On the corner of East Harvard Road and 5th Street in Burbank, California, a single-story sanctuary has gathered Christians for morning worship every Sunday since June 8, 1941. Emmanuel Church sits in a quiet residential pocket of the city, just blocks from the studios where Burbank's entertainment industry works through the week, and it functions as something rare in Southern California: a multigenerational congregation with roots deep enough to span four generations of the same families, an identity tied to a clear theological tradition, and a present-day rhythm of Bible teaching, prayer, and ministry that draws in everything from newborns in the nursery to retirees in Sunday morning classes.
What follows is a look at who Emmanuel is, what it teaches, how it organizes its life together, and what a first-time visitor can expect on a Sunday morning or during the week.
From a Burbank Prayer Meeting to a Global-Sending Church
Emmanuel Church was born out of a Wednesday night prayer meeting held in the home of Emmanuel and Elizabeth Peterson. The Petersons had moved to Burbank from Illinois in the 1930s, along with other Christians who had come from Scandinavian countries. With the closest evangelical church of their tradition hours away in Pasadena, before the days of freeways, the small group grew into what was first called the Home Missions Group of Burbank, drawing about fifty people who shared a common faith and a common longing for a church of their own.
Emmanuel Peterson bought an old church building in the neighborhood, and on June 8, 1941, the first service was held. The congregation was originally known as the American-Scandinavian Church before eventually taking the name The Emmanuel Church of Burbank. Today the same sanctuary stands on East Harvard Road, and the congregation still describes itself as a multigenerational church of people of all ages and stages of life.
The Evangelical Free Church of America Connection
In the early 1950s, Emmanuel Church became a part of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). The relationship has continued for decades, and the church fully affirms the EFCA Statement of Faith.
The EFCA is an fellowship of evangelical Free churches that grew out of the merger of two Swedish-influenced bodies, the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association, both of which had roots in the revival movements of the late nineteenth century. For Emmanuel, this heritage is more than institutional. The Scandinavian prayer-meeting origins of the congregation flow directly into the broader EFCA story, and the church's identity as a place shaped by strong Bible teaching, meaningful worship, and a commitment to discipleship from the youngest to the most senior members reflects that lineage.
Emmanuel has a long history of supporting world missions through the EFCA network and other partners, a thread that runs from the founding generation to the present day.
Belong, Grow, Reach: The Framework That Shapes Everything
Emmanuel organizes its entire ministry around a three-word framework drawn from the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The church's stated long-term ministry framework is to help people Belong to God and the Church, Grow in Faith and Service, and Reach At Home and Away. The three main tools for this are Worship, Discipleship, and Outreach. Every strategy, plan, ministry, and event is meant to support these goals.
The Belong pillar is grounded in passages like 1 Peter 2:9 and Romans 12:4-5, the language of God's people as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a body with many members who all belong to one another. Emmanuel frames the church as a family called into the ministry of reconciliation, a safe and welcoming place where people can experience the living God and find true belonging.
The Grow pillar is anchored in Colossians 2:6-7 and 1 Peter 4:10-11, the call to be rooted and built up in Christ and to use whatever gifts have been received to serve others. For Emmanuel, growth is a process aimed at teleios, the Greek word used in the New Testament for completeness, maturity, and wholeness. Growing in faith and service means becoming more and more like Jesus, growing in right belief (orthodoxy), right feeling (orthopathy), and right action (orthopraxy).
The Reach pillar draws on Acts 1:8 and Romans 10:14-15, the vision of bearing witness in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The church understands the mission field as both local and global, not either-or. As God provides the people and the means, Emmanuel seeks to respond to His call by training and commissioning its congregation to share the good news with the whole world.
Sunday Morning Worship at 9:30
The main worship gathering is at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary on East Harvard Road. The service lasts just over an hour and is structured around a warm welcome, meaningful worship in song, prayer, and a Bible-based message. The church invites anyone curious to come as they are.
The congregation is multigenerational and intergenerational, with families, college students, working adults, and seniors worshipping together. The worship is led by Matt Hiett and is supported by a music team. Messages are typically part of an extended teaching series that walks through a single book of the Bible over many weeks.
The service is livestreamed on YouTube every Sunday morning, so those who cannot attend in person can worship along at home. Recordings are added to the Service Archive afterward.
