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History of LaSalle Street Church

"After 1830, Chicago's population increased rapidly by immigration. The newcomers settled in ethnic sectors that made up a miniature patchwork of Old Europe: Germans, Scandinavians, Irish, Jews, Italians, Swedes, Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians, Croats, Greeks, and others. They built their own churches, baked their own bread, and elected their own aldermen to the City Council."

"A colony of hardworking but unskilled Germans settled on the near-north side, just west of the Gold Coast mansions that lined the lakefront. They became the street cleaners, maids, and butlers for their elite neighbors.

"As an ethnic sector moved up economically in Chicago, it moved out geographically from the core city, selling or renting shops and residences to the next wave of newcomers. It was so with the Germans, and the Swedes that followed them. They prospered and began trickling north. Behind them came a flotsam of poorer ethnic groups. Neighborhood crime and vice increased until the term 'Little Hell' came to describe the community."

In 1856, a group of Lutheran churches in the East sent missionaries to establish a mission in Chicago, "the Metropolis of the West." The Rev. Dr. William A. Passavant, founder of nearby Passavant Hospital, was one of these missionaries. They established their work in a low-income area west of Wells Street, among the Irish, German and Swedes living in the area. In 1867 they erected a frame church on the corner of Dearborn and Ontario streets. It was destroyed in the great fire of 1871.

"The Swedes had built the English Lutheran Church at the corner of LaSalle and Elm in 1882. It was a duplicate of hundreds of churches still standing in Europe since Reformation days. From the foundation to the two high turrets (one was later destroyed by lightning), every opening curved at the top to form a symbol of a worshiper reaching up to God with praying hands. A magnificent Good Shepherd stained glass window, tooled by Old World artistry, vaulted above massive twin doors. The lofty sanctuary ceiling was supported by oaklike metal trusses curving high above box pews. The opening to the minister's study also reached upward in a majestic sweep. Even the basement with utility rooms, a kitchen, and a 40' X 50' square social hall, had Biblical scenes on stained glass windows all around."

The building, located at 1136 North LaSalle, was dedicated on October 24, 1886. The original congregation followed the migration out of the area and still meets today as the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Addison and Magnolia Streets.
By 1900 Persians and African Americans began moving into the neighborhood as the Germans, Swedes and Irish moved north and west. The neighborhood around LaSalle Street Church continued to change and became predominately Italian. At nearby Moody Church, an Italian Bible Class was begun in 1906. A mission work grew out of that class and was organized as the Moody Italian Mission in 1910. The Moody Italian Mission met at Division and Clybourn but was beginning to outgrow its space. The 1921 annual report states that their ministry included Sunday school, vacation Bible school, English classes, a south-side branch mission and a woman serving as assistant pastor. In 1936, Moody Italian Mission acquired the 1136 N. LaSalle building for their services. Worship services were held in Italian.

In 1942, construction began on the Cabrini Homes, a 586-unit row house and garden apartment complex. The neighborhood was composed of Italians, Japanese, Appalachian whites and African Americans.
As the number of Japanese in the neighborhood increased, services in Japanese were held at 6:30 a.m. prior to the services of the Italian congregation. (Later the Japanese congregation spun off and started their own church which moved to the West side of Chicago.) The church had a new name: Elm-LaSalle Bible Church, but maintained its relationship with Moody Church.
"Over the years the one stable group in Elm-LaSalle Church had been the blue-collar MBI [Moody Bible Institute] employees. (MBI faculty living in the area tended to prefer Moody Church.) The MBI lay leaders quickly adapted to the influx of the new ethnic groups, tailoring Sunday morning services to the Southerners and providing an afternoon Spanish-speaking Sunday school for Puerto Ricans. Straying African Americans continued to be told that the Clybourn Mission was for them."

This concern that different ethnic groups should worship with ”their own kind” reflected a conflict that existed within Moody Bible Church. Bill Leslie, youth pastor of the church, was one of those who felt that African Americans should be allowed to become members at Moody. When the pastor assigned to Elm-LaSalle Bible Church left to go back to school, Bill was offered the position. On September 8, 1961, he preached his first sermon at Elm-LaSalle. One of his goals was to end the "mission church" status of Elm-LaSalle, and build it into an independent church.

It was a difficult time to try to grow a church. "Puerto Ricans had begun moving away before his arrival. Now the Appalachians to the east and north were departing. . . Bill went after the long-neglected [African Americans] who lived to the west. Most were indifferent, some almost hostile. . . a few [African Americans] started coming. . . The area to the west wasn't all black, but it was getting that way fast. In the fall of 1961 many whites still lived in the giant new Cabrini-Green housing project for low-income families. . ."

A stormy time began between Moody Church and Elm-LaSalle as the two communities conflicted over racial issues, doctrine and practice. Moody Church finally agreed to give Elm-LaSalle independence, but negotiations went on to determine a fair price for the building. Finally, in 1973, the deed was handed over, and the congregation was freed to do the kind of ministry they felt God called them to. Under Bill's leadership, the church grew slowly but steadily, attracting graduate students, artists and musicians, young professionals, and other Christians committed to urban ministry.

The church and pastors have been nurtured and challenged by the history of this neighborhood and the work of God's people here. We continue to bring the whole gospel to this part of the city.

The material in quotations is taken from The Church That Takes on Trouble (1976) by James and Marti Hefley.