Unpacking Koreatown with Immanuel Church
/Immanuel Church from The Outside
One look at Immanuel Presbytarian Church’s address -3300 Wilshire Blvd- will let you know it not only sits on what is considered the “east-west arterial road” of Los Angeles but also in the heart of Koreatown. A congregation established in downtown Los Angeles in 1888 before relocating to its current chapel in 1929, the chapel is distinctive and impressive in size and design. In contrast to its neighboring mini-plazas with blue tiled roofs (an ode to the signature roof that houses Korea’s presidents and their families) and office buildings, the church is a French-Gothic architectural marvel of beige-grey stones, columns, arches and stained-glass windows. The property also houses three chapels [one can seat up to 1,500 people and, -fun fact- , it was the backdrop for My Chemical Romance’s music video, “Helena (So Long and Goodnight)”], meeting halls, performance studios and the most astonishing of all: a generously-sized parking lot (a rarity in this part of town).
A glimpse into Immanuel Church’s history also mirrors Koreatown’s shifting demographic over the years. In the 1920s, Immanuel Church was recorded to be a “largely wealthy, overwhelmingly white congregation” with a few thousand members. However by the end of the century, Immanuel Church, in tune to the changing nature of the congregation and neighborhood, became one of the first churches in Los Angeles to conduct bilingual services in English and Spanish, a departure from the separately held services that were held for each language. Fast forward to 2021, the church’s staff and pastors are bilingual (even trilingual) in at least English and Spanish and ministers to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the locals.
With their current congregation of fifty individuals mostly from Latino descent and having had a Korean-Calvinist church formerly use their space, Immanuel Church’s staff made it very clear to me that everyone was welcome, in-person and/or virtually.
“I think people see the building and it can be a little intimidating,” remarked Niamby Rendon, Immanuel Church’s Executive Assistant, “but we try our best to be inclusive. All are welcome. Young and old. All cultures and ethnicities.”
Adding to Rendon’s remarks, Salomon Kim, Immanuel Church’s Community & Volunteer Liaison, commented, “I believe the church can be a place that is intentional about building a diverse community and being truly unified in spite of our differences. As we do things together like serving food and opening clinics, we could narrow the gap and break down walls because we are going towards the same goal.”
Serving Koreatown through Immanuel Church
Once I stepped across the colossal doors, it felt like stepping into a quiet and cozy chapel (the interior is well-insulated from Wilshire Boulevard’s hum). It felt easy to relax and converse.
Niamby Rendon, Immanuel Church’s Executive Assistant, and Salomon Kim, Immanuel Church’s Community & Volunteer Liaison about Immanuel Church today, talked to me about their ongoing projects and their perspective of Koreatown.
Eunice: Please share with me about the incredible projects you have organized, starting with your food pantry and diaper drive and how that all got started.
Sal: We look for ways to serve families and individuals according to the challenges and needs faced within Koreatown. Since COVID, we started doing the food drive three times a week because it was the most urgent and rapidly growing demand. We have received 500 people every [distribution] day from this site alone, and the numbers are increasing. We also have other partners and churches that we truck-deliver our food to, so that more people can have access to the food pantry. Together, we have served over 2,000 families a week. And by doing this, it has become a way to inform the community about the different programs we offer here. It amazes me that we can be a part of what God is doing even with our limited staff. Most of our food pantry is run by volunteers, and we rely highly on them.
Niamby: Before COVID, we had a food pantry welcome to everyone on Saturdays and offered lunches to our unhoused neighbors Monday through Friday. That was an ongoing thing here for 20 to 25 years. Most of the people who come to our food pantry are Latino and Korean, much like the true demographic of Koreatown. People who come to us ARE residents of Koreatown. You see Koreatown in our food line, not just neighbors who are low income and older adults, but also our unhoused neighbors. Homelessness is especially increasing in Koreatown because they are being sent out of downtown into this area. It’s progressively getting worse.
Eunice: Where is the food coming from?
Niamby: We are fortunate to receive most of our food through two partnerships. Shelf food and sources of protein come from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (we are one of their biggest partners) while fresh produce is mainly supplied by Food Forward. Before the [Los Angeles Regional] Food Bank had a contract with a third party vendor, we had worked directly with them, but now, we indirectly work with them through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is a government program.
Eunice: Okay, tell me more about your diaper initiative.
Niamby: That is part of the Family Outreach Program, which expanded through our partnership with the LA Food Bank and through grant writing. It’s a weekly drive that has become busier and busier. So far, we have served over 250 individual households, with almost 800 packs of diapers. Sometimes when we have the funding, we are able to provide formula. A week’s worth of formula can cost you over $40. To some people, that’s not a lot, but that it is a luxury to some. For a woman who can’t breastfeed, it is a necessity. Same with diapers -they are necessities.
