Emmanuel Lutheran Church has stood on Third Avenue in Rockford, Illinois, since it was founded by Swedish immigrants in 1882. The congregation marked its 140th anniversary in July 2022 and the centennial of its second church building in November 2023. While still rooted in Lutheran tradition and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Emmanuel today calls itself "Emmanuel: a spiritual community," a name chosen to honor its heritage while reaching people who find the word "church" to be a stumbling block.
Emmanuel is a member of the Northern Illinois Synod of the ELCA and has been a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation since 2013. Its welcome statement commits it to being "open and accepting to all who come, regardless of socio-economic status, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or spiritual path." The building at 920 Third Avenue houses not only the worshipping congregation but also a food pantry, a community arts center, and several partner organizations, and the congregation is currently working toward a sustainable future for the property.
Four Ways to Worship
Emmanuel offers four distinct worship services that draw on different traditions and rhythms.
Traditional Worship is held at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday in the chapel, a more intimate setting than the main sanctuary. This service follows the liturgy of the Lutheran Book of Worship and is shared with Calvary Lutheran Church.
ReFresh Worship gathers at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in the sanctuary. The name stands for "Restoring Energy, Faith, and Relevance to Every Soul's Heart." Grounded in the Lutheran tradition but embracing a broader view of Jesus' teachings, ReFresh draws on readings from the Bible and other sacred texts, poetry, dance, and song. The liturgy uses inclusive language and invites people to participate creatively. On the second Sunday of the month through summer and fall, the service moves outside to the labyrinth, weather permitting. ReFresh is offered in person, on Zoom, and recorded on Facebook.
Breathe is a meditation service held four times a year on the second Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Worshippers gather for one hour to enter what the church calls "the 'thin place' between the worlds." The hour includes sacred scriptures and poetry from many traditions, chant, and silence.
Breathe In Between meets on the second Saturday of the months in between, also at 5:00 p.m. Led by Christyn Rittenhouse, it is described as "a thread to hold us all together in the months between meditation gatherings," with time for open-hearted conversation in the Benson Room.
All are welcome to come as they are. Parking is available on Third Avenue or in the lot north of the church.
Soul Garden: Reading, Meditation, and Forest Walks
Emmanuel's adult education ministry is called Soul Garden, and it gathers several ongoing small groups under one umbrella.
Spiritual Journeys meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on Zoom. The group reads and discusses books chosen by its members, taking turns reading aloud and pausing for conversation. No advance reading is required, and newcomers can drop in at any point. Past selections have included works like John Fugelsang's "Separation of Church and Hate."
Adult Bible Study gathers on Wednesdays at noon on Zoom, except during Lent, under the leadership of Pastor Frank Langholf. The group aims to follow the manner of Jesus' own small group of disciples, connecting believers in fellowship and growing in understanding of the Bible.
Silent meditation practice is offered in the Benson Room on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Participants enter through the parking lot entrance.
Soul Garden Forest Preserve Walks take hikers to a different Winnebago County preserve several times a month. The walks are led by Holly Blair-Cascio and last about an hour; hikers are asked to dress for the weather.
Cardio Drumming with Beth Campisi meets on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., combining exercise and drumming to music for an accessible workout open to all fitness levels.
The Food Pantry and Outreach in Rockford
Emmanuel's Outreach Committee supports the wider ELCA, Bread for the World, Habitat for Humanity, and other efforts. Its largest local ministry is the food pantry, which operates as part of the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition and the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
The pantry is open every Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., except on holidays. It serves all Rockford zip codes and surrounding areas, providing two to three days of emergency food every three weeks to each household. A picture ID and proof of age and address are required for each member of the household. The pantry also distributes clothing, books, and resource materials. Volunteers are welcome, and donations of food, time, or money are always needed.
Emmanuel is also active with the CROP Hunger Walk, Rockford's Mayor's Hunger Campaign, and the Rockford and Loves Park Post Office food drive. The congregation partners with Walgreens Pharmacy and other community groups to host seasonal vaccine clinics for adults, and a parish nurse, Sue Scott, supports the health ministries of the church and its neighbors.
