A Reconciling congregation at the corner of New and Kirkpatrick
On a tight block in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey, where the Rutgers University Civic Square building stands across the way and the State Theater and Crossroads Theater are around the corner, a Lutheran congregation has held its ground since 1878. Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, at 3 Kirkpatrick Street, sits across from the New Brunswick Police Headquarters and a short walk from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Johnson & Johnson world headquarters. From that corner the church has watched a city grow up around it and, generation by generation, has tried to grow with it.
Emanuel today describes itself as a progressive, diverse congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America whose mission is to celebrate love. In keeping with the spirit of Martin Luther, it positions itself as a congregation that has "heeded the call of conscience in response to the gospel of Christ." Its members travel from many different communities to be part of a progressive, urban church that reaches into the surrounding neighborhoods in dozens of practical ways.
"ALL ARE WELCOME" - the welcome statement taken seriously
A banner on the front of the Emanuel Christian Education Building announces in large letters what the congregation tries to live out every day: ALL ARE WELCOME. Emanuel was the first congregation in the New Jersey Synod to declare itself a Reconciling in Christ church - a designation that publicly extends full welcome to LGBTQ+ people. That decision was made about thirty years ago, and the community marked the milestone on Pride Sunday with a worship service that named the anniversary alongside its ongoing commitment.
The congregation's written welcome statement names each category that too often divides people and refuses to let them draw lines at the communion table. "We welcome all because it is fundamental to our belief that we are all children of God, regardless of race, culture, country of origin, or the language that you speak - regardless of sexual or romantic orientation - regardless of gender, gender identity, or gender expression - regardless of relationship status." The list continues through addictions, physical or mental health, imprisonment, and socio-economic circumstances, then makes room for those who are doubting or who practice no faith at all. The statement explicitly rejects institutional racism and Christian Nationalism and commits the church to confronting racism through worship, education, community activity, and partnerships with other organizations that share the commitment.
An Anti-Racism Statement expands on that, acknowledging that confronting racism requires more than changing individual attitudes and calling for structural change in institutions and communities. A land acknowledgment on the worship page names the traditional territory as Lenapehoking and lists the continuing tribal communities of the region - the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, the Ramapough Lenape Nation, the Powhatan Renape Nation, and related Delaware communities - quoting the great Chief Tamanend's aspiration that there be harmony between the indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants to this land "as long as the rivers and creeks flow, and the sun, moon, and stars shine."
Sunday at 10:00, with communion on the first day of the week
Worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays, in person and online. The service is at once identifiably Lutheran and diversely innovative. Many different orders of service are used, all taking their form from the traditional Lutheran liturgy and including the celebration of Holy Communion. What changes week to week is the music and mood, with the goal of lifting the language of worship above the limitations of gender. Worship is also offered monthly in Spanish, and weekly bulletins and liturgies are printed in both English and Spanish so that worshippers can follow along in the language most familiar to them.
The worship space uses The Inclusive Bible, and every effort is made to honor the infinite greatness of God by speaking of God in ways that do not collapse the divine into any single human category. Communion is open to everyone. There is a standing invitation at every service - "All are welcome to the table of grace and forgiveness" - and the open communion is taken to be a defining mark of the community rather than an exception.
Services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, with recordings remaining available on YouTube. A link on the church's social channels takes visitors straight to the live feed.
147 years in the same downtown spot
Emanuel was founded in 1878 by German immigrants living in New Brunswick and the surrounding area. The building has always stood on the site it occupies today, in the very center of downtown New Brunswick. In its early life, members lived within walking distance of the church; today members travel from many different communities because they want to belong to a progressive, urban congregation and serve in its many ministries.
In the beginning the services were in German, reflecting the heritage of the congregation. Over time they transitioned to English. The demographic shift in twenty-first century New Brunswick prompted the addition of Spanish liturgy and a monthly Spanish-language worship. The congregation's self-description is unmistakable: "Emanuel boasts that its congregants come from many racial, ethnic and faith backgrounds."
Getting to the front door
The church is at the corner of New and Kirkpatrick Streets, behind the Rutgers Civic Square building, around the corner from the State Theater and Crossroads Theater, and adjacent to the New Brunswick Police Headquarters. From Route 18, exit at New Street; from Livingston Avenue, turn west at New Street. The building itself has been wheelchair-accessible from the front entrance to the sanctuary and social hall, including restrooms, since 2000. A ramp installed in 1999 serves the main entrance, an automated wheelchair lift connects the narthex to the sanctuary, and a portable wheelchair lift makes the lower-level social hall reachable. Anyone who needs a different accommodation is invited to call or email the office.
On Sunday mornings, parking is available in the Civic Square Deck directly next to the church; street meters are free on Sundays. Paid parking is available at the New Street or Morris Parking Decks. On weekdays, metered street parking and the same two decks provide inexpensive options.
