Our Story:

In April of 2005, Kester and Rachel moved to Austin, TX with their son, Harrison (Harry), to plant a downtown community that would reach out to Austinites who might be less likely to get involved with a church. They began vocational jobs in the downtown area in order to dive into the culture they love and begin forming relationships in the local community. Kester works at BookPeople (largest independent bookstore in Texas) and Rachel as a speech-language pathologist at the HealthSouth pediatric clinic.

In January of 2006, after many months of prayer and planning, the Lord brought together a core team of people who committed to helping start and shape this community. The team consisted of Adam and Erica Sweeney, Nathan and Melissa Jerkins, and the Smiths. This gathering of people eventually called themselves Immanuel. It is a word that means “God with us” and speaks to the community we share with God and with each other, as well as proclaiming the One who is Immanuel, Jesus Christ. January through March of 2006, was spent praying, researching, and planning together for a fall launching of the Immanuel Austin Community.

In March of 2006, house church meetings began in the Smiths’ home, which continue to this day. The house churches meet on Sunday evenings and spend time in fellowship, study, communion, and prayer.

After a great deal of prayer and planning, we began public worship services at the beginning of October, 2006. We were blessed to have been offered a community room in the Central Christian Church free-of-charge. The building is centrally-located in downtown Austin and the church has a wonderful reputation in the community. The Immanuel Austin house churches gather there for worship every Wednesday evening.

As our relationships have grown, so have our numbers, but what we are most excited about is the way that the group that is being formed is being formed in the image of Jesus Christ.

As we continue to search and learn and grow and change, we invite you along. You may be a Christian strong in faith or one who sees more weak spots than not. You may not be a Christian at all, but one who comes seeking a higher truth, a better way, and an abundant life. You may be someone looking for a group of friends who will accept you as you are and help you become all you can be. If so, we want to invite you to seek God with us. No promises of an easy road...just people to walk it with you.