Who is welcome at Manna?
Anyone!
Who attends Manna?
Christians of various kinds (for instance, non-denominationals, evangelicals, Presbyterians, Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, charismatics), non-Christians, and people who don't know what these terms mean.
Is Manna primarily for Asian Americans?
Not at all! In 1994, a handful of Korean students wanted to reach out to some of their Asian American friends who had stopped going to church or Christian fellowship. These students started Manna in order to contextualize the gospel to the Asian American community.
Since then, the focus and direction of Manna have significantly changed. As we wrestled with questions of faith and ethnicity, it was clear that gospel moved in the direction of breaking down barriers. Manna became increasingly focused on the gospel message as the unifying center of its identity and purpose. We recognized that the gospel is "slippery" - it is easily overlooked, oversimplified and underestimated. Now, Manna is no longer primarily for Asian Americans since the gospel clearly unites people not by race or gender or class, but by faith in Jesus. Manna encourages the participation of all people in our community, so that we can experience in community the fullness of the gospel worldview.
Do I need to know anything about Christianity to come?
No, but we trust that you'll learn something when you do come.
Where does Manna meet?
All over campus. Our large group meetings are held in Architecture 101. But if you really want to be in the loop, email us at manna@princeton.edu to let us know.
What do you do?
The students in Manna love doing things together, whether it be ad-hoc gatherings, prayer meetings, spontaneous worship, game nights, movies, and eating lots and lots of food.
What does Manna believe?
We believe that God, who speaks through His words in Scripture, is renewing everything in the world - including us - through the the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We refer to this reality as the holistic gospel, the good news that God is weaving his shalom throughout the entire world.
We also affirm the theology of the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
What does "manna" mean?
Literally, "What is it?", from the Hebrew. For a fuller description, see Exodus 16:15-16. In brief, the significance of Manna ultimately finds its meaning in the Living Bread who is Jesus.
Is Manna affiliated with a national organization?
No, Manna was started by Princeton students for Princeton students in 1994.
What's the difference between Manna and the other Christian fellowships?
Well, that's a hard one! The best way to sort out the differences is to check out each fellowship for yourself. As you do that, we can suggest paying attention to some of the following factors: mission statements and core beliefs, worship and sermon styles, small group formats, events and programming, opportunities for you to serve, and the various fun things that happen week to week.
How does Manna view the differences between Christian groups?
In accordance with Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17:20-26, Manna desires to encourage unity within the body of Christ. Jesus's prayer clearly reflects the norm of a unity that finds its basis in the very being of God. The fellowship within the God head is the unity which all believers are called to enjoy and strive towards.
However, we are painfully aware of the differences that divide the various Christian churches and denominations. From the separation of the Ancient Oriental churches in approximately 500 AD, the Orthodox Churches around 1000 AD, to the Catholic/Protestant split near 1500 AD, history is filled with the breaking of fellowship in keeping with the respective convictions of what purity in the body of Christ entails.
In our desire for unity, we don't wish to slip into an easy relativism which disregards the nature of truth and the deep theological concerns which have separated brothers and sisters. We acknowledge that truth claims cannot be overlooked for the sake of unity. However, we must respectfully approach and seek to understand those traditions which may seem foreign and even wrong to us. No single church, group or individual possesses a monopoly on truth, for the fullness of truth resides only in the person of Christ. For this reason, we must be aware of our own sinful tendencies towards the arrogant conviction, whether spoken or unspoken, that our group is the truer body of Christ. For Christ has designed His body to be inter-connected and inter-dependent in order for it to accomplish its task as salt and light in this world. When we are fragmented, we diminish the glory of Jesus in our witness to His life, beauty, truth, justice, peace, and human dignity.
Therefore, as we trust in God's plans, Manna promotes reciprocal learning amongst groups as an 'exchange of gifts' illuminating the gospel in its life encompassing fullness. We acknowledge the need and value to learn from other groups which have been gifted in understanding other aspects of the multi-faceted gospel. What this concretely means is that we welcome insights from various traditions to help our participants develop a holistic way of following Jesus, one that recognizes the global nature of the gospel and its development. Our hope is that as the depths of the gospel is plumbed in all its rich diversity, a unity will be forged as people are drawn nearer to Jesus.