A Sixty-Year Family on Shea Boulevard
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church has stood along East Shea Boulevard in northeast Phoenix since 1962, tucked just off AZ-51 in a quiet residential pocket of the city. The congregation's motto, Following Christ, Sharing the Truth, Serving Others, shows up in everything from the warm welcome at the sanctuary door to the community meals prepared for families in medical crisis. Members describe EPC as a small village where people know one another's joys and sorrows, where Sunday School children grow up alongside the adults who teach them, and where the chancel choir, brass ensemble, and handbell choir each add their own voice to the worship life of the church.
The church exists, in its own words, "to connect people to Jesus and each other." That sense of connection runs through the weekly schedule, the mid-week Bible studies, the Zoom prayer gathering, and the many mission projects that send EPC members into the neighborhood and across the world. For newcomers, the simplest introduction is Sunday morning: a traditional service at 10:30 a.m. with hymns, liturgy, choir, and pipe organ, followed by coffee and conversation in the Fireside Room across the courtyard.
The Sanctuary and the Fireside Room
Worship takes place in EPC's Sanctuary, a 3,000-square-foot space with a raised stage that comfortably seats up to 150 guests. The Sanctuary recently underwent a major renovation that began in August and concluded in mid-September, with drywallers, flooring specialists, electricians, carpenters, painters, IT specialists, and a few cheerleaders working alongside members for several weeks. The congregation signed their names on the wall before the work began, marking the close of one season and the start of another. New chairs, light fixtures, and entry doors are still on the horizon, but the freshly finished space is back in use for Sunday worship.
Across the courtyard, the Fireside Room serves as EPC's fellowship hub. At 3,315 square feet, the room can be opened to its full 68-by-30-foot layout or divided by two accordion walls into a 45-by-30 room and a 25-by-30 room. A 75-inch monitor mounted above the fireplace makes it a natural place for presentations, and a fully stocked kitchen sits ready for receptions, dinners, and gatherings of nearly any size. Two adult restrooms, including one with a changing table, support events of every kind. The Fireside Room comfortably seats 75 for a smaller event and accommodates the congregation's coffee hours, potlucks, Bible study suppers, craft circle, and rental gatherings.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
EPC gathers for a single Sunday service at 10:30 a.m., normally running about an hour. The service is traditional in style, with liturgy, hymn singing, a chancel choir anthem, and pipe organ music. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month and at special services throughout the year. Large-print bulletins are available at church, and the order of worship for the coming Sunday is posted each Friday.
Children are welcome in the service. A nursery is available for infants and toddlers through age two, and children age three through sixth grade are invited forward for a Children's Moment near the start of worship before being dismissed to Sunday School classes. Parents whose children prefer to stay may keep them in the pew. After the service, the congregation crosses the courtyard to the Fireside Room for refreshments and conversation, a longstanding EPC tradition that Pastor Jenni calls one of the warmest parts of the church week.
Visitors will find a mix of dress at EPC: many members "dress up" for worship, while others arrive in jeans and t-shirts. Everyone is welcome, and the service is structured so that newcomers can follow along even if they have not been in a Presbyterian church before. The bulletin posted on Friday lists the hymns and scripture readings for the day.
Communion and Baptism
In the Reformed tradition that EPC inherits as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation, two sacraments are celebrated: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Communion is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ and seek to be his faithful disciples, with the table set the first Sunday of every month and at special services during Advent, Lent, and other seasons. Members who cannot attend Sunday worship may arrange to receive communion at home by contacting the church office.
Baptism is described by EPC as "the sign and seal of God's covenant of grace," a sign that God's love claims a person long before they are able to claim it for themselves. Infant and child baptisms are acts of the whole congregation, with members vowing to guide and nurture the baptized in the Christian life. Youth and adults are baptized when they join the church through confirmation or a new members class, demonstrating their own faith and desire to belong to the EPC family.
Three Musical Ministries
Music is central to EPC's identity. Three ensembles (the Chancel Choir, the Handbell Choir, and the Brass+ ensemble) each add something distinctive to worship.
The Chancel Choir leads singing every Sunday from September through May, offering a mix of traditional and praise music. The choir rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., immediately before the service. Carolyn Blackburn, Director of Music, leads the choir and is accompanied by Michael Ellis, the church organist. A Kansas native, Michael began playing piano at age eight and has served as organist and pianist in Kansas and Phoenix churches since 1970. He has been Emmanuel's organist for more than twenty-five years.
The Handbell Choir rings for worship about once a quarter and rehearses on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The ensemble is open to anyone who would like to ring, regardless of experience. The Brass+ ensemble, a multi-generational group open to anyone who plays an instrument, adds to worship monthly and rehearses on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Both ensembles are coordinated by the Director of Music.
Prayer Life
Prayer is a stated core value of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, and the congregation gathers to pray in several ways. A weekly prayer group meets by Zoom on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., giving members a regular touchpoint to lift up concerns, listen to God, and encourage one another. Members can also email prayer requests to the office, where they are shared with the prayer team and may be posted in the Sunday bulletin.
A monthly prayer list is published, and prayer is woven through Sunday worship, mid-week Bible studies, and the personal devotional life that Pastor Jenni often writes about in her weekly notes. The prayer ministry's purpose, as the church describes it, is to "speak to God, listen to God, and encounter God."
