In 1956, Elysian Fields Baptist Church (EFBC) was established. In 1984, Dr. Ken Taylor was called to EFBC as an associate pastor, where he pastored until 2005. The church building of EFBC received significant structural damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which led to the building eventually being torn down and EFBC voting to merge with Gentilly Baptist Church, where Dr. Ken Taylor continues to pastor to this day.
Immanuel Community Church was established in New Orleans with seventeen members in August of 2016. Immanuel met for two years in a community center until they outgrew that space and moved to meeting in a school for another two years. During these four years, Immanuel steadily grew and became more self-sustaining as a church. This led Immanuel to begin to look for a more permanent place of worship.
In the Spring of 2019, Matthew Delaughter, one of the pastors of Immanuel, met with Dr. Ken Taylor to see if Gentilly Baptist Church was interested in selling the former Elysian Fields Baptist Church property. Dr. Taylor and the congregation of Gentilly Baptist Church were very interested in selling the property to another church. This led to a long process of paperwork with the City Planning Commission, meetings with the community, and a parking variance being passed by the Board of Zoning Adjustments so that a church could once again meet on this property.
Immanuel Community Church has since purchased the property and has designs for the construction of a church building. Immanuel’s architect, Jeff Sampson, who has vast experience designing church buildings, estimates that the project to build a 9,500-square-foot unfurnished building will be approximately 1.2 million dollars. Immanuel is humbly asking that individuals and churches will prayerfully, cheerfully, and generously contribute to this project so that we may have a long-term footprint in the heart of the city of New Orleans.
Immanuel Community Church was established in New Orleans with seventeen members in August of 2016. Immanuel met for two years in a community center until they outgrew that space and moved to meeting in a school for another two years. During these four years, Immanuel steadily grew and became more self-sustaining as a church. This led Immanuel to begin to look for a more permanent place of worship.
In the Spring of 2019, Matthew Delaughter, one of the pastors of Immanuel, met with Dr. Ken Taylor to see if Gentilly Baptist Church was interested in selling the former Elysian Fields Baptist Church property. Dr. Taylor and the congregation of Gentilly Baptist Church were very interested in selling the property to another church. This led to a long process of paperwork with the City Planning Commission, meetings with the community, and a parking variance being passed by the Board of Zoning Adjustments so that a church could once again meet on this property.
Immanuel Community Church has since purchased the property and has designs for the construction of a church building. Immanuel’s architect, Jeff Sampson, who has vast experience designing church buildings, estimates that the project to build a 9,500-square-foot unfurnished building will be approximately 1.2 million dollars. Immanuel is humbly asking that individuals and churches will prayerfully, cheerfully, and generously contribute to this project so that we may have a long-term footprint in the heart of the city of New Orleans.