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Church Profile

Emmanuel Mennonite Church is grounded in an Anabaptist understanding of Christian Faith and Life, affirming faith in Jesus Christ as expressed in discipleship, community and peace witness. We believe that the church’s mission is to make disciples of all nations. To that end, we wish to extend the kingdom of God through worship, education, care of one another, discipleship and witness in proclamation and deed.

In our life together as a congregation, we have identified three core values:

  • To be Anabaptist is to hold fast to “a faith that imitates Jesus, that rejects violence and loves enemies, that bears each other’s burdens, that lives by values in contrast to the world’s, that places loyalty to the kingdom of God above allegiance to any nation.” (Mennonite World Review, editorial)
  • To live in community is to welcome the stranger and share what we have with one another.
  • To have global outlook is to grow as a multi-ethnic/multi-cultural congregation, and to be engaged with the wider church, community, and world through prayer, dialogue, and action.

The phrase “priesthood of all believers” describes how we view the participation of each individual in our mutual ministry and outreach according to their giftedness and as they are able. We are linked to Mennonite Church BC, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite World Conference, and various other organizations for education, mission, and relief efforts.

In our life together, we recognize that the church includes people of all ages, from different backgrounds, and at different stages of faith development. We seek to encourage this diverse, intergenerational, and multi-ethnic congregation to develop faith in Jesus Christ, to express that faith in a life of Anabaptist Christian discipleship, and to grow in spiritual maturity.

In Sunday morning worship and in other events that are part of our community life, we desire to focus on God in the context of the larger issues of life; to worship Jesus; to celebrate the new life that comes from knowing Christ; to grow in our relationship to God, to one another, to our community, and to the world. To this end, we encourage the participation of all ages; we seek to recognize and express the giftedness of the whole people of God; and we incorporate a variety of expressions of worship (e.g., Scripture and the spoken word, music, visual arts, drama, children’s features, youth services).

The music at Emmanuel has a refreshing mix which reflects the cultural and generational differences in the congregation. The sounds of traditional, contemporary or international music can be heard coming from the sanctuary, meeting rooms or gymnasium. The music is led by a number of individuals and music teams with the piano, guitars and drums used at various times for accompaniment.

Emmanuel has about 100 active members plus other adults, youth, and children who are part of the congregation. Decisions are made at the congregational level with a council (comprised of committee heads) and deacons to provide leadership and implement decisions.

Emmanuel is a community where searching questions can be addressed in a safe and stimulating environment; where adults and youth are challenged to learn and grow, to become ambassadors in the community and world; where everyone is encouraged to become active in the church and to live out their Christian faith and principles in all areas of life.

Read also our Confession of Faith.