Volume 5, Number 9                                 The Fourth Sunday of Lent                                   March 2, 2008

Notes from Outreach – From Now into Summer

Lenten Food drive and collection on Maundy Thursday.  Bags of non-perishable groceries can be brought to Immanuel on Maundy Thursday, March 20, and stored in the undercroft.  The food will be taken to St. Stephen’s Pantry on Rodney Street.

Katrina Mission Trip to New Orleans in March – 32 participants from 12 area churches are going.

Bedding drive for Meeting Ground in May: used, clean blankets, single bed sheets, and pillowcases needed.

Cleaning Products drive for Friendship House ministries.  Immanuel does two in-kind drives annually for Friendship House to help defray monthly expenses in serving homeless people in Wilmington.  This one will be in July.

Faith Center: Alan Dages has replaced Kittie Meehan as the Faith Center board member from Immanuel.  Faith Center is at a crossroads with resignation of its former executive Cheryl Cooper.  It is now looking to merge with another organization so that it can continue to counsel and aid needy people who fall behind on rent or utilities and who are financially stable enough to get on their feet with a one-time assistance.  Faith Center would like it if Immanuel could provide someone to assist short-term with a task force to seek an appropriate partner to merge with.

Lincoln Towers: We were asked that Immanuel be aware of the situation at Lincoln Towers, behind Trolley Square.  The Wilmington Housing Authority apartments are falling into disrepair and becoming increasingly a haven for drug users.  Residents are afraid to complain for fear of retaliation.  We will ask for some legal advice and also see if the neighborhood churches could bring some pressure to bear to improve the situation.

Dan and Brenda Boerger, Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Solomon Islands that Immanuel supported for the past 15 years have made a last request for help.  Their Natqgu (the native language of the Solomon Islands) New Testament is now being published and it is essential for the Boerger family to be present for the celebration in order to lend credence and weight to this very important event.  Because of the customs of the Solomon Islands’ culture, use of the Bible hinges on the Boergers being there for the celebration.  Immanuel is asking parishioners for donations to help purchase one airfare and lodging for the family (about $3,000).  We have already raised $1,000 toward our goal.

Please join us in supporting these important projects to help spread God’s Love to others.

                                                                        Sue Welles, Outreach Ministry

Two Last-Minute Reminders for Saturday, March 1:    Yes, the timing would allow you to do both of them!

        ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓      ↓

The Diocesan Choir and Acolyte Festival is this Saturday, March 1, at the Cathedral Church of St. John. The guest conductor is Glenn Miller from Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Jack Burnam and several Immanuel Choristers will be joining singers from a number of other parishes in Delaware and Pennsylvania for the Festival. Everyone is (you are) invited to the concluding Choral Evensong at 3 p.m.

                                                                                    Jack Burnam

Last fundraising event for this year’s trip:  With less than one month before they leave for New Orleans, the Katrina Mission Team is hosting their last fundraising event this Saturday, March 1, from 6:00-9:00 p.m.  It is time for Game Night at Immanuel!  Bring your favorite board games and your competitive spirit for what will be a fun family night of games.  The cost is $10.00/adult and $5.00/child 12 and under.  We will order pizza for dinner.
                                                                                    Vicki Anthos, Katrina Ministry

Dear Parishioners and friends,

     First, I want to thank those of you who graciously welcomed the McNair Scholars and Dr. Maria Palacas to last Sunday's service and presentation. I know that their witness to the need of New Orleans and to the ministry of service they modeled was a fabulous gift to those who will travel to New Orleans next month and to the rest of us as well.

To listen to an audio version of the last Sunday's sermon, go to: http://tinyurl.com/24mxoj.  If you want to download it, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yrzkj6 and push the little arrow to the right of "22408.mp3". This is a plain old mp3 file and can be listened to on your computer or downloaded onto your iPod.                                                                     John 4:5-42

                                                                                     Fr. Thom

Fr. Thom may be reached at his church phone, 302-658-7326 Ext. 14, during his normal office hours Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. He works from home on Fridays. Please feel free to call him on his cell phone 302-229-8449 or write to thomjensen@gmail.com at any time other than church office hours, if a need arises.

THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL: 

Sun               2    Fourth Sunday of Lent

                      8:00 am        Holy Eucharist in Chapel

                    10:30 am        Sung Eucharist, followed by Coffee Hour downstairs

                      4:00 pm        Evensong and Concert, Choral Scholars from St. Andrew’s School, Middletown,

                                                        followed by candlelight reception

Mon     3       6:30 pm        Liturgy Meeting (Parlor)

Tue       4       6:30 pm        Search Team Meeting with the consultants (Parlor)

                      6:30 pm        Girl and Boy Choristers (Choir Room)

                      7:00 pm        AlAnon (Common Room)

                      7:45 pm        Coro Allegro (Choir Room)

Wed     5       6:30 pm        Quiet Prayer (Common Room)

                      7:30 pm        Healing Service (Chapel)

Thu       6       7:30 pm        Mixed Choir (Choir Room)

Sat        8     10:00 am        Family Quilting Bee, sponsored by Sunday School, held at Christiana Hospital

COMING SOON:

Sun       9                           Daylight Saving Time Begins (reset your clocks and watches Saturday night)

                                          Deadline:  Ministry Reports for Annual Meeting

Mon   10       7:00 pm        Vestry Meeting (Parlor)

Sat      15       9:00 am.       Altar Guild Cleaning Day

Sun     16         .                 Palm Sunday

Choral Evensong this Sunday, March 2, at 4 pm will feature our special guests, the Choral Scholars of St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, directed by Gary Harney.  Following Evensong they will present a brief concert.  Many friends and family members of the St. Andrew’s students are planning to attend, since it will be the choir’s only public appearance before they embark next week on a concert tour of Venice and Croatia.  Let’s all take advantage of this opportunity to extend a warm Immanuel welcome to our guests—I promise you’ll be glad you came!  There is, of course, a reception in the Common Room following the service and concert.  If you would like to contribute food for the reception, call Jeannette Burnam (994-6029), or leave a message for me at church.                                                                                        Jack Burnam

Easter Flowers: Service sheets for this Sunday, March 2, will include a yellow request form for memorial and thank offering Easter Flower donations.  Additional copies are in the lobby.  To include your remembrance in the Holy Week booklet, please return your request to the Parish Office by 3:00 pm on Monday, March 3.

                                                                                    Kay Kennedy Wack, Interim Parish Secretary

The children and youth of Immanuel, Highlands, invite you to be a part of our Lenten Mission Project.  We have teamed up with Quilts for Comfort to make quilts for at-risk infants and children, as well as adult cancer and dialysis patients, in Delaware.  To kick-off our project we made two quilt tops during Sunday School on February 10.  There are two ways you can help:

·        We are holding a Fabric Drive:   We need two-yard pieces of 100% cotton fabrics. 

·        We are also looking for volunteers to participate in a Community Quilt Bee that we will be hosting with a nurse from the Helen Graham Cancer Center.  The Quilt Bee will be held on Saturday, March 8, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Christiana Hospital.  You are invited to come for all or part of the day – no sewing or quilting experience is necessary.  (Fabric donations made by Sunday, March 2, will be used in the quilts we make at the Community Quilt Bee.  Later donations will also be used, perhaps not at the same event.)

Please help us to bring comfort to our community.  If you have fabric donations or questions about the Quilt Bee, please see me, or call 302-737-0144.

                                                                                    Eve English

The deadline, March 9, is almost here for reports for the Annual Parish Meeting, Sunday, April 13.  Please tell us who is in your group, your 2007 accomplishments, and other information about your ministry or committee that should be recorded in the Annual Parish Report.  Send or bring them by e-mail or on disk, if possible.

                                                                                    Kay Kennedy Wack, Interim Parish Secretary

Renewal of Ordination Vows will be held Holy Tuesday, March 18, at the Cathedral Church of St. John, beginning at 10:00 a.m. with a social gathering and a public forum with Fredrica Harris Thompsett, and continuing through a 12:00noon celebration of the Eucharist.  Everyone is welcome; if you plan to attend, RSVP by March 10 to 656-5443, ext 106, or email cyndebimbi@dioceseofdelaware.net .  Dr. Thompsett is the Mary Wolfe Professor of Historical Theology—Episcopal Divinity School, a well-known leader in the Episcopal Church, and author of several articles and books which focus on the ministry of the baptized among women and men, lay and ordained.  She is the coeditor of a recent Episcopal bestseller, ‘Confronted by God: The Essential Verna Dozier’. Dr. Thompsett will lead the forum and preach at the noon Eucharist.

