Visitor Information

Who are we?

We are believers: Immanuel Congregation is made up of believers in God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. We gather to worship God, learn about Him, apply His teachings to our lives, and serve Him as individuals and collectively as His Church. We do this on Sunday mornings as well as many other times in various ways throughout the week, both in our building and in our community.

We are national and global: Our Congregation is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod , a nationwide church body made up of approximately 2.3 million people. Through this national Church and our world-wide partners we serve God across the world. The Missouri Synod owns and operates the Concordia University system (10 universities and 2 seminaries), Concordia Publishing house (one of the leading Christian publishing houses in the world), and the 2nd largest parochial school system in the U.S. (2nd to the Roman Catholic church) as well as many other large scale ministries that can only be accomplished by the partnership of the 6,100 congregations working together. Thanks to the internet our worship services can be watched any where in the world. We know of people across the country and the globe who worship with us via our streaming services.

We are local: Immanuel Lutheran Church is very involved serving God’s people, especially those in need in the DeKalb area. Since moving to our current location in 1965 we have had an intentional outreach to the campus of NIU. Our Little Lambs preschool has been serving the needs of young families by providing a top notch school to educate their children in a Christian setting since 1996. We partner with community organizations such as Neighbor’s House (literacy program), Hope Haven (Homeless shelter), We Care Pregnancy Center, Safe Passage (abused woman’s shelter), The Salvation Army, The DeKalb School District (CUSD 428), The Network of Nations (caring for international students), Habitat for Humanity, Christian Senior Ministries (nursing home ministry), The DeKalb Fire Department , AYSO, Stage Coach Player (community theater), University Village Apartments, and many other groups in the DeKalb area.

How to learn more about us?

The sheer volume of things that go on through our congregation can be a bit overwhelming. We suggest a new visitor join us for worship on a Sunday morning at either our 8:00 am (traditional worship) or 10:30 am (contemporary worship) to see our family gather together to receive God’s gifts and express our gratitude to Him. Christian education is offered in the hour between the services (from 9:15 – 10:15) for children in age appropriate Sunday School classes as well as for adults (at the time of this writing there are 4 different adult classes meeting every Sunday morning). Either of our pastors as well as other members of the staff are always happy to meet with you and tell you more about our congregation if you prefer a more one to one setting in order to learn about us.

Visiting on a Sunday morning – some frequently asked questions:

Is there a dress code?

No! Anyone who desires to worship God and receive His gifts are welcome to worship no matter how they are dressed. There are many who do choose to “dress up” as a way of showing how important an event worship is. Others will dress casually, acknowledging and demonstrating that God is always approachable by anyone. You will be welcomed however you choose to dress.

Is there child care?

A nursery room is available during the 8 am service for those who feel it best to take a child out of worship because they are too young to continue worshiping joyfully. The nursery is staffed by volunteers during the 10:30 am service so that you may drop your child off and return to worship. As mentioned in our worship section, we have a “child friendly” congregation with many young children. We encourage children to worship with their families as for as long as is developmentally possible. We are here to help you in the spiritual care of your children, we are not here to judge your parenting. We understand that parenting is a challenging business!

When is the Lord’s Supper offered?

We offer the Lord’s Supper (Sacrament of Holy Communion) at both worship services on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month. If you do not have a background in a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church we would encourage you to both read our communion statement found in our bulletin as well as speak to one of our pastors if you have any questions before communing. We see the Sacrament as a means of God’s grace and we desire to be faithful in our administration of it.