The history of Emmanuel is a testimony of God's faithfulness—both to this historic congregation and the community it serves. Many saints have prayed and labored over the legacy we enjoy, and through seasons of fierce trial, God has proven that his faithfulness does indeed endure to all generations (Psalm 119:90).

It's been seventy years since one faithful saint began praying for this church; sixty years since the building was finished.

As the work of making disciples in Fallbrook goes on, learn about how Emmanuel was founded, how God has preserved his church, and some of the people who have entrusted their labor in the Lord to us.

"Find ten families and we will come to Fallbrook."

That's what the church planter told the first person—an unnamed individual in the annals of Emmanuel's founding—who began praying for a Southern Baptist congregation in Fallbrook. The year was 1952. Only one family was interested; nine to go.

Five years later, on May 12, 1957, the church that would become Emmanuel met for the first time at the Fallbrook Women's Club. The first offering raised $68.94. Ed Moore was called as the new pastor. That September, the new congregation was named First Southern Baptist Church of Fallbrook. A church was born.

The Elder Street building where the church still meets was dedicated on February 3, 1963. At its largest, the church included some 429 members in 1980.

Following some difficult years of conflict and decline, a small remnant of members remained at Emmanuel. With fewer than ten members left, they were praying about what to do next. Maybe it was time to shut it down.

A local pastor who had recently left his previous ministry was leading a house church at the time, and he was called to step in at Emmanuel. Stan Wujek was ordained here in February 2003 and would serve as Pastor for exactly twenty years—by far the longest tenure of any minister in Emmanuel's history.

Shortly after Pastor Stan and Lillian arrived, Tom and Dorinda Pfingsten (nee Smith) began serving as music leaders. Pastor Stan officiated their wedding in 2006, and Tom was ordained as Associate Pastor in 2020.

The church weathered the COVID-19 crisis by providing recorded services online, then meeting outside as the weather improved in Spring 2020. By Christmas of that year, the life of the church was back to normal. When the Wujeks retired and moved to Minnesota, in February 2023, Tom Pfingsten was called as the new Pastor.

When the first thirty years of its history was compiled in 1982, the historian ended with this benediction: "The First Southern Baptist Church of Fallbrook has a goodly heritage. Many people have dreamed, prayed, worked, and sacrificed to make our church a reality. ... Such heritage lays a heavy burden and responsibility upon us and those who follow us. It also gives promise of a great future."

Today, that future means laying a new foundation for gospel ministry in the Friendly Village and beyond. Emmanuel means "God with us," and he certainly is, has been, and always will be. All glory to God for seventy years and counting!