From 1861 to 10th and Lincoln: A Heritage of German Lutheran Roots
Immanuel Lutheran Church sits on the north side of Bay City, Michigan, in a neighborhood where it has lived out its name - "Immanuel," meaning "God with us" - for more than a century and a half. The congregation traces its beginning to 1861, when a small group of German immigrants gathered to worship and teach their children in their new language and faith. The following year, they purchased a building at the corner of 6th and Madison, which served as both a church and a school. From those humble beginnings, the congregation grew through generations of Word and Sacrament ministry into the three-part ministry it is today: a church, a K-8 school, and an early childhood learning center, all clustered around the 10th and Lincoln corridor at 300 N Sheridan Street.
Immanuel is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Its German roots connect it to the Reformation and the work of Martin Luther, and its teaching is summarized in Luther's Small Catechism and the larger collection of confessional writings known as the Book of Concord, which the congregation receives as a faithful expression of what Holy Scripture teaches. As a Missouri Synod parish, Immanuel walks together with brothers and sisters in Christ across the United States who share a common confession and practice.
The church's mission statement gives the parish its rhythm: "Immanuel is experiencing God's grace, growing in His Word, serving others in Jesus' name." Everything the congregation does - from its weekend liturgy to its school classrooms to its youth group - is meant to flow out of that threefold call.
Worship on Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning
Immanuel gathers for worship twice each weekend. Saturday's service takes place at 5:00 PM, and Sunday's service is held at 10:00 AM, with the doors open to anyone who walks in. Both services follow the congregation's Lutheran liturgical tradition, with the love of God in Jesus Christ proclaimed through liturgy and preaching. Music is typically led by the organ, and the sanctuary rings with a "vibrant music ministry" that includes student and adult choirs, handbells, and a variety of soloists and ensembles throughout the year.
On the last weekend of most months, the music shifts. A praise and worship team steps in to lead the singing, offering a different musical flavor that complements the liturgical framework of the service. The blend is intentional: a congregation rooted in historic Lutheran worship that is also willing to stretch.
For those who cannot be in the sanctuary, the Sunday service is broadcast locally on WSAM 1400 AM and 92.3 FM at 9:00 AM, reaching listeners across the Great Lakes Bay Region. Services are also livestreamed on Facebook at facebook.com/ImmanuelBayCity, with recordings available afterward. A service bulletin in PDF form is posted alongside the livestream so that those watching or listening from home can follow the readings and prayers.
Music as a Living Offering
Music at Immanuel is treated as a ministry, not a background. The church choir sings traditional four-part harmony and sacred classics under the direction of Sarah Geikas, who was installed as Immanuel's Director of Parish Music in August 2004. A graduate of Concordia University Nebraska in Seward with a degree in Parish Music and an emphasis in organ, Geikas oversees the music programs of both the church and the school and accompanies the choirs and soloists on the piano.
The handbell program is led by Kristy Fogelsinger, a lifelong Immanuel member who first picked up the bells as a student at Immanuel Lutheran School under the direction of Mr. Victor Droegemueller. She now directs the adult handbell choir, which rings Schulmerich and Malmark handbells and hand chimes at special services at Immanuel and at other area churches and schools. She is a member of the Handbell Musicians of America.
Students from Immanuel Lutheran School are also regularly scheduled to sing in services, weaving the parish school into the rhythm of congregational worship. From the youngest preschool singers to the senior choir members, music is treated as one of the congregation's most visible acts of offering.
Pastoral Care, Baptism, and Weddings
Pastor Chris Garcia, who has served Immanuel since August 2018 after his ordination in the summer of 2018, leads the pastoral ministry of the church. A graduate of Concordia-Ann Arbor in Family Life Ministry and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Pastor Garcia served six years in Flint, Michigan, as a youth leader before being called to Bay City. He is married to Liz Garcia, who teaches third grade at Immanuel Lutheran School, and the couple has three children, two of whom attend the parish school.
Pastor Garcia is available for pre-surgery and hospital devotions, individual Communion, and family devotions upon request, and monthly pastoral visits - often including Holy Communion - can be arranged through the church office. Members facing surgery, an accident, hospitalization, or the loss of a loved one are encouraged to notify the office, since hospitals do not always inform churches of admissions.
Baptisms are normally scheduled during a worship service so that the congregation can pray for and support the family. Parents are asked to meet with a pastor before the baptism and to notify the office after a child's birth. Adult baptisms follow a period of instruction through the Adult Information Classes offered throughout the year.
Weddings at Immanuel, or officiated by one of the church's pastors, begin with a conversation. A wedding date and time cannot be confirmed until the couple has met with a pastor and requested a pre-wedding packet, and Saturday weddings must begin no later than 2:00 PM.
