Membership at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Saratoga

We are a congregation that welcomes all, for we believe that God welcomes us all in Christ. We are convinced that the Christian life is always lived in response to God's love for us. We gather as a congregation to celebrate God's love revealed to us in Jesus, to share it with others, and to shine the light of Christ's love into the world.

ILC is a Christ-centered Bible teaching church and is a member of the ELCA. We are committed to faithfully preaching and teaching the Word of God. We believe that Jesus is the Messiah who was born to save us from our sins and that He showed us how to live a truly human life - a life lived in praise to God and in service to one another. ILC is a place where you can begin to explore your spiritual journey; it is also a place where you can grow in your faith and be equipped to live out your Christian faith each day. Faithful to Christ's call to be His modern day disciples, we follow in His steps, share His good news, make disciples in the next generation, and equip them to serve in His Kingdom.

ILC follows the Purpose-Driven model with five major congregational functions: membership (becoming part of God's community of faith) - maturity (Christian education and growth) - ministry (serving in the Church and outside the Church walls) - mission (outreach) - and magnification (worship).

Immanuel offers a variety of spiritual and social programs, such as inspirational worship, warm fellowship, bible studies that connect with daily life, opportunities to make a real difference by serving in our community, reaching out to all people with the love of God poured out for sinful humanity in our Lord Jesus Christ. Immanuel also offers discovery classes, designed to introduce visitors to what we believe, teach and confess as Lutheran Christians in Silicon Valley. Immanuel encourages its members to discover their giftedness before God, develop those gifts to their fullest potential, and implement their gifts in the service of others, inside the church as well as out in the community. We oversee a number of service programs, including the collection of food, clothing, and books. Donation bins for food, clothing, and books are located outside the church office. Members prepare and serve meals monthly in area homeless shelters.

We follow the church calendar year: Advent - a time of preparation to receive Christ; Christmas - Immanuel - God with us - is born; Epiphany - Jesus is revealed; Lent - the journey with Jesus to the cross; Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday) - which together celebrate the final week of Jesus' life; Easter - our Lord's Resurrection; and Pentecost - a season of growth.

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