Children, Youth, and Sunday School
Children are always welcome at EPC, and the church's programming reflects that. After the Children's Moment in worship, children age three through sixth grade head to Sunday School for the remainder of the service. The Sunday School year includes a Christmas pageant, a Palm Sunday procession, a back-to-school party, a craft ministry to shut-ins, and an end-of-the-school-year celebration, among other activities. Child care is available upon request for infants and toddlers up to age three.
EPC is small enough that older youth are typically folded into the wider life of the congregation, joining fellowship events, mission projects, and the kinds of intergenerational gatherings the church loves to host.
Adults: Bible Studies, Circles, and Small Groups
EPC offers a steady rhythm of mid-week Bible study opportunities throughout the year. Recent studies have included a Lenten Soup Supper and Study of Timothy Keller's The Prodigal God, a summer series watching and discussing episodes of the television program The Chosen, and a fall dessert-and-study led by Pastor Jenni on gratitude. Studies typically run four to six weeks, and each session is designed to stand on its own so that newcomers can drop in without feeling behind.
Two long-running fellowship groups anchor the adult life of the church. The Mary/Martha Circle, a women's group, meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room (September through May) and is currently studying the Book of Romans. The Crafters meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. and work on projects in support of Operation Christmas Child and the church's annual mission fundraiser. Small groups meet weekly at various times and locations around the city, with new groups forming each fall.
Mission: Local and Global
EPC's mission team describes itself as having "a heart for service." Members give financially and serve personally, and the church keeps a low bar for adopting new projects. Local outreach includes ongoing food and financial support for the Paradise Valley Food Bank and St. Mary's Food Bank, meal preparation for families at the Hope and Healing Home near Mayo Clinic, the annual Salvation Army Water Drive during Arizona's extreme summer heat, Mother's Day purses for women in assisted living, and Elder TLC Christmas gifts for nursing home residents. A holiday craft and bake sale each year raises additional funds for mission work.
Internationally, EPC has built a home in Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico every February for more than twenty years through Amor Ministries. The whole-church effort raises the build funds each year, and the Crafters sew a quilt and curtains for the new home while other members donate household items and toys. The church also supports a Collins missionary family engaged in aviation ministry, contributes to One Great Hour of Sharing (a Presbyterian fund responding to global crises), provides free online resources to missionaries through My Missionary Online, and packs Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Each school year, the Shuchell Dooshi Masani Foundation receives backpacks and school supplies from EPC for the children of the Navajo Nation.
Fellowship Events and Community
Throughout the year, EPC gathers as a community for meals, fellowship, and fun. Recurring favorites include a Rally Sunday BBQ lunch open to the wider community, the church's well-known Trunk or Treat Halloween event, a Community Thanksgiving Meal, and evenings out together at Phoenix Rising FC soccer games and Arizona Diamondbacks Faith and Family Night. Pastor Jenni often writes in her weekly notes about the congregation as a village (small, close, and powerful through Christ) and the fellowship calendar reflects that ethos.
Weddings, Funerals, and Rental Spaces
Emmanuel hosts weddings, funerals, and memorial services for both members and the wider community. The Sanctuary seats up to 150 guests for a wedding, while the Fireside Room can host a reception or smaller ceremony for up to 75. The pastor and congregation walk alongside families in both seasons, leaning on the promise from Romans 8 that nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Outside groups can also rent EPC's spaces. The Fireside Room is a flexible 3,315-square-foot hall; the Zehr Youth Building offers about 1,000 square feet including a nursery, preschool room, and main room that opens onto the playground; and the Sanctuary is available for concerts and special events outside Sunday services. Inquiries go through the church office during regular hours.
What We Believe
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church describes itself as "a family of believers pursuing a personal relationship with Christ and seeking fellowship with one another, guided by the truth of the Holy Bible, and furthering God's work in Christ's name." The congregation's Statement of Faith affirms that God is self-revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that Jesus was truly human and truly divine; that the Holy Spirit lives in and empowers believers; that Scripture is inspired and authoritative for life and faith; that Jesus died and was raised for our salvation; and that salvation is a free gift of grace received through faith in Christ. Members are called to love God and neighbor and to rejoice, with believers everywhere, that nothing in life or death can separate us from God's love in Christ.
EPC is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The church has been part of northeast Phoenix since 1962 and traces its life through five pastors, with Reverend Dr. Jennifer Blake ("Pastor Jenni") currently serving as the fifth. Pastor Jenni became the church's fifth pastor in September 2023. A California native, she holds an undergraduate degree in Children's Ministry from Hope International University, along with a Master of Divinity (1999), a Master in Family Studies (2011), and a Doctor of Ministry (2017) from Fuller Theological Seminary. She has more than twenty-five years of pastoral ministry experience in Central Kansas, Southern California, Nebraska, and now Arizona.
Visiting Emmanuel Presbyterian Church
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church is located at 3839 East Shea Boulevard, Phoenix, Arizona 85028, just off AZ-51 in the northeast part of the city. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m., with the chancel choir rehearsing at 9:00 a.m. during the program year. The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and can be reached by phone at (602) 996-4245 or by email at office@epcchurch.org. Donations can be made online, mailed to the church address, or brought in person during worship. The church observes Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, a Blue Christmas service, and Christmas Eve each year, in addition to its weekly rhythm of worship, prayer, study, and mission.