Elmhurst Calls-Steve Sutherland First Baptist Church of Elmhurst

First Baptist Church of Elmhurst

They say a church represents a community. I would have to say that First Baptist Church of Elmhurst achieved more than just representing a community, it was another home for anyone seeking it! The Church can be seen from the corner of York Road and St. Charles Road in Elmhurst. This pretty colonial church called to all who passed it corners to come and see inside what God is building in this wonderful community called Elmhurst. You felt welcomed by the beautiful Elm trees surrounding the church and the parking lot to come in and visit.

We had a tradition at the church called Harvest Home which was like Thanksgiving Dinner with the whole church in a fall setting with all the pies and desserts too. This fellowship time together knitted the people with and without family’s and shared in a loving time together.

 The music was amazing and the teens served and helped with a few adults supervising. This one event reached out to a community in a very effective way through great food and fellowship with one another. Elmhurst became home, when the church became a home for me, in Elmhurst.

When I was young we had boy’s stockade/brigade and Pioneer Girls. Stockade was lead by Mr. Dave Hendrickson. Everything was tremendous and gigantic to him. When we brought fifty boy’s to Stockade he would make a big six foot Sunday carved out of a log lined with foil, five different ice creams, seven different toppings and Zowie (Drink with six different sodas and fruit drinks).  We made checkerboards with Mr. Hill. So, many fun projects you didn’t want to miss. Game time was over the top and usually included bombardment. They had a camp called Camp Kaskitowa where he would make giant popsicles from coffee cans made of you guessed, five different flavors on a broom stick handle.

Mr. Hendrickson was kind to every boy. His smile was contagious. He was three of my friends Dad. He always headed up our father and son banquets with guest speaker, songs, prayer, games and food. J.C. Martin the catcher for Cubs, Sox and New York Mets went to our church. We always had amazing speakers like Doug Plank Roland Harper, Don Kessinger and more. We sang, John Jacob Jinglehimmer Schmidt and Oh Mrs. Shaney.

We had amazing pastors at our church. Robert Dugan had us looking up words. He baptized me in junior high. Don Bjork gave us the power of small groups. Pastor Knopp was an amazing teacher and a real pastor who would sit and talk to all ages.

We played basketball and softball against rival churches like Addison Bible and Grace Bible. We had Sunday Park. Summer Concerts in the park on Sunday night for the whole community. I have many fond memories of pot luck suppers and picnics in the park. Summer Bible Camps at York Woods and Senior Carl Hendrickson would bring ice cream cups to all the youth and helpers. The youth choirs and brass ensembles we played in. Tony Ilardo who led the singing on pick your favorite hymn on Sunday nights. Wally Volkman gave us root beer barrel candy after his testimony every week, about God saving him when he landed in his parachute in the trees of Germany.

I would like to share with you about to amazing youth high school pastors who gave everything for Christ. First would be Jerry and Jane Worshum. Jerry and Jane gave to our amazing high school group by loving us where we were. Jerry challenged us to bring our friends and our attendance went up to over a hundred guys and girls.

 We had service weekends raking leaves, retreats, Mini-golf, Campus Crusade Haunted Houses, Polaroid parties, ice skating at Woodfield mall, progressive dinners, Cubs Games, Sox Games, Great America, Tubing in the snow, so many fun events. Jerry and Jane opened their small apartment to us where they raised Jana and Jennifer at Elmhurst College where they were dorm directors too! We literally crashed their home week after week and were always greeted with hugs and smiles. Jerry was initiated from the guys a lot with too many practical jokes to mention.

 That kind of love in the Elmhurst Community attracted our friends from York High School with all kinds of Faith backgrounds. They came week after week and Jerry had a message to help us grow closer to God. We read our Bibles and met in small groups and got to know and trust one another. Amazing friends I have known from third grade and new friends I just met or invited to come that visited our church for the first time. We are so thankful for Jerry and Jane Worshum who pastors a Grace Church in Racine, Wisconsin.  Jerry’s son in-law Tim is at my current church and has been praying for me for over five years now. Small world!

Pete and Rhonda Struhbar had some big shoes to fill eventually taking Jerry and Jane’s place in the high school ministry. They had the same open door policy and we visited their home every other day as well. Always welcome and smile and hugs. God blessed our church with such rich and giving people in the Elmhurst community. We did have to endure many three point sports related sermon examples, but we knew he would teach us how to grow in Christ love. I still hear and write to them each year and thank them.

