Emmanuel is a community of Christian faith. It's a simple statement, but it reminds us who we are and why we serve. We are a community – not a collection of isolated individuals. And we are a community of faith – not one based on age, gender, ethnicity or social status. And our community of faith is distinctly Christian. Our common life and ministry of grace is centered in who we are as followers of Jesus Christ.

The Four Streams of the Church

The image above represents what we refer to as the “Four Streams” of the church. These streams – Worship, Formation, Fellowship and Mission – serve as both the identity and calling for God’s people. In the stream of worship, represented by a bird preparing to fly, we join our creative gifts with the deeper tradition in ascribing glory to God. The stream of formation involves the many ways in which the life of the Spirit is fostered within us – prayer, Bible study, asking questions, spiritual disciplines. The image of growing leaves represents this stream. As a community of Christian faith, we are held together by the fellowship of God’s love. The image in the lower-right-hand corner reminds us that we are “living stones… built into a spiritual house” (I Peter 2:5). The final image emphasizes our calling to share in God’s mission of redeeming the world. Just as many of Jesus’ first followers were fishermen, we cast wide the net of grace in sharing good news through word and deed.