On a long, low blue building across from an AutoZone on West Irving Park Road, United in Faith Lutheran Church has been quietly doing something remarkable since Easter Sunday 1998: it has been proving that eight small struggling congregations can become one generous, justice-minded community without losing themselves. A member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, and a long-standing Reconciling in Christ congregation, United in Faith describes its purpose in plain language: "We are to be God's Hands, Feet and Voice in the world."
Eight Congregations Become One
United in Faith is a young church with deep roots. On Easter Sunday, April 12, 1998, hundreds of worshippers gathered at Taft High School to mark the ceremonial birth of a new congregation from the merger of eight Lutheran churches on Chicago's Northwest Side: Gladstone Park, Holy Communion, Medill, Nebo, Our Lord's, Our Savior, Peace, and St. Andrew's. Each closed its doors, bid its pastor farewell and released its building, choosing to trust that a consolidated ministry could give more to God and the world than eight small bodies could alone. Metropolitan Chicago Synod Bishop Ken Olsen told the assembly that morning, "I believe this church will become a leader in urban ministry. The primary mission of this new church will be serving, rather than being served."
That prediction has shaped the congregation's life ever since. Each of the eight predecessor churches contributed a banner that still hangs in the church, along with a ninth banner from "The Friends of the New Church" - the FONCs. The first five years brought more than one hundred new members. In 2000, half of the former Vail Printing Company building at 6525 Irving Park Road was renovated into a modern, fully accessible sanctuary and fellowship hall; a second 9,500-square-foot building next door was added in 2002. By its twentieth anniversary in 2018 and twenty-fifth in 2023, the congregation was documenting its journey in five-year increments under titles such as A Living Hope, Renewal, Transition and Pivot.
A Blue Building on Irving Park
The church sits between Natchez and Neenah avenues, west of Narragansett and east of Harlem, on a stretch of Irving Park Road served by CTA bus route 80. Visitors arriving by transit can get off at either the Irving Park and Natchez stop or the Irving Park and Neenah stop and enter directly from Irving Park Road. By car, the main parking lot is reached from the alley between Natchez and Neenah behind the building, with additional spaces against the east side of the church (next to Jolly Inn Banquet Hall) and along Irving Park itself.
Inside, the building is entirely wheelchair-accessible, including the bathrooms, fellowship hall and sanctuary. Hearing-assist headsets are available on Sunday mornings for anyone who needs a clearer listen to the spoken word; volume is controlled by the user. The east building holds the fellowship hall, the Resource Room (a library and meeting room), and space for outside groups. The Ministry Center next door, at 6535 W. Irving Park Road, is the home of St. Cyprian's Food Pantry.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Sunday worship is at 10 a.m., preceded by pre-service fellowship at 9:30 a.m. and followed by coffee hour at 11 a.m. Worship is in person and livestreamed on Facebook (no account is required to view); recordings are usually posted to YouTube within a few days.
United in Faith practices Holy Communion at every service. All are welcome at the table. Communion is received by intinction, with both grape juice and wine available, and gluten-free wafers and individual cups of either are offered for those who need them. Children's Sunday school and adult study classes meet at varying times and seasons - visitors are encouraged to ask the pastor or the church office for current details.
Singing in the Celebration Choir
Music is central to the worship experience. The Celebration Choir is a mixed-voice ensemble that sings a blend of traditional and contemporary music, old favorites in new arrangements, cultural and folk tunes, gospel, and spirituals. Rehearsals are held on Sundays before the service as needed, and all are welcome to join - expertise and training are not required, only a love of music and a desire to praise God. A Worship and Music Planning Team meets monthly with the pastor and staff to choose liturgy and music for the weeks ahead, aiming for services that are appropriate, meaningful, and pleasant. The Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary for each service, caring for paraments, vestments, the baptismal font and the elements of communion.
