A Century in Chicago's Chinatown
Chinese Christian Union Church has stood at 2301 S. Wentworth Avenue in the heart of Chicago's Chinatown since 1915, making it one of the oldest Chinese Christian congregations in the Midwest. What began more than a century ago as a small gathering of Chinese believers has grown into a multi-campus family with three locations, four congregations, and ministries that span from newborns to seniors, and from neighborhood outreach to short-term medical mission trips abroad.
The church's motto borrows the words of Jesus from John 10:10: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Members describe CCUC as a place where the people of God are constantly learning to walk with Him, to love those around them, and to bring that love into their families, workplaces, and communities.
Three Campuses, One Family
CCUC's original home remains the Chinatown campus at 2301 S. Wentworth Avenue, a complex that includes the main Sanctuary, the Pui Tak Center next door, and the connected Impact Center at 2261 S. Wentworth Avenue. The church also maintains two satellite sites that extend the same multilingual ministry into other parts of greater Chicago:
- CCUC Chinatown at 2301 S. Wentworth Avenue, Chicago - the main campus housing all three language congregations plus the children's program.
- CCUC South at 3000 S. Wallace Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood - serving Mandarin and Cantonese speakers on Chicago's South Side.
- CCUC West at 1400 Maple Avenue in Downers Grove (meeting at Avery Coonley School) - serving Mandarin speakers in the western suburbs.
A central office at 5100 Fairview Avenue in Downers Grove handles administrative work for the West campus, while Pui Tak Christian School operates alongside the Chinatown location at 2301 S. Wentworth Avenue.
Worship in Three Languages
CCUC's signature is its commitment to ministering in the heart languages of Chicago's Chinese community. On any given Sunday, three distinct congregations gather under one roof in Chinatown:
- English Congregation meets in the CCUC Sanctuary at 9:45 AM, with livestream available online.
- Cantonese Congregation meets in the CCUC Sanctuary at 11:45 AM.
- Mandarin Congregation meets on the 3rd Floor of the Pui Tak Center at 9:45 AM, with livestream available online.
CCUC South runs two Sunday services at 3000 S. Wallace Street: a Mandarin service at 8:45 AM and a Cantonese service at 11:30 AM, with online replays posted at 1:00 PM. CCUC West meets at 9:30 AM in Mandarin, both in person at Avery Coonley School and online.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning
Visitors to the Chinatown campus are greeted at the Information Booth, where attendants can hand out free parking validation tickets for the lot at the northeast corner of Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue. The validation covers three hours free or five hours for a small fee, with a modest amount still due at the lot machine.
The Sanctuary worship style blends elements familiar to both Chinese and Western church traditions, with congregational singing, prayer, Scripture reading, and expository preaching at the center. Sermons are livestreamed on the CCUC YouTube channel, and recorded Cantonese and Mandarin sermons are posted to dedicated language-specific YouTube channels for those who want to catch up or share with family abroad. Weekly bulletins and prayer guides are available online as well.
Children's Ministry from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
CCUC's Children's Ministry, coordinated by Zachary Cho, welcomes children from infancy through fifth grade with age-tailored programs running during both the 9:45 AM and 11:15 AM Sunday hours. Three rooms operate each hour:
- Nursery (Ages 0-3) in the Nursery Room.
- Preschool (Ages 4-5) in the CCUC Basement.
- Elementary (1st-5th Grade) in the CCUC Basement.
Older children can join two midweek clubs that meet on Fridays at 7:30 PM: Crusaders for boys in 3rd-5th grade and Echoes for girls in the same age range. Both groups welcome newcomers and volunteer helpers. Lessons and family resources are also posted on the Children's Ministry YouTube channel.
Youth and Young Adults
The English Congregation runs two youth fellowships that meet on Fridays at 7:30 PM and again on Sundays at 11:30 AM: the Young Teen Fellowship for 6th-8th graders and Kingdom Seekers for 9th-12th graders. Justin Yau directs the English youth ministry.
For college-age believers, the Ambassadors fellowship gathers on Fridays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 11:30 AM in the Impact Center 2nd Floor. Young adults aged 22-30 meet as the Horizon fellowship on Sundays at 11:30 AM in the same location. The Cantonese congregation's college group, Canaan, meets Fridays at 7:30 PM on the 1st Floor of Pui Tak Center.
Wednesday Night Prayer
Prayer is the backbone of CCUC's spiritual life, and Wednesday evenings are a church-wide focus. The English Prayer Fellowship meets from 7:00-8:15 PM, both in person on the Impact Center 2nd Floor and on Zoom, with a weekly prayer guide posted online to help members prepare. The Cantonese fellowship meets the same hours in person on the Impact Center 1st Floor and online, and the Mandarin congregation gathers online at the same time. CCUC South and CCUC West each hold their own Wednesday prayer meetings as well, with South's gathering on Zoom at 7:30 PM.
Fellowships for Every Stage of Life
CCUC's fellowship system intentionally covers every age and stage, with each congregation offering its own small-group network. In the English congregation, Hosanna serves adults 30-49 and Titus serves those 50 and older, both meeting at 11:30 AM on Sundays.
