From Hyde Chapel to Kirby Road
Emmanuel United Methodist Church sits on the east side of Memphis, just inside the Germantown line at the corner of Kirby Road and Messick Road. The drive in curves past a lower lot tended by the West Tennessee Iris Society and up to a sanctuary where a 1,800-member congregation gathers twice each Sunday morning. The name Emmanuel - God With Us - was a last-minute decision in the congregation's first year. The original founding members had planned to call the new church St. Peter's, but in 1968 they chose the name that has framed everything since.
The first gathering was on June 2, 1968, in the Hyde Chapel of Memphis University School, with 67 charter members uniting that morning. By the end of the conference year the roll had grown to 170. Today, well over a thousand later, several of those charter members are still among the regular worshipers. The church's vision statement - "a growing and vital community where Christ is transforming lives" - points back to the commitment of those first families and forward to the dozens of programs now running on the campus each week.
Two Sunday Mornings in the Sanctuary
Worship is the anchor of life at Emmanuel. Two services are held each Sunday at 8:50 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary, with the 11:00 a.m. service live streamed on the church's livestream page and on Facebook. The style is described as traditional with blended elements of music, planned to feel both rooted and meaningful. Each service runs about an hour.
Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month at both services. The table is open to everyone - members and non-members, adults and children. The congregation practices infant, child, and adult baptism by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling, and baptisms are affirmed and remembered each year as a community. Confirmation classes are offered in the sixth grade, with mentors assigned to walk alongside each confirmand through a year of study in Christian heritage, Methodist doctrine, and the Bible.
Between the two services, a Discipleship Hour fills the 10:00 a.m. hour with Sunday School classes for children, youth, young adults, and adults, as well as confirmation and various Bible studies. A.W. - or "Worship And More" - is offered during the 11:00 a.m. service for children in Senior Kindergarten through second grade from August to November and January to May, helping them learn the rhythms of Methodist worship through storytelling, music, and hands-on activities.
Music for Every Age
Music is one of the most visible ministries at Emmanuel. More than 100 adults, youth, and children sing in choirs, and the music staff is led by Kevin Presley, an ordained Deacon who joined the church in 1994 and holds graduate degrees from Southern Methodist University and Perkins School of Theology.
Two Chancel Choirs lead congregational singing and offer special music at both Sunday services. They rehearse on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and at added Wednesday rehearsals throughout the year, and they anchor special services such as the Festival of Christmas, Holy Week, a late-August celebration, and a Lessons and Carols service the Sunday before Christmas. In past years the choirs have sung in Carnegie Hall, participated in three International Church Music Festivals in England, Switzerland, and Italy, and toured independently in Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
Two adult handbell choirs play four octaves of bells and chimes and perform monthly in worship. The Morning Handbells rehearse Mondays at 10:30 a.m. and the Evening Handbells at 7:00 p.m., with childcare available by request. A youth choir called CrossNotes, for grades 6 through 12, rehearses on Sunday afternoons and provides music for worship once a month. The CrossNotes choir has toured more than 33 U.S. states, plus Mexico and Canada.
Worship Arts also extends to the visual side. A monthly Worship Design Team meets during the lunch hour to plan how visual art can bring the sermon to life, and a media and technology team runs the projectors, sound, and live stream each week. Acolytes, ushers, greeters, communion stewards, and live-stream volunteers round out the team of lay people who make Sunday morning happen.
Children, Nursery, and the JAM Choir
Children's ministry at Emmanuel is led by Mandy Morse, who has more than 17 years of experience in the field. The Nursery is staffed Sunday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., with paid employees who are background-checked and trained in early-childhood First Aid, CPR, and AEDs. Separate classrooms serve two- and three-year-olds and four-year-olds through Junior Kindergarten, each with child-friendly bathrooms and outside doors.
For children up through fifth grade, Sunday School meets at 10:00 a.m. Younger elementary students spend four weeks on each Bible story, while older elementary students move into pre-teen and youth tracks. On Wednesday evenings during the school year, a church-wide dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., and the JAM program - Jesus in the Arts and Music - begins at 6:15 p.m. JAM is a comprehensive Christian music program with three age-level choirs from age 3 through fifth grade. Children sing, play Orff instruments, drum, perform skits, and learn Bible lessons, and the older elementary choirs regularly sing in Sunday morning worship.
