Immanuel First Lutheran Church

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About Us > History

History of Immanuel First

Growing with the Suburbs

During the 1950's, West Covina was transformed from a farming community into a rapidly growing Los Angeles suburb in the housing boom following the end of World War II. According to the official city website, it was at one time the fastest growing city in the United States. In fact, West Covina grew so fast that new homes often had to wait up to two years to be wired for landline telephone service because utilities couldn't keep up with the construction boom.

In 1954, admidst all this rapid change, 22 Lutherans gathered at a mortuary chapel on Glendora Avenue for the first services of what was to become Immanuel First Lutheran Church. The name of our church has a dual meaning: "Immanuel" in reference to one of the many names for Jesus given in the Bible, meaning "God is with us"; and "First" for being the first congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the city.

Eight months later, the young congregation purchased six acres of land on the corner of Walnut Grove on the banks of the Walnut Creek Wash, near the business center of the developing community. Construction of the original chapel began three months later with the laying of the first cornerstone.

Young families of the congregation wishing to provide Christian education for their children formed the first school in 1957. Our commitment to Christ-centered education continues today in our thriving Sunday School and youth group programs.

In 1970 we placed a second cornerstone to begin construction of our beautiful 300-seat sanctuary. In 2002 it was renovated with new carpeting and amenities to further enhance the worship atmosphere. In 2004-2005 our preschool campus was renovated with a new red and white paint design on the buildings, new playground equipment and a fun barnyard theme. In 2006 the northwest corner of the church property was developed into a lighted, landscaped parking lot and leased to East Valley Community Health Center for use on the weekdays and church use on weekends. It earned the church a city beautification award in 2007 for its design and contribution to improving the quality of the community.

Sharing God's Unchanging Love in Changing Times

West Covina today is a prosperous, ethnically diverse city of 111,400 people covering 17 square miles. Interstate 10 runs through the heart of town and provides convenient access to our church at the Vincent Avenue exit.

A major retail, employment and recreational hub in the San Gabriel Valley, West Covina boasts two Westfield shopping centers, two Target department stores, Queen of the Valley Hospital, the busy Auto Plaza and Restaurant Row, and the Little Manila shopping district at Azusa Avenue and Amar Road. Parks include the historic Hurst Ranch on Orange Avenue, Orangewood Park's popular roller hockey arena, Ridge Riders equestrian center, Galster Park wilderness area and Big League Dreams sports park.

And yet while the West Covina area has changed in so many ways, the spiritual needs and social concerns our friends and neighbors face remain the same. Traditional markers of success and well-being, such as a good education, respectable career, healthy family or strong moral principles, cannot fill the deep needs of the soul. Nor can they answer questions we all ask, such as the meaning of life, the problem of evil and the purpose of our existence. Like the title of a classic song by the rock band U2, our neighbors still haven't found what they are looking for.

What is needed is a relationship with Jesus Christ, the lover of our souls, Who died that we might not be cut off from God but instead have eternal life with Him through faith in what Jesus did for us. While the world is always changing, Jesus and His love are the same yesterday, today and forever. Immanuel First continues to share that never-changing Good News with the community just as we have since that first service at the mortuary on Glendora Avenue. This is best summed up in our mission and purpose, adopted by the congregation in 2004— "To share God's love, comfort and hope with all."

Every week, Immanuel First members produce large-print scriptures for the visually impaired at Lutheran Braille Work Center #199 in La Puente. Recognizing the needs of a changing and diverse community, Immanuel First shares its God-given facilities with Grace Chinese Alliance Church and proudly supports our Immanuel First Vietnamese Lutheran Church.

The church also serves the children and families of our community in numerous ways. Immanuel First Lutheran Prechool serves families with our day-long and half-day programs. We also have three thriving scouting programs: West Covina Cub Scout Pack 51 chaired by Debbie Okubo, and two Girl Scout troops, Daisy Troop 414 and Brownie Troop 418, both led by Tiffany Claxton. Children in our congregation are also taught Lutheran doctrine and beliefs every year in our confirmation classes taught by Pastor Okubo.

The IFL Choir, directed by A.J. Casas, sings traditional hymns and contemporary worship songs at our Sunday services. Immanuel First's Vietnamese fellowship has a youth band, The Forgiven, praising our Lord with a modern worship sound that connects with the younger, second-generation members of the church.

The Vietnamese fellowship further reaches out to the community with ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for Vietnamese-speaking residents and with Pastor An Thai's translation of Luther's Small Catechism and Friendship Evangelism into Vietnamese for use in Lutheran churches nationwide with Vietnamese populations.

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