Message from the Pastor

Dear Friends,

I love the ‘classics.’ You know, the classics like The Beattles, The Who, Rolling Stones. One of my favorite Rolling Stones songs is “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Many of you are familiar with the main line of the song, but for those who may not have heard it before, it states, “you can’t always get what you want (repeated 3 times), but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.”

There is a very valuable lesson to be learned from that statement. I think we can look at our lives as a continuous series of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. Life is lived in constant pursuit of them. We want our children to receive the best education possible. We want their lives to be at least as good, if not a little better, than our own. We want to know that our time on this earth was worthwhile and meaningful.

As we change, along with all the changes that life throws at us, sometimes we find those ‘wants’ becoming ‘needs.’ We need to know that our time on this earth IS worthwhile and meaningful. We need to know that our children are not just receiving the best education possible, but the best CHRISTIAN EDUCATION as well. We need to know that our children’s FAITH IN GOD will be at least as strong, if not a little stronger, than our own.

At Immanuel United Church of Christ, we cannot give you the answers that will meet all your ‘wants’ and ‘needs.’ But what we can do is extend to you the hand of Christian Love and Fellowship; a hand that is attached to the Body of Christ. A hand that you can hold onto as you journey through life in pursuit of all those ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ for you and for your family.

As members of Christ’s Body, we strive with hearts, hands and voices to be faithful disciples and stewards. We invite you to hold hands with us as we follow Christ on the journey that God has set before us and led by God’s “Still-Speaking” voice.

With Christ's Peace and Blessing,
Rev. Bill Riegle, pastor