History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SCHAUMBURG CHURCH OF CHRIST

The Schaumburg Church of Christ begin in 1963 with the Elk Grove Church of Christ.  On November 3, 1963 seven members from the Des Plaines congregation met in the Jaycee Barn, located on Tonne Road, Elk Grove Village.  Present were James and Virginia Brantley, Donald and Dorothy Mills, Wallace, Annie and Glenn Jobe.   As of today (July 2009) only Dorothy Mills and Glenn Jobe survive.  The following Sunday, November 10th  (two weeks before the assassination of  President John F. Kennedy), the first official worship was held at the same location with bro. E. H. Pendergrass as the regular part-time preacher.  There were 37 persons in attendance.


On October 25, 1964 the congregation moved to Salt Creek School on J.F. Kennedy Blvd. in Elk Grove.  For a while Gene Strouss, who came from Wilmette, IL, was the preacher.   Brother Marvin Springer, elder in the Northwest Church of Christ, officiated at the Inauguration of the church’s first elders and deacons, December 6, 1964.  The elders were Donald Mills, Wilbur Ellis and E. H. Pendergrass.  Regular attendance grew to between 75 and 85 on Sunday mornings.  However, during the mid 1960’s into the early 1970’s the congregation was troubled with the same brotherhood issues that were common with congregations throughout the States at the time.  The elders and deacons resigned and attendance declined.


The congregation purchased a residence at 791 Love Street in Elk Grove Village on September 19, 1968.  Renovations immediately began.   The basement was converted into a worship facility that could accommodate one hundred persons.  The first floor was set aside for the preacher’s residence and four rooms served as class rooms on the second floor.  By the end of 1968 the building was ready for occupancy.  In the spring of 1969 the congregation hired Milton Reed as it first full-time preacher who lived at the Love Street residence.  On August 15, 1969 he tendered his resignation which became effective January 1, 1970.


George McCormick came in 1970, worked a regular job and preached part-time while living at 791 Love Street.  In July 1971 he left and bro. E. H. Pendergrass returned to preach at Elk Grove until August 1977.


Glenn Jobe, who was a teenager when the congregation began in 1963, received his MTh degree from Harding Graduate School of Religion in May 1976.  He accepted a position with the Central Church of Christ in Clearwater, FL as an associate preacher and education director.  In 1977 the Elk Grove congregation invited him to come to work full-time.  He, Shirley and six month old Bert moved to Elk Grove where Glenn began preaching the first Sunday of September 1977.


After two years the group realized a change was needed.  There was no future for the congregation in the middle of a residential street with parking available only on the street.  For over a year various members searched for a new location west of Schaumburg.  In the summer of 1980 Wallace Jobe made contact with an owner of a three acre plot of land located at 601 E. Schaumburg Road.  The price was $210,000.  The seller had moved to Dixon, IL and was selling both his Schaumburg property and garbage business.  Through the seller’s attorney and our realtor Mr. Van Weelden made a $70,000 contribution which was spread out over the next seven years as a tax deduction.  The congregation was able to raise $50,000 as a down payment.  The church closed on the sale December 31, 1981.  


Glenn, Shirley, Bert and Rachel immediately moved to the main farm house on the property.  The congregation began meeting at the Meineke Community Center, 220 E. Weathersfield Way, Schaumburg in May 1982.  By 1989 the congregation had paid off all but $17,000 of its $90,000 mortgage.  The East Main Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN sent a check to retire our debt.


Our building plans were approved by the Village of Schaumburg in September 1992.  The congregation sold $600,000 in bonds and on February 3, 1993 construction began.  The church moved into it new facility January 30, 1994.


In the past the congregation has been blessed with the sustained help of many strong churches:  (1) Robinson Ave, Springdale, AR, (2) Central, Clearwater, FL, (3) East Main, Murfreesboro, TN, (4) East Wood Street, Paris, TN, (5) Maple Hill, Benton, KY, (6) Southaven, MS,  and (7) Crieve Hall, Nashville, TN.  Only the East Main congregation is currently helping in our efforts here in Schaumburg.  


Today the Schaumburg Church of Christ is multi-cultural and very evangelistic in the midst of the nation’s melting pot.  Unlike most Churches of Christ in Northern Illinois, the congregation is indigenous to the Chicago area.  Many of our members have recently obeyed the gospel.  The journey has been difficult but our people are confident that the direction we have taken has made the congregation represent the diverse population of the Chicago area and ensures that a biblically sound and welcoming congregation will continue to exert a godly influence in Chicago’s Northwest Suburbs for many generations to come.  Investigate the Schaumburg Church of Christ!