We believe and trust in one God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God
There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom, and love. He is the Almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.
The Bible
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
The Human Race
All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners, and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven, and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.
The Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all His words are true. On the cross He died in the place of sinners, bearing God's punishment for their sin, redeeming them by His blood. He alone is able to save us from our sins and their consequences. He rose from the dead in His resurrection body and ascended into heaven where He is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.
Salvation
Salvation is entirely a work of God's grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in His love forgives sinners whom He calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply His work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life, and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation, and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service, and mission. He gives spiritual gifts to His people to help them fulfil their function in the Church.
The Church
The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care, and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Baptism and the Lord's Supper have been given to the church by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of Christ's sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.
The Future
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.
We believe the Bible gives us a clear and very attractive picture of what leadership looks like in Christ's Kingdom and in the church. We believe Godly leadership in the local Church is team-focused and led by one man, Jesus Christ.
We have three Trustees who make up the leadership in the church; they are: Richard Gammage, Robert Stockwell, and Jacki Woods.
Immanuel Church began as a "Church Plant" called St Margaret's Community Church (SMCC) from St Margaret's Parish Church, Angmering in March 2003. Two years later Ben Redding joined the Parish Church as a Curate. He became involved part time in SMCC. In August 2007, the previous Pastor of SMCC resigned. The Rector of the Parish Church came to tell the congregation of SMCC about this and said Ben would spend more of his time with SMCC. From November 2007 he became the full-time Pastor of SMCC.
In 2016 the Parish Church felt they could no longer provide such full financial support to SMCC as they had in the past. Ben and many of the Church members felt the Congregation should continue as an independent Church. This led to the formation of Immanuel Church, Angmering, (ICA) registered at Companies House and with the Charity Commission. In June 2023 Ben announced he would be resigning from the Pastorate as from 1 September 2023. The three Trustees (with the support of much of the congregation) felt it right to continue to meet in the School Hall where SMCC and ICA had been meeting. The Principal of the school encouraged us to do so.
We think the name 'Immanuel' is very significant for our church and has shaped and will continue to shape our story. It means 'God with Us', and we have very much felt the Lord's presence in the life of the church over the years. We continue to seek God's presence in our midst, knowing that without Him we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible.