A More Light Congregation on Savile Lane
Immanuel Presbyterian Church sits on six wooded acres at 1125 Savile Lane in McLean, Virginia, just off Dolley Madison Boulevard in northern Fairfax County. The congregation has gathered on that site since November 1960, when a small group of Presbyterians began worshiping in the basement of a 1942 brick house on the property while they planned a permanent sanctuary. More than six decades later, Immanuel is known across the region as a More Light congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), an identity it claims openly and warmly: the church seeks the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life, ministry, and witness of the PC(USA) and in society.
The name itself carries the church's theology. "Immanuel" means "God with us," and the congregation takes seriously the promise that God is present in every part of life, not only in moments of clarity and joy but also in loss, change, and doubt. A recent sermon put it plainly: "In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God." That conviction shapes everything from the pews to the prayer shawl ministry to the church's long list of local and global mission partners.
Sunday Morning at 10 and "Immanuel in the Evening"
Worship at Immanuel centers on two regular Sunday services. The Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 a.m. and is the principal gathering of the congregation. The Sunday evening service, called "Immanuel in the Evening," is held at 5:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month. It is described as a relaxed, spirit-filled, simple service with prayer and reflection, a shared meal, uplifting music, and honest conversation about faith and life. Special seasonal services, including a Pet Blessing, are woven into the monthly evening schedule. Services are livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person, and the most recent livestreams are posted to the church's YouTube channel.
Music is integral to the worship experience. The Sanctuary Choir, the central ensemble, presents music most Sundays at the 10:00 a.m. service and rehearses on Tuesdays in the Music Room. A smaller Motet Choir offers opportunities to sing more advanced repertoire. Sanctuary Bells handbell ringers and a roster of vocal and instrumental soloists also serve the services, and the Sunday evening gathering has its own ensemble of musicians. The instrument in the sanctuary is the Lively-Fulcher pipe organ installed in 1998; the sound of the organ, added to choirs, handbells, youth and adult instrumentalists, and occasional guest orchestral accompaniment, gives worship a breadth of musical texture that has been a hallmark of the congregation for decades.
Communion is celebrated in worship, the rosebud on the communion table marks the birth of a child or grandchild, and a number of supporting roles are filled by lay volunteers through the Worship Committee, which recruits ushers and greeters, sets up communion, decorates the sanctuary for special services, and coordinates flowers.
A Statement of Faith: Embodied, Challenging, Merciful, Guiding, Gathering
Immanuel's own Statement of Faith, written by the congregation, names five ways the church experiences God. In "An embodied God," members confess that in the truly human Jesus, God "gave us the clearest glimpse into the nature of divinity by fleshing out both the cost and the power of love." The "challenging God" portion holds that God, through the Spirit that was in Jesus, "calls, pushes, and empowers us to participate in embodying love in our lives," by working to alleviate suffering, address injustice, and care for the earth and its people. The church confesses a "merciful God" who, "through amazing grace," meets people where they are and works transformation in their lives. A "guiding God" meets the congregation "in the words of scripture" and "in conversations and meditation, in literature and spiritual reading, in music, art, worship, and prayer." And the "gathering God" is "best experienced in community" and loves the whole world "no exceptions," making room at the table for women and men, boys and girls, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, economic condition, age, color, creed, or sexual orientation. The statement closes with a familiar refrain: "In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God."
That five-fold confession shapes how Immanuel describes itself. The congregation seeks to be a fellowship of believers, a witnessing congregation, a worshiping congregation, a nurturing congregation, a welcoming congregation, a learning congregation, and a serving congregation. The Welcome Statement on the About page reads simply: "Wherever you find yourself along your journey of life and faith, Immanuel welcomes you!"
From the Cafeteria at Franklin Sherman to a Sanctuary on Six Acres
The first worship service of Immanuel Presbyterian Church was conducted by the organizing pastor, the Reverend Robert Keever, on September 11, 1960, in the cafeteria of Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean. Within two months, the Presbytery had purchased the present Savile Lane site: six acres and a 1942 brick house. For ten months the congregation met in the basement of that house before moving into the first sanctuary, dedicated in 1980.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Immanuel's reach extended well beyond its own walls. In 1970 the church created the Speech and Language Center of Northern Virginia to provide speech therapy for preschool children; in 1976 Immanuel added its own preschool so that children with mild speech challenges could learn alongside typically developing peers. By 1988 the congregation had grown to 480 members, with average Sunday attendance of 210, and the Session began planning the new education wing and Meeting House that would be dedicated in February 1996.
