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Friends and family of Emmanuel Fellowship,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” On August 2, we shared with the congregation that the present season of Emmanuel Fellowship is coming to an end.
It has been an extremely difficult decision because of the work, time, effort, and prayers contributed by everyone who has been a part of Emmanuel. The love Christ is evident in all the work that has been done and will continue because of the love of Christ in each of you.
No one is angry, this is not a split, there are no financial misappropriations that are frequently associated with the closing of a church. We (Luwana and I) along with the church leadership have been in prayer regarding this decision throughout the past year. We feel simply it is God’s timing.
We have seen a decline in attendance, participation, new faces, and of course giving. These are indicators that the season of ministry as a church is changing. Our commitment to the Lord was to continue until He said, “You have done all the I have asked you to do.” That day has come.
We have announced that the church’s last service will be on Saturday, October 5. We would like to make this a special time and want it to be a “Homecoming and Commissioning.” It will be a time of worship and sharing followed with the Eucharist, anointing, and prayers of sending forth. As friends and families of Emmanuel, please mark your calendars and plan to join us on October 5.
For the foreseeable future, Luwana and I will continue to reside in Cleveland. I will still be a priest in the Anglican Church in North America serving the community in any capacity that I can. We also see this as a repurposing and an opportunity to broaden Emmanuel’s reach into the Cleveland/Bradley County parish. It is also our desire to have a monthly gatherings for fellowship, food, scripture, and the Eucharist. All are invited. Please let us know if you are interested.
We love you and appreciate you and are exceedingly grateful for God putting you into our lives and the ministry of Emmanuel Fellowship.
Godspeed,
Fr. Mitchell and Luwana Baker
Welcome
Emmanuel Fellowship
Scripture, Spirit, Sacrament, Service
Serving Cleveland and Bradley County, Tennessee
and the rest of the world
Emmanuel Fellowship held its first communion at Johnson Park in March of 2003. We put a stake in the ground with the following scripture written on it:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Isaiah 61:1
We feel this passage in Isaiah is very much our mission statement. We know that only the Lord Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can anoint us to fulfill such a calling. The poor, the brokenhearted, those held captive, and the those in darkness can be in bondage spiritually, financially, emotionally, or physically. One thing is for certain: Jesus Christ has come to set us all free and to remind us that He loves us, He has forgiven us, He is not mad at us, and that He will never leaves us nor forsake us.
Emmanuel Fellowship held its first formal service the last week of October, 2005 at the Keith Street Church of God of Prophecy. We remained there until May of 2012. We are most grateful to Keith Street Ministry for their love, support, and for the use of their facilities as we continued to grow and minister.
Since then, we have moved to 155 Inman Street, where we invite all of our neighbors to join us in meeting the Lord through liturgy each Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m.
It is a pleasure to be called and to serve the people of Cleveland and Bradley County.
Come join us for as we experience Emmanuel – God with us.
For more information, please visit our About Us page or email Fr. Mitch at Fr.MitchBaker@gmail.com.
