Flossmoor Community Church ... a Brief History

A look at the history of Flossmoor Community Church has to begin with a mental picture of the local area in the early part of the previous century. At that time, Flossmoor was a tiny community of farm homes as well as a few summer cottages that had sprung up close to the area golf courses. The electrification of the commuter trains in the early twenties was the springboard for making Flossmoor the accessible suburban community it is today.

As soon as it had more than a few permanent, year-round residents, the community found it had a group of mothers thinking about creating the very best opportunities for their children. In February of 1923, five of these women met to discuss the possibility of organizing a Sunday school. Very quickly they were able to raise enough money to rent the basement of a local school and purchase necessary supplies. They opened the doors to their first 33 pupils on March 7, 1923. Over the next few years, interest in a complete program grew and the church was formally chartered on February 22, 1927. For twenty years, the congregation met in various buildings around the village. This included a fifteen-year stint in the Community House, the building that still stands across the street from the main church and continues to be used for receptions, plays and a host of other church activities.

The end of World War II brought a new pastor and an ambitious plan—the building of the current Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall wing of the church. Ground was broken in the spring of 1948, and the following was penned for inclusion in the copper box that is contained inside the cornerstone: “What we want you to know is that this church in the late 1940s was conscious of the needs of the world, was convinced that the only hope for the world lay in the acceptance of the teachings of Him who came almost 2000 years ago, and were further convinced that our first obligation is to minister to the spiritual welfare of those in our community.”

The fifties were a time of great growth, both in the physical plant, and the scope of the programming. The second wing addition included youth rooms, offices, and the Parlor and Family Room. The Parent Education Groups were begun to support young parents in their attempts to create healthy, happy, Christ-centered homes for their children. In 1953, FCC became one of a handful of churches committed to Christian Education at the preschool level. The Weekday Nursery School, as it was then called, opened its doors and introduced a curriculum based on encouraging behaviors such as sharing, being thankful, and showing respect for one’s peers. Both of these programs continue today, a legacy to the wisdom and foresight of the pastor and his wife who founded them. Through the sixties, the church continued to grow in numbers, and in 1965, a third wing of the church was added to increase the number of Sunday school classrooms. At the same time, the sanctuary was widened and the balcony and music rooms were added to the original wing of the church. Activities included summer programs to work with the children of migrant workers, and classes to train Literacy Volunteers.

The next decades brought more outreach avenues, from instigating a community-wide recycling effort, to sponsoring a boat family, and more recently helping a church destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Our Secret Santa assistance to area families struggling financially continues as Christmas Angels, and has helped hundreds to celebrate Christmas during the years since its inception. The Sunday school has become The Promised Land, a rotation approach to Christian education that is enthusiastically embraced by our young people. The youth program for junior high and high school students is so renowned that almost every group includes a few participants who have no previous contact with our church. Bible Studies and Small Groups stimulate us to read, reflect, share and grow in our faith. Extraordinary music ministries, from the young Cherubs to the adult Praise and Chancel Choirs, inspire our worship and unite us in making a joyful noise!

Believing that God was calling us to better prepare for the coming decades, in 2007 we completely renovated our Sacred Space, including the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Kitchen, Chapel and Gathering Area. Our next focuses include broadening our environmental stewardship and deepening our diversity. We look forward to continuing as a strong faith center in Chicago’s southern suburbs for generations to come.

To close the history portion of this website, the words of Dr. Robert Worley, a professor at McCormick Theological Seminary, seem particularly appropriate. He was part of a team that studied our congregation in an attempt to “understand how congregations come to be innovative, responsive to a variety of needs and able to hold diverse groups in congregations together.” He had this to say about our church:

The Flossmoor Community Church has been characterized over the years by its openness to change, its willingness to risk and fail in the face of challenges. This is the only congregation I have studied where its leadership, both clergy and lay, are committed to the continual transformation of a congregation in order to discover the more appropriate forms of witness and service.

This is our history, and it is one we find inspiring as we continually plan for a future that builds upon our worthy past.