Immanuel Church has a casual atmosphere where all people are welcome. Our Sunday morning worship service begins at 9:30, so arriving a few minutes early will allow you time to familiarize yourself with the surroundings and the order of the service. We have a nursery available for infants and preschoolers in the Christian Education building, but children are also welcome in the worship service. You may choose to let younger children come into the church service with you until after the children's sermon, when they will be escorted out to the play room in the other building.

Our greeters will ask you to sign the guest book as you enter the narthex, and you will be offered a nametag and given a Visitor Card to complete and place in the offering bag. It will be helpful to take a minute to look over the church bulletin the usher gives you, as it offers an outline of the service, including responsive readings, hymns and prayers. The Presbyterian order of worship is very similar to that of other denominations, beginning with a musical prelude, and a time of sharing joys and concerns, and moving through responsive readings, hymns, Scripture readings, and the sermon. Our service is centered each week on the sacrament of communion. After the invitation is given by the minister, the community flows together toward the Lord's Table. Each person takes a piece of the common loaf, dips it into the cup of grape juice, and shares in the goodness of the Lord as one body in Christ Jesus.

At the conclusion of the worship service, visitors are recognized and invited to stay for fellowship, coffee, and refreshments. Church school classes for all ages last from 11:00 until noon. The children's classes and several adult classes are held in the Christian Education building, although there are also adult classes in the main building. Refer to your bulletin for more information about church school classes. If you have any questions, just ask any of our members wearing Immanuel nametags.

We hope you are blessed by your time with us at Immanuel, and that you will come back again very soon.

A Vision for Children and the Church

Because
we affirm that
all children are a gift of God,
created by God and created good;
all children are a gift
to the whole of the human community;
all children have a real faith
and gifts for ministry;
all children have the right to be children;
and all children are not just tomorrow,
they are today.

Because we believe that
all children depend upon adults for safety and security
in a world that does not always value children;
all children are affected first and most deeply
by those things that work against health and wholeness:
where there is disease,
children sicken and die;
where there is homelessness,
children sleep on the streets and
in other dangerous places;
where there is war,
children are frightened
and without a safe place;
where the air and water are polluted,
children feel the effects in their bodies
and in their futures;
where there is shame, children’s spirits are wounded.

Therefore
we hope for a world
where all children can find a safe place;
where all ages, races, genders, creeds, and abilities
are recognized, valued, and celebrated;
where all adults hear the voices of children and speak with
as well as for them;
where all children have “first call” on the world’s resources
and first place in the minds and hearts of the world’s adults.

Because
Jesus welcomed children and encouraged us to
welcome them in his name;
Jesus lifted up a child as an example of what the realm of God is like.

Therefore
we hope for a church
where we take seriously our baptismal vow to
nuture all children committed to our care;
where we bring good news to all those places
where children are in need;
where adults and children alike share in ministry.

We covenant to act so that this vision may be made real for all children, now and in times to come.