EMMANUEL
BAPTIST
CHURCH
WHAT TO EXPECT
To help visitors understand how we gather as a church, we have provided descriptions of each of our weekly services. Generally, our services are characterized by solemn contemplation of the Bible and its doctrines, passionate corporate singing, and friendly interaction with one another and our guests. After you get a taste for our church by our words, please come see us live them out as we gather together to praise our God.
SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE
Beginning On Sunday morning at 9:00 am we come together for an hour for our Core Seminar programs, in which we learn about God’s Word and its application to all areas of life. Following that, we begin our Sunday morning service at 10:00 am. As we find our seats in the Sanctuary, we fellowship with one another before the service. (Families, please note that check-in for nursery during the morning service begins at 9:45 am. We recommend arriving by 9:45 am to allow time for the check-in process.)
Music The music we sing at EBC is a blend of old and new. We love the doctrinally rich hymns of the sixteenth century and we find blessing in the choruses of the twenty-first. Most of us who are comfortable with music from one particular era have discovered, while at EBC, that we have come to enjoy other songs we had not previously encountered. We strongly prefer congregational singing, which emphasizes the gathered body singing praise to God with one voice, over performed music, which tends to spotlight the abilities of some while encouraging passivity in the rest.
Body of Service Our service formally begins at 10:00 am, led most often by an elder or pastoral staff member. During this time, we sing several songs, offer prayers of praise and confession to God, hear Scripture read, and give our offerings and tithes.
Sermons Preaching at EBC is generally expositional, meaning that it seeks to declare the point of a particular Biblical passage. Sermons usually last around 45 minutes and are packed with material for reflection. On a regular basis, our sermon series alternate between the Old and New Testaments. All preaching is driven by the Gospel, the Bible’s main message of God saving sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Post Sermon We sing a song encapsulating the theme of the sermon and then take our seats once more to hear a benediction and observe a brief moment of silent reflection. A typical service is finished by 11:30 am. After the service, you might still find folks talking over the sermon and events of the past week.
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Members and visitors assemble for an Bible study in which we think through a small passage of Scripture together. Held in our Fellowship Hall at 6:30 pm, the service begins with a few announcement followed by congregational singing. After this the children and students are released to attend classes where they will be led in bible study, the pastor leading the adult study begins by asking for testimonies of prayers answered from previous weeks, words of encouragement or exhortation, and new prayer requests. We then pray for one another. After this we hear the reading of the evening’s text which launches into our study of the Word.