In 1986 Immanuel entered a partnership with Garden Memorial Presbyterian Church, an African American congregation in southeast Washington, D.C., a relationship that produced joint worship services, shared enrichment programs for neighborhood children, and a Christmas in April renovation project in Arlington. In 1990 the two congregations committed together to the "I Have A Dream" initiative, providing tutoring, mentoring, and Saturday breakfasts for students in Anacostia, and Immanuel's first class of 60 Dreamers began. Around the same time the church chose a faraway mission partner as well, supporting the medical missionary work of Dr. and Mrs. Salvador de la Torre in Mwandi, Zambia.
Music at Immanuel grew steadily through the 1990s. Handbells arrived soon after the 1980 dedication of the new sanctuary; in 1998 the deep, rich sound of the Lively-Fulcher pipe organ filled the worship space for the first time, and Brian Wilhour joined the staff as Director of Music. Reverend Daniel C. Thomas was called as Associate Pastor for Education and Nurture during the same decade, and "Immanuel's Incredible Quest," an innovative children's curriculum, was introduced in 2005. Other long-running programs began in 2001 and 2005 and 2010 as "Year of the Bible" guided-reading campaigns through the whole Bible in a year; the Theologian in Residence program continues to bring distinguished scholars to the congregation.
On June 5, 2005, the Reverend Aaron D. Fulp-Eickstaedt was installed as Immanuel's fourth called pastor. A 2001 Visioning Task Force and the 2011 Strategic Planning Committee shaped the present rhythm of congregational life, and in May 2012 the Session approved the move to a single 10:00 a.m. Sunday service and the pilot of an informal Sunday evening service. By the end of 2010 the congregation numbered about 600, and that figure has stayed roughly the same since.
A Pastoral Team and a Wider Staff
The Rev. Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt has served as pastor since 2005, having previously been co-pastor with his wife, the Rev. Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt, at Concord Presbyterian Church in Statesville, North Carolina. His sermons, frequently drawn from the narrative lectionary, are known for pairing serious engagement with the biblical text to lived experience; recent series have explored themes like partnering with God, noticing, receiving, responding, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, forgiveness and freedom, the transfiguration, and the mustard seed. His sermons are archived online and broadcast on YouTube.
He is joined by a roster of colleagues. Rev. Blair Moorhead serves as Associate Pastor; a pastor and social worker with an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary and an MSW from Howard University, she is known for connecting people to the wider community and linking body, mind, and spirit in ministry. Rev. Emma Horn serves as Associate Pastor for Children, Youth, and Families, focusing on ministry with young people, missions, and intergenerational programming. Rev. Katie Strednak-Singer, also an Associate Pastor, has led the Spiritual Growth and small-group ministries during her tenure at Immanuel. Patrick Walker directs the music program; a native of New York's Mid-Hudson Valley who began playing organ at 15, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Vassar College and a Master of Music in Organ Performance and Composition from Boston University. Mary Ann Vaughan has served as Business Administrator since August 1, 2005; she holds a Certification in Church Administration from Union Seminary and The Church Network and serves as Moderator of the national Presbyterian Administrators Network. Russ Carlton rounds out the staff listed on the team page.
Children and Youth at Immanuel
Immanuel's Children's Education Program runs every Sunday morning during the 10:00 a.m. service. Nursery care is provided for children up to age 3, and an energetic, age-appropriate curriculum is offered for children ages 4 through sixth grade. A Child Protection Policy and a Background Check Form for adult volunteers are posted online, and volunteer positions include teaching Sunday School, serving as a classroom steward to accompany children as they rotate between workshops, and helping with curriculum planning. A Church School Registration Form is available for download.
The Youth Ministries program is for middle and high school students. Confirmation includes a "Day in the City" service experience, an annual week in Pennsylvania with Habitat for Humanity, and seasonal parties and summer tutoring alongside friends from Langley Residential Support Services, which serves adults with intellectual disabilities. The annual intergenerational Habitat trip each June travels to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland.
Adult Ministry: Pathways, Small Groups, and the Lectionary
Adult Ministry at Immanuel offers a wide range of ongoing formation. A spirituality and learning program runs topical forums on Sunday mornings after worship, one-day workshops, weekend retreats, day hikes into God's world, field trips to Washington-area museums, and reading discussions during Advent and Lent. The Theologian in Residence program brings scholars into the congregation, and the church works with The Reformed Institute and maintains a library of more than 1,800 books, tapes, and videos for member exploration.
