Emmanuel Mennonite Church is a member of the Southeast Conference of the Mennonite Church USA.  We are a Christian fellowship in the Anabaptist tradition of radical discipleship, established in Gainesville on Pentecost Sunday 1983. The heart of our congregational life is our love of God, one another, and our neighbors, expressed through worship, community, and mission. 

“Emmanuel” is a name for Jesus Christ, from the Hebrew word meaning “God with us.” 

“Anabaptist” refers to our roots in the Anabaptist movement that began in Europe in the 16th century when a small group of believers challenged the emerging Protestant movement to follow the teachings of Jesus, practice believer’s baptism and refusing military service. 

Vision statement of the Mennonite Church:  Healing and Hope 

God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
to grow as communities of grace, joy, and peace,
so that God's healing and hope
flow through us to the world.

Worship: We gather each Sunday at 12:15 p.m. in the sanctuary building of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1521 NW 34th Street, Gainesville, to praise God, hear the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ, and share joys and concerns.  People of all ages share their gifts and actively participate in our common life.

We enjoy singing, and we are blessed with a number of musically gifted people.  Our worship services include scripture readings, a time with children, intercessory prayer, and sermons that interpret and apply the scripture lessons from the Revised Common Lectionary.  We celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the second Sunday of the month, inviting all baptized Christians to the Lord’s table.

Sunday school classes for all ages meet from 11 a.m. to noon.  Our children meet with the children of Westminster Presbyterian Church.  Our youth and adult classes sometimes join Westminster and sometimes meet separately to read the Bible and discuss the intersection of faith and issues.

Childcare is provided during both Sunday school and worship hours.  Parking is available on Sunday in the Westwood School parking lot.

Daily devotions

Community:We are a small, friendly, and diverse fellowship of people from a variety of faith backgrounds, gathered by the Holy Spirit to be a community of worship and discipleship, expressed in a life of service, witness, and peacemaking. 

Mission: We express our love for God and our neighbors by sharing the gospel in words and deeds of peacemaking, justice, and creation care.  We reach out to students through the Campus Ministry Co-operative and the Mennonite Student Group at the University of Florida. 

In our witness and service we try to be channels of God’s grace through the practice of forgiveness, mutual aid, and hospitality.  We participate in the annual Gainesville CROP Walk in November and the community march for justice and equality on Martin Luther King Day.  We are a partner of the Anti-Racism Coalition of Gainesville and a supporting congregation of the Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Once each quarter we prepare and serve a home-cooked supper at St. Francis House  for the homeless.  We support the local ministries of Alachua Habitat for Humanity, Arbor House, Gainesville Community Ministry, and Home Van.  Several of our members are involved in ministry to prisoners.

We provide leadership for the Gainesville Interfaith Peace Center, planning peace vigils and events like the current Gandhi Group and Solutions to Violence discussion series. We hold occasional “Peace Potlucks” and invite the community to hear visiting speakers. 

OUR PASTOR

A sermon by our pastor published in our denominational magazine.

A sermon by our pastor in our denominational magazine

Books by Eve MacMaster, our pastor:

Books by Richard MacMaster, our pastor’s husband

Our pastor in the news