. However you helped, please accept my thanks.

Write It Down!  When you ask me to make an announcement or include an intention in the Prayers of the Church, please write it down on a paper I can take with me to the chancel. I have lived with my messed up brain long enough now to know that this hugely improves the odds that I will get it right -  which is the
point of making the announcement in the first place.

Office Hours:  I plan to be in the church office Tuesday through Friday mornings from 9:30 or so until Noon or so. Please feel free to drop in. If you want to be sure I am available at a particular time, however, it would be wise to call ahead. If mornings aren't good for you, Twill be happy to make an
appointment with you in the afternoon or evening.

Confirmation Class:  Beginning in September, I intend to teach a Confirmation Class. Typically, this is the class that prepares seventh and eighth grade youth for their public profession of faith and acceptance into church membership. However, since we've not had a class for several years, there may be some older youth who need to participate as well.

Now is the time to compile the potential list of participants. So please phone, email, etc those names to me sometime in the near future. Well before September, students, parents, and I will need to meet and determine an appropriate class schedule.

Pastor Dan