Willow Creek Church to Celebrate 35th Anniversary

South Barrington is home to one of the largest churches in the country, and this weekend the church will celebrate its 35^th anniversary.

Willow Creek Community Church is a non-denominational, Evangelical Christian church and averages 23,000 attendants each weekend.  Media Relations Manager Susan DeLay says the anniversary is an exciting milestone.  

"The service is to celebrate all God has done in the 35 years Willow has been meeting as a church," she said.

The church didn't start out as large as it is today.  From Oct. 12, 1975 to February 1981, members met at the Willow Creek Theatre in Palatine.  A special breakfast is planned for Sunday at 8:30 a.m. for everyone was a part of the church's early days. 

Willow Creek has four regional campuses.  Members from all of the campuses are invited to services at the South Barrington location this weekend.  Planning an event for tens of thousands of people doesn't come together easily.

"It's taken months to plan this," DeLay said.  "There's going to be food and it requires RSVPs so we can get a handle on and balance the attendance.  It will give us a sense for which service people are attending so we can properly prepare for everyone." 

Willow Creek will hold three identical services this weekend.  Members are invited to attend on Saturday at 5 p.m., Sunday at 10 a.m. or Sunday at 5 p.m.