Founding the food and housing ministries of New Brunswick
Emanuel's footprint on the city is far larger than its congregation alone. In the 1980s, the church was one of four congregations that came together around a soup kitchen that, in 1989, became Elijah's Promise - today the largest soup kitchen in New Brunswick. Emanuel is also a founding member of the Feeding New Brunswick Network, the monthly gathering that the City of New Brunswick created to coordinate what is being done for those who are food-insecure.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the church operated an ad hoc food pantry to feed local residents. In 2010, the pantry moved into the Education Building across the street and grew significantly. In 2016 it was renamed Vanessa's Pantry after a congregant who put her heart and soul into the ministry. In 2022, Vanessa's Pantry became one of the community pantries that joined Unity Square. The Hunger Ministry team continues to volunteer with Elijah's Promise in many different ways to help prepare and distribute food in New Brunswick.
The same conviction produced three long-running local housing ministries, all founded at Emanuel and still operating as independent nonprofits. MIPH - Making It Possible to end Homelessness - grew out of Emanuel's commitment to increase local services and resources for people without homes. Amandla Crossing became a transitional housing program for single-parent families. Imani Park offers transitional housing and support services for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
An endowment that keeps giving back
Socially-screened investing is part of the church's DNA. The Endowment Committee was created by a congregational amendment to the church constitution in May 2001 to handle a bequest from the estate of a member. Other monies have since been added. Today, the interest and growth from the endowment is used to fund new initiatives in ministry in the community, with the principal kept intact. Emanuel has so far donated $500,000 from the endowment back into local ministry. The committee itself reflects the church's values: it is composed of a chairperson and eight members reporting to the Church Council on a quarterly basis, with annual reports given to the congregation.
Larger undesignated gifts (over $10,000) are directed to the Endowment Fund and invested socially responsibly by a Registered Financial Adviser. Any member of the congregation can apply for use of the interest, and a portion of the earnings is available for new local ministry initiatives. Bequests, honor gifts, and memorial gifts are all welcome.
Pastor Scott's call to a congregation he already knew by heart
Rev. Scott Rush grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and his family moved to Long Island during his high school years. He and his husband, Michael, live in Burlington with their black lab, Montra. He spent almost thirty years in industry in various positions of manufacturing and operations management before leaving the for-profit world to work for Family Promise of Burlington County, a nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness. He entered seminary in 2020.
Pastor Scott came to Emanuel as someone who had already lived the work of feeding and housing ministries, who already knew what Lutheran welcome looked like in practice, and who already had the pastoral instinct for where the Kin-dom of God is breaking into the present. He sums up his theology as "God is love" and sees his role as sharing God's love with others. For him, loving others and including them as part of the community is how a congregation co-creates God's Kin-dom and brings about the change that is so desperately needed in the world.
His regular office hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The office, staffed by Parish Administrator Mariam, is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Learning together, over Scripture and over pancakes
Education at Emanuel is built around three distinct rhythms, all of them explicitly designed to grow the faith of people of all ages. Adult Forum meets twice per month after Sunday worship in the Founders' Lounge. Each session begins with an introductory presentation by someone with expertise or preparatory research on the subject and opens into lively discussion that the church promises will always respect the diversity of opinions in the room. The goal is to develop an understanding of current events and controversial topics from a perspective grounded in Lutheran theology.
Bible Study meets weekly at 6:00 p.m. at the Somerset Diner, where the group works through Scripture and other texts that help them understand the context in which the books of the Bible were written. The diner gathering is meant to lower the barrier to showing up - a meal is part of the rhythm.
Confirmation Class is geared toward teens looking to mature in their relationship with God and the church. Through study and exercises, students learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, grounded in Lutheran tradition and Jesus' command to love God and love neighbors. Confirmation is typically held on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday in October. Pastor Scott frames confirmation in the church as "affirming your baptism" - a moment for the young person to take on the promises that were made for them as an infant, with the foundational reminder that God loves them and nothing they do can make God not love them.
A pianist at the keyboard, a 1917 organ in the loft
Music at Emanuel centers on Ms. Mingke Zhu, a PhD candidate in piano performance at Rutgers University who plays piano and organ for Sunday worship and organizes mini-concerts with her piano students for the congregation. The instrument she plays is a 1917 J. H. & C. S. Odell & Co. organ - 17 ranks, 44 stops, and 1,053 pipes - that was renovated between January 1993 and January 1994 by James A. Konzelman Pipe Organs of Hoboken, New Jersey, with a re-dedication recital that January by Eugene Roan of Westminster Choir College.
A three-octave set of Schulmerich handbells, given in memory of longtime member Bill Martz and in honor of Gene and Peg Lens, is part of the musical inheritance of the congregation. The church does not currently have a choir or a bell choir and looks forward to reviving them in the future. Festival holidays bring special vocal and instrumental performances into the worship space.
