Local Church Planning 150th Anniversary Celebration

Submitted article

JOLIET, IL — Family. That’s the way Martha Skoien describes the feeling she experiences as a member of Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant, 2437 Plainfield Road, Joliet. Skoien, the oldest living member of the congregation, is looking forward to attending the church’s upcoming 150th anniversary celebration. With a theme of Prayer, Partnership, and Promise, the occasion will celebrate God’s faithfulness through all generations.

The community is invited to the three-day celebration, which will take place Friday, Sept. 8; Saturday, Sept. 9; and Sunday, Sept. 10. Youth Group Night, which begins at 6 P.M. Sept. 8 at the church, will provide a chance to reconnect with old friends and past youth directors. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required.

An historical tour of the original church building and an old-fashioned hymn sing are planned for Saturday, Sept. 9. The tour, which begins at 9:30 A.M., will give attendees a chance to revisit a bit of church history at the original structure, 410 E. Clay St., Joliet. Following the tour, guests are invited to a hymn sing at 11 A.M. at the current church location. The event will include a Fika, a time of fellowship and Swedish pastries. RSVPs for both activities are appreciated but not required.

A dinner banquet will take place from 5-9 P.M. Saturday, Sept. 9 at IBEW Local 176, 1100 NE Frontage Rd., Joliet. Doors open at 4 p.m. Guests will celebrate 150 years of Good Shepherd history with a slide presentation, testimonies, stories, and songs. Historic heirlooms and photos of each era will be on display. The cost of dinner is $25 for adults and $15 for children 5-10. There will be a cash only bar. RSVPs are required by Aug. 15.

The weekend will conclude with a celebration worship service from 10:30 A.M. to noon Sunday, Sept. 10 at the current location. Coffee and fellowship can be enjoyed beginning at 9:30 A.M. RSVPs are encouraged but not required. For more information and to RSVP for any of the events see the church website: www.goodshepherdcov.org

“The recent pandemic was a difficult season for most folks, organizations, and communities,” said the Rev. Jake Bradley, pastor at Good Shepherd Church. “But Church of the Good Shepherd had 150 years of resources to pull from that helped us frame and reframe that crisis.”

The church has been through two world wars, the Great Depression, Civil Rights movement, and great flu pandemic of 1920, Bradley added.

“Through it all,” he said, “we can say God was faithful.

“We take our cue from the Psalms of the Bible that constantly remind us to remember God’s faithfulness. We want to celebrate and remember all that God has brought us through as a community the past 150 years, knowing that God will be faithful to us in the next 150 years.

“Our theme for this anniversary weekend is celebrating God’s faithfulness through all generations,” Bradley added. “Please join us.”

COGS HISTORY

The congregation was first organized on Aug. 10, 1873 as the Swedish Mission Church. Members met in private homes until continued growth necessitated larger quarters. In 1881 a church building was erected at 410 E. Clay St., Joliet, and for many years served as the center of the ministry. Services were conducted in Swedish through the 1930s.

On Dec. 10, 1939, the American Sunday School Union began a ministry among children in the Richland area, which eventually became known as the Six Corners Chapel. This ministry was turned over to the Evangelical Covenant Church in 1957 and became a ministry of outreach for the Evangelical Covenant denomination and the church on Clay Street, then named First Covenant Church of Joliet.

The new ministry in the Richland area took the name of Calvary Covenant Church and in 1962 erected the present church structure at 2437 Plainfield Rd., Joliet. On May 17, 1970 Calvary Covenant Church and First Covenant Church merged to become Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant.

While the church’s name and location have changed over the years, its mission to develop Christ-centered relationships remains the same.

“We can look over the past 150 years and clearly see God’s faithfulness to previous generations,” said Bradley. “But God’s faithfulness extends beyond the generations past to the current generation and looks forward to the next 150 generations.

“God’s faithfulness in the past is what fuels our current mission,” Bradley said. “God is inviting us into partnership to bring healing and wholeness to our community today. At Good Shepherd, we like to say you are family, you are needed, and you are a bridge, which comes from our three values: connectional, intergenerational, and multicultural.

“It is our humble prayer that we are willing and bold enough to fulfill this mission in our community,” Bradley added. “If finding an authentic community and being partners in bringing healing and wholeness to your neighborhood sounds appealing to you, please become partners with us in this mission.”