A Faith Hub on Main Street
Crete United Methodist Church sits on a single corner in downtown Crete, Illinois, where Main Street meets Exchange Street. The congregation has called this stretch of the village home for more than 180 years, and its long-running presence is still the picture that residents see when Sunday morning arrives in Crete. Step inside and the church describes its mission in clear terms: "to be Christ centered, teaching and learning community, dedicated to reaching out to all in a spirit of caring and sharing, a community where growth in Christ inspires us to be joyful sharing people." That outward-facing identity shows up in everything from the sign out front to the busy calendar of programs that reaches well beyond the sanctuary walls, including a food pantry that feeds Crete Township families, a thrift shop that funds local outreach, and a Before and After School Program that draws Crete-Monee families each school day.
Sunday Mornings in the Sanctuary
Worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings, in a single service that lasts roughly thirty to forty-five minutes. Greeters meet visitors at the Exchange Street parking lot entrance, the door that is open on Sunday mornings, and record attendance for contact tracing. Inside the narthex, screens at the front of the sanctuary display the words of the service, while Bibles and hymnals stay ready in the pews. Large-print Bibles and large-print bulletins are available for anyone who needs them. A person stationed in the narthex before worship is happy to take prayer joys and concerns, and the pastor can also receive those notes ahead of time by phone or email.
Coffee is served before or after the service in the church lobby, giving neighbors a chance to catch up after the final prayer. The service itself is videotaped each week and posted on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel, and recordings can be emailed directly to anyone who joins the weekly email list. For those who cannot attend in person, the music, prayers, and sermon still arrive at home.
Music Ministries
Music has long been a centerpiece of worship at Crete UMC. The Chancel Choir and Praise Team are led by Paul Blievernicht, the church musician, who accompanies services, chooses prelude, offertory, and postlude music, and helps the congregation sing. He also steps in for weddings, funerals, and special services, including Holy Week and Christmas Eve. The Adult Hand Bell Choir, directed by Deb Bachert, rehearses Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and rings during worship several times a year. Past seasons have featured guest musicians such as pianist David Forsman, singer and songwriter T.J. Conner, and the Chicago Southern District Voices choir, which filled the sanctuary with gospel praise music during a 2020 visit that remains a highlight for the congregation.
The Before and After School Program and Enduring Strings
One of the largest ministries of Crete UMC is the Before and After School Program, directed by Kathy Carter Young. Housed in the church building, the program serves Crete-Monee School District families with morning drop-off from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. and after-school care each school day. Children are supervised, given help with homework, and offered music and enrichment activities throughout the year. The program also runs the long-running Enduring Strings violin program, a partnership with the Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Beginner violin students in first through fifth grade meet Monday and Tuesday mornings, with classes from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. Advanced students meet on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. Children attending CSK and Balmoral schools are bused to school after class, while Crete Elementary students are walked over. Tuition runs $32 per week, or $16 per session. The year closes with the popular Recital Tea at the Crete Public Library each May, where students perform, receive flowers, and celebrate around a chocolate fountain and snack buffet. The annual event has become a community tradition in Crete, drawing families from across the school district.
Past seasons have also included the e-learning Community Initiative for area students, a Vacation Bible Camp for children entering first through sixth grade, and an annual Children's Christmas Musical. Director Kathy Carter Young has written and staged productions such as Wrapping All the Way, Isaiah Jones and the Seekers of the Lost Christmas Treasure, and Candy Cane Lane, a Recipe for Life. The musicals remain a beloved holiday tradition that fills the sanctuary each December.
The Crete Food Pantry
The Crete Food Pantry, supported by the church alongside other local congregations, operates out of the Crete Township building at 1367 Wood Street, Crete, Illinois. Open Wednesday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the pantry hands out a free bag of groceries to Crete Township residents who can show identification. Items typically stocked include cereal, spaghetti noodles and sauce, canned vegetables and fruit, peanut butter, jelly, tuna, and personal hygiene products like laundry soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss.
The pantry is supported only by the generosity of Crete Township residents and several local churches. Non-perishable food donations are no longer accepted at the church building itself; instead, donations can be dropped off directly at 1367 Wood Street. Checks made out to Crete UMC with "Crete Food Pantry" in the memo line are also accepted at the church office, where the staff forwards the gift on to the pantry.
Penny-Pantry Sunday and Reaching Beyond Crete
On the fourth Sunday of every month, the congregation gathers a special offering known as Penny-Pantry Sunday. The funds collected are divided quarterly among four causes: from January through March, gifts go to the Northern Illinois Conference Bishop's Appeal; from April through June, the Crete Food Pantry; from July through September, the PADS Ministry supporting South Suburban PADS; and from October through December, the church's own Helping Hands Ministry.
The 2026 Bishop's Appeal focuses on education, with gifts split between two projects. The first supports the building of a high school in Tanzania, at a mission site led by Rev. Christina Kim, a Northern Illinois Conference clergy member. The Dar Es Salaam mission has already completed a much-needed secondary school that grew from 41 students at first opening to 148 students by 2024, and the new high school will allow more young people to continue their education. The second beneficiary is the Endowment Fund for Theological Education in the Central Conferences, covering Africa, Europe, and the Philippines. The fund aims to support 500 theological scholarships in perpetuity for emerging clergy leaders in regions where fewer than five percent of pastors hold a master's degree in theology.