A sister church in El Mirador, Guatemala
Emanuel's reach extends well beyond New Jersey. Through its partnership with AMEXTRA, a small nonprofit that has been making an impact in underserved Mexican communities for more than forty years, the congregation maintains a relationship with a sister church in El Mirador, Guatemala. Pastor Scott has traveled to Mexico with a mission group drawn from the congregation and the wider community, and the church has been involved in work that intentionally adapts to the contexts it enters. AMEXTRA owns its mistakes and learns from them - the early microlending efforts of the past are recounted in worship as a parable of how proximity has to be earned before it can be trusted.
The church's economic-justice work also includes a Kiva lending circle. Kiva is a non-profit that connects individuals to no-interest small-business loans through a worldwide network of microfinance institutions. Emanuel provides loans through Kiva to entrepreneurs - from agricultural ventures to small stores - in places where traditional banking is out of reach. One hundred percent of each loan is sent to a Kiva field partner; when a loan is repaid, the lender can withdraw or relend the funds to another borrower.
An open table for an immigrant neighborhood
New Brunswick has long been a city shaped by immigration, and Emanuel's ministries reflect that. The Social Ministry and Evangelization Committee provides leadership to the congregation in terms of mission and works closely with neighbors navigating the immigration system. The church helps neighbors prepare powers of attorney for children, so that if a parent is detained or deported, the child can be placed with relatives. Adult Forum and special gatherings address immigration justice head-on, and the church has hosted synod-wide events like Faith, Hope & Love 2.0, which expanded beyond its original LGBTQ+ focus to include immigration and racial justice tracks.
Pastor Scott's sermons repeatedly name the experience of immigrant neighbors in the current political moment, call for accountability from government and the church alike, and invite the congregation into practices of accompaniment rather than charity. The community's testimony is that suffering is part of the congregation's shared life, not something to be observed from a distance - and that accompaniment is the vocation to which the gospel calls them.
A congregation that looks after its own, too
Emanuel Cares is the visitation program for hospitalized and homebound members, ensuring that everyone in the community feels part of the life of the church and receives the loving care they need. The Mutual Ministry Committee oversees personnel matters, provides coaching and support to the pastor, assists in hiring church staff, and is enlisted to help reconcile differences between congregants.
A 9-week summer day camp for community children runs each year, picking up where a week of Vacation Bible School leaves off. Organized by Teresa Vivar (alongside her sister Maria and a group of women from the community), the day camp serves children from across the neighborhood. Younger children are fed, do arts and crafts, and get to be kids. Older children learn civics - how bills that discriminate against their community become law, how politicians come to power, and how they can influence legislation and elections. The young people canvas in New Brunswick alongside adult accompaniers in the run-up to elections.
How the work is governed
The congregation runs on a participatory model: the Church Council represents the congregation and meets on the third Sunday of every month after worship, working together with the pastor to provide administrative and spiritual leadership. Elected officers include Council President Jim Kershner, Vice-President Linda Griffin, Treasurer Robin Heilmann, and Secretary Kevin Heilmann, alongside lay members Susan Mitchell, Karen Wolff, Jake Moni, Billie Fyfe, and Jim Milner.
A network of committees carries out the work of the church: Altar Guild (paraments, communion setup, seasonal decoration), Education (Adult Forum, Bible Study, Confirmation), Emanuel Cares (visitation), Endowment/Parsonage, Finance, Hospitality (coffee hours, celebrations, the annual picnic), Investment, Ministry/Outreach, Mutual Ministry, Property (routine maintenance and capital planning for the church's two buildings), and Worship & Music. All members are encouraged to join one or more committees.
The congregation follows the most recent ELCA model constitution, supplemented by Emanuel-specific bylaws.
The theology underneath everything: the Kin-dom of abundance
Worship, ministries, and governance at Emanuel all flow out of a single theological conviction, which Pastor Scott names in almost every sermon: God is love, and we are saved by grace. The church's ministry of radical welcome is grounded in its Lutheran confession that grace cannot be earned and is given freely. The church's commitment to social justice is grounded in its Lutheran confession that we are both sinner and saint, called into community with one another whether or not we agree. The church's bilingual worship is grounded in its Lutheran confession that the Spirit speaks in every language and that the Kin-dom of God is not bounded by any of ours.
From these commitments flows a theology of abundance over scarcity - a recurring theme in the congregation's preaching. Scarcity is the cultural voice that says protect what you have, close the doors, and we can't. The gospel voice of abundance says take and eat, welcome the stranger, and watch what God can do. The Kin-dom - the church's intentional word rather than "kingdom" - is radically inclusive, with room always for one more. The mustard seed grows wild where gardeners do not want it, the yeast lifts enough bread to feed a hundred, the net is cast wide enough to gather everyone, and the table is long enough to seat them all.
"The name Emanuel - God with us - is more than theology," Pastor Scott has written. "It is the story of a God who shows up when the world pushes people aside." The church's hope is that, when people walk into worship at 3 Kirkpatrick Street on a Sunday morning and stay for the conversation afterwards, they will recognize the way God has been showing up in the city of New Brunswick since 1878.