Happenings - Special Edition

April 24, 2022

Tithes and Offerings

We want to encourage you to continue to support the church as you are able by mailing your tithes and offerings to the PO box of the church.  That address is:

Memorial Lutheran Church
PO Box 60428
Nashville, TN 37206-1433

We now have electronic giving available.  Click on the Support Us button and follow the easy instructions.  You can make one-time gifts or recurring donations.  Please be sure and reach out to Pastor Joel if you have any questions while we are rolling out this new feature.

The ongoing costs of our church remain even though so much of our world has come to a halt.  Please prayerfully consider your continued offerings over these coming months.  

Streaming Worship

While we are suspending services we encourage our congregation to worship together online. We are preparing virtual services that can be streamed directly from our website at memoriallutherantn.org.  I hope you will choose to stream them at 10:00 on Sunday mornings so that we can at least be worshiping in Spirit together at the same time in our homes.

Please note that these will not be "live" services per se, so you can stream them at any time once they are posted. So if you can't join us at 10:00 a.m I hope you will avail yourself of that online worship resource when you can.  We will upload them to our website on Saturday nights.

We are excited that our online services are a shared experience with our sister congregation, Zion Lutheran Church in Franklin, KY.  Pastor Joel remains their Interim Pastor and it is exciting to work together to maintain our worship life.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Do you miss talking and engaging in fellowship together?  Are you curious about how people are coping during this time?  We now issue the "Reach Out and Touch Someone Challenge"!  Would you call one other member of our church and check in with them?  I assure you they want to know how you are doing as well.  

Call someone today and do your part to meet the  challenge of keeping community alive and well at Memorial!

Easter Greetings from our Presiding Bishop

View and share Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Easter message. Christ is risen indeed!  View & Download video.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Coronavirus Information and Support

I want to stress a few points as we all seek to navigate these chaotic waters together.

1)  I am available to anyone who wants/needs direct pastoral care during this time.  You can call (615) 262-0224 or email me at joel.emerson@memoriallutherantn.org.  Please don't hesitate to reach out to me.  Sometimes when we are working through the unknowns of this life, it is helpful just to talk and pray together.

2)  Speaking of...please stay in touch with each other in the coming weeks.  Being supportive of each other is so important and we are the body of Christ, not just individuals with a common faith in Jesus.  

3)  There is a lot of misinformation circulating out there.  Please be sure that you are getting and sharing the most recent information directly from the most knowledgeable sources.  You can always get reliable and current information from the CDC.

4)  Please take the instructions on social distancing seriously and practice them as best you can.  This is particular challenging for those of us involved in a religious community as that is one of the most social things out there.  But from every reliable and informed medical source I can find, our ability to practice social distancing in the coming weeks may well be the difference in this outbreak having catastrophic impacts on people's lives.,

5)  Pray throughout each day that God will give us strength and courage during these coming months.

6)  Do the things in your life at home that bring you peace and joy...listen to your favorite music, play games with your loved ones, meditate, read your favorite author...whatever helps you to find peace and joy in your life.

Well, that is preachy enough don't you think!  I love you all and am praying for you daily.

Pastor Joel