Emmanuel Baptist Church had its humble beginnings with five families, who gathered initially for worship, instruction and fellowship, in the living room of Roy and Avis Marler’s home in Snohomish, Washington on October 28, 1962. These founding members shared the conviction of Christians of another time that "the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" and that "the Bible is the only rule for faith and practice." This commitment, together with an unwavering confidence in the call of God, led to the formation of Emmanuel Baptist Church on December 18, 1962, and then to formal incorporation on January 17, 1963.
Norm Chugg, a missionary to Venezuela with TEAM, helped organize the church and was the pastor for its first six months. In March of 1963, Cliff Hovda became EBC’s first full-time pastor. In 1964, property was purchased on Maple Avenue. Services were held on this property in a chicken coop converted into a “church building” and the “parsonage” was next door in a renovated trolley-style street car. In 1966 Darrell Beddoe was called to be pastor and served faithfully for 9 years. In 1968, a parsonage was purchased on Avenue B. In 1970 property on 99th Avenue was purchased and a building erected. In August of 1976 Jon Drury was called to be the pastor and served faithfully for six years. In January of 1983 Grady Kringen was called to be pastor and serves to this day. The church has been debt free since January 1983. In August of 1998 ground breaking ceremonies for a new church facility were held with the anticipation of building a facility, which would meet the needs of the congregation for many years to come.. The first Sunday in the new facility (built debt free) was June 23, 2002 where former pastors Norm Chugg, Darrell Beddoe, and Jon Drury ministered as guest speakers. On August 8, 2004 Aaron Hefner was ordained for the Gospel Ministry and he and his wife Lindsay were commissioned as the first full-time missionaries sent from EBC to the foreign field (Senegal, Africa).
The members of EBC believe now, as they did when the church began, in a strong commitment to building up believers through regular preaching, teaching, fellowship, prayer and service. In addition, we believe in actively serving our community, and aggressively pursuing missions throughout the world. We are a growing community of believers who accept the Bible in its entirety as the inspired Word of God and His direction for our daily living. God has spoken - we are to learn, believe, and obey.
Emmanuel Baptist Church of Snohomish is an autonomous, denominationally unaffiliated local church. However, this does not mean that we do as we please, or that we are opposed to believers in other churches. We have chosen to affiliate with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (since 1968) and Baptist Network Northwest. We acknowledge the oneness of all believers in Jesus Christ, whether denominational or non-denominational.