First a little background story (isn't there always one?)
When I was first called to the congregation I started going to any kind of neighborhood meeting to get to know the leaders in the neighborhood and let them know that the congregation was looking to revive and that we wanted to offer our space to any groups that needed it. I also just wanted to make a presence for the congregation in the neighborhood again.
The neighborhood newspaper chief editor was at one of the meetings I attended and he asked if he could interview me for a story about the church. I thought it would be great coverage and I agreed. My council president and I met with him.
Now, my previous work experience included working for the competitor local newspaper - and one of my majors for undergrad was Journalism with a emphasis in Public Relations. I know how to handle myself in an interview and I know what reporters are looking for. As we talked I knew that some of the sound bites that my Council President gave, although in true context were very good, once taken out of context could sound bad. Anyway, during Holy Week the article came out.
It wasn't a bad article. I spoke the truth of the situation. If anything, it was just very blunt and it didn't put a nice pretty spin on things. The article was along side two other articles about other congregations going through a renewal and when you read all three you could see the differences and the similarities of what the attempts were. And, the reporter was trying to show that congregations struggling is a common thing in the city.
After the article was published my congregation went in an uproar. (Of course I was on vacation the week after Holy Week when all the congregational 'meetings' about me stepping out of bounds went on). I had to come back from vacation early to attend a council meeting where I set behavioral guidelines and told them that the behavior was unacceptable. (Now, remember, I am a 29 year old pregnant woman at this time - younger than many of their grand children, the wrong gender and showing off the gender by the size of my belly. I had a lot to overcome just by being who I am). This wasn't our first blow up, and it wouldn't be our last - but it was the first major one.
When I got the phone call from the same reporter from the local newspaper this week I almost wanted to say that there was no comment and decline the phone interview. But, instead I decided to talk to him. I figured, if they get mad then they get mad. I planned on writing individual letters to many of the neighborhood groups anyway - this would be a faster way to share the information with the neighborhood.
When I went on my front porch just now to get the mail the neighborhood paper was laying in my door way. I was nervous to read the article, nervous for emails and phone calls to start with complains from parishioners. But, after reading it I decided if I do get any then they are just looking for something to be mad about or to scold me over because it is a nice article. This time the spin is more on how many Lutheran congregations have closed on the Northwest side of Chicago over the past few years, and my congregation is adding itself to that list.
Here is the article, by Brian Nadig (edited to take information about my congregation and neighborhood out. Italics indicate a change).
"Our Congregation to Join List of Closed Churches on NW Side"
The 81 year old Our Congregation, address, will hold its last Sunday service on June 10.
The Rev.XXX, who became Our Congregation's pastor 2 years ago, said that the decision to close was not an easy one.
The pastor said that the members of the congregation feel that it is best to sell the church's assets and donate the money to other ministries and groups whose spiritual and charitable goals are similar to the mission of the church.
"We had a lot of meetings, did a lot of praying," XXX said. "We could have carried on, maybe go with a part-time pastor. We have no debt, (but) it was more to do with the age of the congregation."
XXX said that many of the congregation's members are about 70 years old and that time needed to recruit new members and support church programs would have taken an emotional toll on congregants. The church has 57 members, and about 30 people regularly attend its Sunday worship services.
The church will not hold services on Jan. 22, Feb. 12 and 26, March 11 and 25, April 25 and 29, May 13 and June 3 so that members can visit other churches. "We want them to join another church," XXX said.
Our Congregation was organized in 1931, and it held worship services at XXX Dance Studio on address and then at a school house on address until 1939, when the congregation built its first church.
That building now serves as a chapel and is attached to the main sanctuary, which was erected in 1959.
The church is seeking a new location for its food pantry, which serves only those living in the xxxxx ZIP Code area due to limited space and resources.
XXX said that the congregation hopes that another church will purchase the building. The church sold its parsonage in 2010 to help cover its expenses.
Many Lutheran churches on the Northwest Side have closed since the 1990s due to dwindling memberships. In 1998 eight Lutheran churches consolidated and formed a neighborhood church, address.
A neighborhood Lutheran church, address, listed its building and an adjacent lot for sale in July. The property has not yet been sold.
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