A House at the Corner of Ashland and Elm
First Presbyterian Church of La Grange sits at 150 South Ashland Avenue, on the corner of Ashland and Elm in the heart of historic La Grange. The congregation was chartered on October 27, 1890, not long after the village itself was platted in 1879, and it still draws members from La Grange and the surrounding communities of Brookfield, Western Springs, La Grange Park and beyond. Pastor Jonathan B. Krogh, who has served the congregation since 2016, summarizes its identity with three phrases: "Reaching up. Reaching out. Reaching you." It is a church with a heritage museum, an organic garden tended in its parking lot, a solar-powered electricity arrangement and covenants with six water-purification partnerships in El Salvador. Worship is held on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. in the 412-seat Sanctuary.
Visitors are told there is ample parking in the on-site lot, including handicap parking and accessible entrances on the north side near Catherine Avenue, with street parking all around the building. People come as they are, in flip-flops or dress shoes, and stay for coffee after the service. Communion is open to everyone, and the table extends a standing welcome to all who seek the presence of Christ.
Sundays at Ten: A Blended Service with Open Communion
Sunday worship at 10:00 a.m. is built around a blend of contemporary and traditional elements. The Praise Project, the congregation's praise band with guitars, drums, keys and vocals, opens each service with energetic songs. The Sanctuary Choir adds choral and hymnal music from the choir loft, and at the end of the service the organist closes with a piece on the grand piano or pipe organ, often lingering for an extra selection. Between the music, members share personal confessions, recite the Lord's Prayer in unison, hear a sermon grounded in scripture and pass an offering plate. The hour is described as "refreshingly inclusive," with time for joy in greeting one another, for reflection, for learning and for prayer.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, on Maundy Thursday and during the Wednesday evening services of Lent. The bread and cup are shared by intinction. Non-alcoholic juice is used, a gluten-free option is always available and those unable to come forward are served in the pew. The invitation is explicit: "Whoever seeks the presence of Christ, regardless of age, religious tradition or spiritual condition, is welcome to share." Each month the loose plate offering supports a particular PC(USA) ministry or local mission; in September the loose offering is directed to the PC(USA)'s World Communion Offering, whose grants support racial justice, gender justice, peacemaking, global witness and ecumenical and interfaith relations.
Baptism is ordinarily celebrated in the context of congregational worship, whether for an infant, a child or an adult. Those preparing for baptism meet with the pastor to profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, renounce evil, rely on God's grace and commit to active participation in the worship and mission of the church. For a child, parents and the whole congregation vow to provide Christian nurture. Because baptism marks the beginning of life in Christ, it is received only once.
About midway through the service, children in grades K through 4 are called forward for Time for Children, a brief mini-lesson on scripture, prayer or God's love. After the lesson they walk back to the Faith Forest room; younger children go to Noah's Ark Preschool, and middle-schoolers head to Cross Trainers. The Nursery is open for infants and toddlers starting at 9:45 a.m.
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Music at First Presbyterian is shaped by Jason Fahrenbach, Director of Music Ministry, who conducts the Sanctuary Choir and The Praise Project and coordinates the Handbell Choir and children's music. The Sanctuary Choir sings every Sunday from the choir loft and rehearses on Thursday evenings (6:30 to 7:15 p.m.) and Sunday mornings (9:30 a.m.); participation is open to all who want to join. Fahrenbach has prepared the choir for major works including Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio, Mozart's Missa Brevis and Vivaldi's Gloria.
Tyler Kivel plays the grand piano and the pipe organ each Sunday. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Collaborative Piano and Organ from Central Michigan University and a Master of Music in piano performance and literature from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; he has made his Carnegie Hall debut, served as the "principal" keyboardist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago at Symphony Center and given performances around the country. He studies with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Mary Sauer and, in his off time, works on organ restoration with Jeff Weiler Inc.
The Handbell Choir blesses the service with music that lifts its sacredness. It meets on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room and is open to both youth and adults. Rev. Doreen Sterba De Zur directs the handbells. She is an ordained PC(USA) teaching elder who completed her M.Div. in 2014 and serves as Chaplain for Plymouth Place Senior Living. The Praise Project rehearses on Thursday evenings (5:30 to 6:15 p.m.) and Sunday mornings (9:40 a.m.) and brings an energetic, contemporary edge to each gathering.
