A window in Immanuel's sanctuary reminds worshippers of Christ's continuing search for all His lost sheep.

"It was our interim pastor, Pastor Pete, who in a 1999 sermon challenged our congregation to ‘move from maintenance to mission,’” says Congregation President Tom Amato. 

The beautiful sanctuary and school is a testimony to transition, with various additions constructed to accommodate growing community. Founded in the 1870's, the church at 1850 W. Chestnut was constructed in 1926. In 1951, part of the school was built; in 1956, another part of the school was added and administrative offices were built. The gymnasium was constructed in 1966. A preschool addition and sanctuary lobby was added in 1986.

But the mid-1990s saw another demographical shift. Close to 50% of the congregation transitioned, as second and third generations of church families began moving out of the area. The school saw a dramatic decline in enrollment.  When Rev. David Barber was called to Immanuel Lutheran in 1999, the school—and by default, the church--was in financial crisis.

"At that time, the school had only 27 children enrolled," Pastor Barber says. "The church was not connected at all with the community. It was seen as 'the church with the cemetery.'" Over the years, the gulf between the people worshipping at the church and the community had become a yawning chasm, and the primary definition of the church's ministry became survival.

After the 2001-2002 school year and through much painful deliberation, Immanuel Lutheran no longer offered education for children in 1^st through 8^th grade. The preschool and kindergarten program continued during the 2002-2003 school year; however, in August 2003, the congregation officially voted that it would no longer offer any private educational programs.

"There was tremendous conflict over this decision," Pastor Barber remembers. "The prevailing outlook was 'if the school dies, the church dies.' It was a very painful process."

The school building itself is a stark reminder of what was lost. Classrooms remain stocked with empty desks. Hallways echo only with occasional footsteps. Basketball conference flags hang motionless in the gymnasium. Only the preschool shows signs of life, with colorful posters and boxes of toys waiting for the next little ones to visit the nursery during worship.

Downstairs in the fellowship hall, annual confirmation photos are a revealing chronology of the church, with as many as 30 students in a photo from 1968 and as few as four students in a photo from the late 1980s.

But Pastor Barber has another vision of the school. For in 2003, Immanuel Lutheran leaders looked at potential ministries that could be housed by the very large and usable facility. A needs survey conducted by the United Way of Glenview identified childcare as the most critical need in the community.

"We began asking 'Who are we as a church?' and 'Who are we to serve?'" church president Tom Amato notes. "Childcare began to make sense as a way to reach out the community and let them know we can help them."

"At that time, two-career families with younger children were moving into the area, and some of them were coming into the church," Pastor Barber notes. "We started asking 'What can we do to make an impact on the lives of these families?' Childcare fit into that calling as well." While pastor at Faith, Merritt Island, Florida, Barber was able to visit one of the first Open Arms Child Ministry Centers in Alpharetta, Georgia. The success of the child care center resulted in a church plant. Thinking that strategy could also help grow their church, Immanuel Lutheran soon began conversations with Institute representatives.

"Open Arms is a church planting strategy that starts out by connecting to the community through providing early child care," Barber notes.  The financial viability of the approach assists a church plant by helping provide a dual-purpose initial facility.

"The relationships developed with people in the community through child care provide a wonderful opportunity to witness to the love of Jesus Christ," Barber says. "In our case, we have the facility -- we just need a means of connecting with and serving the community."

Church leaders were encouraged by the Institute's positive assessment of the opportunity for Immanuel Lutheran. "Immanuel Lutheran commissioned a formal market research study and the results indicated they could expect as many as 300 children to enroll," says Martin Barlau, Executive Director, Open Arms Institute. "They are planning to build for about 100. So the numbers will be there."

With the congregation's approval, Immanuel Lutheran began the process of reconstruction to design a state-of-the-art child care facility. However, meetings with architects, engineers, fire marshals, etc. came to an abrupt halt in 2005 after an environmental feasibility study showed that construction had been proposed on property within a floodway. The school itself had been constructed before flood plain regulations came into effect and some additions were placed directly in the floodway.

Just as they had endeavored to reconsider the church's mission, Immanuel Lutheran then had to refocus their construction goals. They developed a two-phase approach to take advantage of their current facility while positioning them for future growth.

"Phase 1 consists of improvements and upgrades to the school so that we can acquire Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) licensure," Barber says. The work will involve adding sinks to classrooms, replacing railings, replacing carpeting, repairing the roof, and painting.  An ambitious timetable has the childcare facility set to open in October 2006.

The church hopes to begin Phase 2 in four to five years. Plans include constructing a brand-new child care facility on the property parking lot, which is completely out of the floodway area, and tearing down most of the school building to make room for parking.

For now, their efforts are directed toward the success of their new ministry and their new connection with the community.

"Through it all, our biggest challenge is to get out of the way and love people as Christ loved us," Barber says. "We are definitely not following the 'old' model of evangelism. We're here to earn the right to talk to people about important things."

Diane Strzelecki is a People Ablaze! journalist.