A Reformed Congregation on 54th Avenue
Located on a residential stretch of south Oak Lawn, Illinois, First United Reformed Church of Oak Lawn meets at 9350 South 54th Avenue in a single-story building where two worship services still shape the week. The congregation belongs to the United Reformed Churches in North America and identifies itself without apology as Reformed, rooted in the Protestant Reformation, committed to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, and bound to the historic creeds of Christianity. Members describe themselves simply as "a body of believers in Jesus Christ, washed by his blood and eager for the Spirit to work through us as we serve him in all of life."
What distinguishes the church from many of its neighbors is its rhythm: two gathered services every Sunday, a structured liturgy drawn from the Reformers, the Heidelberg Catechism taught with care, and a steady stream of Bible studies that fill the rest of the week. Sermons are preached and recorded, livestreamed from the sanctuary, and archived so that members who travel, the homebound, and those exploring the church can listen on their own schedule.
Twice on Sunday at 9350 S. 54th Avenue
The week turns on the Lord's Day, and the church treats it that way. Two worship services are held each Sunday in the sanctuary on 54th Avenue:
- Morning Service at 9:30 a.m.
- Evening Service at 5:00 p.m.
Pastor Harold Miller has encouraged the congregation not to set aside the second service. The morning gathering often includes the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on preparation Sundays, while the evening service usually takes up a different passage and frequently ties its message to a catechism question, a psalm, or a Reformed confession. Both services are livestreamed through the church's video channel and on Facebook, and recordings remain available in the sermon archive.
The pattern of a morning and an evening service is itself a confession. The church points to 2 Chronicles 29 and the worship of Hezekiah as a model, with king and people kneeling together, singing with gladness, and bowing their heads in worship. "We do what God's people have always done," the pastor has written, and the two services are the visible expression of that conviction.
The Shape of the Service
Worship at First URC follows a set order, drawn from the historic practice of Reformed churches. The congregation explains the order in plain language, walking visitors through each element and the Scripture that grounds it:
- Call to Worship: The Lord summons the people through the reading of Scripture.
- Silent Prayer: A moment to pray individually for the Lord's blessing on the gathered worship.
- Votum and Salutation: The congregation confesses its need for help from the Maker of Heaven and Earth, then receives God's greeting of grace, mercy, and peace.
- Psalm or Hymn of Praise: Singing extols the Lord.
- Reading of God's Law: The Law reveals God's will and drives the congregation to Christ, with the Gospel paired alongside it.
- Psalm or Hymn of Confession and Assurance: A song that joins sin and Redeemer together, expressing reliance on God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Congregational Prayer: Praises and petitions are brought to the Lord.
- Offerings and Tithes: An expression of gratitude through giving.
- Psalm or Hymn of Preparation: Singing that prepares hearts for the preaching of the Word.
- Sermon: The Lord speaks through His Word and His servant.
- Prayer of Application: A prayer that God would apply His Word to daily life.
- Benediction: The Lord dismisses His people with His blessing.
- Doxology: A song that celebrates the glory and majesty of God.
The congregation notes that this order is not the only acceptable form of worship, but that the structure itself helps worshipers gather with reverence and order, "a God of order who tells us to do everything in a fit and orderly way." Music leans on the Psalms and traditional hymns of the Reformed tradition rather than contemporary choruses.
The Heidelberg Catechism at the Heart
The Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563, is the teaching backbone of the church. Its first question and answer open the teaching:
"What is your only comfort in life and in death?"
"That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil."
The catechism divides into three parts: how great our sin and misery are, how we are set free from all our sins and misery, and how we are to thank God for such deliverance. Sunday evening sermons frequently walk through the catechism's 52 Lord's Days one by one. Recent series include Lord's Day 43 on the tongue, Lord's Day 44 on the converted life and the law, and Lord's Day 45 on the Lord's Prayer and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A separate summer series, "Revelation and the Reformed Confessions," worked through the Apocalypse of St. John alongside the Belgic Confession. Other recent preaching series include "Christ the Lord" through the closing chapter of John's Gospel, "The Bible in 66 Sermons" (working through 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings), and an extended Heidelberg Catechism series on Christian doctrine and the Christian life.
Pastor Harold Miller
The minister of First United Reformed Church of Oak Lawn is Rev. Harold Miller. He was ordained to the ministry in 2001 after earning his Master of Divinity from Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Before coming to Oak Lawn, Pastor Miller served two other URCNA congregations, one in Iowa and another in Kansas City.
He and his wife Carol have five grown children and are welcoming grandchildren into the family. Pastor Miller writes of a "rich love for the Reformers and Puritans" and names hearty preaching, fulsome teaching, sacrificial pastoral care of the flock, and enthusiastic evangelism as the emphases of his ministry. Through Spiritus in Urbe, his reflections extend the same pastoral voice beyond the pulpit.