Sal: And, by building relationships with these families, we can bring the resources they are looking for. Recently, we hosted flu and COVID vaccine clinic after seeing the interest to get vaccinated. Our first COVID vaccine clinic had a turnout of over 200 people, which was incredible. We are especially hoping to build relationships with people who wouldn’t necessarily have access to health services like this; vaccines are now available to everyone and we are seizing the moment to make it available to everybody, especially people who we’ve built relationships with, who wouldn’t necessarily trust coming to a place to get a vaccine. Also, we have a great interest in developing partnerships that can make mental health services more accessible to our community as well.
Eunice: Last question: How would you describe Koreatown in its unique blessings and people -in short, why do you love this community?
Niamby: Koreatown is one of the most diverse places I’ve been able to experience. This neighborhood is very populated, fast growing and ever-changing. For instance, there are more young and single working professionals here (as opposed to families) than ever before. That’s one of the biggest changes I’ve seen. With the younger population, there’s a greater willingness to open up. You see that through the food, coffee and everything -everything is becoming a fusion of what it used to be: more inclusive, more diverse. Because of that, we have so much more community. It wasn’t necessarily like that before. We were together, but still separate. Now I feel like more of us are all truly together.
Sal: If you love the city, you’ll love Koreatown.
Concluding Thoughts
The closeness of God in Immanuel Church’s staff was so apparent. Their desire to be a hub of hospitality and healing was repeatedly highlighted as they emphasized wanting their space and resources to be used, wanting more on their hands and asking for more hands, to the glory of God.
Sal: Our goal is to fill this exceptional building. Its many empty rooms can be used as meeting and office spaces for the community. For instance, even though we have our own congregation, we have two other unoccupied sanctuaries. By having the space to host different congregations, we can be present for more people looking for spiritual care. All in all, we are praying to be connected to the right people, NGO’s, churches and organizations willing to do God’s work in Koreatown. Additionally, we want to expand our network of connections in order to support, and work in tandem with, other local organizations. We envision Immanuel to be a place for people to become a part of the community and receive spiritual, physical and mental health care, starting from the food, diaper and COVID vaccine initiatives we host.
Niamby: Though our church has limited staff and resources, we have this space with a great location, a lot of room and parking. Maybe in the areas we lack, another non-profit has, so we are asking ourselves, ‘How can we partner with other organizations and help the community together’? Because once we build those stable relationships, I think we can do really amazing things.
Want to Know How to Support or See More of Immanuel Church? : We Don’t Blame You
Partnerships.
Niamby: Immanuel Church is looking for more ways to serve families and individuals according to the neighborhood’s challenges and needs We are trying to find different ways to support our community beyond the food and diaper drives, and planning to expand our network of connections in order to support and work in tandem with other local organizations. We would appreciate it if you could help us connect with different NGO’s, churches and organizations that we can partner with in the future.
Volunteer.
If you are interested in helping the local community meet their needs, consider donating to and/or volunteering at Immanuel! Volunteer opportunities are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am-12pm. To express your interest, fill out their volunteer application, call them at 213-389-3191, or visit their campus. Face masks will be required.
You are Welcome.
If you are interested in attending Immanuel Church’s service - In-person and bilingual services are back at their Westminster Chapel on Sundays at 10:30 AM followed by a fellowship gathering after worship around 11:30 AM. For those at home who would like to live-stream the service, find it here via Facebook Live -commenting and interacting with others is highly encouraged!
Immanuel Church as a Resource.
If you can use extra support for groceries (from stable foods to frozen goods to fresh veggies), consider visiting Immanuel Church’s food drive at 663 S Berendo St. Los Angeles, CA 90005 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 12pm. Ready-to-eat meals are offered to neighbors experiencing homelessness.
If you need diapers, Immanuel Church is offering diapers sizes 1-6 to families in need. Diapers can be received once a month during any of their food distribution days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am-12pm). First time participants must bring their eligible child to sign up.
Stay tuned for Immanuel Church’s pop-up flu clinics offered to the community twice a year in collaboration with Cedar Sinai Hospital at no cost for adults and children. Hygiene kits are also available during their food distribution days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am-12pm) for unsheltered neighbors.
Reach out to them.
More information can be found on their Website or if you have any questions or are interested in partnering with Immanuel Church, call (213-389-3191), e-mail (info@immanuelpres.org) or visit (3300 Wilshire Blvd LA, CA 90010).
Last but certainly not least, stay connected via Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
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Psalm 8:3
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?