Blue Island congregation with 1850s roots prepares for church’s final service: ‘It’s going to be a sad day’

Grace United Methodist Church, a fixture in Blue Island for decades, is more than just a building to its leaders and members, who have made the difficult decision to close the church.

“When you close a church, that’s not only the building you are moving away from. You are losing ground as a denomination, that family connection and network,” said Pastor Innis Miller III. “So this love has a ripple effect through different things.”

The last service is set for 11 a.m. Sunday and is open to everyone. It “will be focused around celebrating the history of Grace and Blue Island,” Miller said, and will include a slideshow with photos, and tours and time to share stories afterward during the luncheon reception.

Longtime member Ford Rabon, a church trustee, lay reader and local lay speaker, expects the service to be emotional.

“Nobody is happy. It’s going to be a sad day,” he said. “It will be a joint service with our Hispanic ministry. They’re going to join us so there will be two congregations. … We’re hoping we get a lot of people coming back.”

Miller, who has been with Grace since July 2020, already has been appointed to another church. After the last service, he will work with the conference to make sure the properties – the church and its parsonage – are turned over properly and the bishops will decide what happens from there.

“In terms of my hope, I pray that the conference utilizes the building for a community initiative, so that the United Methodist presence can still be in the Blue Island community,” he said.

Miller said he’ll hold close to memories of the church and especially its community.

“My time in Blue Island and the church was such a special one. I appreciate the loving people that work with us,” he said. “Ecclesiastes 3:1 says there is a time for everything, so we consider this the time. But in all things we give God thanks and praise for allowing us to experience this together as God’s people.”

He’s heard lots of stories about the church but is proudest of its role in Blue Island, providing spiritual guidance and engaging with the community, including its Christmas sing-a-long the last two years. “It was initiated for the community. We had an hour of singing carols and music,” Miller said. “I really feel the spirit of celebration of this time for our community, and this will be something that will remain in the minds of many who have been part of it.”

Attendance at the traditional service averages about 20 people, although more are listed on the membership roll. The Hispanic ministry has about 60 members. Pastor Saturino Espinoza, who has led the Hispanic ministry at Grace for eight years, said that ministry will move to Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood in May. “We’ll continue teaching and preaching,” he said.

The historic church building in Blue Island, known for its stained glass windows and long, traditional center aisle, was conceived in 1943 when the Central Methodist Church founded in 1854 combined with the First Methodist Episcopal Church founded in 1873. The building was dedicated Sept. 14, 1947, according to Grace’s website.

Kevin Brown, executive director of the Blue island Historical Society, confirmed Grace has the oldest congregation in Blue Island. He described the building as “Gothic Revival style” and noted that its location “was once the site of a large home that was razed to make way for the church’s construction.”

”For a relatively large building, it was designed to fit into the neighborhood perfectly,” he said. “It doesn’t crowd or overshadow its neighboring homes.”

The church survived a devastating fire in 1972 that destroyed its sanctuary. The cost to rebuild it, paid by insurance and contributions, was more than $500,000. “In today’s money, that’s about $4 million,” Rabon said.

Brown, who’s Catholic, plans to attend the service May 5 and the reception afterward. “I feel it’s important to pay my respects to Grace Methodist’s congregants, past and present, who have meant so much to our city’s growth and development.”

He said he’s seen congregations in Blue Island shrinking, with its two Lutheran congregations – First Lutheran Church and St. Philip Lutheran Church – merging a few years ago and St. Walter Church in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood merging with Blue Island’s St. Benedict Church, including the two schools. “St. Donatus on Blue Island’s east side is still open, but St. Isidore, located just a few blocks away, closed several years ago.”

Brown regrets that Grace is closing. “It’s sad any time a longstanding community institution is forced to cease operations,” he said. “I hope it can continue to be the home for religious services of some sort, maybe a congregation of a different denomination or some other sort of community-focused organization can use it and love it.”

Someone else who hopes the church will find new life is Rabon, who’s been a member since his confirmation 59 years ago and lives just two blocks away. “I would think there would be some congregation somewhere that could utilize that facility, but it doesn’t meet the modern idea of church,” he said. “It’s not a commuter church.”

He explained that it doesn’t have big parking lots, isn’t very accessible to people with disabilities and needs a new heating system. On the plus side, though, it’s got classrooms, a big meeting room, a big stage, a restaurant-quality kitchen and can seat at least 200 people in the sanctuary.

“It’s aesthetically beautiful. Lots of years we’ve had people come through just to use it for a wedding because it has a long center aisle. They have no association with a church, but it has that look with the wooden beams and stained glass window and wooden pews so they rent it for their wedding.”

As a trustee, Rabon was involved with the decision to close the church. That decision was primarily driven by finances after the heating system needed repairs this winter that ate up a large chunk of the church’s savings. Although the system was fixed, more repairs loom. “A component from the 1980s is on its last legs,” he said. “When that component fails, we won’t be able to fix it. We’ll have to replace it. Cost was going to be $30,000.”

Other ongoing bills, such as high insurance premiums combined with a dwindling congregation and corresponding reduction in weekly offerings, made the painful decision inevitable, he said.

Church members wanted to keep Grace open until the end of June, but it was decided it would be better to close sooner “so ministerial appointments and movements” could be made before the church’s fiscal year ends June 30.

He said the saddest thing about the church closing is the loss of community.

“A lot of people you develop friendships with, once Sundays stop happening you’re not going to see those people much if at all because you only see them on a Sunday. But you know them because you’ve seen them once a week for years.

“Those friendships that you’ve formed over decades will come to an end.”

Rabon, who’s taught Bible study for 35 years, decided to take everyone to brunch recently. “We sat there for three hours reminiscing. It was a good time. We know the opportunity to do that is going to come to an end really quick. That’s hard.”

They also made time after the April 28 service for members to share stories.

“The congregation is holding up together, but individually, people respond to grief in different ways. Some may react immediately and others will take their time to go through the process,” Miller said. “Across the country, congregations have openly expressed their pain and frustration.”

Rabon said sharing stories will be part of the last service as well. “You try and put the recent problems behind you,” he said. “So you search for the recollections of the good things. That will be the focus of the service May 5 – what the church has meant to the community for the last 77 years.”

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.