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It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the website of Emmanuel Church, Billericay. It is my hope that our website will give you a glimpse of the Christian Community we are; what we seek to provide; and something of our heart and passion for the things of God and His world.
Emmanuel is a lively, gently charismatic, evangelical church, which has a very relaxed, informal and contemporary feel with a whole range of activities to cater for people of all ages and we believe there is a genuine place for everyone whether you have a young family, are a young person; single; your children have "flown the nest" and (dare we say?) those of mature years. Everyone is a valued member of our church family.
On Sundays we provide a varied pattern of Worship alongside groups for Children and Young People. We have a wide range of groups meeting regularly throughout the week, which provide an opportunity for people of all ages to learn more about their Christian faith, and offer practical Christian friendship for everyone.
We take ‘being church’ very seriously - especially when it comes to our Worship and the Preaching of God’s word (I trained at Oak Hill Theological College!). However, we enjoy having lots of fun along the way (some would say we do chaos well!) with laughter being an important, though often forgotten, part of our Christian faith. But don't take my word for it, we give you a warm invitation to come and join with us to see for yourself - we hope you will enjoy your time with us.
At the heart of our life together is the conviction that our calling as Christians is to serve Jesus and to serve one another, and this is summed up in our church motto: "A Christian Community Seeking To Serve Jesus". (Please check out our about Emmanuel page to see how this is lived out, on a daily basis, through the mission and ministry of our church family).
Our website (we're always in the process of upgrading and adding new information) will also tell you something about our many activities, all of them aiming to help you, and your family if you have one, to find a place where you can receive what we have to offer but, also, where you are able to contribute to the ongoing life, and ministry, of God’s Church in, and through, Emmanuel.
We would, of course, be delighted if you chose to join our church family and to make Emmanuel your spiritual home. However, becoming part of a Christian community takes time and so we ask that you will be patient with us - we’re still learning - and take the time to enjoy all that we have to offer to you!
Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any queries, or if you simply want more information.
With every blessing in Jesus’ precious name
Revd Paul A. Carr
A Few Personal Details: I'm originally from Sunderland and still support the only team that matters in the North East - I’m pleased that we managed to avoid relegation from the premier league, for another season at least! I've been married to Paula, who is a health visitor, for over 23 years, and have two children, Benjamin (13) and Annabel (9).
Prior to ordination, I worked for ten years in sales and management in the Building Trade followed by several years in the Prison Service.My roots were in the Independent Methodist Church; I then joined a House Church; and then found myself worshipping in a number of evangelical churches (as I moved around the country, from Sunderland to West London and then the Wirral) before joining the Church of England in the early 1990’s. After training for ordination at Oak Hill Theological College, and playing for the Saracens Rugby Union Football Team whilst I was there, (for the veterans, I hasten to add!) I was ordained in 1997 and served my curacy at Saint Chad's in Handforth, Wilmslow (Chester Diocese) and then served as Vicar in Chadwell Heath from 2001 until 2008 (Chelmsford Diocese). I arrived in Billericay as Team Rector in June 2008.
II relax through listening to music on my iPod (I appreciate many forms of music, though I have a soft spot for rock and blues) and particularly enjoy “live” music. I like to watch most sports, find a spot of gardening extremely therapeutic and love to spend time on holiday with my family - somewhere nice and warm and sunny!
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