A Century on Hutchison Road
Flossmoor Community Church has stood in the middle of a residential neighborhood in south suburban Flossmoor for nearly a century. The congregation of more than seven hundred and fifty members and friends gathers each Sunday at ten a.m. in a sanctuary built of Briar Hill stone, its walls lined with a full series of stained glass windows completed in 1960. Around thirty Christian traditions are represented in a single congregation, alongside seekers who arrive with little or no religious background. The people describe themselves as a family in which black, brown and white, conservative and liberal, young, old and in-between worship, learn and serve together.
The story starts in 1923, when five women organized the Flossmoor Community Sunday School in the new village. They rented two rooms and a basement in the newly built Leavitt Avenue School, and on March 7, 1923 welcomed thirty-three pupils. In 1926, after polling the area, a group decided to form a new church without a denominational affiliation, and regular Sunday services began alongside the Sunday School. On February 22, 1927 the church adopted a constitution and one hundred and seven people became charter members. In 1934 the congregation moved into The Community House on Hutchison Road, a building first used as a social center for new home buyers and then by the school district.
Dr. Robert K. Bell, a Presbyterian minister, began his thirty-year ministry in 1945. Hugo C. Haeuser, a Milwaukee architect, drew plans for an L-shaped stone building across from The Community House. The first section of the L, with sanctuary, choir loft, narthex and a lower level of stage, fellowship hall, kitchen and utility room, was begun in 1948. A Cassavant pipe organ was installed in 1950, the education wing followed in 1953, and in 1965 the sanctuary was widened to add two hundred and fifty seats and a choir wing. In 2006 the congregation embarked on Project Sacred Space, reworking the chancel area to make the sanctuary handicap accessible and creating a new Bell Chapel, Narthex, Gathering Space, Spirituality Center and remodeled Fellowship Hall and kitchen. Through all of it, an observation by Dr. Robert Worley of McCormick Theological Seminary has remained a kind of motto: 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.
Worship on Sunday Morning
Worship is what Flossmoor Community Church does together, and the gathering on Sunday morning at ten a.m. sits at the heart of congregational life. The service runs between sixty and eighty minutes and is offered both in person in the Sanctuary and through a livestream on YouTube. As people enter the building they are welcomed at the Welcome Desk by FCC Hosts and ushers, who hand out a bulletin with the words to everything spoken aloud and the cues for when the congregation stands. Bibles and hymnals are available in the pews, and the ministers often reference the New Revised Standard Version or the Common English Bible.
The music is a particular point of pride. Musicians come with a wide variety of gifts and training, and the music is chosen to enhance the full worship experience, so the style can vary from week to week. Rob Calhoon directs the Ensemble, Nikki Sawilchik directs the Chancel Choir, and Laura Barnes directs the Chancel Ringers (the handbell choir). An offering prayer is recited each week, and pledges and offerings are placed in Offering Boxes just outside the Sanctuary.
Children are called forward to the front steps for a brief time with the Pastor, typically between fifteen and twenty minutes into the service, where they lead the Passing of the Peace before leaving for Children's Worship. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, with gluten-free bread available, and the table is open to everyone, regardless of baptism, faith background or certainty of belief. Communion can also be brought to those unable to attend by the Pastor and Elders. A Newcomer's Coffee is held periodically after worship to introduce visitors to the life of the church, and a one-session Membership Class gathers those who want to make FCC their church home.
Children and Youth
Flossmoor Community Church is well known for its ministries with children and youth. All ages from birth through fifth grade are part of the Children's Ministry vision, which is rooted in the idea that learning to follow Jesus must engage the imagination and the heart.
On Sunday mornings, families check children in at the Gathering Space desk. Worship activity bags with coloring pages, markers, stickers, drawing boards and other activities are available at the check-in counter for kids to take into worship. Children from age three through fifth grade begin in worship and are dismissed to Children's Worship around 10:20 a.m. for a program that ends at 11:15 a.m. The youngest children gather in Room 12 (the blue room) as WONDER, where they encounter Bible stories through wooden story pieces and conversation; fourth and fifth graders meet in Room 14 (the yellow room) as CONNECT, using the Shine Curriculum to engage God's big story through a Storybook Bible, scripture memory and hands-on projects. The church does not currently offer staffed childcare for infants, but a nursery space next to the Gathering Space is available for quiet play or rest, with a video monitor set to the livestream, and gliding rocking chairs are reserved in the back corners of the Sanctuary for parents of young children. Parents who need to step out can hear the service in the Bell Chapel through the back doors of the Sanctuary.
Youth Ministry is led by the Rev. Travis Adams and welcomes students from sixth through twelfth grade. Tribes, for sixth through eighth graders, meets in Room 10; Quest, for ninth through twelfth graders, meets in Room 23. Groups meet on Sunday mornings from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and follow a year-round rhythm of weekly meetings from September through May, with retreats and outreach projects scattered throughout the year. Upper Room, for juniors and seniors, gathers on the first Wednesday evening of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. to plan and to go deeper in their own spiritual growth. The Confirmation Program is held every other year, and youth groups are open to all teens, regardless of church (or non-church) affiliation.
Adult Spiritual Formation and the Discovery Book Club
Adult formation at Flossmoor Community Church is rooted in the biblical, theological and spiritual soil of the faith traditions represented in the congregation. A Wednesday Bible Study meets at 10:00 a.m. in the Genesis Room, and recent series have used the church's stained glass windows, the scholarship of Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley and the writings of the Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas as springboards for discussion. There are also Wednesday morning classes focused on the upcoming Sunday scripture, and courses exploring race and social justice, faith and doubt, and the Bible and theology.