Rock Solid Youth and the Family Ministry
The youth ministry at Immanuel carries the name Rock Solid, and it is built around monthly events, servant projects, mission outreach, community service, Bible study, and positive peer social gatherings for students in grades 6 through 12. Rock Solid youth are active in serving both Immanuel and the surrounding community, and they attend regional and statewide gatherings throughout the year. Middle school students enjoy a special annual summer gathering, and high school youth take part in regional events that build faith and friendship.
The Family Ministry that supports this work is led by Deaconess Lisa Brand, who joined Immanuel in December 2024 as Director of Family Ministry. First commissioned as a deaconess in 2014 after graduating from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Deaconess Lisa coordinates volunteers for Adult Bible Studies, Children's Sunday School, and Youth Ministry. She is married to Matt and has two grown children.
Sunday School and Adult Bible Study
Sunday mornings at 8:45 AM are a hub of formation. Adults gather in the Multipurpose Room for Bible study, while a Sunday Confirmation Class meets in the Chapel and children and youth gather in the school cafeteria for their own classes. The hour before worship is intentionally packed with teaching, making it easy for families to arrive together and move into the 10:00 AM service from there.
Throughout the week, additional Bible studies run the breadth of the congregation. A Tuesday Morning Bible Study - often described as a Ladies Bible Study - meets in the Multipurpose Room at 9:00 AM and walks through books of the Bible such as Luke. From topical discussions to in-depth verse-by-verse study, the adult formation program aims to give every member a steady diet of Scripture.
Each summer, Immanuel Lutheran hosts a week of Vacation Bible School. Children from the school as well as neighborhood friends gather for engaging Bible lessons, games, crafts, music, and activities - all centered on the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Immanuel Lutheran School: Young 5s Through Eighth Grade
Tucked into the same campus as the church, Immanuel Lutheran School has been nurturing and educating young people through outstanding Christian education for more than 160 years. The school partners with parents to intentionally guide the spiritual, intellectual, social, physical, and moral growth of children in a Christ-centered, high-quality Christian educational environment.
Students progress from Young 5s through eighth grade in classrooms led by a faculty that includes Mrs. Kris Jacobs in Kindergarten, Mrs. Kristin Haynes in First Grade, Mrs. Ellen Pett in Second Grade, Mrs. Liz Garcia in Third Grade, Mrs. Becky Vincent in Fourth Grade, Mrs. Hannah Jock teaching Fifth and Sixth Grade, and Mr. Chris Samsell with the Seventh and Eighth Grade students. The school office is staffed by Principal Mr. Heath Vincent, a former teacher and administrator at Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw, and School Secretary Mrs. Kimberlee Rule.
Academics are rigorous. Every classroom is equipped with technology designed to support student learning; students in grades K-4 have access to classroom computers for special projects and individualized learning, and in grades 5-8, students participate in a one-to-one Chromebook program using platforms like Google Classroom and IXL to support differentiated instruction. Outside the classroom, Bulldogs travel to Lansing and Washington, D.C., and explore local nature preserves.
Athletics include Pee Wee Basketball for K-2, cheer, and middle school soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track and field. The arts flourish through musicals, fine arts fairs, plays, band, and handbells. The school's Parent Teacher League (PTL) organizes dances and social events, while the Board of Parish Life hosts activities such as family bowling and trivia nights.
Tuition is supported by the Immanuel Lutheran School Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based financial assistance to families of current and prospective students in grades K-8 so that a Christian education at Immanuel is accessible to as many families as possible.
Immanuel Lutheran Learning Center
Around the corner at 247 N Lincoln Street, the Immanuel Lutheran Learning Center (ILLC) opens its doors year-round to children from infancy through four years old. A Great Start to Quality 3-Star Program, the Learning Center offers an Infant and Toddler Room for ages 0-2, a Toddler Twos classroom that bridges infants to Pre-K, a structured 3's and 4's room, and a HighScope-based Preschool that immerses children in learning by exploring, discovering, and working together.
Extended Care is offered to Immanuel Lutheran students in grades K-8 during the school year, with time set aside for homework, outside and gym play, and age-appropriate activities. Summer Care for K-8 students is also available. The Learning Center is directed by Mrs. Kassie Tyvela, a Bay City native with more than twenty years in the childcare industry who joined Immanuel in 2019.
A Campus Built Around Three Front Doors
What makes Immanuel distinctive is the way the church, the school, and the Learning Center reinforce one another. A family can drop an infant with the Learning Center in the morning, walk a preschooler to class, send elementary students into the school building, and end the day together at the 5:00 PM Saturday worship or the Sunday morning service - all on the same corridor between Sheridan and Lincoln.
The church office, reachable at 989-893-4088 or ilc@immanuelbaycity.com, is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The school office, at 989-893-8521 or ILS@ImmanuelBayCity.com, is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 3:15 PM. Visitors are encouraged to stop by, tour the facilities, and see for themselves what "God with us" looks like in the life of a Bay City congregation that has been answering that call since 1861.