About Immanuel Lutheran Church

Our Sunday morning schedule (September, 2007 until June 9, 2008) :

• 8:30 AM: Early Service with Eucharist (Communion)
  
  
• 9:15 AM: Parish Hour and Sunday School for all ages, pre-K through adult.
  
  
• 10:30 AM: Main Service with the Eucharist (Communion)
  Choir sings and child care is provided
  
  
• Coffee and Fellowship Hour: In the Fellowship hall, following the later service.

SUMMER Sunday morning schedule (June 16, 2008 through Labor Day) :

• 9:30 AM: Summer church service with the Eucharist (Communion)
  
  
• Coffee and Fellowship Hour: In the Parish Hall, following the morning service.
  
  

Immanuel's Staff

• The Rev. Louis (Rudy) Beyer, Pastor
• Matthew Cron, Organist
• Anne Weaver, Choir Director
• Katie Robinson, Church Secretary, Click here to mail the church office

Committee contacts

• Adult Learning / Formation: Coordinator - Ruth Rinard, Beverly Sunderland
• Building Use, Dave Carlson
• Campus Ministry, Dave Carlson
• Daytimers: Social Actiities for those retired, Faith Sweigert.
• Ecumenical-Interfaith: Donna Griffin
• Fellowship: Plan Social Events / Welcome Newcomers, Chair - Chris Nelson
• Finance: Chair - Randy Dettmers
• Property: Skip Spaulding
• Social Concerns: Chairs - Julie Brigham Grette and Roger Grette
• Stewardship: Jon Niedzielski
• Sunday School and Youth: Chair - Kathy Niedzielski
• Sunday Confirmation: Teachers - Ann Donnelly and Kathy Niedzielski
• Young Theologians: Teacher - Pastor Beyer
• Worship: Chair - Mary Carlson
• Senior Choir: Director - Anne Weaver
• Junior Choir: Director - Nancy Simkins
• Musicians, Soloists, Special Music: Coordinator - Matthew Cron
• Worship Leaders (Readers, Ushers, Greeters, acolytes and Altar Guild) - Mary Carlson
• Altar Guild - Dorothy Urch, Donna Tattar, Dorothy Bachtold

Church Council:

• Skip Spaulding, President
• Christian Nelson, Vice President
• Ruth Rinard, Secretary
• Dorothy Bachtold, Financial Secretary
• Randy Dettmers, Treasurer
• Randall Bausor
• Jim Bodmer
• Phyllis Bragg
• Jon Niedzielski
• Sandy Petersen
• Beth Starr
• Rudy Beyer, Pastor

Our past:

Founded in 1962 as a mission church to the colleges in the area, the fledgling congregation met in the Odd Fellows Hall in downtown Amherst for three years. In 1965, our main building was completed. The well-known theologian, Dr. Martin E. Marty was preacher for the dedication service of our sanctuary. Dr. Marty has delivered the sermon here several times since then. He is the founder of the Institute for Advanced Study of Religion (now the Martin Marty Center) at the University of Chicago where he has been professor of religious history for over 35 years.

Another well-known theologian who has close ties to our congregation and has preached here on a number of occasions is Dr. Krister Stendahl, the father of our third pastor. Dr. Stendahl was Dean and Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School and later was consecrated as the Lutheran Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden. He is now Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Harvard.

In 1995, the Fellowship Hall section was added to the original building. This building features, in addition to a large fellowship hall, the Pastor's office, a meeting lounge, kitchen, a number of classrooms upstairs and the LAOS Interfaith Religious Bookshop (also upstairs).

Immanuel has been served by four pastors: founding pastor Richard E. Koenig, who served from 1962 until 1978; Paul F. Bosch, 1979-1982; John K. Stendahl, 1983-1995; and our current pastor, Louis (Rudy) Beyer. We have also had able pastoral leadership from several people during interim periods, including, Karl Donfried and, most recently, Lyle Larson. Our congregation has been richly blessed by the service of all of these dedicated and faithful pastors.

Finding us

• Immanuel is located at 867 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002--just north of the University of Massachusetts' School of Education.
• Church phone: 413-549-0322
• Church FAX: 413-549-1916
• To see statistics and a map, click here