Following the depression and W. W. II, the community around
Kimball Avenue Church continued to change. Houses that had been
constructed as single family homes and two flats were subdivided.
Apartment buildings were compartmentalized to house more families.
The result was housing stock that rented at a lower rate, smaller
space for the same number of people and greater transience. Logan
Square was quickly becoming a place where people stopped enroute
elsewhere.
Kimball Church remained relatively stable in the midst of
the changes. Rev. Samuel Obetz arrived
as pastor in 1941 and served an unprecedented 17 years. This
was very unusual as the denomination had a policy that a pastor
could be assigned to the same church only 7 consecutive years--a
policy that was later eliminated. Rev. Obetz developed positive
relationships in the community and the church prospered. Church
records indicate that Rev. Obetz conducted scores of marriages,
baptisms and funerals. Many people remember these years at Kimball
with great fondness. But as the suburbs around Chicago developed,
many people attending Kimball Church moved from the community.
Donald Linden recalled one Sunday when 14 families moved from
Chicago to residences in outlying areas. It was a day of grief—and
uncertainty about the future of the church.
The future was to become even more uncertain. According to
the 1960 census, there were 569 persons of Spanish decent living
in Logan Square—mostly in the area around Armitage and Damen.
The Jewish community had begun moving and the Poles were shifting
to the north and west along Milwaukee Avenue.
An article appeared in the Chicago Daily News on February
23, 1963, pointing to the evidences of slow decline in Logan
Square. Population was declining (in part to the construction
of the Kennedy Expressway in 1960 which displaced 12,000 people),
business and industries were moving, the magnificent Harding
Theater, long known as a premier movie house, was boarded up
and slated for demolition and stores along the shopping districts
of Milwaukee Avenue and Fullerton Avenue were empty.
Through its members, Kimball Church was aware of the problems,
but was involved in these community issues only on the fringe.
The church hosted a meeting sponsored by Logan Square Neighborhood
Association on building code violations in 1966, but most members
were not officially involved in the work of the community organization.
Between 1960 and 1970, the changes in the neighborhood became
obvious. The ethnic makeup of the community shifted from Eastern
European to those of Hispanic decent—primarily Mexicans
and Puerto Ricans. By 1970, the Latino population had grown to
over 16,000 people. The community was no longer Anglo and the
community was no longer Protestant. The work for Kimball Church
was to become even more difficult. During the decade, the church
suffered continued losses in membership and attendance. In 1960,
the Sunday School averaged just under 100; ten years later, it
averaged 66. Worship attendance did not decline to the same degree
as Rev. Kenneth Napier (assigned in 1958) and Rev. James Hansen,
the grandson of C. R. Hansen, the builder of both the church
and the parsonage, (assigned in 1965) led the church. During
this period, part time youth directors were employed by the church
to assist with outreach to the community.
The church continued to struggle into the 1970's. Recognizing
the change in the community, the Conference assigned Rev. Richard
Koskela, a traveling licentiate from the Norwood Heights Church,
in 1972. Rev. Koskela had expressed a desire to serve as a missionary
in Central or South America, and the Annual Conference assigned
him to Kimball with the hopes of reaching out to the Latino community.
During his years, a strong and diverse youth group developed.
Rev. Koskela and his wife left for Chile, S.A., three years later
and the Conference assigned Rev. Gary Brown to replace him in
June, 1975.
During Rev. Brown's three year tenure, the church experienced
some of its greatest challenges. The Logan Square community had
one of the highest crime rates in the city, gangs vied for turf,
and people and businesses continued to flee the neighborhood.
Banks and insurance companies "red lined" the area,
making access to insurance difficult and expensive for the church.
On several occasions, the church was broken into and items were
taken, but nothing would prepare the church for two nights in
1977, when thieves forced their way into the buiding and removed
several of the stained glass windows. As a result, the church
installed a burglar alarm system in 1977. Survival became the
focus of the congregation's energy.
While there were many who believed the church should close
or that it would simply cease to exist in only a matter of time,
the church forged on. Rev. Bruce Ray was assigned to the church
in 1978. He was engaged to marry a member of the congregation,
Karren Paoli, and was very interested in urban ministry. Since
1980, the church attempted to open itself to the community and
address some of its problems. Worship styles shifted and a variety
of outreach strategies were attempted including a return to outdoor
services in parks and on sidewalks. The look of the church changed
as vinyl siding was installed in 1985. (Link
to see before and after pictures of the church) To assist
the church, the Annual Conference granted the church $40,000
in 1989 to establish a separate not-for-profit agency, known
as Christian Care Center of Logan Square. Christian Care Center
began offering an after school activity center for children ages
6-12 and later expanded to include a Summer Day Camp, family
programming and recreational outreach to children, youth and
families. The church opened its doors to the community by becoming
the polling place for two area precincts and hosting community
policing meetings each month. In the mid 1990's the church and
C. C. C. became involved in the Alliance of Logan Square Organizations,
a collaboration of churches and social service agencies. During
the last 20 years, people have continued to move in and out of
the community, but the church has renewed its vision for ministry
and its committement to the neighborhood.
The Logan Square community has begun to shift once again.
The neighborhood has stabilized and new people are moving into
the area. According to the 2000 census, the population of Logan
Square increased for the first time in 40 years. While problems
still exist, there is greater confidence in the future of Logan
Square.
In many ways, the congregation enters its second century the
way it began—as a small group of faithful and committed
people, armed with a vision to reach a new community for Jesus
Christ, the Lord of the church.
Link to see a current
picture of the church
