Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Lancaster is a community of Lutheran Christians located in the historic and beautiful West End of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Our congregation has been here since 1888, serving Christ and the community for over a hundred and twenty-five years.
Neighbors know Emmanuel as a window of opportunity
For more than 125 years, the greater community of Lancaster bonded with the congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Sundae socials drew neighbors to Emmanuel in the early decades of the congregation formed 125 years ago. On behalf of home-bound senior citizens, Meals on Wheels got its start in the church kitchen in the 1970s. A Happy Hours Club attended by senior citizens and supported by Lancaster Recreation Commission operated in the church for years.
Voters have cast ballots at Emmanuel for as long as anyone can remember. Voters today patronize the Election Day Bake Sale launched in the 1980s to support Emmanuel Nursery School. The preschool provided enrichment to children in the community for 20 years.
Participants in National Night Out each August gather along the Pine Street side of the church to socialize, share food and play games. The crowd includes representatives of the city police and fire departments and James Street Improvement District.
New members of the community include refugees from Vietnam, Bhutan, Bosnia, Nepal, Somalia and Syria. They meet at Emmanuel for citizenship, educational, life skills and parenting workshops. Partners with Emmanuel include Pennsylvania Migrant Education at Millersville University, Lancaster County Refugee Coalition, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the Refugee Center and Community School at Reynolds Middle School.
Weddings and receptions for Nepali couples of the Christian and Hindu faiths are signs of the comfort level newcomers feel at Emmanuel.
A hallmark of Emmanuel is the marriage with the existing and evolving community. Neighbors know Emmanuel as an anchor of outreach and a window of opportunity.