For 43 years the church's music was shaped by organist Henry Sybrandy, who provided accompaniment for more than 3,000 worship services and several hundred wedding ceremonies and memorial observances before retiring in 2021. The Session conferred on him the title Organist Emeritus in recognition of his dedication, professionalism and artistry. The Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ he played remains the heart of the Sanctuary's sound.
A Sanctuary of Symbols
The Sanctuary, seating 412, is finished with ribbed vaults that rise 30 feet above the floor at their highest point. The walls are a contrast of warm oak tones, white plaster piers and a rough-stone chancel wall, and the blue stained-glass windows high in the nave suggest the waters on which the church has sailed through history. A 2015 narthex renovation added new gathering space; today the long aisle from the chancel to the glass doors measures 116 feet.
The symbolism woven into the building is intentional and deeply Presbyterian. The Celtic Cross at the gable peak announces that this is the church of Jesus Christ; its circle signifies the eternal quality of redemption. The bronze panel above the doors depicts Christ with arms extended, inviting worshipers to "Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving." Inside, the chancel houses a free-standing cross (empty, since the congregation worships a risen Christ) and an octagonal pulpit carved with a flaming dove that combines the dove of Jesus' baptism with the tongues of flame at Pentecost. Eight is the ancient abstract sign of regeneration.
At the back and center of the chancel rests the lectern bearing the open Bible, the Written Word. The Communion table, the Enacted Word, sits in front of it, a reminder of the centrality of the Incarnate Christ. The baptismal font carries a sun symbol of re-birth and the Greek letters XP for Christ, with NKA, meaning victor. There is no railing separating the chancel from the nave; this is a "priesthood of all believers," and clergy and laity serve together in worship.
Formed in 1890, Still Building
The congregation's roots lie in the Presbyterian Society that fourteen people organized on May 13, 1890, in the home of Mrs. Grizella P. Joy. Four months later the society applied to the Presbytery of Chicago to organize a church, holding Sunday-afternoon services at the La Grange Music Hall on Sixth Avenue in the meantime. On October 27, 1890, the church received its charter with 27 founding members; introductory services were led by Dr. J. L. Withrow, whose text came from Psalms 1 and 3: "And he shall be like a tree planted..."
The first worship space was Washington Hall above a store across from the Burlington depot, where the rent was $150 a year and the worshipers sat on kitchen chairs that scraped on bare wood floors. The Rev. Charles J. Howell was installed as the first pastor on May 14, 1891. By then La Grange had grown to 3,500 residents, spurred by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the resettlement of Chicagoans displaced by the Great Chicago Fire of 1870.
The Heritage Museum was founded as part of the congregation's 100th anniversary celebration in 1991 and later closed due to water damage in 2014. In the fall of 2019 the Session decided to revive it; capital funds were approved in January 2021, and on Sunday, October 23, 2022, the museum held its grand re-opening in observance of the church's 132nd anniversary.
Children and Teens
Sunday-morning programming is built around the 10:00 a.m. service. The Nursery for infants and toddlers is staffed by two paid caregivers, one of whom is a former registered nurse; both complete annual training in child protection and safety. Parents may drop children off before or any time during worship; the space is filled with books, trains and toys. Sheri Benson has faithfully served in the Nursery since 2000, joined by Lynn Perez-Tamayo, a former RN who has run the Chicago Marathon.
Noah's Ark Preschool, for ages 2 to 5, gives children a Bible story, a song and a simple craft, followed by play time. Attendants are available in the Nursery beginning at 9:45 a.m. Children may attend the start of worship with their family and head to their classroom after Time for Children, or come to the Nursery first and join the Sanctuary as a class for the children's message.
Faith Forest welcomes elementary children in grades K through 4. After joining their families for the beginning of the service and Time for Children, kids move to the Faith Forest room to explore Bible stories through arts and crafts, gardening, baking and videos. Kelly Higgins, the Director of Christian Education, oversees the program. Higgins taught third grade in Beverly Hills and fifth grade in Lincoln Park before moving to La Grange with her husband Rob in 1996 to raise their three children.
