Glorifying God by saving souls and strengthening saints
through the gospel of Jesus Christ

Join Us Sundays at 3:00pm for worship.

Holy Communion is celebrated on the 2nd and Last Sundays of each month. Worship services are also live-streamed on our Facebook page

Worship

Worship brings God's people together through lessons, songs, preaching, and the sacrament.

As believers, Christ is at the center of everything we do. This is especially true when believers gather together for worship. Without Christ, we would have no reason to gather for worship. We would be separated from God and each other. We would cower in shame in the presence of God. But Christ, our Savior, has restored our relationship with God. This act brings us two-fold joy. We open our hearts to receive his saving and empowering gospel. We also open our arms to offer to Christ our thanks, our lives, our everything.

This cycle of receiving from God and giving to God characterizes each of our lives. It also characterizes the way we worship when we gather together. To accomplish this, we use a form of worship that traces its roots to the apostles themselves: liturgical worship.

Christ is at the center of liturgical worship. Some parts of the liturgy stay the same each Sunday. This is to make sure that Christ is proclaimed and praised during every service. Some parts of the liturgy change every week. These changes are based on the appointed calendar of the church. This calendar makes sure that we cover the important events and teachings of Christ every year.

Illustration describing our path of worship through prayer, then praise, and finally thanksgiving.
Artwork by Ian M. Welch. Copyright 2015 Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. paramentics.com

Visit

Where to Sit?

Feel free to sit wherever you'd like, whether the front or the back. If you need assistance an usher will help you.

What to wear?

Come as you are. We aren't worried about what you're wearing. Many of our members do have a healthy practice of "dressing up" for church. But we are not trying to impress each other - we simply want to express the importance of public worship.

What about the kids?

Kids of all ages are welcome at Immanuel. We encourage kids and their parents to grow in faith together as they hear God's word and sing his praise. If you wish to worship with your child, but don’t feel comfortable in the sanctuary, you may take your child to the nursery at the back of the church, the room across the hall, or the basement. A speaker in any of those rooms allow you to follow along with the service. If you need any help with your children, just ask. We would be happy to help you with whatever you need.

What about Offerings?

We pass an offering plate during the service so that our worship may include bringing gifts to God. Our members plan these gifts as a response to God's love. The offerings are used to fund the ministry of the congregation and our church body, the WELS. Visitors should not feel obligated to give an offering.

Attending church for the first time?

Attending church somewhere for the first time can be intimidating. Here are some common worries:

We assure you, we won't embarrass you in this or any other way. We want you to feel comfortable and at home with us. Church should be an enjoyable and uplifting experience. We promise to do all we can so you can relax and learn about your Savior.

We encourage parents of young children to attend worship service with their children. This begins the good habits of attending worship services at an early age. If required, a nursery room is available at the back of the sanctuary, where a speaker allows you to follow along with the service.

We hope that this web site will ease your mind, but if you have a question, please ask someone for help. Don't hesitate to say, "I am new. What is this about?"

All of us have felt this way when in a new situation. But we hope you see the people of our congregation to be ordinary people like yourself. We want to accept you as you are and help you become what Christ wants you to be. We do not want to throw cold water on that by being critical.

It is unpleasant to be pressured or to be part of a "membership drive" as though we were heads of cattle, isn't it? We believe that church membership should be a voluntary thing, and that the most important thing is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and salvation. It takes time for this to be cultivated. People need time to evaluate and decide if they wish further involvement. We believe we should respect that need.

Worship Services and Bible Study are opportunities to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and faith in Jesus. You won't have to read or answer any questions you don't want to answer. And remember, sometimes the wisest words we say are, "I don't know."

Synod

WELS. Christ's Love, Our Calling

Immanuel is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Our congregation and Synod are solidly based in the Bible. We believe that Jesus is our Savior and the only way to heaven. Through faith in Jesus we are united to him and each other.

WELS, characterized as theologically conservative, is the third largest Lutheran church body in America. With national offices today Pewaukee, WI, WELS began in 1850 when three German pastors met in Milwaukee. Today, it has grown to over 1,200 congregations in North America. It has about 350,000 baptized members, which includes over 275,000 communicants, served by over 1,000 pastors.

The synod operates four ministerial education schools: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (Mequon, WI), Martin Luther College (New Um, MN), Luther Preparatory School (Watertown, WI), and Michigan Lutheran Seminary (Saginaw, MD). Our membership in this Synod unites us with Christians across our country and the world. It allows us to pool our resources for mission work as well as for producing hymnals, Bible classes, and other materials. But above all, we can be comforted by the fact that we know there are Christians throughout the world who share a common faith with us.

As men. women, and children united in faith and worship by the Word of God, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod exists to make disciples throughout the world for time and for eternity, using the gospel in Word and sacrament to win the lost for Christ and to nurture believers for lives of Christian service, all to the glory of God.

For more information about our synod, click here.

The Word is Everything

Our objectives

To uphold and testify to the truth of God as fully revealed in the inspired, inerrant, infallible Holy Scriptures and articulated in the Lutheran Confessions, and to use Scripture as the sole authority.

To foster a sense of urgency for the lost and to seize every opportunity the Lord provides to evangelize lost souls.

To establish churches where Christians help each other grow and mature in the faith through public worship and a lifelong study of the Word of God.

To encourage and equip each other for the application of our faith, reflecting Christ's love in lives of Christian service to the Lord, his Church, and his world.

To mobilize our people, as members of the universal priesthood, in ministry using the Word.

To recruit and train candidates qualified for public ministry and provide for their continuing education so that the Word of God is proclaimed faithfully and effectively in accord with the Lutheran Confessions

Preschool Ministry

Little Lambs Early Childhood Center

The Highest Rated Christian Preschool in the EUP

Little Lambs Early Childhood Center is based at Immanuel Lutheran Church and offers full day child care five days a week, with a preschool curriculum that provides valuable learning experiences for children ages 3-5 years. It is open to families of the community during the Fall, Winter, and Spring according to a calendar set each year. Little Lambs is licensed by the State of Michigan, Department of Human Services, and the Bureau of Child and Adult Licensing (BCAL).

Learn more about Little Lambs Early Childhood Center

Contact Us

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Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church
615 Washington Way
Sault Sainte Marie, MI 49783

Office Telephone: 906.632.2640

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