Past Bishop's Appeals have supported Harvest 2020, Imagine No Malaria, Justice For Our Neighbors, Rosecrance, Global HIV, refugee ministries, COVID relief, and Ukraine and Russia war relief, reflecting a long tradition of connectional giving across the Northern Illinois Conference.
GEMS Girls' Club
On the first and third Tuesdays of each month during the school year, GEMS Girls' Club welcomes girls in first through third grade from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the church. GEMS, which stands for "Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior," has been around for more than sixty years and uses games, devotions, and activities to help girls discover who God created them to be. The program welcomes girls with all kinds of interests, abilities, and backgrounds, and provides resources that help moms, mentors, and ministry leaders understand the challenges girls face today. The local group meets at 1321 Main Street, and interested families can call the church office at 708-672-8353 or email office@creteumc.org to learn more.
Youth Group
Teens in grades seven through twelve are invited to the Sunday evening youth group, which gathers at 6:00 p.m. in the church's youth room, accessed from the Main Street entrance. Youth Director Kyle Meyer leads a program designed to provide a safe space, promote open communication, build leadership, strengthen self-confidence, and grow faith in Christ. Activities have included an annual ski trip, fundraising for the community, collecting toys and mittens for the Jones Center in Chicago Heights at Christmas, and traveling with the Appalachia Service Project to repair homes in Central Appalachia. The youth have also partnered with South Suburban PADS and joined in mission work closer to home.
Thrift Shop
The Crete UMC Thrift Shop is open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the corner of Main and North Street. Run entirely by volunteers and stocked entirely by donations, the shop offers books, games, records, mugs, clothing, jewelry, artwork, dishes, and cookware at affordable prices, with all profits going to the church's outreach programs. Shoppers stop in for Halloween costumes, household basics for a first apartment, or simply to browse the inventory of records, rings, and ceramic figurines that line the shelves. The shop has become a destination in Crete on its own.
PADS Ministry and Helping Hands
The church has long partnered with South Suburban PADS, Public Action to Deliver Shelter, which has provided shelter, supportive housing, job training, and meals to people experiencing homelessness in the south suburbs for over twenty-six years. Through Penny-Pantry Sunday offerings during the third quarter of the year, the congregation helps sustain that work, and the church shares practical resources with neighbors who need housing assistance. Together with the Helping Hands Ministry, which can provide clothing for a job interview, transportation to a medical appointment, or help with an electric bill, the church seeks to meet both immediate and longer-term needs in the community.
Women's Club and Community Life
The Crete UMC Women's Club meets on the first Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in the narthex. Founded in April 2022, the women's group gathers women of the congregation and the wider Crete area for fellowship, service projects, and special events. Past gatherings have included flowerpot painting parties, garden walks, and the annual "Day in the Country" art and craft fair that has raised money for Crete-Monee High School scholarships.
Throughout the summer, the church parking lot also hosts the Crete Farmers' Market on Monday evenings, with fresh produce, flowers, baked goods, honey, and handmade items filling the corner of Main and Exchange. The church participates in the Memorial Day Parade, hosts Boy Scout Pack 123, Troop 123, Pack 125, and Crew 191, and runs the David Naylor Memorial Blood Drive each March in the narthex.
First-Time Visitors
Crete UMC welcomes newcomers and has put together a short list of things to know before a first visit. Parking is plentiful, with spaces in the Exchange Street lot behind the church. The entrance is handicap accessible. The dress code is casual and comfortable. Large-print Bibles and bulletins are available, and a Safe Sanctuary policy protects children and youth at every event. Coffee is served before or after worship in the lobby, giving visitors a chance to meet the pastor and the regulars. Anyone who wants to talk with the pastor before attending can call the church office to set up an appointment.
Safeguarding and Staff
The church maintains a Safe Sanctuary policy covering all programs for children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Every paid worker and volunteer undergoes a criminal background check, follows a five-year age rule for supervisors, and adheres to the two-adult rule in every classroom and meeting room. Doors remain open during counseling sessions, and the policy conforms to Illinois law. Workers and volunteers sign a Participation Covenant before serving.
Rev. Kristen Larsen pastors the congregation. The staff includes Diane McGarel as Administrative Assistant, Kathy Carter Young as Director of the Before and After School Program, Deb Bachert as Bell Director, Paul Blievernicht as Church Musician, and Kyle Meyer as Youth Director. The church office is reachable at 708-672-8353 or office@creteumc.org, and online giving is available through Tithe.ly.
Heritage and Identity
Crete United Methodist Church has been part of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church for more than 180 years. The congregation belongs to a connectional tradition that asks each local church to remember that it is bound to others "not only by shared faith, but by shared responsibility for God's mission in the world." From its downtown corner, the church continues that work, week after week, for the people of Crete and beyond.