Emmanuel has served the mission and ministry of God in the West Columbia area since 1853. It traces it's humble beginnings to this time. The story goes that Catherine Sox was a member of Zion Lutheran in Lexington, and as she began to get older wasn't able to make the trip as easily from her rural home all the way to the banks of the Saluda River. So, she, along with seven other farm families, began a new congregation at the site of what we now know as Emmanuel. The original land consisted of a three acre tract donated by Daniel Sox in 1855. It is told that one of the men threw a pocketknife attached to a string over his shoulder to determine the exact spot where the church would be built. At least three different worship buildings have been located in this place, with the current one incorporating  elements from the previous worship buildings. This current sanctuary was completed in 1998, and seeks to deepen the faith of all that enter in. It is built in the shape of a cross as a very visible sign that it is on the rock of Christ that we continue to stand. 

Today, that once rural community now sits squarely in West Columbia and Emmanuel remains a witness to enduring God's presence throughout all generations. We strongly believe that we are rooted in history, and growing in faith toward the future.