Sundays at 11:00: Koinonia, The Gathering, The Breakfast Club, and Youth Small Groups
After the corporate worship service, Emmanuel offers four options at 11:00 a.m. for fellowship, teaching, and deeper community.
Koinonia meets in Garden Room A and combines sharing, prayer, and Bible teaching, along with social gatherings throughout the year. All adults are welcome.
The Gathering meets in Garden Room C and is positioned as a welcoming group for fun fellowship and spiritual growth, with coffee and treats each week.
The Breakfast Club meets in the church foyer and walks over to the home of Greg and Britta Maslyk for a sit-down breakfast. Most of the regulars are in their twenties, but all ages are invited. The focus is unhurried fellowship over a shared meal.
Youth Small Groups meet in the Lower Youth Center, which is across the street from the sanctuary. Middle school and high school students gather for relationship building with one another and with God.
The 2026 Yearly Focus: A Praying People
Each year Emmanuel adopts a single yearly focus that ties the church's life together. The 2026 focus is A Praying People.
The premise is straightforward. Psalm 127 reminds the church that unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Anything not built on prayer, the pastoral team has written, is destined to fail. So the goal for the year is to go from being a church that prays to being a praying church.
To support that, the church publishes weekly Prayer Guides, each one tied to a passage of Scripture and a theme. Recent weeks have walked through preparing hearts to hear from the Father as adopted children, adopting God's perspective on trials, renewing the mind, loving the neighbor, praying for the good of the city, praying for state leaders, participating in God's redemptive story, and persevering in faith through the Holy Spirit. The guides are organized across four quarterly movements: preparing hearts to respond to God, participating in the story and mission of God, persevering through every season and struggle, and proclaiming the glory of God.
For anyone interested in a sustained, communal prayer practice, the Prayer Guides are the on-ramp.
Walking Through the Letter of James
The current teaching series is a long, detailed walk through the New Testament letter of James. The preaching team treats James as a pastoral letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, to Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem during the persecutions described in Acts 11:19. It is being read as one of the earliest Christian writings, possibly composed in the early to mid-40s A.D., soaked in the teaching of Jesus, and structured around 54 imperatives in its 108 verses, more commands per word than any other New Testament book.
Series messages include an Introduction to James, Trials, Got Wisdom?, Choose Life!, Genuine Faith, Living the Word, Favoritism, A Praying Faith, Wise Words, What Is Your Life?, Wisdom from Above and Below, Perfection, Wisdom for the Rich and Poor, Favoritism, Draw Near, Jesus Wins, Some Godly Guidance on How to Live in the Meantime, Enduring Well, and Turn from Error.
The series argues that James is centrally concerned with what faith looks like in practice, with faith understood as the union of knowing, believing, and obeying God. Genuine faith, James teaches, is alive, working through love, shaped by the word planted within, and tested through trials into maturity. The goal is not moral self-improvement but the formation of people whose lives match the truth they claim to believe.
Philippians: Imitating Christ
Alongside the James series, the church has also been working through Philippians under the title Philippians: Imitating Christ. The series traces Paul's call to adopt the mindset of Christ, who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, becoming obedient even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11).
Messages in this series include No Thanks. Faith Is Enough, which explores justification by faith through the lens of Abraham, circumcision, and the Jerusalem Council, and Two Examples, Man and Servant, which traces the imitation of Christ in the life of the believer.
Both series together give the church a long, sustained engagement with Scripture rather than isolated topical messages.
Youth Ministry for Middle and High School Students
Emmanuel's youth ministry serves students in middle school and high school and gathers twice during the week.
On Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., students meet in the Lower Youth Center, across the street from the sanctuary, for small group time centered on purposeful relationship building, fun, and refreshing, a way to start the week by reminding one another that God is present no matter what the days ahead hold.
On Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., the larger youth group meets for snacks, games, worship through prayer, and a message. Students are encouraged to bring friends, and the atmosphere is intentionally more relaxed and celebratory.
Beyond the weekly rhythm, the ministry takes students to winter and summer camps, hosts a spring retreat at the beach, and plans monthly activities throughout the year. The ministry is led by Lisa Hoffman and supported by Trevor Strang as Associate Youth Minister.
Children's Ministry and Nursery
Elementary-aged students in grades K through 5 meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays in Room 1 of the Children's Ministry building during the morning worship service. Parents check in their students and then head to the sanctuary for the service.
