The Parish Directory Project

Welcome to the Parish Directory Project directory updates page. We are working hard to provide a complete directory of Lutheran Churches in the Chicagoland Area and their worship practices.

Updates to the Church Directory Project

2008 Updates

• Added vicars for 2008.
• Hope, Countryside
  Add Rev. William Orr as Pastor
• Inactive Congregations Tagged
  The following churches are no longer worshiping:
  • Beautiful Savior, Chicago, IL
  • Peace, Chicago, IL
  • St. Martini, Chicago, IL
  • Risen Savior, Indian Creek, IL
  • Community of Hope, Marengo, IL
  • Reinstalled Trinity Glencoe and Light of Life to database and marked inactive.
  • Added functionality to search for closed congregations to new version of directory software
• Added ELDoNA's mission congregation in Lake County
• Added ELDoNA to search options in database software.
• Trinity, Roselle
  Added David Pendley as DCE
• St. John, Elgin
  Added Heidi Bishop as Deaconess
• St. Paul, Mount Prospect
  Added Anthony Dixon as DCE
• First Immanuel, Chicago, IL
  Added Rev. Harry Therwanger as Pastor (Installed September 24, 2008)
• St. James, Chicago, IL
  Added Rev. James Heunink as Associate Pastor (he was a previous vicar at the church)  Installed June 15, 2008.
• St. Matthew, Barrington, IL
  Added Rev. Mark Nordman as sole pastor.  Removed Rev. Gerald P. Schalk.  Pastor Nordman previous was associate pastor.
• Immanuel, Batavia, IL
  Added DCE Manfred Gutwein

1st Quarter 2008

• Removed Rev. Kermit Walk from St. Paul (Austin) Chicago. Added Rev. Don Gourlay as Interim pastor.
• Removed Rev. John Carrier from Bethlehem, Dundee, he has taken a call to Trinity in Port Huron, MI.
• Removed +Rev. Christopher Farina from St. John Montrose. Pastor Farina was called to glory 1/18/2008.
• Removed Rev. Robert Clausen, called to glory on January 29, 2008.
• Chicago, ST. Paul Autsin, Don Gourlay, Interim – Rem Kermit Walk
  Rem Rev. Craig Meissner St. Michael, Chicago and Mount Calvary, Franklin Park- apparently has taken new call.
  Removed Rev. Barry Kolb, Lord of Life, LaFox. He has taken a call to First Lutheran in Texarkana, TX.
• Changed Rev. Stephen Biesel, Trinity, Roselle from Pastor to Emeritus.
• Removed Rev. Lee M. Jany fron St. Peter, Joliet. Pastor Jany is now interim at Redeemer, Peru, IL.
• Removed Rev. Stephen Blocklage, Faith, Oak Lawn. He has taken a call to Vermont.
• Added Rev. Sean Smallwood, Lamb of God, Pleasant Prairie, WI.,
  Pleasant Prairie

September 2007

• Removed Rev. Klaus Mehrl, Our Savior, Joliet. Added William T. Mitschke as Interim Assistant Pastor.
• Removed Rev. Jonathan Strand, Hope, Countryside. Pastor Strand was called to glory on September 8, 2007
• Removed Rev. Mark D Post from Trinity, Lombard.
• Removed Rev. Duane S. Feldmann from Peace, Lombard.

August 2007

• Database Update in progress.
• Removed Rev. Larry K. Loree from Immanuel, Steger. He is now pastor at Zion, Detroit, MI.

July 2007

• Removed Tim Spilker from Peace, Racine. Pastor Spikler was called to glory on April 30, 2007.
• Added Rev. David Easterday, Trinity, Crown Pointe, WI - Installed 7/22/07.
• Removed Rev. John Berg, Lamb of God, Pleasant Prairie, WI - Pastor Berg has accepted a new call.
• Added Rev. Micah Greiner to St. Peter Lutheran, Arlington Heights, IL as Associate Pastor
• Added Rev. Matthew Helfrich to Trinity Lutheran, Roselle, IL as Associate Pastor
• Added Rev. Nathan Kramer to Zion Lutheran Church, Ottawa, IL as sole Pastor
• Added Rev. Ray Krueger to Immanuel Lutheran Church, DeKalb, IL
• Added Rev. James McCoid, James to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, IL as associate pastor
• Added Rev. Douglas Swanson to St. John Lutheran Church, Darien, IL as associate pastor
• Added Rev. Jean Binque (EIIT) to Bethesda Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL as associate pastor

May 2007

• Added Spring Vicars

April 2007

• Added WELS/ELS Congregations in Wisconsin (Racine & Kenosha Counties)
• Added Evangelical Catholic Church
• Updated the communion restrictions programming code.
• Updated Parish Listing program to include affiliations, parish map, and repaired the communion restrictions bug.
• Updated St. Paul's Lockport, Illinois to reflect weekly communion.
• Removed Rev. Dan Gilbert from Cross, Yorkville, IL. Added Pastor Erik Gauss and Rev. Wayne Ahrens.
• Corrected typos in Wisconsin LCMS churches (city and congregation were inverted)
• Updated search engine.

