In an earlier presentation of the history of Immanuel, I mentioned that there were still some items and artifacts that you pass or see or hear that have been incorporated into the church or are stored at the church that I asked you to identify or locate. There are really not many because there were really not many that the early church buildings could have that would have been able to survive being in an unheated building out in the country.
I will mention just a few of the easy ones to spot. Before you even enter, the church bell on the west end of our building was first placed into use out at the cemetery church site in 1887. It has been in use since then in all three worship locations since then.
The pump organ in the northeast corner of the church library was in use until 1948, when the current organ was purchased and installed. I don’t think it was the original musical instrument used out in the country, but it was moved into the 1916 building in Mokena from that location.
The stained-glass window that appears on the exterior wall of the sanctuary above the doors leading into the sanctuary was in the 1916 church building, as was the stained glass framed and located in the hallway leading to the Kid’s Club classrooms. It was originally located over the main entrance door into the 1916 church in Mokena.
There are also several older Bibles that families left to the church when original 1850 church members passed away. They are beautifully bound and can be found in the church library. Most are in the German language and have magnificent colorizations.
Now for a snapshot of the accomplishments of this church in the first 100 years.
DETAILS OF A 100 YEAR EXISTENCE
In the program bulletin for Sunday, November 5, 1950, there was a section that listed the statistics of the congregation up to time.
In 100 years:
Baptisms…………….. 379
Confirmed…………… 186
Married…………….…. 74
Buried…………………. 123
Communicants……. 145
Voting Members….. 36
S. S. Children……….. 35
Bible Class Members 18
Bell installed in 1877
Joined Missouri Synod in 1916
Bought Parsonage in Mokena in 1920
Day school started in 1919, closed 1930
Congregation became self-sufficient in 1930
Organ installed in 1948 replacing pump organ
I wonder how many of the people that attended and supported the church in those first 100 years ever thought about the impact of what they did and how it impacted those of us who now enjoy and use what came out of the evolving church they started 175 years ago. We have them to use as a beacon for the future of the young and not yet born children that will use Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church as their base for their faith.