Hey, there! 👋🏼

We're glad you're thinking about joining us!

Whether you’re looking for a church home or visiting us for a special event, we want you to know that we’re so excited to welcome you! We hope this page is helpful as you get to know our congregation.

Things to Know about Immanuel

Getting down to the basics.

It’s true. Worship is at the heart of what we do. Prayer, engaging music, the reading of scripture, inspiring preaching, and the celebration of sacraments is what we do best.
We give thanks for the full participation and leadership of women, LGBTQ+ folks, and people with disabilities. Even though the church hasn’t always gotten it right, we strive to be a place where everyone belongs and is fully included. We’re a Reconciling in Christ congregation and we’ve written a whole statement about why God’s inclusive love matters to us and how we strive to live it out in our congregation and community.
We also believe that Jesus Christ welcomes all people to his table in the meal of Holy Communion. Everyone who believes in the presence of Christ in these gifts of bread and wine is welcome to join us, regardless of your membership in this congregation or a church anywhere.
Immanuel is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As ELCA Lutheran Christians, we value the teaching of Martin Luther and the Spirit’s presence in a church that is always re-forming. We give thanks for partnerships in our wider church like ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service), and others that help keep the needs of our local and global neighbors at the center.
Immanuel is proud
On January 24, 1875, nine people formed what was then known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Congregation of the Watertown Community. Now 150 years later, the people of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church continue to gather for worship, fellowship, and service in Christ’s name. In many ways, we’re just getting started. We’re glad you’re interested in taking the journey with us!

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s get down to the practical stuff.

We follow a basic pattern for worship that many Lutherans and other liturgical traditions share: We gather, we hear God’s word, we share in the meal of Holy Communion at the Lord’s table, and we are sent into the world.
A typical worship service lasts around an hour. If you’re joining us for a special occasion (Christmas, Holy Week, Easter, Confirmation, etc.), you can probably expect worship to last a bit longer. We gather for worship on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings, so we hope there’s a time that works for you.
All of the songs and spoken responses you need for worship will be displayed on the screens in our worship space. For people who are musically inclined, we do include musical notation on screen, and many of our songs come from our Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings hymnals in the pews.
We believe that worship is an encounter with God, all those gathered with us, and the generations of God’s faithful people who have come before us. There is a place for you here!
Yes! We believe that Christ is truly present in this meal and welcomes all people to his table. You don’t need to be a member of this or any congregation to participate. Holy Communion is celebrated at every worship service.
A few practical notes:
- All of the wine we share is de-alchoholized.
- Gluten free wafers are available by asking the communion minister.
- If you have mobility challenges and need the elements brought to you in your seat, please let an usher know. We’d be happy to serve you there.
- If, for any reason, you would prefer to not receive the sacrament, the communion minister serving bread would be happy to offer you a blessing.
- In the Lutheran tradition, it is customary for children to experience “first communion” education before receiving the sacrament. Here at Immanuel, this takes place in the first grade, but can occur at a younger or older age upon request.
If you have any questions about communion, please speak with the pastor before or after worship. They’d be glad to speak with you!
Parking at a neighborhood congregation like Immanuel can be a challenge, but that’s why we have our own parking lot!
Whether you are joining us for weekend worship or stopping in during the week, our parking lot across the street from the church at 202 North Ninth Street is the best place to park. Limited street parking is also available surrounding the building.
When visiting the building during the week, please use the office entrance on Ninth Street. All other doors, including the Tenth Street door, are not accessible and remain locked during the week except for special events.
Yes! Immanuel is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, meaning we’ve done intentional work and have made commitments to be an inclusive faith community. If you’d like to learn more about what that means to us, you can read our full, official welcome statement here.