The Peoples Church of Chicago

941 W. Lawrence Avenue in Uptown... just West of Lake Shore Drive;  East of red line el at Lawrence stop

P.O. Box 408319, Chicago, IL  60640-8319     773-784-6633    fax:  773-784-6760    email:  admin@PeoplesChurchChicago.org

 

                    "A Spiritual Home for People of Conscience"

 

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~ Who We Are ~

At Peoples Church you can come as you are. Ours is a healing, safe space for the peaceful exchange of ideas; concentrating on our commonalities, while appreciating our differences. Located in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, one of the most diverse communities in the US, we are a gathering place for open-minded, liberal Christians, Humanists and all others.

At Peoples Church we embrace diversity and freedom of thought around our global village and down the block. The Peoples Church is deeply rooted in our neighborhood. Church members and volunteers can participate in community service:  everything from serving a free lunch, to using your skills at the shelter housed in the church building, to mediating housing issues, to participating in musical or theatrical events. The Peoples Church believes in working with others to build a better world, while fostering our spiritual and personal growth and practicing the golden rule. Join with us!

Peoples Church has affiliations with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. Though the language of our worship is primarily Christian, our doors are open to all who seek to know the Divine.

The Peoples Church of Chicago is a place where welcome and hope are found in abundance. It is also a place where faith is routinely tested by adversity.  At Peoples, you will hear a proclamation of justice, an assurance of faith, and a sincere welcome.

   A Quick Sketch

Six miles north of Chicago’s downtown, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is the Uptown neighborhood, a “gateway community” for immigrants where the hospitals and banks work in 90 languages. It has million dollar homes mixed in with one of the city’s largest populations of homeless people. It is a neighborhood in transition as affordable housing and critical support services are threatened by the pressures of neighborhood revitalization.

Near the heart of the neighborhood stands an imposing building from the early 1900s, The Preston Bradley Center (pdf), home to The Peoples Church of Chicago.

The values of the congregation are clearly stated on the back of our bulletin, “You are welcome here – male or female, old or young, gay or straight – you are welcome here. Whatever your language or color or economic status – whatever your gifts – you are welcome here.” In a place like Uptown, our beliefs make us friend and shelter, partner and advocate.

On first glance, we do not appear up to the task. The auditorium seats 1500. Our congregation numbers considerably fewer. Many among us face personal struggles that mirror those of the community. We lack financial resources. Our sanctuary space shows its age and restoration challenges abound on every floor of our six story building. We seem like the proverbial bumblebee, an insect that science tells us should not be able to fly. And yet…the bumblebee flies.

From this church springs a vibrant worshipping community, a lunch program serving 22,000 meals each year, a partnership with REST - the largest homeless outreach organization on Chicago's north side, a ministry in the Philippines, and much more. Worship is lively and varied, characterized by active participation and by a prayer spontaneously offered by someone in the congregation each week reassuring us that we are loved.