Who We Are
Our Name
- “Immanuel” is
- A Hebrew word meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23)
- A name for Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 7:14)
- “Christian” is
- A follower of Jesus Christ
- A person who believes in Christ and everything He said about Himself
- “Fellowship” is
- “A group of people (or community) who share an interest or belief.”
- “A feeling of friendship resulting from shared interests or experience.”
So, our name literally means “God with Us in Christ-Centred Community”. This phrase summarizes perfectly our desire to be a place and a people in which God can be seen to dwell.
Our Mission
Immanuel Christian Fellowship seeks to glorify God through developing personal relationships with Him, building one another up in love, and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our Aims and Values
In accordance with our mission:
- By a life of devotion to God grounded in solitude, we choose to love God with our whole beings. Our church exists to help individuals experience worship and intimacy with God, rooted in a life of prayer and meditation in the Word of God.
- Through fellowship with one another, we choose to share our lives in love and humility. Our church exists to be a community grounded in God’s grace and holiness where there is unconditional acceptance, forgiveness, and celebration of each person.
- With an active participation in ministry, we choose to carry out our Lord’s Great Commission. Our church exists to minister to the people of the world through meaningful relationship and the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ
Our Vision
We envision being a fully established, autonomous and effective church, with:
- a thriving and growing membership
- members who dedicate themselves to prayer and the Word of God
- a culture of support, encouragement, and nurturing
- functional supporting ministries which may be led by any member who feels God’s call
- a vital presence in our community, ministering to those around us through acts of service and through spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Cell Group
Immanuel Christian Fellowship is a “cell church.” That is, we base much of our ministry around small home group fellowships or “cells.” These groups have between 3 to 10 members, and meet weekly at someone’s home. Usually, a cell meeting will involve discussion and/or Bible study, praying together, and of course food. Sometimes, it may just be a chance to get together and hang out. But it’s always a great chance to get together to enjoy and appreciate each other.
We consider these home group cells to be very important, which is why belonging to one is a membership requirement. Some of the reasons we feel belonging to a cell is important are:
- Sunday service is important as a chance for us to come together and celebrate, but a couple of hours a week is not enough to realize all of the benefits church should bring to our lives. Church fellowship and ministry should not be confined to Sundays. Cell groups give us a chance to meet more often, integrating our church community into our lives in a deeper way.
- Home groups are relaxed and casual place where we can have fun and build friendships, we can also be more serious when we need to, caring for each other and developing deep spiritual relationships.
- Part of living in community is learning to trust each other so that we can share our thoughts and feelings together. The small and intimate nature of cell groups gives us a chance to build loving, trusting friendships which can allow us to share our lives.
- Sermons from people with a heart to teach us about God’s word are important and helpful; but to grow we also need to have discussions, where we can all ask questions and contribute our thoughts. These discussions also give us a chance to dig deep into God’s Word, and to address questions of particular interest to individual members.
- Cell groups allow us not just to pray together, but to pray specifically and knowingly for each other’s unique needs and concerns.