"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -JOHN 10:10
We believe that there is more to life. Jesus said that he came to bring us to to the full. This way of life is found in the person, mission and message of Jesus Christ, and in the power of His Spirit that gives us all we need to live by his example in the places we work, live and play. We want to be a church that is fully alive to this way of life.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and withg all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments." -MATTHEW 22:37-40
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." -MATTHEW 28:19-30
Regardless of where someone is at in their Christian faith, or how old they are, or their life experience, we are on mission to express our love for God and our neighbour and provide opportunities for people to grow in their relationship with Jesus,.
It's hard to find home if you don't have roots. We believe that belonging is vital for growing in the Christian faith. It is very difficult to live out the faith when you are all alone. Eugene Peterson once said that friendship is as important a spiritual discipline as prayer and fasting. We think he's right. Community helps to encourage and challenge you in the faith, and provides care for you when you are discouraged, lonely or sick.
Our strategy for helping people find belonging is to identify what stage they are at in community and then encouraging them to continue to move into more involved stages. The four stages of belonging at Emmanuel are summed up in four words:
Known:
A place where everyone knows your name.
Participating:
A place where you can get your feet wet alongside others.
Ownership:
A place where you change your language from "them" to "us".
Family:
A place that you see as your home away from home.
For suggestions on how you can move through the stages of belonging at Emmanuel, download our Belong Brochure here.
To love is to move. We are always learning and practicing. The book of 2 Peter tells us that we have everything we need for life and godliness through knowing Jesus. We get to participate in the ways of God's kingdom! Christian living is the art of building upon what we have been given. At Emmanuel, we envision disciples as being people who think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and act like Jesus. The life that Jesus promised us is found in him. This is what we are all moving towards and aspiring to be. Four words summarize the stages of growth that you can find yourself in at Emmanuel
Explore:
A place to discover the message of Jesus.
Commit:
A place to make a choice to follow Jesus.
Learn:
A place to understand the Jesus way of life.
Practice:
A place where you can put your learning into action.
To learn more about ways to find life as you follow Jesus, download our Grow booklet here.
Disciples of Jesus follow their leader. Belonging in Christian community and growing in our relationship with Jesus is good news! We respond to the good news by sharing ourselves with others (our talents, passions and time) and telling others what what we have seen and heard about Jesus when we are called upon. The stages of a life of sharing at Emmanuel are summarized in these four phrases:
Recognize Needs:
A place where you discover what God is up to in the world around you.
Identify Gifts:
A place where everyone has something to offer.
Serve:
A place where you can confidently share yourself with others.
Disciple:
A place where we can all be people of influence for Jesus.
To find out more about these stages, download our Share booklet here.