Immanuel's Blog

Whew! My internship at Immanuel went so fast!  During my time with you I have grown to love your congregation; all of the lessons I have learned from you have been invaluable and precious.  Let me recount some of these lessons to you.

One of these important lessons I learned while preparing for the Easter Breakfast Extravaganza. On Saturday night, prior to Easter Sunday I was in search of the implements that we would need for Easter Breakfast.  I repeatedly asked Francisco if he knew where to find the “jarros.”  He brought me every “vase” that he could find.  Finally my husband heard what I was saying and corrected me:  I think you are in search of “jarras” he mentioned and Francisco was quickly able to help me locate the “pitchers.”  What a dumb mistake but one that I will never forget.

I also learned the difficulty in conducting a “children’s moment” during worship service.  I am a teacher by profession and I often teach in a dialogue with my students.  This doesn’t work very well however when there is only one child in the congregation who is over 8 years old.  Kids who are between the years of 2-7 seem to clam up when they are asked deep theological questions in the front of a sanctuary built for over 5,000 members.  What was I thinking?  I ended up answering most of my own questions and I think I taught the adults more than I taught the kids.

And finally, the biggest lesson that I learned from you all and my time at Immanuel is one that I voiced in worship a few Sundays ago.  Before coming to your congregation, I often got discouraged as I witnessed other churches who “talk big” but never actually do anything to reach out to work on changing reality.  A few weeks ago, Elizabeth preached a sermon that ended with the message: it is true that we can’t do everything, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t do something.  It is true that we won’t make the world a perfect place but we can attempt to make it better. (V. Elizondo) And this is what I see at Immanuel, a group of diverse people who are committed to responding to God’s call for a more a more just and inclusive community.  You have given me hope that this can be done through church involvement.  As a seminarian planning to graduate soon and take part in the ministry that God will direct me to, I thank you for this hope.  May you continue to spread this hope to your members and your community alike.  It makes a big difference!