Village Baptist Church

I visited Village Baptist Church this Sunday (Jan. 16) pastored by Dr. Emmanuel O. Akognan. They meet in Suzanne's Dance School at 532 South McDowell in Petaluma. The Petaluma church is an outreach of Village Baptist Church in Marin City, which Dr. Akognan pastors. He conducts services in Petaluma at 9 a.m., and then drives down to Marin City to conduct the 11 a.m. service.

Rev. Akognan told me Village Baptist has been in Petaluma about 11 years, and has met at his house, and at the Petaluma Community Center. They moved into Suzanne's a couple years ago.

Pastor Emmanuel preached a challenging and lively sermon on the 7 tests of a Christian. The largely black (African-American) congregation responded to the sermon and the lively worship with enthusiasm. I had a good time.

For those who know Rev. Fred Small, Emmanuel is his son-in-law. Emmanuel is from Nigeria. He received a Doctorate in Ministry from Golden Gate Baptist Seminary.

The Petaluma congregation is small, with about 20-30 in attendance. (I don't how large the Marin City congregation is, but it looks large from their website.) Rev. Akognan told me they have started an outreach to expand the Petaluma congregation. I was blessed from the visit.

Update #1