Previous Events

3rd Annual Musicians' Retreat: Vocation Vacation
July 19, 2008 from 9:00am to 3:00pm

Special conducting workshop featuring Michael Schwartzkopf of Indiana University
and Vocation discussion featuring Dave Berry of Jacob's Well Church, Normal.

Chelsey Coombs – Student Recital
A fund raiser
Friday, June 13th
7:00pm - 8:00pm

Family and friends came together for an evening of music at Second Presbyterian Church, 313 North East Street, Bloomington, IL

The fund raiser helped defray the cost for Chelsey to attend the renowned vocal soloist camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan.

Alexandra Rolfs - Student Recital
A fund raiser
Saturday, June 7th
4:30pm - 6:00pm

Family and friends were brought together for an early evening of song and piano on the beautiful grounds of Immanuel Bible Foundation.

The fund raiser helped cover the cost for Alexandra to attend the illustrious chorale camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan.

Immanuel Bible Foundation
is pleased to announce
Jack North
Retired State Farm Executive
as the featured speaker for the
55th Annual Laymen's Lenten Breakfast

Wednesday March 12th
at the Interstate Center in Bloomington
6:00am-7:30am

Immanuel Bible Foundation
is pleased to announce
R. Wesley Hurd
as the featured speaker for
a series of lectures on art entitled
"Why is there Art"
"Unfolding the Language of Art"
"Art and the End of Art"
"Where are the Visual Arts Going"

Friday & Saturday - February 22nd & 23rd
at Jumer's Chateau in Bloomington

The Van Leer Arts Society will be bringing artist and scholar Wesley Hurd from Gutenberg College (Eugene, Oregon) for a two day seminar Feb 22nd and 23rd. He will be giving lectures and will critique artwork during his stay here in Bloomington-Normal. Call us at (309) 452-6710 for more information.

The event was held at Jumer’s Chateau in Bloomington in the auditorium. Tickets were $25 for all four sessions and lunch on Saturday. Wes lecture on the following topics:

"Why is there Art"
Friday 7:00pm-8:00pm

"Unfolding the Language of Art"
Friday 8:15pm-9:30pm

"Art and the End of Art"
Saturday 10:00am-12:00pm

"Where are the Visual Arts Going"
Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm

An evening event at the Eaton Gallery in downtown Bloomington is also being scheduled.

If you are interested in learning more about the Van Leer Arts Society, please come to one of our open meetings the first Thursday of each month at 7:00pm here at Immanuel.

Christmas at the Mansions
Saturday December 15th
4:00pm to 9:00pm

Three of the community’s most elegant historic homes - The David Davis Mansion at 1000 E. Monroe, Bloomington; the Broadview Mansion at 1301 S. Fell Avenue, Normal; and the Vrooman Mansion at 701 E. Taylor, Bloomington - are adorned yearly with vintage Christmas decorations and open for special Christmas evening tours.

Christmas at the Mansions is a fundraising event benefiting Immanuel Bible Foundation, the David Davis Mansion, and Faith in Action. Signature Sponsor of the event is Insight Communications.

Immanuel Bible Foundation
is pleased to announce
Jennifer Rothschild
as the featured speaker for the
14th Annual Women’s Christmas Celebration 2007

Saturday December 1st
at the Interstate Center in Bloomington
8:00am to 10:00am

"We walk by faith, not by sight."

That phrase has echoed through the ages. For Jennifer Rothschild, the words are much more than a simple verse in the Bible; they are a reflection of how she lives her life.

At the young age of fifteen, Jennifer was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually steal her sight. It was more than a turning point for the Miami, Florida native. Her dreams of becoming a commercial artist and cartoonist faded. Words and music have replaced her canvas and palette for more than twenty-five years.

Jennifer’s distinctive blend of speaking, music, and worship leadership has resulted in invitations across the country. She has made numerous appearances with Grammy Award winner Larnelle Harris, and noted authors Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby, Zig Ziglar, Esther Burroughs, and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Rothschild has been a regular guest speaker with the popular Women of Faith Tour. While she has been invited to ministry venues that fill stadiums, Jennifer’s enjoys leading small groups of women and college students at her church home. Her mission is to encourage and equip women to have a tenacious faith.

Known for spiritual depth and a down-to-earth style, Jennifer weaves music, colorful illustrations, and biblical truth to help audiences find contentment, walk with endurance, and celebrate the ordinary. Through her signature wit and poignant storytelling, audiences are prompted to look beyond their circumstances, and to experience God’s grace in the midst of adversity.

Jennifer’s books include Lessons I Learned in the Dark (Multnomah), Fingerprints of God (Multnomah), and two video-enhanced bible studies, Fingerprints of God and Walking By Faith (both from LifeWay). In her newest book, Lessons I Learned in the Light, encourages Christians to progress from merely walking by faith to boldly running their races, regardless of circumstances. With the signature wisdom and inspirational spirit, Rothschild gently steers believers through the Scriptures, finding specific passages to help comfort, protect, and guide them as they navigate their personal faith walks.

In addition to her writing and speaking ministry, Jennifer is an accomplished songwriter and recording artist, with six albums to her credit including Walking by Faith, Along the Way, Out of the Darkness, Come to the Morning, Not by Sight, and Live In Concert.

She has been featured on notable television shows as The Dr. Phil Show, The Billy Graham Television Special, The Hour of Power, TBN, At Home with Chuck and Jenny, Living the Life, and The 700 Club. Audience favorites include her guest appearances on Family Life Today Radio and Life Today with James and Betty Robison. Her life experience has been featured in numerous national and regional publications including Today's Christian Woman (May-June 2007), Home Life, SpiritLed Woman, Connections, Virtue magazine, Becoming Family magazine, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post.