Cross Trainers is the middle school ministry for grades 5 through 8, meeting Sundays during the 10:00 a.m. service. The group dives deeper into scripture and tackles topics like anxiety, stress, friendships and hope, then adds monthly outings (escape rooms, art classes, bowling) to build community. The 8th Grade Confirmation program meets weekly from September through May to study the Bible, Jesus, obstacles to faith, the church and membership, with confirmation classes open to all 8th graders, members or not.
TUXIS (Together Under Christ in Service) is the high school ministry for grades 9 through 12. The group meets on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. for dinner, games, discussion and mission projects, including an annual summer mission trip and an annual Trivia Night fundraiser. TUXIS hosts a yearly Stronghold Retreat and supports its mission work through youth-led giving and the sale of Grace Garden canvas totes.
Mission Near and Far
The mission and outreach of First Presbyterian stretches from La Grange to Central America. The Living Waters for the World partnership is its most distinctive global work. The congregation currently holds covenants with six partner communities in El Salvador: El Espino, El Paraíso, San Cristóbal, San Rafael Cedros, Mercedes Umaña and Potrero Grande. Through Living Waters for the World, FPCLG has installed four new water purification systems and trained teams in each community on when and how to use the purified water. Travel teams have been sent to El Paraíso (2022), San Cristóbal (2023), San Rafael Cedros (2024), Mercedes Umaña (2025) and Potrero Grande (2026); a seventh covenant is anticipated in 2027. Five of the six partner churches host Compassion International programs, and roughly 20 children in those communities still need sponsors.
Locally, BEDS Plus (Building Ecumenical Discipleship through Sheltering) and LATH (La Grange Area Transitional Housing) were started by FPCLG members in 1988 and have grown into area-wide ecumenical efforts providing night-time shelter, hospitality and up to two years of transitional housing for people on limited incomes. The congregation continues to volunteer through laundry, cooking, cleaning and resident mentoring. The Community Assisted Rides program (CARS) actually rents office space inside the church near the Catherine Avenue entrance, and members volunteer as drivers for older adults in Lyons, Proviso and Riverside Townships who need rides to medical appointments and life errands.
FPCLG volunteers cook and deliver dinner for up to 20 residents at Constance Morris House, a domestic-violence shelter run by Pillars Community Health, on the first and third Thursday of each month. Giving Trees during Advent provide Christmas gifts to seniors and children in need. Pop tabs from cans are collected in the east cloister for Ronald McDonald House. Share Food Share Love, a free market in Brookfield serving about 150 families a week across 15 communities, receives vegetable seed packets and organic produce from the Grace Garden along with funds to stock its shelves and community fridge. The high school youth also pack meals annually with Feed My Starving Children.
The congregation also promotes PC(USA)'s three special offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, World Communion and Christmas Joy. The Deacons gather prayer requests, visit the homebound, deliver meals and serve communion to those unable to attend worship; a "You Are Loved" Comfort Care Tote ministry supplies bags to people undergoing cancer treatment.
The Grace Garden and Earth Care
Ten organic, raised vegetable garden beds line the parking lot of FPCLG. The Grace Garden is tended by a dedicated volunteer team from March through October and shares its harvest with two local food pantries, the Second Baptist food pantry and the Share Food Share Love free market. The project has partnered with the Lyons Township High School Urban Agriculture class, the LTHS Future Farmers of America club, La Grange Apollo Camp, DePaul University's urban planning initiative, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, Monarch Watch's waystation program and The Chicago Tomato Man.
In 2026 FPCLG was certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (USA), joining about five percent of Presbyterian churches in the United States that have achieved the designation. The certification recognizes environmental ministry across worship, education, facilities and outreach. Recent steps include LED lighting upgrades, the launch of a solar-electricity arrangement with ComEd and a Burlington, Illinois solar farm, the Grace Garden and Living Waters deployment in El Salvador, and monthly Earth Care meetings that have covered topics like food waste, microplastics and climate change. The Catherine Avenue side entrance includes a bike rack for an annual "Bike to Church Month" each September.
Adults Growing Together
Programming for adults flows from the church's small-group culture. A women's book group meets every Wednesday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Church Parlor, September through May, for lively discussion of contemporary and classic books. A men's discussion group gathers every Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the Parlor to talk about scripture and current events. Sunday Morning Adult Education meets in the Parlor following the 10:00 a.m. service; recent classes have ranged from organic gardening and artificial intelligence to the doctrine of hell.
