A Forty-Year Journey on Yackley Avenue
DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church has stood at 4300 Yackley Avenue in Lisle, Illinois since August 1996, when the congregation held its first service in the building that is now its permanent home. The church is the only African Methodist Episcopal congregation in DuPage County, and for more than two decades its Yackley Avenue campus - expanded and dedicated in 2009 to 2011 - has served as the anchor point for a worshiping community that began almost twenty years earlier in a very different setting.
From a Holiday Inn in Glen Ellyn to a Building in Lisle
The story of DuPage AME Church starts in September 1979, when Bishop Hubert N. Robinson appointed Reverend Donald Harwell to organize a new church following a request from Sydney Finley, Mary Lou Finley, and Ernie Gibson at the AME Church's Chicago Conference. For the next two years, the small gathering met in borrowed spaces: a Holiday Inn in Glen Ellyn, the Park Boulevard Farmhouse at College of DuPage, and Park Boulevard Bible Church.
In 1981 the congregation settled at 412 Crescent Street in Wheaton and grew to a couple of hundred members. Then in October 1989, Bishop J. Haskell Mayo appointed Reverend James F. Miller as pastor with the charge to "go build a church." Years of planning and growth followed, and in 1996 the congregation crossed the county line into Lisle and into the building that still anchors the church today. A building expansion completed between 2009 and 2011 was dedicated to Christian service, and the congregation took its present shape as a suburban AME church rooted in the DuPage County community.
"Pastor C" and a New Era
On October 2021, Bishop John Franklin White appointed the Reverend Dr. Conitras M. Houston Dickens as the church's third Senior Pastor and its first female pastor. Affectionately known as "Pastor C," she arrived with a doctorate in Strategic Leadership in Black Congregations from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology, and undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an ordained Itinerant Elder in the AME Church, trained in the Atlanta-North Georgia Conference of the Sixth Episcopal District, and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Homiletics at Northern Seminary. Her life verse is 1 Corinthians 2:9, and her personal motto - "Since God is a God of excellence, God's people shall excel" - has become a rallying point for the congregation.
She is married to the Reverend Akil Dickens, who serves the church as Executive Minister. Since her arrival the church has experienced steady spiritual and numerical growth, expanded its virtual ministry, and broadened its community footprint. Her influence extends well beyond Lisle: she serves as Board Chair of the REACH Food Pantry and of The Harambee Initiative, Inc., as Finance Chair of the Fourth Episcopal District of the AME Church under Bishop Frederick A. Wright, Sr., and as an At-Large member of the AME Church General Board. She is also the Founder and Director of Gabriel's House, Incorporated, a nonprofit youth center built around performing arts, life-skills training, and academic enrichment.
Sunday Worship and the Shape of the Week
Two Sunday worship services are held at 8 AM and 11 AM, both livestreamed online for those joining from home. In between, Sunday School meets at 9:45 AM, and youth worship takes place at 8 AM and 11 AM on the first and third Sundays of the month. The weekday rhythm begins with a Monday Devotion Call at 7 AM, reached by dialing 657-390-7336, and continues with a Wednesday Virtual Bible Study at 7:15 PM that anyone can join online. Together these touchpoints keep the congregation connected between Sundays and offer entry points for newcomers looking to sample the church's preaching and prayer.
A Music Ministry Built on Choirs
Music is central to life at DuPage AME. Grounded in Psalm 100:1 - "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands" - the Music Ministry fills the sanctuary through eight distinct vocal and instrumental groups: the Men's Chorus, the Sunbeam Choir, the Gospel Choir, the Women's Chorus, the Inspirational Choir, the Praise Team, the Sanctuary Choir, and the Provision Praise Team. Whether leaning toward traditional hymns or contemporary gospel arrangements, the choirs prepare hearts to receive the preached word, and the music program is widely recognized as one of the church's defining gifts.
Youth, Young Adults, and the Next Generation
Young people at DuPage are organized under three overlapping banners. The DuPage LIVE Nation Youth Ministry, the Young People's Department (YPD), and Angel Church together serve children, tweens, and teenagers with worship, formation, and fellowship. Rev. Gamal Williams serves as Youth Pastor, and on the first and third Sundays of the month young people worship alongside the main service at 8 AM and 11 AM. A separate 2026 Scholarship Program is offered through the Youth Ministry to support students in the congregation.
For young adults, Provision is the church's young adult ministry, and Rev. TaKeena Cochren serves as Young Adult Minister. Provision's members are also part of the larger music life of the church through the Provision Praise Team, blending fellowship, study, and worship into a single community.
Service Boards and Congregational Care
Service is taken seriously at DuPage AME, and the church runs an unusually broad set of lay ministries that keep the building and the community running. The Hospitality Ministry welcomes visitors. The Usher Board, Trustee Board, Steward Board, and Stewardess Board handle the practical work of worship and property. The Class Leader Council and President's Council carry the historic AME tradition of shepherding small groups within the larger congregation. Intercessory Prayer maintains a prayer network, while the Media Ministry shares services and Bible study online, the Gatekeeper's Ministry manages access to the building, the Health Advisory Board supports wellness, and the Evangelism Commission reaches outward to bring others in.
REACH and Harambee: The Outreach Footprint
The church's outreach to its neighbors runs through two long-standing ministries. REACH Community Services, Inc., operated as a hands-on food pantry, provides monthly food support to families across the county with the love of Christ at the center of the work. The Harambee Initiative, a community-service effort that has continued for more than two decades, partners with local food pantries, runs elderly enrichment programs, and lends facilities to youth and community-serving organizations. Both are led by boards chaired by Pastor C, and both grew directly out of the church's response to the needs surrounding it.
Affinity Groups, Scouts, and Theatre
Beyond Sunday worship, a wide bench of affinity groups makes space for almost any interest. The Women's Missionary Society and the Lay Organization carry historic AME connectional work. The Brotherhood Men's Ministry gathers men for fellowship and growth, while Sisters in Praise offers a parallel gathering for women. Provision extends the young adult community. The DuPage Theatre Group opens up performing arts, and W.H.E.E.L.S. gathers cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. The church also hosts Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, and Daisies, anchoring one of the more visible scout programs in the area. The Sunday School Church ties Sunday morning formation back into the life of the wider body.
The Garden Club Ministry
One of the more distinctive offerings is the DuPage Nation Garden Club Ministry, a ministry of learning, service, and fellowship that began when Dr. Evelyn Wiley hosted plant sales at her home to support the REACH food pantry. After a successful first official sale in May 2022, members and friends asked to keep learning and growing together, and the Garden Club was born. Open to beginners and master gardeners alike, with individual memberships at $25 a year and family memberships at $30, the Garden Club holds monthly educational meetings on the second Monday of every month, plans group field trips, and publishes a monthly newsletter. Surplus funds are contributed to the REACH food pantry.
Giving, Connection, and Continued Growth
The church sustains its ministry through several giving channels. Online gifts can be made one-time or recurring through Servant Keeper, through the Givelify app, or by texting "GIVE" to (888) 735-1731. Visitors and members can stay connected through a newsletter sign-up form, a connection card on the church's forms portal, or by following along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where worship services and Bible studies are posted weekly.
Today DuPage AME Church describes itself with three words - Nurture the body, Elevate the spirit, Witness the love of Christ - framed as "Living N.E.W." From the Holiday Inn where it first met to the expanded Yackley Avenue campus where it now worships, the congregation continues to grow as a Christ-centered presence in Lisle and throughout DuPage County.