About Immanuel
It's always difficult to capture the feel of a community in short statements, especially one as diverse as Immanuel, but here's our best attempt to answer some questions you may have:
Who are you?
As mentioned above, we are a very diverse community of people from many different cultural, social and economic backgrounds. We really value this diversity, it's something we are working hard to encourage, as we truly believe that we all bring something new and valuable to the party!
A good number of us are recovering from or struggling with addictions to drugs or alcohol, but all of us are struggling with something.... and we'd gently suggest that you are too. We don't say that to shock or offend you, but rather to reassure you that you are not alone or helpless. Jesus himself said "Healthy people don't need a doctor - sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."
What fires you up?
We are pretty easily convinced of our ability to make a mess of things; be that individually in relationships and habits, or together as a community. What fires us up is the acceptance and love that we find in Jesus and in each other. It's such a relief to know that we don't have to have it all together, that God actually knows we're a mess and that he loves us anyway, and so we try to do that in community too. Seeing people from all walks of life learning to love God, themselves and others and living life with a new hope and direction - now that's a buzz!!
We have a motto - 'Real God - Real People - Real Lives' - it's important to us that we frame everything we do within the reality that we find ourselves in. The reality is not always as we want it to be, but we're convinced that it's better to live in that reality and deal with the issues we face, rather than put on a face and pretend. So for example we are convinced that God is real....... most of the time...... Sometimes we have doubts, fears, questions etc - we want to be real about that, to be the kind of community where people can raise those questions and give space for God in his loving way to help us work things through.
What can I expect on a Sunday?
Every Sunday is slightly different, but most Sundays include the following:
There's people hanging out in the lobby, chatting, eating and sipping coffee and tea from about 9.30am. This is a great time to get to know some people and catch up on news - and the food's not bad either!
At around 10.25am the band gets going in the theatre and the service officially starts about 5 minutes after that. The music during the service is a mix of modern and ancient songs led by a band on stage. We are an Anglican church, and we value our tradition, so we use some of the more traditional formats for communion and prayers of confession etc. We are fully convinced that the Bible is God's word and that it contains truths that can change our lives on a daily basis - so we always have a talk that focuses on a passage of the Bible and applies it to our lives today (you can listen to some here).
The service usually finishes around 12pm and afterwards there are people available to pray with anyone that wants to be prayed for, and more coffee, tea, cakes, etc are available in the lobby as we hang around and chat.
What about kids?
Jesus was pretty clear in his teaching just how important and precious children are. We are convinced that the most important people in Immanuel are the ones who are not old enough to drive, vote, smoke or drink! With that in mind we strive to provide excellent opportunities for our kids to grow and worship together in a fun and safe environment. For more information check out our Kids page.
What happens during the week?
Most of the activity of the community happens during the week. There are groups that meet each week in homes across the city, prayer groups, charities, teaching courses etc. For more information check out the events page.
What kind of Church are you?
We are an Anglican church and part of the Anglican Mission in the Americas. The Anglican Mission is a part of the world-wide Anglican Communion and is a missionary Arm of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.
The Anglican communion is the third largest Christian denomination (the largest protestant denomination) in the world with around 80 million members in over 160 countries. It is rich in history and tradition and although we at Immanuel are unlikely to wear robes or use a lot of the more traditional words that are often used, we love our heritage and thank God for the richness of our tradition.
To learn more about the Anglican Missions roots in the Church of Rwanda you can read the story on the website.
Rwanda is an economically poor country that suffered horrendous genocide in the 1990's. As they have rebuilt their country and learnt to live in the shadow of some of the most horrendous atrocities in modern history, they have seen God work in their midst in the most tangible and powerful ways. We are so blessed to sit under their leadership and learn from them.
We hope that gives you some insight into Immanuel. If you'd like to know more, please click on the following links to know more about:
Sunday meetings - where and when?