Immanuel Lutheran Church and School

Immanuel is a relatively large, established Lutheran congregation in Valparaiso, Indiana, with a baptized membership of more than 1250.  We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  Our congregational make-up reflects our community, including a mix of students and young adults, families with children, empty-nesters, and older adults.  We celebrated our 150th anniversary in 2014, and we look forward with hope to the next chapter God has in store for us.  We enjoy being together as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we welcome newcomers as blessings from God.

Worship is the central activity of our life together.  Our worship style is liturgical, following the church year and using the traditional order, incorporating a wide variety of musical styles to accompany it.  We have a rich tradition of music in worship, which we value highly.  Holy communion is celebrated at all Sunday morning services and most Saturday evening services.  We welcome children in our worship, and we offer childcare for families that need it.

We value learning.  Congregation members participate in Sunday morning education and many small group Bible studies throughout the week. We are deeply committed to our school ministry (preschool and K-8) and its mission to help families form children in Christ who live with God, love to learn, and lead by serving.

Immanuel serves the larger community in a variety of ways.  Gloria Dei Hispanic Mission provides worshiping, learning, and serving opportunities in Spanish.  A group home for developmentally challenged adults is located on the church property, and we welcome the residents as valued members of the body of Christ.  Immanuel operates a food pantry and a comfort dog ministry, supports ministries for needy men and women in Gary, and (along with other congregations in Valparaiso) provides a men’s homeless shelter.  Teams from Immanuel take short-term mission trips to locations both domestic and abroad.

That's a little bit about us, but we joyfully acknowledge that our story is not first or finally about us.  It's about God with us.  The ongoing story of this church could be told by its name. The word “Immanuel” means “God with us.” We cherish this name because we are a people in need of God’s presence to help us and guide us at all times.  Apart from the presence of God, we would be incapable of living well in the Story of Jesus. On our own, our efforts to follow his command to make disciples of all nations fall short. With Jesus and with his help, however, this work of God endures and grows even among us.

One of the last things Jesus said to his disciples while he was still with them on earth was this: “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We find great encouragement in these words of promise, and we have found them to be true over the decades and as we continue to worship, learn, and serve in his name.   The Story of Jesus is playing out today and it includes people like us. It’s a great joy to live in this present age as followers of Jesus. As we follow Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, we ask him to dwell with us. We pray for his help. We seek his guidance and pursue his will, trusting that he is indeed with us always. He is forever Immanuel. He is forever God. He is forever with us.