                                                                                    Email from Cynde Bimbi, Assistant to the Canon

2008 Memorial House Summer Registration forms are available (in Immanuel’s lobby).  The forms include the current rates and, to some extent, the availability of spaces.  For more information or reservations, please call Kathy at (302) 656-5443, ext. 105, or fax her at (302) 656-7342, or email:  kathymoore@dioceseofdelaware.net .  Office Hours are: Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

                                                                                    Email from Kathy Moore, Reservations Manager

                                                                                    A. Felix duPont Memorial House

The Search Team continues to meet, usually Tuesday evenings, to learn more about the interviewing process and, currently, to plan questions that will be asked of candidates.  The Standing Committee will develop the final slate of candidates on March 11 and will present the slate to our Search Team on Wednesday, March 12.

                                                                                    Eve English

Tentative ICH Fellowship Plan and Calendar for 2008 from the Vestry’s Fellowship Sub-Committee:

03/01/08          Game night – Katrina fundraiser                                    V Anthos

03/20/08          Maundy Thursday meal                                                T Pentoney, B Volko (T Stipa)

03/23/08          Easter Sunday breakfast                                               L Hay, V Anthos, Katrina helpers

04/13/08          Annual Meeting with Lunch                                           Vestry

04/26/08          Parish Clean-up/Fix-up Morning with Lunch                  C Gibson

05/01/08          Ascension                                                                     ?

06/14/08          Desserts with Bach - Katrina fundraiser                         S Jeynes, J Burnam

08/21/08          St. Bart’s Day – ice cream and barBQ                          Vestry

11/01/08          All Saints’ Day dinner                                                   T Stipa

                                                                                    Carolyn Gibson, Junior Warden

The bowling party was a blast!  The Katrina Mission Team filled up 12 lanes with family and friends who helped us raise $670.00 for our trip!  There were bowlers of every level at the event but everyone, no matter what score they bowled, had a great time.  The Day/English families brought the most bowlers and the star of the day was Jameson Volko who beat everyone on her team (this included three adults!).  Thank you to everyone who participated.

                                                                                     Vicki Anthos, Katrina Ministry

Support Wanted: Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) mission to Romania. Students will work during this year's Spring Break (March 28 - April 5) for Habitat for Humanity in Romania. To see their page on the Habitat website, which includes a way to make a secure on-line donation, visit

 http://www.habitat.org/cd/gv/participant/participant.aspx?pid=93031320

                                                                                    Sarah Brockmann, ECM

An Evening Out – Friday, March 14^:   All are invited to attend the Episcopal Campus Ministry fund raising event of the season:  "An Evening Out", to benefit their upcoming spring break trip to Romania with Habitat for Humanity. Beginning at 7:30PM, ECM will host a fashion show featuring teens' and women's evening and formal wear, including some vintage dresses from as far back as the 50s, and perhaps even earlier! Diocesan youth and college students will be modeling, and the show will be followed by a "Rich Chocolate Reception". Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for children (childcare available upon request), and reservations are strongly suggested. Please contact the Rev. Sarah Brockmann at 443-553-0349 OR imabiah@yahoo.com for information and to reserve your spot.

                                                                                    Sarah Brockmann, ECM

Items from the website of the Diocese of Delaware:

Evensong, Sunday, March 9, 4:00 p.m. at Immanuel on the Green, New Castle. with Schola from Immanuel's Choir, Lee Dettra, organist and choirmaster. Details: 328-2413.

Compline, Sunday, March 9, 7:30 p.m. at Saint David's, Wilmington. Join the Delaware Compline Choir for an evening of Gregorian chant and a cappella choral motets with incense and candles in the beautiful acoustics of Saint David's Church. We will feature William Byrd's "Nunc Dimittis" from his Gradualia. Admission is free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact Dr. Roland at 654.6279, ext. 3.

223rd Convention of the Diocese of Delaware, Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Laurel. For details, call the diocese at 656-5441.