Arlington Heights Church legacy lives on after hospital buys property
In the late 50s, a young pastor went door to door to over 1500 homes in the expanding Arlington Heights community inviting families to join a new church start. The first service of The Congregational United Church of Christ was held at Pioneer Park in 1959. It soon moved to South Middle School to accommodate its expanding membership. Breaking ground in a wide expanse of land at 1001 W Kirchhoff Road, the church built its permanent home in 1963.
Founded as a mission church, the vision of stewardship in this congregation was outreach: to give to the community and to the world more money than it used for its own operation.
RexPiercy, pastor for over 13 years, proclaimed that the church was “…grounded in a stewardship ethos that I had never experienced before in any church I had previously served. The CUCC took the social gospel seriously and sought to demonstrate Gods agape and justice in mission support and hands-on outreach and service.”
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, the church participated in a program called “Friendly Town” : Inner city children were invited to move in with our suburban members for a week in the summer to escape the city while enjoying new friendships and sunshine.
Around the same time ,responding to Gods call to minister to the needy, the church housed an immigrant Spanish family in its building. A Cuban refugee family was sponsored by the church, as well as Vietnam boat people and the Casa Central in Chicago.
The Congregation merged with the United Church of Christ as it continued its outward focus of spreading Gods love by being active and involved in many social action movements.
Opening as only the second PADS (Public action to deliver shelter ) site in the area, it has served the homeless population faithfully for over 33 years, housing and feeding them weekly at the church site. During the summer months, dinners were provided each week to help feed the food insecure. Even during the COVID epidemic, there was an emphasis that care be given to those in need.
Peace rallies were held on the church’s front lawn, and a peace pole was installed on the grounds to promote peace in many languages.
Youth and adults went on mission trips around the country to serve wherever there was need. The church went through a thorough process to declare itself an Open and Affirming Church, where all were welcomed no matter their sexual orientation or where people were on their life and spiritual journeys. Members participated in the Black Lives Matter movement with signs in the front lawn.
Children were nurtured and taught the importance of stewardship of our earth and to each other: the cornerstone of this faith community’s values. A labyrinth was built by members in the back field where people of all faith denominations were given free access to meditate. Plots for gardens were offered free of charge to the community so that they could grow and harvest their own food.
On Sunday,January 28, the Congregational United Church of Christ held its last service. An aging congregation, the pandemic and changing social norms all contributed to this closing. True to its mission outreach, the funds received from the purchase by Northwest Community Hospital will be given to over 20 non profit agencies for them to continue their outreach within the community and the world for many years to come.
On Saturday, September 16, the original cornerstone of the church was opened, revealing the contents from 66 years ago when the church began its vibrant and passionate journey to do Gods work. The legacy of this small and mighty church with a heart for serving God will live on in the world as well as in the hearts of those who were blessed to call it home for these many years.