Fired up about what's been torn down

I added two more churches to my non-comprehensive list of churches that have closed since 1995 in the Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Logan Square, Wicker Park, North Center and Humboldt Park community areas of Chicago. 

One closed church came up in a conversation with Chuck McWherter, a long-time leader at our Lakeview/North Center church location (he's been ministering there since 1946!).  Chuck was sharing with me about the founding of an organization to reach the emerging Spanish-speaking residents of Chicago back in 1976.  The meeting involved Ray Bakke and bunch of other Chicago pastors.  It was held at Fairfield Community Church on Cortland in the Humboldt Park community.  Chuck told me the church closed "about 5 years ago".  Don't know how accurate his estimate is and I can't find data on the church on the internet yet.

When he mentioned this church it reminded me of another Humboldt Park church that was torn down in the late 90's--Westtown Baptist.  The church was located at the corner of Washtenaw and Cortland if I remember right.  A good friend grew up in that church and had been really saddened the demolition.  It was replaced by condos. 

My non-comprehensive total of closed churches in these areas now stands at 14. 

Just fires me up again to see this city and the North side in particular Rechurchified: 

• Re-introduced to Jesus
• Re-introduced to the missional community of Jesus' disciples called the church
• Re-introduced to living faith. 
• Re-consecrating sacred space for the Jesus Movement.

Comments

[ToJ_Rapha]

Fairfield Community Church on the corner of Cortland and Fairfield was actually called Fairfield Baptist Church. It later closed and re-opened 9 months later as Westtown Baptist Church. I do not know the timing, but this change took place before 1988.

Westtown Baptist Church closed between 1999 and 2002 and was razed. Housing now resides on the corner where this church once stood.

[ToJ_Rapha]

PS: Just double-checked Google maps street view - yep, an apartment building is standing on the corner where Westtown / Fairfield Baptist used to be.

[Kevin]

I discovered my error a few days later and forgot to post a correction. Thanks for passing along the knowledge, TolRapha.