Last month’s History Moment that I recited in Church dealt with the congregation voting to move from the small church building at the intersection of 88th Avenue and St. Francis roads in Frankfort Township and accept the offer by the town of Mokena to erect a church building in the middle of town, land that the town had designated for any churches to be located that did not care if they did not own the land – that ownership stayed with the town. This became a sore point with the church officers some 40 years later when they found out that they did not own the land the church was built on and, if they wanted the building, they would have to dismantle it. They left it.
By the mid-fifties, the church officers had made a decision to build a new church building on their own land, but they didn’t own any. Someone had been in contact with the owner of a 20+ acre section of land on La Porte Road just outside the village of Mokena town limits. It could be had for $500 an acre, and it became a talking point with the church officers. It was decided to bring the matter up for discussion with the congregation, to decide whether to proceed with the purchase, or not to. Now, I was not there, but later on had been told that this was not an easy decision to be made. There were portions of the congregation that liked where the church was, in easy walking distance. Others were concerned that it would cost too much money. Others just didn’t want anything different to happen. They didn’t want to change anything. Change can be a scary thing to go through.
After many meetings and conversations with the members of the entire congregation, there was a consensus that it would be a good thing to purchase the land because it would be owned by the congregation in case it was needed for expansion, there being no possibility to adequately expand the existing church building. The rest is history. Land was purchased and paid off in less than 5 years. A parsonage was built first, for the new pastor and his family, because while this whole process was going on, we released 36 communicant members to form a second “daughter” congregation in Frankfort in 1956, reducing the number of communicant members to 140, and the previous pastor had accepted a call to another church and had left in 1957. We did not have a new pastor until 1959! More changes! The parsonage was completed in 1960. In September 1964, ground was broken for the new church. In May 1966, the church was dedicated. There were three services that day, open to the public. The church communicant total had increased from 140 in 1956 to 241 in 1966. Changes!
The 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s were full of new changes for the church. In 1959 alone, the Lutheran Youth League was organized, the first VBS program was initiated, double Sunday morning services were started, and the Ladies’ Aid celebrated its 40th anniversary! But I wonder how much of this change was really recognized as a huge burst of God’s involvement in our church lives? Everything that went on was done by hundreds of volunteers working to set up and promote these new programs but was there any recognition then, as we can easily look back and see now, that God was working these miracles with those people and ideas? In preparing these monthly historical segments, I have had my eyes opened to these events and decisions being made, all the while thinking that I am narrating the history of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church using all these dates and facts and names, without realizing the growth of this church starting in 1850 until now, has been miracle after miracle, hidden from view because I wasn’t seeing it!
If you ever need any definition of a modern-day miracle, look at the facts and accomplishments of this church, and the people that were involved, and know that you have been part of this miracle since the day you became a member, or just stepped into the building.
Miracles, not changes.
God bless you all.