Your news: Immanuel Lutheran kids in Palatine remember soldiers

After the holidays had passed, Sunday school children at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine, wanted to let U.S. troops know that they are still remembered.

So the third- to fifth-grade children made dozens of Valentine’s Day cards for U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We feel it’s important for our children to connect with our servicemen and women so they understand that freedom is not free,” said Deaconess Brenna Nunes, youth director at Immanuel Lutheran. “We want them to understand the sacrifice our soldiers are making for all of us. That the world is a bigger place than just our church and school, our community and our state.”

Each month, the Sunday school children select a serving project to inspire people to be like Christ, to serve more and to grow in God’s kingdom. “We want serving to be second nature for everyone, especially the children, so we might look outside ourselves to the needs of our neighbors,” said Nunes.

The cards were mailed to the USO to be distributed to the soldiers well before Valentine’s Day. However, the children did not sign the cards. This way, when soldiers receive a card, they can sign it themselves and send it to a special Valentine of their own.

In addition to the card project, sixth- to eighth-grade Sunday school children sent e-mails to numerous unidentified soldiers through the USO website wishing them well and letting the soldiers know that they continue to be in their thoughts and prayers.

The USO’s mission is to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families. Volunteers do everything possible to provide a home away from home for the troops and to keep them connected to the families they left behind. The USO serves troops serving in combat, their families, our wounded warriors and their families, and families of the fallen — until everyone comes home.

Immanuel Lutheran Church, 200 N. Plum Grove Road, provides the Palatine community with three distinctive worship styles (traditional, blended and contemporary); adult education; youth, women’s and men’s ministries; community service through Good Samaritan Ministry; web-broadcasts of worship services; an award-winning school (preschool-eighth grade); and, 50s Plus, an active, older-adult ministry.

For information, contact Immanuel Lutheran Church at (847) 359-1549 or visit immanuelpalatine.org.

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