IPC Pathways is a vocation program designed for young people who have a connection to Immanuel, whether or not they are members. It pairs high school or college students, young adults, and older adults in three-person teams that meet regularly to work through modules of books, articles, videos, and exercises exploring life's important questions. Pathways is supported by the Harraseeket Foundation's Pathways Internship Fund, which provides stipends for economically disadvantaged Northern Virginia high school students to take unpaid internships.
A robust schedule of small groups meets most weeks of the year. The Faith Matters Study Group gathers on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. on Zoom and in person for books on the Christian heritage and devotional life. The Men's Bible Study meets Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. on Zoom, often with breakfast. The Immanuel Book Group meets monthly, usually the second Tuesday, at noon on Zoom and in the Session Room, with rotating discussion leaders. The Lectionary Study Group meets with Pastor Aaron on Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom to discuss the texts he will preach on the following Sunday. The Caregiver Support Group meets on the second and fourth Fridays at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom. Women of Spirit meets Fridays at 8:00 a.m. on Zoom for Bible and spiritual study, with occasional in-person lunch potlucks. Yoga at Immanuel meets Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in person from September through mid-June; the fee is $15 per class, and the first class is free.
Young adults ages 19-39 from Immanuel, Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer gather once a month, often at Lewinsville Presbyterian on Chain Bridge Road, for shared meals, outings like trivia and mini golf, Bible study, and a yearly retreat.
Outreach in McLean, the Region, and the World
Immanuel describes its outreach as "vast." Hands-on monthly opportunities include a community garden in raised beds that supplies produce to SHARE of McLean, and monthly sandwich-making for DC Central Kitchen. Volunteers are needed to drive seniors to medical appointments, help with grocery trips, and make companionship visits and phone calls to seniors, including residents at Chesterbrook Residences in nearby Falls Church. Quarterly Service Sundays pair worship with a hands-on mission project: making disaster clean-up kits for Church World Service, creating welcome-home kits for Ukrainian refugee families resettling in Northern Virginia, packaging take-home meals for Falls Church summer school students, and assembling blessing bags distributed along members' commutes to neighbors experiencing homelessness.
Each December the church hosts 40 of its neighbors experiencing homelessness, providing overnight shelter, meals, entertainment, bus pass re-loads, and a trained volunteer corps. Each November members fill Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for 15 families identified by Garden Memorial Presbyterian, 15 families at Children of Mine, and 35 supermarket gift cards for families at the Falls Church-McLean Children's Center. The Community Service and Action Committee, funded in part by Immanuel's annual auction, distributes grants to roughly 40 local organizations each year.
Among the local charities Immanuel supports are Alternative House, Bright Beginnings, Bethany House, Capital Area Food Bank, Chesterbrook Residences, Children of Mine, Christ House, Courtney's House, DC Central Kitchen, Emmanuel Food Bank of Beltsville, Fairfax CASA, Falls Church-McLean Children's Center, Food for Others, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, Hopecam, Jubilee Jobs, Just Neighbors, Langley Residential Support Services, Mary House, Nick's Place, Onesimus Ministries, PRS Inc., Rebuilding Together, SHARE of McLean, Shelter House, Shepherd's Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church, and the Speech and Language Center of Northern Virginia, the outreach ministry Immanuel itself founded in 1970.
Internationally, the International Mission Committee coordinates trips and partnerships in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru, where Immanuel has partnered with the Moyobamba Presbyterian Church and the Annie Soper School and San Lucas Clinic since 2004. The committee also supports the Kenya Education Fund, Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, The Outreach Foundation, Partner for Surgery, Genocide Watch, Five Talents, One Thousand Schools (formerly Students Helping Honduras), Partners in Development, Global Camps Africa, Heart for Moldova, and Plowshares Institute. Youth and adults have traveled together with Students Helping Honduras and BorderLinks, and the church is currently supporting the medical education of Chitalu Namugala, a Zambian nurse-midwife training as an OBGYN physician through Partners in Development.
Chesterbrook Residences and the "I Have a Dream" Program
Two long-standing outreach partnerships merit their own note. Chesterbrook Residences opened its doors in October 2007 as the first and only mixed-income assisted living facility in Fairfax County. It was the dream of Immanuel members who in 2000 joined with Lewinsville Presbyterian Church and Temple Rodef Shalom to plan a 97-apartment retirement community in the McLean area, with the National Capital Presbytery as the fourth partner. Fifty-five percent of the apartments are offered to low-income seniors at below market rates, and ongoing fundraising ensures that no resident needs to leave because of financial concerns. Chesterbrook offers regular Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish worship services for residents and guests; one of Immanuel's pastors leads a service each month. A Corner Store at Chesterbrook sells cards, small gifts, and basic supplies. Immanuel members serve on the Board of Directors and provide a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, from conversation and companionship to book discussions and group activities.
