History

Christ Church of Chicago had its beginnings in 1946 when a group of first-generation Japanese-Americans met to worship together after arriving in Chicago for the first time. They had recently been released from the World War II Relocation Camps and they were seeking to strengthen ties with others in the Japanese-American community and to fill their spiritual needs. The membership grew rapidly as the congregation worshipped in various locations until the joyous day in 1954 when they were finally able to purchase their first home on Buckingham Place in the Lakeview area. The church was a busy gathering place for three generations of Japanese-Americans.

However, by 1987, declining membership and a deteriorating building forced the congregation to sell the church building and move to temporary worship sites. Gradually, though, the members rediscovered their common purpose and enthusiasm and in 2000 purchased the present church home at 6047 N. Rockwell in West Rogers Park, the former St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.

We are delighted with our new building! This new sacred space enables us to worship regularly, to offer an exciting Sunday School program for our families, and to host a number of annual social gatherings and community events.

Our new church home has also encouraged us to look outward to the surrounding community. The Welcome mat is out! We are gradually and happily becoming a multicultural and multiracial church. We still treasure our Japanese-American heritage, mostly through food, crafts, and annual church events, but when you look at our congregation on any given Sunday, we are a beautiful melting pot.

We know that God has a plan for us as an active, vibrant, and forward-looking congregation: to openly welcome new members, reach out to the community, share our gifts generously, teach our young people, and strengthen our individual and communal relationships with God.