Missions at Immanuel

The Missions & Ministry Committee provides a range of opportunities for members of Immanuel to minister to the least of these in our community and beyond.

Immanuel is one of 170 local congregations that provide shelter for homeless individuals during the winter months through Room in the Inn. On four Thursday nights this winter, volunteers will serve as overnight hosts for a dozen homeless men in Fellowship Hall. We provide our guests with a safe place to sleep, serve them dinner and breakfast, and send them off with sack lunches. During the winter of 2011-2012, we hosted RITI guests four times. In the coming winter, we plan to increase our commitment. If you would like to volunteer to help, contact our RITI coordinator, Charlie Lutz, at charles.lutz09@comcast.net.

 

On a quarterly basis, volunteers from Immanuel provide dinner for the residents of The Next Door, a residential transition center for women in crisis. Immanuel has also hosted transition ceremonies for residents who have succesfully completed The Next Door's six-month program. Our next opportunity to serve dinner at The Next Door will be on Thursday, April 26, from 4:00-6:00 PM. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Associate Pastor Tambi Swiney at tswiney@ibcnashville.org.

 

The Missions & MInistry Committee has made a commitment to serve lunch on the fourth Tuesday of odd numbered months to the homeless community through Room in the Inn's feeding ministry, Luke 14:12. Our team of volunteers will be serving lunch from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM on the following dates in 2012: January 24, March 27, May 22, July 24, September 25, November 27. If you would like to serve on any of these dates, contact Missions & Ministry Committee Coordinator Melanie Dover at mmd78@bellsouth.net.

 

 

Each year Immanuel holds a one-day missions and ministry blitz called Operation Inasmuch. At OIAM 2011, nearly 100 volunteers sorted food at Second Harvest Food Bank, painted porches at Deer Lake Retirement Community, planted a garden at the Freedom Recovery Community, took flowers to Immanuel's homebound members, hosted a brunch at the church for Immanuel members who were 90 years and older, worked with the House Committee on cleaning projects at the church, served on a prayer team that conducted a prayerwalk at the church, organized stock at the Habitat HomeStore, visited and sang with residents at Bordeaux Long-Term Care, and prepared vaccination bags for children at Siloam Family Health Center. The next Operation Inasmuch is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, from 9:00 AM-Noon.

 

 

 

 

In 1994, volunteers from Immanuel, St. George's Episcopal Church, and The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom launched The Boulevard Bolt, a 5-mile Thanksgiving Day race on Belle Meade Boulevard that raises money to support Nashville's homeless community. The Bolt has grown from 2,500 partipants to over 8,700 in 2010, and more than $1.6 million has been donated to organizations that serve Nashville's homeless community. This year's Bolt will take place on November 22. 

 

 

 

 

In September 2010, a team of volunteers participated in Immanuel's first adult mission trip to serve with Appalachian Outreach. Volunteers did home repairs, prepared and served a meal for residents of Samaritan House, and sorted donations at the ministry center. A second team served with AO in February 2011. Since then, two other teams have returned, and Appalachian Outreach has been added as a line item in our budget.

 

 

Mission Offerings

Immanuel encourages members of the congregation to support seven mission offerings throughout the year:


Missions Budget

Through budgeted gifts, our congregation provides financial support for a variety of ministries and mission organizations:

 

Children's Mission Groups

Immanuel offers mission education groups for children on Wednesday nights in August through May from 6:15-7:00 PM:

  • Mission Friends - for ages 3-kindergarten, meets in Room 2402, led by Courtney Kihlberg
  • Younger GAs - girls in 1st-3rd grades, meets in Room 2216, led by Lynn Woodall
  • Older GAs - girls in 4th-6th grades, meets in Room 2314, led by Haley Woodall
  • RAs - boys in 1st-6th grades, meets in Room 2212, led by Charlie Lutz

 

Women's Mission Groups

Two women's multifocus mission groups meet monthly:

  • Night Multifocus Missions Group - meets in homes on the first Monday evening of each month at 7:00 PM, led by Libby Nicholson
  • Day Multfocus Missions Group - meets at the church on the second Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM in the Fireside Room, led by Juanita Wilkinson