Annual children's events fill the calendar: a Bible retreat for second through fifth graders in the fall, a Blessing of the Backpacks on Promotion Sunday each August, a Picnic in the Patch in the Pumpkin Patch, a Trunk or Treat, a Gingerbread Churches afternoon in December, a PJs, Prayers and Pancakes breakfast, and an Easter Egg Hunt and Hayride. Vacation Bible School runs for four days each June for children from age 3 through fifth grade. The whole program sits inside a Safe Sanctuaries policy that trains every staff member and volunteer annually and is overseen by a board that meets regularly.
Youth on Sunday Nights and Wednesday DGroups
Youth ministry at Emmanuel serves grades 6 through 12. The youth meet on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Lounge for conversation, community, and Bible study, then return on Sunday evenings from 5:15 to 7:00 p.m. for dinner, games, music, and small-group discussion. On Wednesday nights at 6:15 p.m., students meet in Discipleship Groups - DGroups - organized by age and gender.
The youth choir, CrossNotes, is part of the program, and the group also participates in service and recreation throughout the year: lock-ins, summer and winter spiritual retreats, mission trips, youth dinners, silent auctions, dodgeball, and Messy Game Days. The Appalachian Service Project - ASP - gives high schoolers a hands-on mission experience, and confirmation classes meet during the 10:00 a.m. Discipleship Hour for sixth graders. A Director of Youth Ministries search was underway in 2026, with Alden Fowkes named as a contact in the interim.
Adult Classes and Wednesday Nights
Adult life at Emmanuel revolves around Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday evenings during the school year. A directory of adult classes is available on the website, and the church has emphasized a "Back to Belonging" approach: open, welcoming classrooms with room for new disciples taking their next steps.
Wednesday nights begin with dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by a full slate of programs at 6:15 p.m. Adult Bible studies meet in various rooms with no pre-registration required. Children's choirs and DGroups for youth run in parallel, and occasional Wednesday evenings are set aside for special events such as Mission Night, Trivia Night, and adult fellowship gatherings.
Men meet on Thursday mornings for a Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in Room L2 and a Bible Study at 8:45 a.m. in Room L13. Women meet on Thursday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. for a Ladies' Bible Study in Room M2, and the Women's ministry sponsors an annual weekend retreat, a Christmas Gift Exchange, a quarterly "Girl's Night Out" with a service project, and seasonal gatherings for crafts, cooking, and fellowship.
Young adults ages 19 to 30 meet on Sunday evenings at 5:00 p.m. in the Commons by the sanctuary. "The Middle" - adults roughly 30 to 45 - gathers on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Room for Bible discussion and fellowship, with additional Wednesday night discussions, monthly game nights, and a regular Thursday trivia outing at Huey's on Winchester.
Mahjong, Pickleball, and a Walking Group
Hospitality and Recreation at Emmanuel is run by Erika Cothran and is built around a simple idea: church should be a place people want to come to. The fellowship hall hums most weeks with Mahjong - National Mah Jongg League play on Mondays at 2:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m., and Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. - and beginners are welcome. Players bring their own 2026 cards if they have one, but sets, tables, and a few loaner cards are provided.
The gym hosts Emmanuel Pickleball three times a week. Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. are for advanced players, while Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. offer a lower-impact, beginner-friendly game. Paddles and balls are available, instructors volunteer their time, and the program is free and open to guests. A walking group meets at Holmes Park off Hickory Crest Drive on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings, and craft nights, bingo nights, and trivia nights fill in the gaps. Adult softball, children's basketball, and children's soccer round out the recreation calendar.
Food, Shelter, and a Pair of Glasses
Outreach is woven through the life of the church. The Emmanuel Food Pantry began more than a dozen years ago and now serves 50 families each month on the third Sunday and third Thursday, partnering with Catholic Charities to pack grocery boxes and supplementing them with additional items. Volunteers pack sacks the week before each distribution. Donations of unopened baby formula, diapers, and baby wipes are accepted, and the pantry maintains a printable grocery list so that giving is consistent.