The Women's Ministry hosts monthly Bible studies, book clubs, a sewing circle and monthly speakers open to everyone. Spirits and Spirituality, a casual monthly gathering on the second Tuesday at Barrel House Social in downtown La Grange, draws members and neighbors for appetizers at 5:30 p.m. and a topical conversation at 6:00 p.m. The Earth Care Discussion Group meets one Thursday evening per month in the Parlor, and the Sewing for Mission group gathers on the second Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in Westminster Hall to make comforters for Constance Morris House and BEDS Plus.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the third Sunday of the month after worship to knit shawls and crochet hats. Each piece is gifted to members and friends facing significant health issues, surgeries or memory loss; hats go to residents of Constance Morris House. The Music Ministry welcomes new singers, ringers and instrumentalists at any time. Seasonal small groups, like a Lenten book discussion or a limited-run series tied to a Sunday sermon series, appear throughout the year.
Beliefs and Practices
First Presbyterian Church of La Grange is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), within the Presbytery of Chicago. The congregation subscribes to the denomination's confessional standards, including A Brief Statement of Faith, and traces its life through the offices of Word and Sacrament, the work of elders and deacons, and the connectional ministry of presbytery, synod and General Assembly.
The Lord's table is open to all who seek the presence of Christ, regardless of religious tradition or spiritual condition. The sacrament of baptism welcomes infants, children and adults and is ordinarily administered in the context of congregational worship. Marriage is celebrated for all who seek to seal their covenant promise as life partners in the company of a faith community that honors their love and life. Adult members are received through the Confirmation program, by reaffirmation of faith or by letter from another church.
Mission is a defining mark of the congregation. Presbyterians serve the whole community, not just their own members, and spirituality without service is incomplete. The love of God is made real when shared as love of neighbor. The motto of the Reformed tradition, ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda ("the church reformed and always reforming"), shapes the congregation's openness to new questions and to the gifts of every member.
The Pastoral Team
Pastor Jonathan B. Krogh has served First Presbyterian since 2016. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, he is the youngest of five children raised by Oakley and Lottie Krogh. He earned a BA in sociology and two master's degrees from the University of Chicago, where he later taught on the Divinity School faculty and served as a chaplain at the University of Chicago Hospitals and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now Shirley Ryan AbilityLab). Before La Grange he pastored in Peotone, Kankakee and Morgan Park; he also served as Director of Mission at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church. He is a certified mediator and executive coach and the author of The Joshua Factor: Leadership Principles from an Ancient Warrior (Xlibris Press, 2009). His wife Danette died in May 2025 after a long battle with cancer; together they had four grown children and six grandchildren.
Rev. Noris Cabán serves as Parish Associate, working with the Deacons to provide compassionate care to the congregation in times of need. A native of Puerto Rico, she brings almost 30 years of pastoral ministry. She is bilingual and bicultural, lives in La Grange Park with her husband Jim Orders and their sons Lorenzo and Oscar, and provides pastoral conversation and care in Spanish.
Kelly Higgins is Director of Christian Education, leading Faith Forest, Cross Trainers and Confirmation. Jason Fahrenbach directs the Music Ministry, conducting the Sanctuary Choir and The Praise Project and coordinating the Handbell Choir. Tyler Kivel serves as organist, and Rev. Doreen Sterba De Zur directs the Handbell Choir. Henry Sybrandy is Organist Emeritus. Gregory McDaniel oversees property maintenance.
Visiting First Presbyterian
Worship is held at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays at 150 South Ashland Avenue, on the corner of Ashland and Elm in La Grange. Parking is available on site, with handicap parking and accessible entrances on the north side near Catherine Avenue, and street parking all around the building. Church office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; the phone number is 708-354-0771 and the office email is admin@fpclg.org.
Recordings of services are posted as a podcast called "Sermons from the Sanctuary" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Online giving, calendar updates and the weekly email newsletter are available through the church's giving and visit pages. The Sanctuary hosts weddings and memorial services; Westminster Hall accommodates meetings and community dinners; and the parking lot holds the Grace Garden, the Little Free Library and the office of Community Assisted Rides.
First Presbyterian of La Grange invites all who seek the presence of Christ, in faith, fellowship, learning and care, to come for a visit and stay for a journey.