March 2007

• Removed Dr. Jock Ficken from St. Paul's - Aurora, IL. He has left parish ministry to join Capital Funding Services/LCEF.
• Added David M. Juhl to Our Savior, Momence, IL installed on 3/25/07.
• Added Good Shepherd LCMS in Glen Ellyn. They are meeting at Roosevelt Glen (799 Roosevelt Road just west of Route 53) in an office building. Pastor Patrick Boomhower is the pastor.
• Removed Rev. William J. Majer from Faith Arlington Heights, IL. Resigned from roster.
• Added website for Faith Arlington Heights, IL and updated listing.
• Updated NI District's churches to reflect Vacancy listings. Churches calling candidates are indicated as vacancy.
• Added Rev. Kermit Walk to Nazareth, Chicago, IL as vacancy pastor.
• Added Rev. Paul Anderson to St. Paul-Dorchester, Chicago, IL as vacancy pastor.
• Added Rev. Luther Albrecht as Associate Pastor for Trinity, Burr Ridge, IL. He was installed Feb. 11, 2007. Subsequently removed Pr. Albrecht from Peace, Chicago.

January 2007

• Reviewed entire database and made numerous updates. Update history from April 2006 to December 2006 has been lost.
• Adding churches in Southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana (Lake & Porter counties). Future plans include adding Milwaukee area churches. As of 1/15/2007 WELS/ELS churches in Wisconsin have not been added.

March 2006

• Removed Rev. Philip Lepak from Light of Life in Plainfield. He has taken a call to Indiana.

January 2006

• The updated circuits have been placed into each congregations records in preparation for the Februrary 2006 recircuiting of the Nothern Illinois District.
• Search by day of worship and translation have been added to the database.

December 2005

• No updates were received for December 2005 from the Northern Illinois District
• The original Beta Edition of Colleges/University directory went online. It has since been replaced by a newer version.

November 2005

• A special convention will be held on November 12, 2005 to possibly realign the circuits of the Northern Illinois District. The White Rose Ministries will record all actions of this special convention.
• No further updates were received for November 2005 from the Northern Illinois District

October 2005

• Trinity, Glencoe
  Congregation disbanded October 30, 2005

September 2005

• No updates were received from The Northern Illinois District.
• Completed Geocoding of Database
• Began work on College & University specific directories

August 2005

1. St. Paul's Brookfield
   Added Pastor Joel Brandos, who was previously at Zion, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
2. Zion, Summit
   Removed Rev. Donald Gerlach and added Rev. Theodore Groth, who was installed on May 1.
3. Grace Community Lutheran Mission, Monee
   Removed Rev. Theodore Groth. Updated street address. The mission has moved to a new facility.
4. St. Peter, Dundee
   Removed David Schoenknecht. Added Rev. Eric Gawura as Senior Pastor, installed on June 26. Rev. Eric Gawura was previously on Candidate Status.
5. Trinity, Lansing
   Moved Rev. Thomas Lee Heren from Vicar to Associate Pastor. Rev. Heren was ordained and installed on July 10.
6. St. Peter, North Plato
   Removed Rev. Robert Degner (he is now pastor at St. Paul, Stevens Point, WI)
   Added Rev. Gerhard Mau who was installed on April 24.
7. Christ, Orland Park
   Moved Rev. Walter Lodogar to Emeritus Pastor; Moved Rev. Raymond Rohlfs to Senior Pastor. Rev. Lodogar becomes Emeritus on August 21.
   Added Vicar Paul Ernewein.
8. First St. Paul, Chicago
   Removed Rev. Delayne Pauling who retired in June. Listed congregation as Vacant.
9. St. Paul's, Aurora
   Verified Rev. Thomas Sayre is not listed as a Pastor at St. Paul's. He is currently at Faith, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. We had no record of Rev. Sayre on staff. No action was necessary.
10. North Shore Ministry (Redeemer & Faith), Lake Forest
    Removed Rev. Mark R. Schulz who has accepted a call to Bethany, Overland Park, Kansas.
11. St. Paul, Melrose Park
    Removed Rev. Dr. Paul K. Grossman, who has accepted a call to Specialized Ministry in the Northwest District.
12. Faith, Oak Lawn
    Removed Rev. Michael R. Gudgel. He has accepted a call to St. Matthew in Lemont.
13. St. Matthew, Lemont
    Removed Rev. Peter Zadeik as interim Pastor. Added Rev. Michael R. Gudgel as Pastor.
14. Zion, Chicago
    Added Rev. Stephane Kalonji. Removed listing as a Calling Vacancy.
15. St. Peter, Schaumburg
    Changed Rev. William Cate from Vicar to Assocaite Pastor.
16. St. James, Chicago
    Added Vicar Scott Ryll, St. Louis. Removed Vicar Dan Borkenhagen, St. Louis
17. Cross, Yorkville
    Added Vicar Stephen Wisenauer, St. Louis.
18. St. Peter, Joliet
    Added Vicar P Christian Agne, St. Louis.
19. Emmanuel & Hope, Aurora
    Added Deaconess Intern Kathleen Mills, St. Louis
20. Zion, Marengo
    Added Vicar Jeffrey Frakes, St. Louis
21. Zion, Beecher
    Added Vicar Stephen Hand, Fort Wayne
22. St. Paul, Lockport
    Added Vicar Peter Richert. Removed Vicar Stuart N. Floyd. Both were from Fort Wayne
23. St. John, Wheaton
    Added Vicar Joshua Genig, Fort Wayne.
24. Calvary, Elgin
    Added Vicar Mark Bestul, Fort Wayne.
25. Trinty, Lombard
    Added Vicar Marcus Nelson, Fort Wayne. Removed Vicar Mark K Witte.
26. St. Peter, Pingree Grove
    Added Vicar Johnny Greve, Fort Wayne.
27. Bethlehem, Chicago
    Added Pastor Jeremy Heilman.
28. St. Paul, Addison
    Added Rev. James ZImmerman. Added Rev. H Krentz, Emeritus.

July 2005

Geocoded the database.