Remember doing here’s the church, here’s the steeple open the door and here’s all the Elmhurst people! I admit I changed the last part of the hand thing. First Baptist Church in Elmhurst people changed my life forever! I know that a life grounded In Christ can reach out to a community and a world. Christ has changed our world through the life of the people in that colonial Baptist church in Elmhurst, Illinois at York Road and St. Charles Road where everyone was welcomed.

Elmhurst, Illinois Hot Spots!

Elmhurst Calls Steven Sutherland

RIGHT AT HOME On a breath taking summer day we spent our first day in our new house at 380 West Grantley Avenue where the trees tunnel the streets. This was a big step for our family. We all seemed ready for a change and a fresh start. Elmhurst gave us all of that and ever so much more! Ron and I were in the front empty bed room looking out the side window towards the Highland front right side of our house as you’re directly in front of it. We look out and see two boys.
One boy is thin with dark straight hair with glasses and the other seemed stronger with dark curly hair. They waved at us to come outside. We wasted no time and told Mom we were going to meet the new boys. Ron and I introduced ourselves to Billie and Jimmie Schumacher who lived in the big house directly
behind us. Little did we know they would become the center of our lives though the balance of grade school and fill our days, evenings and weekends too.
We went over to their house and played basketball in their driveway. The basket was at the point of their roof on the garage and you could do a layup and go right into their garage safely. This would come in quite handy for safety sake. They definitely believed in fouling and take no prisoners to make a shot. We learned that day that we would have to be tuff skinned to remain friends with them and we did.
We played tackle football at Roosevelt School our grade school about six blocks east on Grantley. Yes, it was tackle football! I came home more than once able to relate to Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) of the Wonder Years when he went home walking grabbing his side from the pain of getting the wind knocked out of him. We didn’t avoid the pain. We seemed to walk hand in hand with it as boys often do!
We played Ghost in the grave yard late and night when the sun went down and tackling was allowed and encouraged. We met so many amazing friends within those couple blocks too! Danny Kerrigan, Dave Stevens, Vern Field and so many more friends. I would have to say were creative too!
Ron came up with the idea to make a movie and get some feature films from the library. We made popcorn and collected a lot of cold hard coins from the neighborhood kids.
The movie was called The Great Jewel Robbery directed by Ron Sutherland. Little did we know Ron would pass this talent on to his son who made two movies nominated by Heartland Festivals in Indiana and one won the Jimmy Stewart Award by his son Tim Sutherland. We used the cash to buy more sporting goods stuff at Champaign’s in Elmhurst.
We enjoyed our days at 380 W. Grantley. The opportunity came up to buy the ranch house across the street 3555 Highland. The house faced Grantley though. The Kerrigan’s owned the house and Mr. Kerrigan was buying the house directly behind us. Mr. Kerrigan was great friends with our parents and worked out a fair deal. So, we were moving across the street. This seemed to go on for months even though it was only a week to move. It seemed like every time you left the house Mom had us taking a lamp or a table across the street to the new house. It was the hardest move we ever made as a family.
Ron and I have many fond memories there. First would be, meeting many of the 1967 Cubs at the local Arby’s that opened all the way East On Grantley right by York Road. We road our bikes down for five days straight to meet Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Glen Beckert, Don Kessinger and received an autograph picture from each. Ron and I definitely became Cubs fans in Elmhurst. We watched a lot of ball games even replays from games past on rain delay days!
Mom and Dad always had an open door policy. Our friends were always welcome to come have pizza and play pool. One friend of mine, John Stutzman use to add things to my Mom’s grocery list like Ruffles, Twinkies and come back the next week and sure enough Della bought them. He had a great scam going on until she caught him and started laughing really hard. Mom and Dad loved our friends and we loved their friends too!
In fact, many friends stayed with us for months at a time at the Highland house. My Brother Bob’s friend came, our pastor’s son stayed to finish senior year at York, my Dad’s friend and my Mom’s boss and daughter too. We had amazing times around the kitchen table and all became a part of our family. All grew to love Elmhurst too! One of my favorite memories of living in Elmhurst is the way the trees tunnel the streets. They brought shade on hot summer days, The Elm trees blanketed us when they were snow covered and protected us in the storms. Those Elm trees are at the very heart of my Elmhurst memories.
I have a picture I took in High School that inspired this book to be written along with my love for writing from my York High School Writing Teacher Mr. Harrison.

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Chapter 1