Arts@Emmanuel: Gallery, Choir, and Dance Studio
For more than a quarter century, Emmanuel has run Arts@Emmanuel, a community arts center directed by Susan Hurley-Whitacre. The center includes a state-of-the-art gallery and a dance studio with bars and full-length mirrors that is available for rental.
Art exhibits rotate through the gallery, showing works by congregation members and community artists. Past performances hosted at Emmanuel include Handel's Messiah (for nearly thirty years), the Gay Men's Chorus, and singer-songwriters such as Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band and Mark Dvorak. Arts@Emmanuel welcomes children, youth, and adults regardless of artistic experience and hosts workshops, concerts, dance, theater, creative writing, and fabric art.
The Emmanuel Choir is a community of musicians of all ages who rehearse at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, September through May. Music is woven into Sunday worship, and talented members and guest musicians frequently perform. Clea Arbogast serves as accompanist and Tim Fenelon directs the choir.
Sacred dance is also part of Emmanuel's worship life, with diverse styles of movement set against the acoustics and stained glass of the sanctuary.
Welcoming All: A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
In January 2013, Emmanuel's members voted unanimously to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation through ReconcilingWorks and the ELCA. The designation formalizes what Emmanuel describes as its long-time practice of "radical hospitality." The congregation extends that welcome into the wider Rockford community through its support of the local PFLAG chapter, which meets the first Monday of each month at the Rockford Public Library.
Care for Creation
Environmental stewardship is one of the pillars of Emmanuel's vision. The Care for Creation committee coordinates a Trex plastic-film recycling challenge, collecting plastic film in the bin at the north entrance of the church to keep it out of landfills. The committee also explores broader creation-care practices as part of the congregation's spiritual life.
Pastor Frank Langholf
Pastor Frank Langholf serves Emmanuel as its pastor and leads the Wednesday Bible Study. He describes his calling as helping people recognize that they are the beloved of God, supporting them in discerning how they make a difference in the world, and working in interfaith and inter-spiritual settings. He is married to Kathy, has three children and nine grandchildren, and is a spiritual director and a certified therapeutic horseback riding instructor who competes in long-distance riding with his horse Sierra.
Community Partnerships at 920 Third Avenue
Emmanuel shares its building with several partner organizations. Calvary Lutheran Church holds its traditional Lutheran services in the chapel on Sunday mornings. Rockford Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (RAASE) operates from a renovated Emmanuel property as a drop-in center for survivors of sexual exploitation. Sallyann Roberts, a licensed clinical social worker, sees clients in her office at Emmanuel. Claudette Pirrello teaches Integral Yoga at Emmanuel on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. and Thursdays at noon. Pastor Chuck Olson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, provides counseling and free Wednesday evening guitar lessons.
The Midtown Lutheran Parish, which includes Emmanuel, operates Katie's Cup, a coffeehouse and community hub open Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with walking clubs, book clubs, French Club, Boardgames on Fridays, and a Midtown Market on Thursdays.
WELCA and Women's Community
All women who are members of the ELCA are part of WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and are invited to gather at Emmanuel on the third Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m., except in July and August. The group's study for the year focuses on Women of the Bible, with members taking turns facilitating discussions. The congregation also hosts a Women's Interfaith Potluck series that meets at different faith communities across Rockford each month, bringing women together to share a meal and learn about work being done in the wider community.
Getting Involved at Emmanuel
Emmanuel describes itself as a "congregation" rather than a "church," meaning that members take responsibility for the work that needs to be done. Active committees include Worship and Music, Outreach, Membership, Caring Connections, Buildings and Grounds, Finance and Stewardship, Care for Creation, Children's Ministry, Publicity, and an Engineering committee that manages Zoom, Facebook Live, sound, and recording for Sunday services. Committees meet in person and online, and newcomers interested in serving on any of them are invited to contact the church office.
Emmanuel also offers space for rent for weddings, funerals, receptions, meetings, classes, concerts, recitals, baby and bridal showers, holiday parties, plays, and small services. The dance studio and other rooms are available through the rental coordinator.