To me church is about family. It’s about belonging. It’s about serving. Here we are family. We help each other, we encourage each other, and we challenge each other to be better. We are a family. It is here that I belong. No matter the task, I know all I have to do is ask and someone will be there to help. It doesn’t matter if the task is church related or personal. I never have to question someone’s motives here. We are family, we are here for each other. It is really that simple. I come here because this is where my family is.  – Melodi Bintz

We at Emmanuel really are a kind of village.  It’s a small village.  People are close.  We share each other’s joys.  Our Good Samaritans take care of a lot of people who are not exactly in the village, but as we heard in the sermon, they’re our neighbors.  Most importantly perhaps, we share each other’s suffering.  You all did that for my family.  Seeing the love of this church family surround us at that time was one of the key events that led my brother to Christ.  So, that one little seed, planted in the little field in our little village, has been multiplied a hundredfold in the wider world.  We may be small.  But through Christ Jesus, we are powerful. 

That’s why I go to Emmanuel Presbyterian Church. – Tom Jenney

What I love about EPC is that I feel a freedom here to worship God in many ways: small groups, Bible studies, and mission projects. I don’t think there’s ever been a mission or ministry this church has not embraced. It’s the willing hearts and bodies at this church that makes this possible. We help house the poor, give water to the thirsty, feed the hungry. – Laurie Van Dyke

So much of our lives are spent dealing with problems, some are easy, some are hard, and we try to deal with them ourselves – but when I come here, those can be put on the back burner. Or I can talk about them and get encouragement to deal with them. And I can be reminded, once again, that I am not to carry all of that on my own, that our God wants us to include him and not be burdened. I need that constant reminder because I am not very good at asking for help – from God or anyone. 

So this church – the people, the pastor, the grounds – give me comfort.  – Karleen Johnston