Gathering Places: Chicago

Items

• Oral History with Sally Schreiner Youngquist
  Recording and transcript of an oral history interview with founding member and former Pastor of Living Water Community Church Sally Schreiner Youngquist.
• Living Water Community Church Gathering Place Report
  A report detailing the history of Living Water Community Church, a culturally diverse Mennonite church in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.
• Living Water Community Church Architectural Profile
  An architectural profile of the commercial building occupied by Living Water Community Church since 2005.
• Living Water Community Church Sonic Postcard featuring Kristin Jackson and Ronn Frantz
  A sonic postcard of Living Water Community Church Chicago featuring the Pastor, Kristin Jackson and one of the founding members, Ronn Frantz. It begins with the song "Amen" and continues with the shout of Hosanna. It includes clips from oral histories on church structure, membership and culture, that is, "the Passing of Peace."
• Oral History with Ronn Frantz
  Ronn Frantz is one of the founding members of Living Water Community Church. He was part of a group of about 12 Young people back in the 1980s, who were all members of Reba Place Church in Evanston, Illinois. They were interested in starting a new group in the City of Chicago, a little bit more ethnically and economically diverse.
• Oral History with Kristin Jackson
  Recording and transcript of an oral history interview with Pastor Kristin Jackson of Living Water Community Church.
• Field Recording
  A recording of Living Water Community Church's Palm Sunday service, April 2nd, 2023.
• Window Cut-Outs
  These two out of five window cut-outs at Living Water Community Church cover the church's southern windows. They depict Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and his ascension into Heaven. Before cutting images out, congregation members wrote bible verses on the cardboard.
• Aleppo Mosaic
  During the 2016 bombing of Aleppo, Syria, members of Living Water Community Church gathered to pray and create a tribute. The resulting mosaic is a reflection of the many images published in the news at the time depicting the rubble of ruined buildings against the blue sky.
• Easter Banner
  The original version of this colorful Easter banner at Living Water Community Church was collaboratively worked on by the entire congregation. During a Lenten season in the early 2010s, members could come to the warp threads during the service to weft prepared lengths of fabric between them. The finished banner represents the meeting of the heavens and the earth. To make sure this banner remained in good condition, several artists from the congregation carefully reassembled the woven banner and sewed it in place.
• Rwandan Offering Basket
  This white, black, and silver Rwandan basket was a gift to the Living Water Community Church from member Madina Annah, on the occasion of her wedding, on December 11, 2022, in Rwanda. It is used in each service as an offering basket.
• United Church of Rogers Park
  Living Water Community Church met in this building from 1995-2004, which is owned by the United Church of Rogers Park, after separating from Reba Place Church in Evanston.
• Reba Place Fellowship
  Living Water Community Church began as an offshoot of Reba Place Church of Evanston. Like Living Water, Reba Place also meets in a former commercial space that is decorated to bring a personal touch.
• Newspaper Article on Murder of Jesus Salgado
  On October 16, 2001, 16-year-old Jesus Salgado was murdered on the same block that Living Water Community Church now occupies. Group prayer brought the community to the area and the empty building to their awareness.
• Living Water Community Church Exterior
  The Living Water Community Church is located in an old mini-mall and the exterior still reflects that commercial nature. The true purpose of the building is revealed by the small sign and religious cutouts in the windows.
• Banners
  These banners hang behind the cross at the front of the worship area at Living Water Community Church. They were made and written on by the congregation. The lettering is in English, Khmer, Kirundi/Kinyarwanda, Nepali, and French.
• Living Water Floor Mosaic
  This mosaic was made by the collective efforts of the Living Water congregation in 2005 when they moved into the building. Members were instructed to find a stone smoothed by running water and bring it to the church. The resulting collection was arranged into this design, reminiscent of water.
• Prayer Shawl
  This shawl was hand-knit by an unnamed member of Living Water Community Church. It is a permanent fixture of the church's private prayer room and is available for use as a prayer shawl by the congregation.