Gathering Places: Chicago

Items

• Oral History with Brent Hope
  Brent Hope has been a member of Christ Church of Chicago for over a decade. As an openly gay member of the congregation, Hope is prominent advocate for representation and activism on behalf of Tri-C. Hope agreed to participate in this oral history with Haley Carlton, a Loyola University graduate student, to discuss his experience with Christ Church of Chicago in contribution to a larger project titled Gathering Places. Carlton and Hope sat down in the lobby of Christ Church of Chicago at 10 AM just before the community karate lesson in the basement dojo of the church, and over the course of an hour, the two discuss Hope’s early experience with religion, his experience joining and participating in Tri-C, and what the congregation may look like in the future.
• The Sounds of Chris Church with Jane Kaihatsu
  A sound-based snapshot of Christ Church Chicago featuring congregation member Jane Kaihatsu. The congregation sings "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" then rises to participate in the Passing the Peace of Christ.
• Oral History with Kent Ijichi
  Kent Ijichi is a member of Christ Church of Chicago, where he has served in various capacities over the last two decades. This oral history took place at Christ Church of Chicago, located in the Roger’s Park area. The interview is approximately 37 minutes long. The conversation followed Kent’s favorite memories within Christ Church of Chicago and his experience in the church community. The interview took place as a part of the Gathering Places project at Loyola University of Chicago. For more information, see http://beta.gatheringplaceschicago.com/.
• Christ Church Chicago's 25th Anniversary
  A copy of Christ Church of Chicago's 25th Anniversary Celebration book. The book's contents include a history of the congregation, members of various church boards and organizations, and descriptions and images of various church activities. The book also contains some text written in Japanese.
• Christ Church Chicago 50th Anniverary
  A copy of Christ Church of Chicago's 50th Anniversary Celebration book. The book's contents contain a history of the congregation, tributes to the founding members, members and pictures of various church boards and organizations, an explanation of the symbolism behind the banners beside the altar, and a congregation photo.
• Christ Church Chicago's 1960 Annual Report
  A copy of the 1960 Annual Report. The report contains rosters and descriptions of various church social groups, descriptions of Pastor George Aki's work, a diagram of the organizational structure, statistics about the congregation's members, and words from the charter members.
• Christ Church Chicago 70th Anniversary Photo
  An image of the Christ Church of Chicago congregation at a celebration of the congregation's 70th Anniversary on September 9, 2018. While the church is still largely Japanese American, the congregation is more diverse than in the past.
• St. Mark's English Evangelical Lutheran Church Gathering Place Report
  A report on the history of St. Mark's English Evangelical Lutheran Church, which began in 1922. Christ Church of Chicago currently inhabits St. Mark's old building.
• Christ Church of Chicago Architectural Profile
  An Architectural Profile of the building at 6047 N Rockwell St, Chicago, that Christ Church of Chicago has inhabited since 2000. The building was built by St. Mark's English Evangelical Lutheran Church in the early twentieth century.
• Oral History with Jane Kaihatsu
  Jane Kaihatsu is a member of Christ Church of Chicago and serves as the church administrator. Jane has been a member her entire life, except for a few years that she lived out of state. This oral history took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, IL, where Jane works as a parish administrator. The interview is approximately 55 minutes long. The conversation discusses the changes that have occurred within Christ Church of Chicago during Jane’s lifetime, the importance of social justice issues to the Christ Church of Chicago’s congregation, and the importance of community, especially during times of healing.
• Christ Church of Chicago Gathering Place Report
  A comprehensive report on the history of Christ Church of Chicago, which began in 1946.
• Christ Church's First Home in an Old Church
  Image of Epworth United Methodist Church in Edgewater where Christ Church of Chicago’s Issei church met beginning in November 1946. The congregation continued to grow, and in 1953, received permission to begin searching for a new, permanent home.
• Effects of the COVID Pandemic - 2020
  Images from church activities during the height of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To keep members and neighbors engaged and connected during the pandemic, Christ Church of Chicago held outdoor concerts with refreshments and held virtual services via Facebook.
• A New Home for a New Millennium
  Images of the exterior and interior of the building that Christ Church of Chicago purchased in 2000 for their new permanent home. The building formerly belonged to St. Mark’s English Evangelical Lutheran Church. The first two images show the building exterior. The third image is of the staircase one is greeted with by entering the front doors, and the fourth image is of the main lobby, which the staircase leads to. Images five through eight are of the sanctuary space. Images nine through eleven are located in the basement of the building and are respectively a kitchen, a multi-purpose room, and a dojo.
• Christ Church of Chicago's Changing Congregation
  A book compiled by the Christ Church of Chicago’s Women’s Fellowship group which explains the importance of specific foods to the Japanese and includes recipes. Despite decreasing membership numbers, necessitating the sale of the Buckingham Place building, Christ Church of Chicago continued to hold fellowship groups and hold onto their Japanese American heritage. The church met at the Japanese American Services Committee (JASC) for a little more than a year during this time.Things like this heritage food book demonstrate Christ Church of Chicago’s resiliency even as the church was forced to meet in temporary spaces again.
• Interior of Christ Church's First Building
  Stained glass windows depicting religious scenes that were part of the Buckingham Place building. In 1954, Christ Church of Chicago purchased the former Temple Emanuel building on Buckingham Place for the congregation’s first permanent home. It was in this building that the congregation held its first joint Issei/Nisei services and officially changed its name to Christ Church of Chicago. In 1987, the congregation sold the building due to a decrease in membership.
• Nisei Services Begin
  A copy of “The Passage” from 1950, which served as a yearbook for the church. As Christ Church of Chicago – then called Christ Congregational Church – grew, the congregation found it necessary to add a Nisei, or second-generation American, service, starting in 1948. As stated on the first page of the 1950 edition, “The Passage” is a result of the growth – created to “convey a sense of ‘Oneness...’” and provide a “common meeting ground” for all the church members.
• The Founding of Christ Church of Chicago in 1946
  A page from Christ Church of Chicago’s 50th Anniversary book that tells an abbreviated story of how the congregation came to be and lists the founding members. Christ Church of Chicago began in 1946 when former Japanese American internees began to worship together in an apartment.
• New Friends
  A narrative about how Christ Church of Chicago obtained its current home on N Rockwell written by James Shikami who was tasked by the Church to search for a new permanent location. The story tells how Christ Church of Chicago’s connection with Bethany United Church of Christ led to St. Mark’s offering to sell the building directly to Christ Church of Chicago. Christ Church of Chicago rented space at Bethany United Church of Christ from September 1988 until 2000.
• Quilts of Home
  Quilted banner made by women of the church, which hangs by the altar at the front of the sanctuary. The imagery represents the journeys of the largely Japanese American congregation to the United States as well as Chicago. Featured on the quilt are both Christian symbols and kanji, or Japanese characters.