The ministry aims to partner with families in preparing the next generation to grow in their relationship with Jesus and to feel secure in God's love for them. Through games, community, and Bible exploration, children come to understand the story of God as told in Scripture and their place in it.
The Nursery cares for babies through pre-school-aged children in a secure, friendly, stimulating environment. Dedicated teachers introduce the youngest children to God's love and to biblical truths in age-appropriate ways.
Karen Russo leads the Children's Ministry, and Kathy Drummond serves as Nursery and Compliance Coordinator.
Women's Ministry and Bible Studies
The women's ministry gathers women from middle school age and up for fellowship and intergenerational relationships founded on a mutual love of God. The Women's Council, which includes Kym Blazer, Janessa Godwin-Austen, Lisa Hoffman, and Christal Rundblade, provides leadership.
Two weekly Bible studies run during the spring and fall semesters. On Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., a study meets in the coffee bar next to the sanctuary, led by Bev McLeod. On Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., a study meets in the Lower Auditorium, led by Pat McCauley. Both studies are open to women of all ages, and the ministry also hosts events throughout the year.
Men's Ministry
The men's ministry offers a place for men of all ages to connect, encourage, and grow together in becoming men who act and love like Christ. The ministry operates as part of the broader small-group and discipleship rhythm at Emmanuel, and the church points men toward the regular Bible studies and gathering times as the main entry point.
Leadership: Pastors, Elders, and Deacons
Emmanuel is led by a pastoral team, a body of elders, and a board of deacons.
The staff includes Lead Pastor Andrea Di Francia, Teaching Pastor David Hoffman, Congregational Care Pastor Bob Drummond, Worship Leader Matt Hiett, Children's Minister Karen Russo, Youth Minister Lisa Hoffman, Associate Youth Minister Trevor Strang, Nursery and Compliance Coordinator Kathy Drummond, Facilities Manager Dan Russo, Property Manager Aden Sternberg, and Office Manager and Bookkeeper Kathy Lew.
The elders are Brian Blazer, Craig Larson, Greg Maslyk, Kevin Mokracek, and John Zook. The deacons are Stephanie Anderson, Janessa Godwin-Austen, and Karen Voorhis.
This team of pastors, elders, and deacons reflects the EFCA's conviction that the local church is led by a plurality of elders and served by deacons, with staff pastors and ministry directors working alongside them in the work of ministry.
What Emmanuel Believes
Emmanuel holds to the full authority of Scripture as the inspired Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation, the church teaches, the Bible tells the story of God's love for the world and His redemptive plan for all creation.
Emmanuel believes that the church is God's central witness to the world and seeks to be the church the Bible calls it to be: a community that faithfully demonstrates and proclaims the love of God to neighbors near and far, practicing the centrality of worship, the responsibility of discipleship, and the command to reach out to others with the truth and love of God.
Because of its EFCA affiliation, Emmanuel fully affirms the Evangelical Free Church of America's Statement of Faith. The church understands the church of Jesus Christ as representing Him well through truth, love, mercy, compassion, generosity, and service to others.
Giving and Online Worship
Emmanuel encourages giving as a response to who God is and what He has done, not as a duty or obligation. Giving is framed as one of the ways the congregation grows in faith and service, with time, energy, and resources reflecting what is valued.
Gifts can be given online through a secure account, in person during a Sunday service by check or cash placed in the offering plate, or by mail to the church address. Newcomers and first-time visitors are explicitly told not to feel any pressure to give; the church's first invitation is to come and see whether Emmanuel is the right fit.
The Sunday service is livestreamed on YouTube at 9:30 a.m. and remains available afterward as part of the Service Archive, alongside a deep library of sermon notes from the James and Philippians series. Prayer Guides and sermon notes are posted in full on the church's site, with links to outside resources such as the Bible Project and Blue Letter Bible for further study.
A Church at the Corner
Emmanuel is, in many ways, a portrait of mid-century Southern California congregational life: a small sanctuary tucked into a residential block, a long lineage of pastors and families, a denomination that prizes both theological depth and warm community, and a present-day ministry that stretches from the nursery to the elderly, from Burbank to the ends of the earth.
For a first-time visitor, the path in is straightforward. Show up on a Sunday morning at 9:30, find the sanctuary on the corner of Harvard Road and 5th Street, expect a warm welcome and just over an hour of worship, prayer, and Bible teaching, and know that there are classes, groups, meals, and ministries for every age waiting afterward. Come as you are.