Tucked into a quiet block of Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood, St. Paul's First Lutheran Church has proclaimed the Gospel in the San Fernando Valley for more than eighty years. The congregation sits a few blocks from the Red Line, the Orange Line, and the 170 and 101 freeways, drawing members from across the Valley who gather each Sunday for Christ-centered worship and teaching rooted in the Lutheran confessions.
Sunday Worship in the Valley
Worship at St. Paul's centers on what the church calls "serious Bible teaching, excellent music, and beautiful architecture" aimed at fixing eyes on Jesus' saving work. Each Sunday at 10:00 A.M., the congregation gathers for a service that pairs traditional Lutheran liturgy with a clear, relevant sermon. Visitors can expect friendly faces, printed worship folders that follow the order of service, beautiful music, and a focus on God's Word from beginning to end. The church extends a simple invitation: come as you are.
Pastoral messages aim both to convict and to comfort, walking the line between law and gospel that the Lutheran tradition has long emphasized. For those who want to dig deeper into the readings before or after the service, the church also publishes sermons on its YouTube channel and Facebook page, so anyone who misses a Sunday can still follow along.
Bible Study and Sunday School Before Worship
Sunday mornings at St. Paul's are about more than the sanctuary. Before the service, Pastor Timothy Wahl leads an hour-long, discussion-based Bible study that walks through Scripture and gives regular attenders a chance to get to know one another. Adults gather around the text; children make their way to Sunday School, where age-appropriate lessons and take-home crafts introduce the next generation to the same stories and promises.
St. Paul's also encourages daily time in God's Word. The church highlights two WELS devotionals, Through My Bible and Today's Devotion, that members and visitors can use to keep Scripture in front of them throughout the week. A church newsletter rounds out the rhythm of regular teaching and fellowship.
North Hollywood Christian Academy: Preschool Through Eighth Grade
Sharing the same Tujunga Avenue campus, North Hollywood Christian Academy carries forward the founders' conviction that "the soul of education is the education of the soul." The school offers a complete Christ-centered education from preschool through eighth grade, supported by St. Paul's First Lutheran Church. Parents can expect a low student-to-teacher ratio, a full program of music instruction and electives, an expanding technology curriculum, and an athletic program that builds skill and character.
As part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, North Hollywood Christian Academy belongs to one of the largest private school systems in the United States, a network that has operated Christian schools across the country for more than 165 years. Every subject, from arithmetic to art, is taught from a Christian worldview, and every activity is rooted in a Christian environment that aims to foster a love for Christ, kindness, respect, and responsibility. The school also offers Bible classes, family counseling, and worship services for the families it serves.
A Preschool That Nurtures "God's Lambs"
The preschool arm of North Hollywood Christian Academy admits children from age two through Pre-Kindergarten in a warm, loving, and secure environment. Teachers recognize the uniqueness of each child and tailor the pace of learning to the child's own maturation, with the stated goal of nurturing and training young children as followers of their Savior. Parents are warmly invited to drop in for informal visits and become part of both the school and church family.
Beyond academic readiness, the preschool's goals include helping children grow in Christian stewardship, express their faith through relationships with peers, develop their mental talents, grow emotionally, learn to care for their bodies as temples of God, and feel comfortable in a school setting in preparation for kindergarten.
Pastor Timothy Wahl
St. Paul's is served by Pastor Timothy Wahl, a WELS pastor whose path to North Hollywood ran through the heart of the synod's training system. Born and baptized in Broken Bow, Nebraska, he grew up in Nebraska and Wisconsin and attended Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin. He completed the pre-seminary liberal arts program at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, graduating in 2006, and went on to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, where he earned a Master of Divinity in 2010. He served as a vicar at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Aurora, Illinois, and his first call took him to Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Milford, Iowa. In 2013 he accepted a call to Morning Star Lutheran Church in Jackson, Wisconsin. He married Kimberly (Jonas) in 2016, and in 2018 the family was blessed with a daughter, Hannah. Pastor Wahl and his family now make their home in North Hollywood, eager to share the Gospel with the people of St. Paul's First.
Community Connections: Loving the San Fernando Valley
Outreach at St. Paul's flows through the Community Connections Committee, a gospel-driven, service-oriented group that describes its mission in three parts: making meaningful connections by loving neighbors, connecting the church to the community, and connecting the community to God. The committee welcomes opportunities for community engagement that build goodwill and trust, serves and ministers to those in need outside the church body, and reaches out to the homebound and others in need within the church family. Volunteers can get involved by emailing CommunityConnections@StPaulsFirst.org.
One visible expression of this work is the "Feed the Body, Feed the Soul" grocery distribution, which the church lists alongside its other ministries. Food drives and "Blessings Bags" for those facing hard times have been a regular part of the congregation's outreach rhythm, and the church also offers private counseling and spiritual guidance for individuals and families navigating difficult seasons.
Children, Youth, and a Year of Gatherings
St. Paul's is known for being unusually kid-friendly. The church runs two annual outreach events designed to welcome children from the wider community: Easter for Kids, a free afternoon of egg decorating, music, crafts, an Easter message from Pastor Wahl, and a silly skit, and Christmas for Kids, a Saturday program for children age three through fourth grade that includes worship, Bible study, music, crafts, snacks, and games. Vacation Bible School returns each summer with a child-friendly theme, interactive story time, arts and crafts, music, games, and food.
For younger athletes, the St. Paul's Youth Basketball League (SPYBL) introduces boys and girls in kindergarten through third grade to fundamental basketball skills and team play. The school also fields the St. Paul's HOOPS Camp each summer for students entering fourth through eighth grade, a one-week intensive led by the junior high basketball coach and assisted by gifted alumni. For a bigger adventure, Good Shepherd Bible Camp draws St. Paul's and Southern California youth to the California mountains for a full week of outdoor fun, cabin time, campfire singing, and Bible teaching each July.
Outside of these seasonal programs, the calendar also features a Fall Festival, a Sizzling Summer Day Camp that runs daily from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. with swimming, karate, cooking, music, Bible lessons, and field trips, and the Sizzling Summer extended child care that wraps around the program.
Getting Connected and Giving
St. Paul's First Lutheran offers several ways to support its ministry. Online giving is available through the church's secure giving portal by eCheck, debit card, or credit card, and supporters can also set up recurring gifts through their bank's online bill-pay function by directing checks to 5244 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601. The church notes that electronic transactions may carry fees of up to four percent, which the congregation covers, and invites donors to consider adding that percentage to their gift as faithful stewards of what God provides.
Visitors with questions can reach the church office at 818-763-2892 or church@stpaulsfirst.org. The campus is centrally located in North Hollywood, close to multiple freeways and transit lines, and the doors are open to anyone curious about what a WELS congregation in the San Fernando Valley looks like in practice.