We believe
in a loving and gracious God.
Unlike the
gods we fashion for ourselves with our hands or our imaginations, the one true
God has revealed His nature and His purposes through the words of Scripture.
There we discover that He is one God but three persons – Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
God’s
gracious nature is seen in His beautiful creation. Unfortunately, one need not
look very far before concluding that something has gone horribly wrong. We
believe that mankind’s rebellion against its Creator – sin – has left creation
separated and at odds with its Creator. We see it everywhere we look.
But God’s
gracious nature is seen in what He did about the problem: He sent His Son,
Jesus Christ, into the flesh to redeem the world through His suffering and
dying on the cross. His death conquered death, and His resurrection is our
assurance that the restoration of all things has already begun. We believe that
He will return to finish the job.
While we
wait, we are given the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in His promises,
and to grant us the power to live as the new people in Christ that we are. This
new life is (usually) first given us in Baptism, and it is strengthened along
the way through a simple but very special meal we call Holy Communion.
Our
worship at Immanuel is centered in this meal, through which Jesus is truly
present with us. Each and every week we believe heaven touches earth right here
in Olivette! Our mission as a congregation is to get that word out! We do that
as it is proclaimed, sung and taught in this place, and through our various
ministries to the community and world around us. Ours is a family marked by the
joy of Christ, and we invite you to share in that joy and purpose!