Room in the Inn has been part of Emmanuel for more than a decade. Each Saturday evening from November through March, the church welcomes 14 men off the streets, offering dinner, a hot shower, clothing and toiletry items, a hot breakfast, a to-go lunch, and a MATA bus pass. Volunteers transform the gym into a shelter and return the guests downtown on Sunday morning. A separate summer shelter partnership hosts women and children at the Germantown United Methodist cottage. Donations are coordinated through an Amazon wish list, a Kroger Community Rewards program, and a printable donation list, and the ministry honors the late Merna Keeney for her years of leadership.
Project 20/20 has been headquartered at Emmanuel for more than 30 years. Volunteers meet most Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon to sort and prepare eyeglasses and sunglasses that are then distributed to people in need around the world through mission teams. Project Transformation - a United Methodist summer reading and mentoring program - is supported through the church's provision of meals and one-on-one reading with children. For more than 30 years, Emmanuel has also sent youth and young adults to Casa Hogar Benito Juarez Orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico, and the kickball fundraiser each fall supports Wesley College in Mwanza, Tanzania. United Methodist Neighborhood Center, Hannah's Hope, and Golden Cross Senior Ministries round out the local and global partnerships.
Counseling, Prayer, and Recovery
Congregational Care at Emmanuel is both a ministry and a network of services. The Pastoral Staff - Dr. Rob Martin and Rev. Luke Lea - is available for prayer, hospital visits, and conversations about aging, illness, divorce, loss, and other life events. The Emmanuel Counseling Center, led by Dr. Jim Coffman, makes professional, licensed counseling accessible and affordable.
Special Care Ministry sends volunteers to the homes of those who can no longer leave, while a Prayer Practice group meets every Monday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Room L-1 and prayer requests are accepted online or by phone. Emmanuel's facilities also host a constellation of recovery meetings: four AA groups, an Al-Anon group, and a DBSA mental health group meet each week in the Community Room and other locations on the west side of campus. The 12-step meetings are open to new participants, and a Sharing Joy fellowship ties the recovery community into the wider life of the church.
Wesleyan Roots, Memphis Mission
Emmanuel's doctrine is grounded in the Wesleyan heritage of The United Methodist Church. The congregation affirms belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, in his death as an atonement for the sins of the world, in his resurrection, in the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and in the scriptures as containing all that is necessary for salvation. The Articles of Religion, the Confessions of Faith, the Standard Sermons of John Wesley, Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the New Testament, and the General Rules - "do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God" - are the doctrinal standards that shape teaching and ministry. The church belongs to the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference and the United Methodist Metro District, and its congregation is connected to the wider denomination through the United Methodist Communications, the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, and the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
The Wesleyan principle of "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity" shapes the tone of conversation in classes and small groups, and the church's giving page quotes John Wesley: "Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can." Tithes and offerings can be given in the plate on Sunday, online through a secure portal, by text to 901-441-9254, by ACH bank draft, by bill pay, by gifts of stock, or by bequest. A separate, fully digital preschool and kindergarten called EUMK serves young children and shares the campus.
A Growing and Vital Community
Emmanuel United Methodist Church is a working picture of what its vision statement names: a growing and vital community where Christ is transforming lives. The Sunday morning rhythm - traditional worship, blended music, children's choirs, and a livestream that reaches beyond Memphis - is matched by a week of Bible studies, handbell rehearsals, recovery meetings, food-pantry packing, mahjong tables, pickleball games, and Wednesday dinners. The congregation continues to invest in the campus, from LED lighting across the sanctuary, offices, and parking lot to ADA-compliant water fountains, comfort-height restroom fixtures, and refreshed wayfinding signage.
Whether someone arrives looking for a Sunday school class, a place to serve, a recovery meeting, or simply a warm welcome and a meaningful hour of worship, Emmanuel offers a way in. The name chosen in that first year - God With Us - is still the most accurate description of what the church is reaching for.