SERVE
“We will attend to human need in both congregation and world, address the issues of our time in dialogue with our faith, and affirm the love and teachings of Jesus Christ through our mission.”
~from the Mission Statement of Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Local involvement.
Global impact.
Our Mission Committee responds to this call by providing opportunities for congregation members and friends to put their faith to work in our local community and throughout the world, and by recommending how congregation mission funds will be shared.
Reaching out in our community
Members and friends of Immanuel Church regularly reach out to the community by volunteering their time and talents in a variety of settings.
The Cathedral Center Shelter for Women and Families provides shelter for homeless single women and families 365 days/year. Immanuel volunteers prepare and serve a meal several times a year.
Larry Under the Bridge, sponsored by Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church, is a food and encouragement ministry to the homeless in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood. Immanuel volunteers contribute sandwich ingredients and help prepare lunches.
University Christian Ministries (UCM) is the coopoerative Protestand campus ministry to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Their oldest and most popular program, “Lunch Bunch” serves over 100 students who gather at UCM every Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. for fellowship and food. Immanuel volunteers provide the meals and also help serve.
The Interchange Food Pantry is the only source of emergency groceries for our neighbors in the greater downtown area and north shore.
Eastside Senior Services helps older adults live independently and stay connected to their community on Milwaukee's Eastside.
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity builds houses, community, and hope by providing the opportunity for home ownership to persons who would not otherwise be able to afford it.
Common Ground is a group of nonpartisan, proactive, everyday citizens in Southeastern Wisconsin, dedicated to identifying pressing social problems facing our community and bringing about creative solutions.
Additonal local mission partners: Adult Learning Center, Bread of Healing Clinic, City on a Hill, Convergence Resource Center, The Gathering, Guest House, Literacy Services of Wisconsin, Meta House, Pathfinders, Urban Ecology Center, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Meta House, Wisconsin Council of Churches.
Reaching out around the world
Immanuel Presbyterian Church reaches out around the world through mission partnerships in Zambia and Cuba.
Since 1995, Immanuel Church has had a relationship with the Mwandi Christian Hospital and Mission Zambia. The Mwandi Hospital, a mission of the United Church of Zambia, serves a catchment area of about 25,000 in Zambia’s western province. In addition to the hospital, the mission includes a primary and secondary school and a center for orphans and vulnerable children (who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS). Several Immanuel mission teams have traveled to Mwandi, and we maintain regular contact with the mission through mission workers, Keith and Ida Waddell, and an American Partners board.
Living Waters for the World (LWW) is a mission resource of the Synod of Living Waters of the Presbyterian Church USA, which trains and equips mission teams to share the gift of clean, sustainable water with communities in need. LWW water treatment systems and related educational programs fill a critical niche in the world water crisis – serving communities with available but contaminated water.
Since 2014, Immanuel Church has helped to install three LWW water treatment systems in Cuba, at the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialog (CCRD) in Cardenas, Cuba, at the CCRD Farm, and the Arrechavaleta Baptist Church in Matanzas, Cuba.
Immanuel also provides financial support for other organizations and agencies – local, national, and international – through our annual budget. Mission giving regularly accounts for more than 19% of the budget. A recent “Building on our Foundations” capital campaign also included a mission component – with funds allocated to build a new Habitat for Humanity house in Milwaukee, to support the construction of a school in the Kiserian Parish in Kenya, and to help renovate the mission hospital in Mwandi, Zambia.
Mission dollars also support the mission programs of the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly levels; Carroll University; McCormick Theological Seminary; and the Presbyterian Church’s Theological Education Fund.
Serving within the Congregation
There are many ways to serve within the life of the congregation. Speak with a minister about your interests and the needs of the congregation . . . ask another member about how you can get involved . . . sign-up on Sunday morning in the Parlor for one of the many mission and ministry opportunities.