Week 11 - Emmanuel Baptist Church

Emmanuel Baptist Church is a small, unassuming, congregation just off the beaten path. In fact, unlike all the previous visits we have made, EBC doesn't have any significant online presence. If you wanted to know more about them you would need to pick up a phone or visit in person. By small we are talking about 50 people. They do have a long history in our area however. In fact the current pastor reminded us that a long time faculty member of the university we graduated from was the pastor of EBC for many, many, years.

One thing about a small congregation is that there is a way for everyone to get involved. This was readily apparent on our visit, several members were out due to various reasons, health, family emergencies, etc. We were apologized to several times because these missing members' Sunday morning duties weren't attended to fully in their absence. For us this really reinforced the importance each member has in helping maintain these smaller communities. Altogether we were warmly welcomed by many of those in attendance. The pastor visited with us for several minutes and shared how encouraged he was when we told him about our visitation project.

The service was simple, straightforward, and no frills. We sang several classic hymns, from a book, accompanied by piano, violin, flute and tuba. And, yes, we sang all the stanzas. The auditorium was comfortable and well lit. The meet and greet time allowed ample opportunity to move around and visit with others. Either we have been in our "large church" bubble too long and missed a trend toward extended meet and greets, or smaller churches have niche that is too disruptive for multi-service, multi-site, congregations.

The current pastor, a longtime member, stepped into the role several years ago when the previous pastor's health began to fail. While not having any formal training, by his admission, he has obviously learned a thing or two over the years on preparing and delivering a message. His thoughtful, straightforward, expository message focused on "Our Relationship to God" found in Romans 12:1-2. One thing we appreciated is, on a couple of occasions, he actually asked the congregation to verbally respond to questions he had posed to us.

EBC, while a small congregation, has an outsized impact in the community and beyond. They share their facility with a Russian-speaking congregation, host an Awana CLUB, and financially support several missionaries around the world.