Visitors to the morning and evening services will regularly hear visiting preachers filling the pulpit as well. Recent guest preachers have included Rev. Ted Gray, Dr. J. Mark Beach (a professor associated with the URCNA's seminary world), Rev. Paul Ipema during a mission emphasis week, and Mr. Anthony Sato. The pattern reflects a Reformed commitment to testing the preaching by the Word and to welcoming brothers who can feed the flock.
Bible Studies and Fellowship Through the Week
Sunday worship is the center, but the church fills the rest of the week with smaller gatherings for study and prayer. Several standing groups meet on a regular schedule:
- Men's Breakfast: First Saturday of the month, 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. A time of fellowship and study of the Word. Recent studies have worked through the life of the prophet Elijah.
- Joy Guild (Women's Bible Study): First and third Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Studies have included an extended walk through Proverbs.
- Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Recent studies have taken up the book of Ruth.
In addition, the church hosts a Daily Bible Reading Plan group online, where members share short daily readings, typically four passages drawn from different parts of Scripture each day, and discuss them in the comments.
Noble Creations and the Women's Open House
On the third Friday of most months, the women of the church gather from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. for Noble Creations, an open house built around crafting and fellowship. The name comes from Proverbs 31:29: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Women of all ages bring knitting, sewing, painting, scrapbooking, or whatever handwork they enjoy, share food for a 6:00 supper, and spend the evening together. The format is deliberately informal, "come and go as you please," with space for questions, mentoring, and discipleship alongside the work of their hands.
Twice a year the format changes. On the third Friday of February and August, the crafting night is replaced by a game night open to men and boys as well. December is set aside, with no Noble Creations gathering during the month.
Catechism Class for Young Adults
Following the morning worship service each Sunday from September through May, the church offers a Catechism class for young adults. The class gathers immediately after the service and provides continued teaching in the Reformed tradition, with the same catechism materials that anchor the rest of the church's preaching and study, now in a setting aimed at younger members and visitors exploring the faith.
Missions and the Reformed Confessions
Missions work is woven into the church year rather than treated as a separate program. A week-long Mission Emphasis has been a recurring feature of the calendar, with guest preachers brought in for both services and sermons drawing on Acts, Romans, and Luke. The church also maintains a collection of Synodical Decisions and study reports from the United Reformed Churches in North America, including statements on missions, creation, marriage, church and state relations, doctrinal commitment, and the Federal Vision controversy.
A summer 2022 series, "Revelation and the Reformed Confessions," tied the Apocalypse to the Belgic Confession. Older sermon archives remain available as audio files for those who want to work through past teaching.
Listening Online: Livestream and Archive
Every Sunday service at First URC is broadcast live. The livestream is available through the church's video channel, with a permanent archive that stretches back years. Audio recordings can also be accessed for those who prefer to listen on the go. The church's Facebook presence carries each service as well, so that shut-ins, college students away from home, and anyone curious about Reformed worship can follow along.
The archived sermons give a clear sense of the pastor's voice and the kind of teaching members receive. Recent morning sermons include expositions of 1 Kings, 2 Samuel, Colossians 2:6-7, Romans 3, and a series walking through 1 and 2 Samuel under the title "Chronicles of Christ." Recent evening sermons include "Secret Sin Exposed" from Joshua 7, "Wholehearted Gratitude for God's Redeeming Love" from Matthew 8, and four sermons in a row on John 21 under the banner "Christ the Lord." Sermon notes are often posted alongside the recordings, listing the Scripture text, a thematic outline, and supporting cross-references for further study.
What a First-Time Visitor Will Find
Visitors walking up to the building on a Sunday morning will find a small congregation gathered for a service that runs roughly an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. The order of worship is printed or projected so that newcomers can follow along without prior experience of Reformed liturgy. Hymnbooks and Psalters provide the music. The people, by the church's own description, are "authentic fellowship and friendly people" who want to welcome those who come through the door.
Parking is available at the building. The address, 9350 South 54th Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois 60453, sits in a residential part of the village southwest of Chicago, with easy access from the surrounding neighborhoods. There is no set dress code, and visitors can expect a mix of business-casual and slightly more formal attire typical of a traditional Reformed congregation.
For those who cannot attend in person, the livestream makes participation possible from anywhere.
Rooted in the Catechism, Open to the Neighborhood
First United Reformed Church of Oak Lawn is a small congregation with a clear center. Twice each Sunday, in the same sanctuary, the people gather to hear the Word read and preached, to sing from the Psalter and the hymnal, to pray together, and to come to the Lord's Table when the church calendar calls for it. The Heidelberg Catechism shapes the teaching, the historic Reformed confessions inform the preaching, and a steady calendar of Bible studies, women's gatherings, men's breakfasts, and young adult catechism fills the rest of the week. Services are livestreamed and archived so that the same worship reaches beyond the walls of the building on 54th Avenue, a congregation in the historic Reformed tradition, gathered in the south suburbs of Chicago, glad to welcome anyone who wants to seek His face together.