The "I Have a Dream" / Changing Lives program has forged strong bonds between Immanuel and families in and around Anacostia since 1990, when the church adopted a class of 60 sixth graders and pledged to help pay for post-secondary education or job training if they completed high school. A second class of more than 40 Dreamers was added in 2003. Today more than half of the original Dreamers have received help gaining post-secondary education, and the program continues to involve weekly tutoring, enrichment activities, summer camp opportunities, and holiday gatherings. The Changing Lives Committee oversees the program and welcomes new volunteers, mentors, and internship providers from the Immanuel community.
Congregational Care, Stephen Ministry, and Healthcare Navigation
The Congregational Care Committee is the church's central response to the celebrations and concerns of the congregation. When members are ill, grieving, or in personal distress, the committee makes personal visits, sends notes, delivers sunshine baskets, provides food for those recovering from illness or injury, delivers flowers from the sanctuary, and arranges transportation to appointments and worship. It sponsors a prayer chain and hosts receptions following memorial services. To mark milestones, the committee places a rosebud on the communion table for the birth of a child or grandchild, provides special occasion remembrances, and supports confirmands with a meal during the confirmation process. The committee also maintains Immanuel's End of Life Planning Guide, sponsors blood drives, staffs the prayer chain, and oversees the Prayer Shawl Ministry, which makes and distributes shawls to those with illness or grief.
Immanuel is a Stephen Ministry church. Stephen Ministers are trained members of the congregation who listen, care, encourage, pray, and walk alongside others during difficult times. Conversations are strictly confidential. Stephen Ministry is free and is open to anyone in the congregation facing a death in the family, divorce or separation, job loss, a difficult pregnancy, chronic or terminal illness, hospitalization, loneliness, aging, relocation, or another life crisis. Those interested can request a Stephen Minister by speaking with a pastor or any Stephen Leader.
The Healthcare Navigation Team is a newer initiative made up of physicians, nurses, business people, and attorneys who help members navigate finding providers, choosing insurance coverage, understanding bills, processing claims, and handling end-of-life decisions. A Memory Café for those with memory loss and their caregivers is open to Immanuel members and the wider community.
The Green Team and Earth Care
Immanuel is an Earth Care Congregation of the PC(USA), certified through the denomination's creation-care program. The Green Team encourages composting and recycling on the church property, hosts an Earth Day worship each April, tends a pollinator garden composed of native plantings from a nearby church, and oversees a raised-bed produce garden whose harvest is donated to SHARE of McLean. The team collaborates with the property team on building and grounds initiatives, organizes trash pickup along a section of Route 123, and promotes practical actions to slow greenhouse gas emissions. Immanuel participates in the Sustain Fairfax Challenge and partners with Presbyterians for Earth Care.
Membership, Giving, and Becoming Part of Immanuel
Members of Immanuel come from many different religious traditions, and the church is clear that vital involvement in the community of faith is more important than whether one's name is on a membership roll. Those interested in joining are invited to attend "Meet Immanuel," a two-hour introductory session that includes a light lunch, after which they work through the remaining membership steps. Nursery care is available upon request.
Immanuel's standard of giving reflects a conviction that "our standard of giving should reflect our standard of living." Pledge commitments form the basis of the annual operating budget, and members are invited to consider proportional giving, beginning at 2, 4, or 6 percent of annual gross income and growing toward a tithe over time. Gifts may be made online by debit card, by direct debit on the first of each month, by check, or by electronic transfer of stock. The Immanuel Endowment, established March 8, 1999, is a perpetual fund managed by an Endowment Committee in partnership with an outside investment firm. The Endowment distributes grants each year to local and global mission projects, including recent recipients like the Kenya Education Fund, the Harraseeket Foundation's Pathways Internship Fund, Partners in Development Zambia, One Thousand Schools, Lutheran Social Services' Ukrainian refugee resettlement, the Falls Church-McLean Children's Center, EduTutorVA, Five Talents, ARTSTREAM, and the Synod of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba. The church is a 501(c)(3) organization; gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Visiting Immanuel
The address is 1125 Savile Lane, McLean, Virginia 22101. The office can be reached at 703-356-3042 or office@ipcmclean.org. Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 a.m., and "Immanuel in the Evening" meets at 5:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. Services are livestreamed on YouTube. The E-Presence newsletter is emailed each Friday afternoon with news, events, and prayer concerns, and the church calendar lists the full weekly rhythm of small groups, classes, and seasonal events. Pastoral staff are reachable through the church office for prayer requests, hospital visits, and pastoral care.