Immanuel Community Meal A Crowd Pleaser – Next One January 12!

The entire community was invited to a no-cost Community Meal on October 20 at Immanuel Lutheran Church & School and the community certainly responded – over 100 people came. Immanuel is once again opening its doors to the community. The entire community is invited to a no-cost Community Meal on Thursday, January 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The menu consists of sloppy joes, grilled cheese sandwiches, salad, potato chips, and dessert. After the meal, guests will have the opportunity to join in on a simple and easy service project that is part of Immanuel’s Operation Christmas Child efforts. Guests will be making very simple fishing kits for children in impoverished countries. These kits will help children provide meals for their family in the future. “It’s a nice way for us who receive a meal to help other children learn how to provide a meal for their family on an ongoing basis,” says Pastor Warren.

Our first Community Meal greatly exceeded our expectations, where we had just over 100 guests. Many, many volunteers, provided over 200 meals that included some take home meals. We are hoping to keep the giving spirit of Christmas alive even after the New Year holiday by inviting the community to come and enjoy a warm meal and great conversation.

Sometimes after the holidays, we all need a little break from the fast, frenzied, and frenetic pace of the season. So we invite you to come and join us for a time to relax and enjoy a simple warm meal. “At Immanuel, we recognize the importance of developing a sense of community among all people in our area,” says Pastor Warren. “With our fast paced, social media driven, ‘on-the-go’ society, many people don’t have an opportunity to pause and have a nice meal prepared for them. Conversely, there are many folks in our community who desire to make new connections to people, since they might live alone and might not have either the means or opportunities to meet other neighbors. It’s a great inter-generational event, and we welcome anyone to come and enjoy a good meal. We simply want to love our neighbor by providing a safe place to enjoy a fine meal, fine conversation, and fun.”

The Community Meal was founded in Barrington by Mary Sandner, a Barrington High school graduate. For more information on the Community Meal, please visit www.TheCommunityMeal.org.

Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, a fixture in the Palatine community for nearly 150 years, offers a variety of programs and services to the people of Palatine, as well as weekly worship services. Immanuel is located at 200 North Plum Grove Road (at Wood Street) in downtown Palatine, just two blocks east of the Palatine Metra Train Station. For more information, please contact Pastor Warren Schilf at 847-359-1549 or pastorwarren@ilcp.org.