The Cantonese fellowship roster includes Canaan (college), Sitos (young adults), Josiah, Grace, Joshua, Esther (women), and Harmony (seniors), meeting on various weeknight and Saturday schedules throughout the Impact Center and Pui Tak Center. The Mandarin congregation runs growth groups on weeknights, a couples fellowship called Harmony, a seniors group called Evergreen, and a middle-aged fellowship called Agape.
CCUC South fields its own fellowships - Joel for college students (Fridays at 7:30 PM), Daniel for young adults (Saturdays at 5:30 PM), Emmanuel for families, Ruth for sisters, Song of Songs for couples, plus a Mandarin Small Group and an English young adult group called Y.A.M. CCUC West hosts Joy, a seniors fellowship meeting Wednesdays at 3:30 PM, and Love, an adults fellowship meeting Fridays at 7:30 PM.
Music and Worship Arts
Music Director Erica Tam-Wang, who trained in piano performance and church music at St. Olaf College and Indiana University, oversees music across the congregations. The church also produces seasonal choral work; recent seasons have included a combined choir for Christmas presentations, with rehearsals open to members who want to sing.
Eight Core Values
CCUC's published vision statement outlines eight core commitments that shape how the church operates: a commitment to worship, a commitment to prayer, a commitment to biblical teaching, a commitment to missions, a commitment to discipleship, a commitment to family ministry, a commitment to multiculturalism, and a commitment to unity. The multiculturalism commitment is rooted in Galatians 3:28 ("there is neither Jew nor Greek... for all are one in Christ") and reflects the church's reality of serving multiple language groups side by side under shared leadership.
Statement of Faith
CCUC holds to a conservative evangelical doctrinal statement. The church confesses belief in the Bible as the inerrant, fully inspired Word of God; in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and present ministry as mediator; in the total depravity of humanity and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone; in the Church as the body of believers of which Christ is the head; and in water baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances observed by the church without being means of salvation. The statement also affirms the personal, imminent return of Jesus Christ and the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost.
Missions: Local, National, and Global
CCUC frames its entire outreach around the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, emphasizing "wholistic missions" that care for body, soul, and spirit. Locally, the church runs programs that serve the Chinatown community and beyond, and CCUC South offers Adult ESL classes and free clinic services through its fellowship network. The missions board supports partners through moral, prayer, and communication support; financial support for both short- and long-term workers; and education through courses such as the Perspectives course, Kairos International, and the Urbana Missions Conference.
On the global side, recent short-term teams have included a medical mission to Kurdistan through HIS Foundation, recruiting nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, therapists, and other professionals for orthopedic surgeries with a focus on pediatric patients. Those interested in learning more can email missions@ccuc.net.
Pastoral Team
The pastoral staff includes Rev. Bob Wong (Associate Pastor for the Chinatown English congregation, a CCUC homegrown leader who trained at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School); Rev. Timothy Pang (Associate Pastor for the Cantonese congregation, who came out of retirement in 2024 after more than 40 years of ministry); Rev. Lenny Dai (Assistant Pastor, Cantonese, originally from Hong Kong); and Rev. Justin Poon (Assistant Pastor for CCUC South, who came to Chicago in 2021 after 15 years of ministry in Hong Kong).
Ministerial staff include Sally Song (Cantonese pastoral staff), Sen Xu (CCUC-West), Yong Liu (Mandarin), Tiffany Yeh (Chinatown), and Chris Javier, a CCUC-grown English ministry staff member currently completing his Master of Divinity at Moody Theological Seminary. Consulting pastors Rev. David Pao (New Testament professor and chair at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) and Rev. Ming Lee (formerly the Mandarin associate pastor from 2014 to 2025) round out the team. Erica Tam-Wang directs music, Zachary Cho coordinates the children's ministry, and Justin Yau leads the English youth ministry.
Discipleship, Classes, and Family Life
Adult education flourishes in each language track. The Cantonese congregation offers Sunday school classes on topics ranging from Old Testament figures to foundational doctrine, plus an online seniors Bible study on Philippians. The Mandarin congregation runs its growth groups on weekday evenings alongside dedicated classes for new believers, couples, and seniors. Baptism and membership transfer classes are available on demand through video with an accompanying booklet; families interested in dedicating an infant or child can contact the church office directly.
CCUC also partners with RightNow Media to give members and regular attenders free access to a large streaming library of video Bible study resources.
Getting Connected and Giving
Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed. Those new to the English congregation can join Pastor Bob for lunch after Sunday worship; details are posted under the congregation's announcements. Anyone interested in serving can fill out a serving interest form. Giving is handled through CCUC's online giving platform, with questions directed to finance@ccuc.net. The church considers giving itself an act of worship and an acknowledgement that all resources come from God.
Parking at the Chinatown campus is validated as described above, and the office at 312-842-8545 (with email office@ccuc.net) is the general point of contact. CCUC South can be reached at 312-225-5564 or office.south@ccuc.net; CCUC West at 312-842-8545 or office.west@ccuc.net.