Welcome to Blessed Emmanuel Sturgis
Blessed Emmanuel is a congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. We are a part of Christ's family saved by grace alone, rooted in God's love growing in faith through worship, fellowship, teaching and service as we reach out to others with the good news of Jesus.
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Sturgis, SD 57785
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605-423-5870
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Sunday Worship 10:30 am
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Adult Bible Study 9:15 am
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Sunday School 9:15 am
Our Story
Dear friends in Christ!
Psalm 84 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
The congregation of Blessed Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Sturgis, South Dakota, is a family of believers who follow the Lord Jesus Christ and seek to further His kingdom and glorify His holy name. If you are visiting with us, we welcome you and thank God for you! In this directory you will meet many wonderful people who love the Lord with all their heart and soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) and seek to serve Him in all they say and do. As St. John says in his first epistle, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We pray that the Lord will inspire you to join our church or pray for us and our ministry, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Unique to our congregation’s ministry is our Rally Breakfast and Dinners we serve every year during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Many people tell us that we have “the best breakfast in town.” We take pride in offering a quality product in a beautiful setting with great fellowship. It is truly a mission that Christ has given us to reach out to people from all over the United States and the world with His grace and mercy. We appreciate your support!
If you have any questions, need any help, or would like to contribute to our ministry, please speak with Pastor Hinckley or one of our members and they will be glad to assist you and pray for you. The Lord be with you!
Pastor Robert Hinckley
Ministries & Programs
Vacation Bible School
Each summer the third week in July Blessed Emmanuel hosts children 3 years and up for Vacation Bible School. Registration at 8:30 am. 9 am to noon we laugh, sing, play and most of all learn about Jesus. We serve a kid friendly lunch Monday thru Friday. Come join us if you can !
Sunday School
September thru May we have Sunday School one hour before divine worship. We explore Bible stories, do art projects, play bells for special worship services and make new friends.
Adult Bible Study
We meet each Sunday (September thru May) at
9:15 am to study the Word of God. All are welcome.
Rally Breakfast
Each year the members of Blessed Emmanuel and several of our circuit church members offer a cook-to-order meal to our Bike Rally guests' for a free will offering. From 7 am to noon for 8 days we get to know folks from every state in the union plus many countries all over the world.
Pastor Hinckley's messages on Main Street Living
Blessed Emmanuel/Sturgis &
Grace/Deadwood
July 2025 Newsletter
A Few Good Mission
Opportunities
Brothers and sisters!
Our parish has an incredible mission opportunity. It is estimated that more than 2.5 million people visit Deadwood every year, and that approximately 500,000 people visit Sturgis every year. Just stop and think about that!
Regarding Deadwood, the attraction is Wild West history, gambling, and the scenic Black Hills, including winter sports at Terry Peak, among other things. For Sturgis, people come from all over the world to celebrate the Motorcycle Rally, of course, and this year the Rally is expected to attract even more people because it’s the 85th. What a blessing for our parish that we can reach out with the Gospel and provide a Christian message for so many people. Other parishes do not even come close to the mission outreach potential that our parish does. It is indeed as Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).
At Grace/Deadwood, we get many visitors over the summer, and even a few during the winter months. I do believe that Grace does a great job of welcoming our visitors; we have many that return to our church when they are in the area. It is one of the joys of my ministry here to reach out to the new people as much as possible. I like to make those connections; we truly have a ministry not only to our congregational members but to our visitors! I appreciate that we are giving away free ice-cream to people in the City Park for the Farmer’s Market Fridays. I think it is a good way to meet people and make them aware of our church and even share the Gospel when given the opportunity. We have a great location in town, we are right on Main Street, and of course next to a big thoroughfare in Hwy 14A.
At Blessed Emmanuel/Sturgis, we also get visitors, but not so much on Sunday mornings. Instead, we are blessed to have the Vacation Bible School outreach in July, and of course, the Rally Breakfasts and Dinners, where we get many people from the community and the world to come to our little church tucked along the hillside. I really like these opportunities, it is a blessing not only for our parish, but our circuit, and even our district! I am going to be looking into a national grant that will perhaps provide some funds for us to improve the physical setting behind the church, such as a new concrete pad where we cook breakfast, wash dishes, and serve, etc.
This October we are going to have a seminar put on by our Circuit Visitor, Pastor David Warner. He will be presenting the program, “Everyone His Witness,” and discussing and equipping us to share the Gospel with others in a purposeful and intimate way. The seminar will be held at Grace/Deadwood, likely on Saturday, October 11, from 8:30-12:30, and Saturday, October 18, 8:30-12:30. Everyone from our parish is welcome to attend.
My prayer is that we will make the most of these opportunities. We certainly have a lot of potential at both Deadwood and Sturgis. May the Lord of the Harvest bless us with the ability and skill to reach out to people and share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Pastor Hinckley and family
