Welcome! We look forward to meeting you. Here is some information you might find useful when visiting Immanuel for the first time:

  • We have a map you can use to calculate directions from your starting point. Our address is 1801 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA, 22301. We are located approximately one mile north of the King Street Metro Station and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in "Old Town" Alexandria.

  • Be sure to check the calendar for any special events or time changes.

  • There is limited parking in the church parking lot, but you will find abundant street parking on both Russell Road and Belleaire Drive. Turning down Belleaire, you will see the school building, where there is a very large parking lot that doubles as a playground for our children during the week.

  • Sunday School for all ages begins at 8:45 am in the undercroft. The entrance is from the main church parking lot, or you can enter the church at the door by the bell tower, walk straight ahead and take the stairs down by the coat racks. The Pastor teaches the adult class, generally working through a book of the Bible. Bring a Bible (or borrow one of ours - we use the New King James) and your questions. While we have fun, the class is teacher-driven and assumes you are a serious person deserving more than watered-down, unprepared emoting. You won't find any videos, cookie-cutter worksheets, or touchy-feely fluff here. Come prepared to learn and be challenged.

  • Divine Service begins at 10 am in the new church building. We don't use the entrance on the corner of Russell and Belleaire; enter by the bell tower. The service lasts about one hour and twenty minutes, although the time fluctuates depending on the season or festival being observed, and other special events in the life of the church, such as a baptism. We are unapologetically Lutheran and strive to be reverent. Come prepared to pay attention, stand, kneel (a lot!), sing, and be challenged and comforted by a Law-and-Gospel sermon based on the Bible readings for the day. The Pastor writes his own sermons based on his study of the Scriptures and the Confessions. If you are looking for power-point sermons, commentary on movies, tear-jerking stories, or pop-psychology, Immanuel is not the church for you.

  • Communion is distributed to members of Immanuel and those who are members of congregations in communion fellowship with us. (You can read about the Scriptural basis for this practice here.) Visitors should speak with the Pastor before communing. Non-communicant guests are welcome to come to the altar for a blessing - indicate your desire by crossing your arms across your chest. If you wish to prepare to receive Holy Communion through Baptism or Confirmation, please speak with the Pastor. He will be delighted to begin a program of instruction and spiritual formation with you.

  • Your children are welcome--even the youngest--although we do have a nursery with a crib, toys, and Christian books if the need arises. The service can be heard through a speaker in the nursery.

  • There is often coffee hour after the service in the undercroft, with generous amounts of food and great conversation. All are invited.