Under Rassweiler's energetic leadership, a
tent meeting was held at the northeast corner of Kedzie and Armitage.
According to the records, 16 people were converted during 1901—most
through this tent meeting. One convert, Dorthea
Matrona Beckett, became a member of the church and faithfully
served the church for over 50 years until moving out of the city.
With a growing congregation, a permanent meeting
place was sorely needed. A committee was appointed to investigate
a location for a new building and Rev. S. F. Entorf was given
authority to borrow $1,000 for the mission to purchase land.
Before land became available, the Pacific
Congregational Church, located at Cortland and St. Louis Avenues,
was offered for sale. The trustees considered purchasing the
building and moving it to a new location, but when land was found
at the southwest corner of Kimball and Medill Avenues, the cost
of relocating the church became prohibitive.
The decision was made to purchase two lots
at Kimball and Medill for $1,100. A building committee was appointed
to build a small chapel which could later be turned into a parsonage
if necessary. The first week of October, 1901, work began on
the frame chapel. It was built on posts several feet above the
ground and had a bell tower rising above the entrance. No bell
was ever installed due to the cost. The building was completed
with gas lighting at a cost of $1,184. Most of the labor was
contributed. The first worship service was held on December 1,
1901. This is the date that the church uses to celebrate it's
anniversary. The building was dedicated on January 5, 1902, by
Bishop Rudolph Dubs. With the change of location, the church
became official known as the Kimball Avenue United Evangelical
Church. (Link to see a drawing of
the church in 1901)
In less than a year, the congregation was
organized and a church building was erected, evidencing the zeal
and commitment of the congregation, the pastor and the United
Evangelical denomination toward the work.
At the 1902 Annual Conference, Kimball Avenue
reported 42 members and Sunday School average attendance of 66.
With its own building, located in a very new and thriving part
of Chicago, Kimball Avenue Church was about to enter a phenomenal
stage of growth during the next several years.
