Urban Ministry

“Urban” is a difficult term to define and means different things to different people.  It may refer to a very wealthy population or people in poverty. It may reflect     a white, European population or people of many nations, cultures, and languages.          It may even refer to a life style.

The Northern Illinois District has congregations in many urban settings.               The largest urban area in the district is in Chicago but there are other areas that fit a definition of urban and are engaged in urban ministries. Places like Rockford, Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, and Kankakee are urban areas also. Some characteristics of “urban”     are also found in what are commonly assumed to be “suburban” areas.

Regional Urban Churches

Some of our urban congregations are regional rather than strictly neighborhood churches. They draw from a wider area but still involved themselves in local community ministries. In Chicago, churches such at St. James and First St. Paul fit that description. First St. Paul ministers in a wealthy area just north of the loop but also has provided a soup kitchen for the homeless for many years.

In other urban areas, St. Paul, Rockford, is a regional church but has provided     a housing project in the neighborhood for low income families. St. John, Elgin, in cooperation with the district and other area churches, provides an outreach to the Hispanic population that surrounds their church in downtown Elgin. San Pablo is a Hispanic ministry in the middle of a low income, Hispanic community in Aurora.                St. Peter, Joliet, and St. Paul, Kankakee, are regional but also sponsor schools that reach out to their neighborhoods.

Ethnic Urban Churches

Some urban churches would be seen as community or neighborhood churches.  Those that continue to serve their communities are those that have seen the changes in their communities and changed with them to serve the population that surrounds them. One example would be First Immanuel at Roosevelt and Ashland in Chicago.     This was a very old German church that transition with the community as it began to serve the African Americans that were living in the public housing in that area at the time. It now faces other changes as the community has begun to reflect the medical center and the University of Illinois in the area.  Other churches that have transition      as their communities changed are St. Paul, in the Austin area, St. Paul, in the Grand Crossing community, Zion at 99^th and Winston and Zion at 109^th and Martin Luther King Drive. For a complete list of congregations serving African Americans, see below:

• Christ the King, 3701 S. Lake Park, Chicago. Rev. John Brazeal is pastor and Geraldine Brazeal is principal of the school. The church sponsored an affordable housing project for the Oakland/Kenwood community in conjugation with special government programs. For information, call 773/536-1984
• First Immanuel, 1124 S Ashland, Chicago, is located close to downtown and near  the west side medical complex. The congregation has sponsored an Asian ministry in the past and currently houses the Chicagoland International Student Ministry in the house next to the church. For information, call 312/733-6886.
• Resurrection, 9349 S Wentworth, Chicago. This congregation is one of two congregations in Chicago that was founded as an African American congregation.  It was establish in 1952 and offers a school. Rev. Larry Frazier is pastor and Shirley Johnson is principal. For information, call 773/928-6311.
• St. Philip, 6232 S Eberhart Ave., Chicago. This congregation was founded in 1926 as an African American congregation when our churches were still segregated.   Dr. Marmaduke Carter was the founding pastor. It has an active youth program to reach the youth of the community. Rev. Elstner Lewis is pastor.  For information, call 773/493-3865 or visit their website.
• St. Paul (Austin), 846 N. Menard, Chicago. This congregation became a predominantly African American congregation during the 70's and 80's.               Rev. Steven Everette is pastor and Glen Kuck is principal of the school.                For information, call 773/378-6644 or visit their website. 
• St. Paul, 7621 S. Dorchester, Chicago. St Paul has served this south side       African American community for many years. The pastoral duties are currently being fulfilled by Rev. Paul Anderson, pastor of New Hope Lutheran Church.  Jeffrey Howell is principal of the school. Call 773/721-1438 for more information.
• St. Stephan’s Lutheran Church, 910 W. 65^th St., Chicago
• Timothy Lutheran Church, 1700 W. 83^rd St., Chicago, is served by                 Rev. James Foley. William Smith is principal of the school.                              The congregation became an African American congregation in the 60’s and 70’s. For information, call 773/874-7333.
• Trinity Lutheran Church, 10 W. 150^th St., Harvey. Currently the congregation is without a pastor.
• Zion, 9901 W. Winston, Chicago, Rev. Stephane Kalonji. Pastor Kalonji was ordained and installed at Zion in June 2005.
• Zion, 10858 S. King Drive, Chicago. Rev. Jimmy McCants is pastor of Zion.          For more information, call 773/928-3530.

Cross Cultural Ministries

Many of our congregations have the opportunity to reach out to other cultures and languages. Some sponsor these ministries by themselves, such as Good Shepherd, Berwyn; some are in partnership with a circuit or surrounding churches, such as Santa Fe, Cicero and San Pablo, Aurora. Others have become involved in partnership with the district and other sources. The district has two called missionaries in Hispanic ministries and one in African Immigrant ministry. The district also helps support a ministry to Muslims, through People of the Book for Lutheran Outreach (POBLO) and centered at St. John, La Grange.  Below is a list of some of the cross cultural ministries going on in our district at this time:

Hispanic Ministries

• Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 5344 S Francisco Ave, Chicago (SELC) is on the south side of Chicago. This congregation is served by Rev. Joel Bastida.