Reading is part of the church's identity. The Discovery Book Club has met since 1995, and members have gathered to discuss novels, memoirs and nonfiction that illuminate the Bible, the life of faith and the issues the church is working to understand. Past titles include Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, CITIZEN: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Waking Up White by Debby Irving, So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais. Book discussions have been hosted under a variety of formats, including One-Book-One-Church, Discovery Book Discussions and CATS (Church at the Train Station), and a master list of titles with themes is kept as a resource for the congregation.
The Commitment to End Racism
On August 19, 2020 the congregation adopted a Statement to End Racism that has shaped the life of the church since. The statement acknowledges that the idea of race rationalized the concentration of power in the hands of those who were white, and that people of color have suffered diminished access to housing, education and jobs and greater exposure to injustice, invisibility and danger. The statement commits the church to learn about racism, replace old habits with new ones, hold its own culture lightly, acknowledge the gains and losses of being an institution of privilege, and question how its environment and practices exclude others.
The work is led by an Anti-Racism Committee formed in May 2021 by the Governing Board, co-chaired by Fredric Mitchell and Karyn Bowman, with Anna Carvalho, Martha Gantz, Matt Epperson, Christina Kempe, Megan Brackin, Angela Butler, Lisa Dailey and Pastor Julie Van Til as ex officio. The committee partners with Chicago Regional Organizing for Anti-Racism (CROAR), the Chicago branch of the national Crossroads ministry, and has collaborated on workshops covering white hegemony, analytical frameworks and transformational values. The committee's current work is guided by values of collaboration and cooperation, expansive inclusivity, abundance, responsible interdependence, inherent worthiness of all living beings and transparency. Projects include a partnership with NeighborScapes in Harvey, a parent guide for raising race-conscious children, capturing FCC's history and its relationship with race, and resources for discussing race with teens. Members of the congregation have led classes on The 1619 Project, the writings of Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, the lyrics of Claudia Rankine and the theology of Howard Thurman, and a recommended reading and film list is maintained for the congregation.
Faith in Action and the Harvey Project
The Board of Faith in Action supports outreach efforts and equips congregants for service outside the church's walls. Two special offerings each year, the Easter Offering in the spring and the World Offering Sunday in October, are directed to two or more non-profit agencies each season. The board's stated approach is to distinguish between charity and the path to self-sufficiency, prioritizing hands-on local engagement and capacity-building.
In October 2020 the Governing Board approved an open-ended, multi-faceted relationship with entities committed to the long-term redevelopment of Harvey, the neighboring city to the west. FCC's initial partner is NeighborScapes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that renovates homes and rents them at below-market prices to Community Building Fellows who commit to at least ten hours per month of civic or community service. The effort is led by FCC member Jay Readey, and FCC members have cleaned abandoned lots, planted trees and gardens, searched tax and ownership records, helped recruit Community Building Fellows and supported the work as it has been designed and led by Harvey residents. A first four-unit rehab has been completed, with preparations underway to acquire additional buildings.
FCC also partners with a wide network of south suburban agencies, including ANEW (South Suburban Family Shelter), Bethel Family Resource Center, the Cancer Support Center, the Center for Food Equity in Medicine (which has offices and a food closet in the FCC facility), Jones Memorial Community Center, Respond Now, Restoration Ministries and You Matter 2 (also housed at FCC). The Diaconate Board coordinates meals, transportation, prayer ministry and card ministry for members at vulnerable times, and Pastoral Care Companions serve under the Diaconate with the Pastoral Care Director to offer pastoral visits and calls.
The Community House, Weddings and Hosting
The Community House, across the street from the church at 847 Hutchison Road, is a large room lined with windows with a stage, a kitchen suitable for staging, and tables and chairs available for rent. The building was first used as a social center for new home buyers, served the school district for a time and became the home of the Flossmoor Community Church congregation in 1934. Today it hosts wedding receptions, birthday parties, showers, business meetings and pop-up shops, and parking for the church is available in the Community House lot directly across Hutchison Road.
The sanctuary itself is available for weddings, and the church describes itself as one of the most beautiful churches in the south suburbs of Chicago. Wedding packages range from a Micro Wedding starting at $550 for up to fifteen guests to Package C starting at $4,450, which adds wedding-day coordination, décor setup and packing at the end of the night. All packages include access to a private suite and ceremony seating for up to three hundred and fifty guests; Package B and Package C add a Community House reception with seating for up to one hundred. Beyond weddings, the church opens its space to other community groups, and a Facility Use Form is available for those who want to reserve rooms in either the church building or the Community House.
The Labyrinth and McAfee Garden
Behind the church building, in front of the columbarium, sits the McAfee Garden with its contemporary outdoor labyrinth designed by church member Tyler Thompson and dedicated on May 3, 2009. The labyrinth is a sacred space set aside for the journey, an opportunity to look within, pray, reflect and explore one's relationship with the Divine as one walks the winding paths. A fountain and the surrounding gardens make the landscape attractive in every season. A second, portable labyrinth is available for indoor use, and the outdoor labyrinth is almost always open for self-guided walks during daylight hours.
FCC Weekday Preschool
Since 1953 the FCC Weekday Preschool has welcomed young learners into the building. The school is dedicated to providing an opportunity for each child to grow and develop in a nurturing, educational environment, guided by early childhood professionals and led by Director Emily Pinto. The preschool's approach is rooted in the idea that childhood is much more than preparing for the future; it is a time to be valued simply for its own delight.
Together, the school, the children's and youth ministries, the adult formation offerings, the outreach work and the Sunday gathering make up the rhythm of a congregation that has been at work on Hutchison Road for one hundred years and that, in the words of its founders, intends to keep being transformed in order to discover the more appropriate forms of witness and service.