All Are Welcome at the Table
United in Faith is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, certified by ReconcilingWorks since 2004. Its Statement of Welcome and Affirmation commits the church to openly welcoming every person who walks through its doors regardless of race, nationality or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, marital status, social and economic situation, abilities, cultural realities and needs. The congregation commits to racial equity and anti-racism, invites all to experience the word of God, communion and the promise of the risen Christ, and encourages full participation in every area of ministry.
That welcome is lived out in a remarkably mixed membership. One longtime member has written that "the families who call United in Faith home come from very diverse backgrounds, including Catholic, Baptist, and Methodist ideologies" - and that the congregation's open, friendly character shows itself in everything from the way visitors are greeted to the diversity of community groups that use the building.
St. Cyprian's Food Pantry
Since 2002, United in Faith has hosted St. Cyprian's Ecumenical Food Pantry in its Ministry Center. The pantry was founded in 1983 by the Rev. John Spruham of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church and was housed at 6501 W. Belmont until that church closed in 2000. The people of United in Faith took it in, and today the pantry is supported by countless congregations and volunteers across the area: founded by an Episcopal priest, housed by Lutherans, directed by a UCC pastor, coordinated by an Episcopalian, and supported by Catholic parishes, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and many neighborhood schools and organizations.
St. Cyprian's is open Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. (closed between Christmas and New Year's Eve). It serves residents of zip codes 60634, 60707 (east of Harlem Avenue), and 60639, providing groceries about once a month - usually enough for three days - to families classified as the working poor. The pantry distributes Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner supplies, Christmas gifts and Easter baskets for children, and warm winter coats. Donations of non-perishable food are accepted during office hours in the shopping cart in the fellowship hall; monetary gifts are especially welcome because the pantry buys food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository at a lower cost than retail. Volunteers are needed on distribution days and on Wednesday mornings when the Food Depository delivers.
Justice as Faith in Action
The Justice Ministry, guided by the words of Micah 6:8 - to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God - works to make the church's faith visible in the wider world. The ministry promotes fair trade year-round, raises awareness of local and global hunger and poverty, advocates through letter-writing and lobbying, and responds to current events that demand action. Partners include ELCA Advocacy, Bread for the World, Church World Service, Global Refuge and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. The ministry also curates resources such as documentary and film lists on immigration, with an emphasis on learning from and supporting the immigrant experience in the Chicago area.
Pastoral Care and the Big Days
Pastor Sharei Green is usually in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is available for pastoral care; appointments can be booked through her Calendly link. For more extensive counseling, the congregation points members to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and the Portage Cragin Counseling Center at 4840 West Byron Street. Lay ministers in the Communion Visitation Ministry bring Holy Communion to those unable to attend worship at home, in nursing homes or in hospitals.
The church welcomes all people to consider United in Faith for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Both weddings and baptisms include appropriate pre-event counseling, and a phone call to the office is the first step in planning any of these services.
Neighbors Who Share the Building
United in Faith is a busy place. In addition to St. Cyprian's Food Pantry, the building hosts Alcoholics Anonymous on Friday evenings, Al-Anon on Saturday mornings, Survivors of Incest Anonymous on Saturday afternoons (online via Zoom), and Girl Scout and Brownie troops in the east building during the school year. The Golden Rebels, a senior fellowship group, and the Golden Diners program (a City of Chicago partnership providing meals to older adults) are also part of the building's life. A book club, choir, stewardship team and the Celebration Choir's own roster of singers round out the week, and Gratitude Journals compiled by the Stewardship Ministry sit on a table outside the sanctuary for anyone who wants to take five minutes a day to reflect on blessings.
Visiting and Joining
The office is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the building is closed Thursday through Monday except for scheduled services and programs. Online giving is available through a secure Shelby giving portal, and text-to-give is offered at 773-902-0277. Worship livestreams on Facebook, with recordings posted to YouTube, and monthly newsletters keep the wider community in the loop. The first step, the church likes to say, is simply to walk in. As one member put it: "Welcome to United in Faith is not just a phrase you hear, but a genuine expression of God's love."