• Good Shepherd Our Redeemer, Berwyn offers services in English and Spanish     each Sunday. Rev. Dr. Sorensen is bi-lingual and officiates at both services.        The church is located at 6717 W. 19th Street. For more information, call the church: 708/788-9054.
• Jehovah/El Buen Pastor 3740 W Belden, Chicago, is a combination of two congregations, one Anglo and one Hispanic. It is located on the North West side    of Chicago. Rev. Dr. Eric Moeller is pastor and Mrs. JoEllen Hoffmann is principal of the school. For information, call Rosa at 773/342-5854 or email the office.
• San Pablo, Aurora, Rev. Alex Merlo. This Hispanic congregation has purchased the property that once belonged to St. Paul, Aurora at 555 E. Benton Avenue and has become the first NID self supporting Hispanic congregation. Sunday worship attendance is about 150. For more information visit their website.
• St. Paul, 1025 Lake St., Melrose Park, is located near Maywood and Walther High School.  It has offered Hispanic services for many years. Rev. Thomas Johnson is pastor and conducts services in English and Spanish. Call the church office for times of services 708/343-1000 or visit their website.

Missionaries at Large called by NID to establish ministries to Hispanic communities:

• Hector Canjura, is currently working at Trinity Lutheran Church, Wrightwood and Meade, Chicago. Trinity is located in a Hispanic community on the northwest side of Chicago.  Services are held each Sunday at 11:00am. Bible classes and ESL classes are also offered. For information, call Pastor Canjura at 773/237-5045.
• Rev. Carlos Catalan is currently working in partnership with St. John, Elgin to develop the Hispanic outreach of St. John to the Elgin community.
• Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rockford, continues to offer Hispanic ministry             which was started by Pastor Catalan. For more information call their office at 847/397-2227.

Congregations offering Hispanic ministry with partnership support from NID and other sources:

• Faith Lutheran Church, 3601 S 61^st Ave., Cicero: Rev. Guillermo Jerez is pastor, offering worship services in both English and Spanish each Sunday. They offer several home Bible study groups and groups that meet at the church. They will soon be able to offer the community a day care center, much needed in that area. Circuit #18 has supported this mission for several years. For information, contact Pastor Jerez at 708/652-6414.
• La Santisima Trinidad Lutheran Church meets at Grace Lutheran Church, 28^th and Karlov, Chicago. Alfredo Tenario is their lay leader and also a student at the Hispanic Institute, working toward ordination.
• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2108 W 21^st St., Chicago: Rev. Julio Loza serves both the Anglo and Hispanic congregations. The church offers a soup kitchen and a food pantry for the community.  For information about the church or how you can help the soup kitchen and food pantry, contact Pastor Loza at 773/847-6458 or visit their website.

Other Cross Cultural Outreach Ministries

African Immigrant Ministries: For information on any of the following ministries contact: Rev. Donald Gourlay, 708/386-2219 or view the website.

• Ethnic Immigrant French ministry worships at St. John Lutheran church,            4939 W. Montrose, Chicago. Prof. Paul Kreis leads Bible study and worship two Sundays a month. A new service in French is being offered also at Zion Lutheran Church, 99th and Winston, on Chicago's south side. They meet the second and fourth Sunday afternoons of each month. Rev. Stephane Kalonji, pastor of Zion, conducts the service and Bible class. He may be reached by email.
• Haitian: Each Sunday worship and Bible study is offered at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 6803 N. Campbell, Chicago. Worship is in English with hymns in English, French, and Swahili. This congregation is very active in helping immigrants and refugees on the north side of Chicago. Jean Bingue is the lay leader. He may be reached by email.
• A new Haitian ministry is being planned for the south side of Chicago.
• Asian Indian: Services are also offered in the Telegu language at both Bethesda Lutheran Church in Chicago on Sunday evenings and at St. John Lutheran Church, Forest Park on Sunday afternoons.  For more details, contact Rev. Shadrack Katari by email or by calling Bethesda Lutheran Church at 773-743-4415.
• African Immigrant services are offered at St. Paul, Dorchester, in English and at Christ the King, Chicago, in the Ewe language.
• A ministry to Ethiopian immigrants is being planned in partnership with St. Peter, Schaumburg to serve the many Lutheran immigrants that have settled in that  area from Ethiopia. Tedasa Kasa, a Lutheran pastor and former Seminary Professor in Ethiopia is gathering together a number of Lutherans from Ethiopia. They worship in Amhara, the principle language of Ethiopia.

Center for Asian Missions and Evangelism (C.A.M.E.): CAME helps districts and congregations establish Asian ministries. For more information about this ministry please visit their website.

Chicagoland International Student Ministry: This is a ministry to students from other lands, especially those where we have no missionaries, such as China. The students return and bring their faith to their homeland. The NID has outreach ministries at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Northwestern, Evanston, and Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. Natalie Bishop is the coordinator of the program in Chicago. The students meet at the Friendship House, adjacent to First Immanuel Lutheran Church at Ashland and Roosevelt. Contact Natalie or call 312/432-9134 for more information. Rev. Walter Schoenfuhs is Chair of Board of Directors, CISM. Visit their national website for more information. 

Cross Cultural Conversations: This new program now encompasses the Chicagoland International Student Ministry and offers congregations a variety of tools to help them relate to the changing communities around them.  Its aim is to bring the Gospel to the nations that are coming to us. Seminars on cultural awareness, sensitivity, and understanding are offered along with training for ELS (English as a Second Language) classes which congregations may offer their communities.  Natalie Bishop also heads this program and may be reached through her email address or at 312-432-9134.

People of the Book for Lutheran Outreach (P.O.B.L.O.).  POBLO is an international ministry reaching out to those of the Muslim faith, with headquarters in Detroit, MI.        For more information about this ministry please visit their website.

• Hicham Chehab has been sent to us from POBLO to serve in our district. He grew up in Lebanon, is a convert from the Moslem faith and has an exciting story to share. He is willing to speak to groups in churches about his experiences and his mission work. He may be reached through his email.

Lutheran Hour Ministries has helpful resources as well.  Click here for their website. 

 For more information contact Rev. Dr. Don Gourlay