100 years ago, God was at work just west of Chicago…

God was moving in the heart of a woman named Katherine

  • She was an immigrant to the United States after an impoverished childhood in Europe

  • And then she lost her marriage

  • And then she lost a baby in childbirth

  • And then, by God’s grace, Katherine and her second husband were found by Jesus

100 years ago, in 1924, Katherine Tessman responded to a call to become the first missionary to Bellwood. We are here today because God set her heart ablaze with the love of Jesus - and she said “Yes” to what God asked of her. Without that eternally significant decision, we would not be here today!

The Tessmans began reaching out to children in their neighborhood in Bellwood.

Soon, a new church grew out of their work.

And from the beginning, this church has sought to “Preach Christ Crucified” as the old sign says. To point young and old alike to the one-of-a-kind sacrificial love of Jesus.

Then 75 years ago, in 1949, the Bellwood Gospel Tabernacle became Bellwood Christian Reformed Church.

Dr. Renze DeGroot served as our first pastor, while he simultaneously planted a sister church in Wheaton.

In the 1950s the Sunday School continued to thrive.

In the early 1960s, our congregation moved to Elmhurst and became Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church.

Through the sacrificial giving of our congregation, we were able to swiftly move into a new beautiful building located at the corner of Kent and Van Buren, just behind the Jewel at York and Butterfield.

“The buses kept rolling and the kids kept coming!” (Jack Lanenga, Elmhurst CRC member since 1956)

50 years ago, the Holy Spirit brought a unique decade of change and creativity - wild times

  • A Pastor who wore jeans

  • A thriving youth group

  • Musical excellence

  • The Little Lambs Preschool Ministry was started

  • The first CoffeeBreak Bible studies were introduced

Thousands upon thousands of people have been shepherded toward Jesus as a result.

Elmhurst CRC thrived through the ‘80s and ‘90s thanks to faithful leadership and new experiments in reaching out to friends and neighbors:

  • Evangelism Explosion

  • Live Nativity

  • Contemporary worship music and a Saturday Night worship service

Our church also persevered through major challenges:

  • The great Salt Creek Flood of 1987

  • Tensions in our denominational foundations

  • And on June 13, 1990 - the church building was struck by lighting. The roof smoldered and burned, leading our congregation to be displaced.

We worshipped at Bryan Middle School

We worshipped at the Drury Lane Theater

And we learned the important truth that the church is not a building.

The church exists in the hearts of people wherever God’s Spirit is at work

We are the Church!

25 years ago, there was no longer enough room for us at 905 S. Kent

So with courage, faith, and hearts ablaze, our congregation planned, sacrificed, and moved to our current location at 149 W. Brush Hill Road.

No matter where we go, our church remains all about the kids! Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these!”

Being at 149 W. Brush Hill Road has allowed us to be even better neighbors, to share new forms of hospitality as we seek to reach out in Jesus’ name:

  • Some folks know us as a great venue for the Elmhurst Symphony or Spirito! Singers.

  • The broader community still comes out for events such as Live Nativities at Christmas and imposing of ashes on Ash Wednesday.

  • God continues to start new things like our partnership with the Bible Church Ukraine Chicago, which is reaching and baptizing new believers that our English-speaking church might never reach.

  • And in 2025, we plan to become the home of the Elmhurst Farmers Market - where we can welcome thousands of neighbors each Wednesday. Our hope is not only to bring good food to their family tables, but to help open the door and point the way toward Jesus’ table, too.

While the public ministries of the church are amazing…the real secret to the life of the church is found in the countless acts of service, kindness, listening, and sacrifice that happen in Jesus’ name. You are the ones - filled with the Spirit—who are the lifeblood of the church.

What God began in the life of one immigrant woman, struggling and lost, has now stretched to touch each and every one of us here today. Doesn’t your heart explode with gratitude as you imagine a century of children’s voices raised in praise to God for his faithfulness? Katherine’s children. Our Children. God’s children!