Why did you name the church Emmanuel?
What are the demographics of your church?
What about the preaching style?
Where should I park on Sunday morning?
Are there sister congregations in the area?
How will I know service is canceled due to inclement weather?
Why did you name the church Emmanuel?
Emmanuel is a biblical word meaning “God with us.” Many people associate the word with Christmas carols and their reminder of God becoming one of us, that we may know him. If that is true--and we believe it is--everything changes. And in a wide variety of contexts throughout Scripture, God often says, “I am with you.” That means there is no place, circumstance or emotion that escapes God’s strong and reassuring presence. Our church wants to help each other and this community grow in realizing that promise. Further, Emmanuel is a word that has the same meaning and pronunciation in many languages. Our church celebrates the ethnic diversity of Arlington, and a multi-lingual name would reflect the richness of the community we hope to serve.
What are the demographics of your church?
We have been praying for a diverse group of people, as we believe a healthy church reflects the community around it and draws from a variety of gifts and talents. And God has been answering our prayers. Our core group includes singles, young couples, families and children of all ages. Several nationalities are represented at Emmanuel, and we pray for increasing diversity.
Our services draw from the rich history of hymns, songs, prayers and confessions the Church has created over the centuries--including the present one. Yet "traditional" probably won't be the word you use to describe our services. Or worse, "stuffy" or "slick". We're aiming for an acoustic feel, a little folk, a little jazz. Weekly communion is already an important element of the service, a visible reminder and experience of God’s grace. However it comes together, we want the entire worship to be Christ-centered, so that all of us can experience the presence of God.
What about the preaching style?
Nobody likes to be yelled at or brow-beaten, so you won't get that. You also won't hear a lot of rules and regulations. All of that conveys we relate to God based on our performance. We don't. That's the anti-gospel. Instead, everything depends on God's graciousness on our behalf, in everything. Getting hold of that, though, has enormous implications for our life and relationships. So mostly, that's what you'll hear about: how God and what he has done for us is greater than we've ever dared imagine, and how that changes everything.
Where should I park on Sunday morning?
(Parking Map)
Street parking is free on Sundays in Arlington. You can also park in the lot of the black building with red trim directly across the street from GMU (corner of Fairfax Dr. and Kansas St.), in the VA Square Dental (920 N Kansas St.) lot, or the paved lot off of N. Lincoln St., provided you have an Emmanuel bulletin on your dashboard. Since GMU is metro accessible, we also encourage people to take the orange line to the Virginia Square metro station.
There is a Federal Parking garage off Washington Blvd. You can park in the "retail parking" spots for $4 for up to two hours or $6 for three hours. (From the P1 level, you can use the outdoor walkway to the GMU original building.)
Are there sister congregations in the area?
There are many wonderful churches in metro Washington DC area. If our congregation is not the most convenient time or location, please refer to this list of sister Presbyterian Church in America congregations that may be closer to you.
How will I know service is canceled due to inclement weather?
In case of inclement weather updates will be available on Emmanuel’s website and office phone.
