Not everybody in town will be thinking Sunday about honoring Bob Dole.

In fact, one Lawrence congregation located almost in the shadow of the Lied Center — the site of three days of inaugural activities for the Dole Institute of Politics — will be celebrating an important occasion of its own.

Immanuel Lutheran Church & University Student Center, 15th and Iowa streets, will mark the congregation’s 75th anniversary with a special worship service, a luncheon and a multimedia presentation accompanied by memories shared by longtime members.

“There are certain times that we all pause for, and three quarters of a century in the life of a church is a good time to pause,” said the Rev. Don Miller, senior pastor.

“We’re going to celebrate 75 years of God’s blessings to this church community; the faithfulness of the congregation in sharing his word and his mission; and for the opportunity to remember all of the lives of people we’ve touched over these years with God’s love in Jesus Christ.”

The activities will begin with a 9:30 a.m. social gathering at Immanuel, attended by members of the church, friends of the congregation and out-of-town guests.

A service of celebration will be at 10:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be the former president of the Kansas District of the Missouri Synod, the Rev. Howard Patten of Topeka.

Also attending the service will be several former pastors of Immanuel, as well as several sons of the congregation who have gone on to enter the Lutheran ministry.

A luncheon for about 115 people will be served at 12:30 p.m. in Stidham Union at Haskell Indian Nations University.

THE REV. DON MILLER GREETS Evondi Weston, 4, and her mother, Julia Rose-Weston, at the end of a worship and praise contemporary service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 15th and Iowa streets. The church will celebrate its 75th anniversary Sunday.

The church has leased a bus to take guests from the church to the luncheon.

The congregation and its guests will return to the church for a time of reflection at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary, featuring a multimedia presentation of Immanuel’s history.

The guest speaker at the final activity will be another former president of the Kansas District of the Missouri Synod, the Rev. Gene Schmidt of Topeka.

The celebration is marking the anniversary of the congregation itself.

Immanuel Lutheran Church was in a building at 17th and Vermont street from 1952 until 1986, when it moved to its present location and merged with University Lutheran Church, which was built in 1965.

Immanuel has a membership of 675 individuals.

Due to the Dole Institute activities at the Lied Center, parking will be tight for anniversary participants at Immanuel.

=