Jennifer is also co-founder and publisher of the popular online magazine, WomensMinistry.NET. She resides in Springfield, Missouri with her husband of twenty years, Dr. Philip Rothschild, and their two sons, Clayton and Connor. She enjoys nature walks, visits to theme parks, and riding a bicycle built for two. She got a real charge singing the national anthem for the Atlanta Braves and bungee-jumping from seven and a half stories. In addition to collecting Depression glass and listening to books, she loves classical music, dark chocolate, and the fragrance of a hazelnut-coffee candle.

Van Leer Arts Society
Open House
Saturday November 10th
6:00pm to 9:00pm
click here for the PDF

Music at the Mansion
Sunday September 23rd
3:00pm to 7:00pm

This event features the
Community Concert Band,
Immanuel Bible Foundation Chorale
under the direction of our
Director of Music Ministries, Jane Smolen,
John Muir,
and Harmony Guaranteed
featuring members of the Sounds of Illinois Chorus

There will be tours of the Mansion. Refreshments will be provided by Faith in Action and its church partners with all proceeds going toward their programming fund.

Pause, Pray, and Prepare
July 21st from 8:00am to 1:00pm

The theme for our retreat this year is Pause, Pray, and Prepare. We have been busy getting things in order for you to come share a relaxing day of fellowship, planning and, of course, singing! Please be ready to share some tips with the rest of us about what music you have enjoyed this past year, ours or otherwise, as well as what you do to plan and prepare your year of music.

We will have a Musician’s Renewal workshop featuring Lyn A’Hearn, as well as a workshop on Praying for your Church led by Holly Schurter. We will end the organized events with the traditional sing along, catered lunch and an introduction of Immanuel Chorale, the IBF choir for high school students. The grounds and home will remain open for several hours in the afternoon for you to Pause, Pray, and Prepare before the fall season begins. We hope you will join us for this fun event!

For more information, please call Jane Smolen, Director of Music Ministries at Immanuel at: (309) 452-6710. You may also send her an email at: music@ibfoundation.org

Immanuel Bible Foundation
is pleased to announce
Dean Jones
as the featured speaker for the
54th Annual Laymen's Lenten Breakfast
March 14th, 2007

Dean Jones, who started out his professional life as a producer of stage shows, has parlayed his skill as a light comedian into International motion picture grosses exceeding $960 million. Six of his ten films for Walt Disney are on Variety's all-time hit list.

Although best known for comedy efforts such as "The Love Bug", "Under the Yum-Yum Tree", "That Darn Cat" and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo", Jones has also made vital, dramatic films like "The New Interns", "Never So Few", "Other People's Money" and "When Every Day Was the Fourth of July".

When Jones is not performing, he is a concerned activist, involved in international child-care, problems of the homeless, world hunger, and is founder/president of Christian Rescue Committee, which "provides a way of escape to Jews, Christians and others persecuted for their faith".

After 46 films, 5 Broadway shows, and twenty-something years of television, Jones has written his autobiography, "Under Running Laughter".

Dean shot a cameo for Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger", then filmed two Disney remakes. The Disney feature "That Darn Cat", and ABC's TV movie "Love Bug Reunion" finished the Millennium. Then, Jones starred in the feature "A Brush with Time", following Leslie Nielsen and Luke Perry as the American star in this series of Christmas films, a holiday tradition in Italy, as well as many overseas markets.

Dean's recent stage work includes starring as 'Cap'n Andy' in Hal Prince's epic $10 million touring production of "SHOW BOAT", where he played to SRO crowds and rave reviews across the country. In addition, his one-man play has been called a "masterpiece" by several critics. The late Alan Jay Lerner said "St. John in Exile" had "changed" his life. "One is reminded of Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain and Henry Fonda as Clarence Darrow," echoes the Arizona Republic. Director Dan Curtis calls Jones's St. John, "The best performance I've ever seen."

In 1993 Jones had switched from playing good guys to playing the evil Dr. Varnick in Universal's top-grossing hit, "Beethoven". He was named a "Disney Legend" in 1998, thanks to his many starring roles at that studio.

Dean and his wife--writer, Lory Basham Jones--love to travel, collect antiques, and hike in the desert. They have three children, Michael, Carol and Deanna.

DEAN JONES CREDITS
(Partial List)

Dean Jones' book Under Running Laughter and DVD John in Exile are available at Immanuel Bible Foundation. Books are $20 and DVD is $25.

Immanuel Bible Foundation
is pleased to announce
Michelle McKinney-Hammond
as the featured speaker for the
13th Annual Women’s Christmas Celebration 2006
Saturday December 2nd

As an author, speaker, television co-host and singer, Michelle McKinney Hammond wants you to live life to the fullest through fulfilling relationships with God, with yourself and with the opposite sex. She's helping women around the world celebrate their femininity and their relationships with one another. You'll see what she's been writing and talking about and why thousands of people across the globe consider her a woman after God's own heart.

Since 1996, Michelle has penned more than 18 books. She has been a keynote speaker for Focus on the Family, as well as a regular speaker for Women of Virtue conferences. Michelle is a frequently requested speaker for churches, universities, women's groups, general audiences, and seminars for couples, and is known for blending a refreshing femininity with a hard-hitting reality check. She also uses song as a communication vehicle to connect to the heart of her audience.

Michelle is a graduate of the Ray-Vogue College of Design (now known as the Illinois Institute of Art) and resides in Chicago, Illinois. She has spent her entire career involved in people's lives and in their living rooms, having moved effortlessly from top advertising creative professional to highly sought after voice-over talent to freelance writer, author, counselor, public speaker and television co-host.

DVD and VHS Copies of all womens' and mens' events are available
for your group to enjoy by contacting Immanuel Bible Foundation.