A Vital Center of the Edgebrook Neighborhood for 85 Years
Edgebrook Lutheran Church sits on the northwest side of Chicago at 5252 West Devon Avenue, just a few blocks east of the Devon/Caldwell intersection and west of I-94. For 85 years it has been a spiritual home to generations of families in the Edgebrook neighborhood, and through its ministries it has become a valuable community resource. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, and it carries the designation of a Reconciling in Christ congregation, welcoming the full participation of all ages, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, abilities, and socioeconomic status.
The church's mission statement reads, "Transforming lives by sharing a saving faith in Jesus Christ and by living the Gospel through service." That mission shows up in everything from Sunday worship to Scout troops, food pantries, prayer shawls, and quilts for Lutheran World Relief.
Three Sunday Worship Services
On any given Sunday during the program year, three gatherings fill the building. The 8:45 a.m. Traditional Worship Service takes place in the Sanctuary and shares God's saving story through traditional liturgy and organ-led hymns, with the Chancel Choir leading the singing and a renovated Reuters organ lifting the music. The service typically runs about one hour.
At 9:45 a.m., during the school year, Sunday School meets for preschoolers through fifth graders, and Confirmation Class gathers for students in sixth through eighth grades, working through scripture, Luther's Small Catechism, and reflection with peers.
At 11:00 a.m., the Contemporary Worship Service fills Fellowship Hall. It is a favorite among young families for its celebratory, family-friendly atmosphere. Tables are set out so people can sip a cup of coffee during worship, and craft and activity pages are available for children. The Praise Band, called 95 Theses, leads from the stage with keyboard, guitar, percussion, and vocals.
Between the two Sunday services, the congregation gathers for Coffee Hour, a long-standing Lutheran tradition of meeting old and new friends over coffee or tea. Ushers are present at every service to greet guests, hand out bulletins, and assist in any way needed.
During the summer (Memorial Day weekend to mid-September), worship consolidates into a single Sunday service at 10:00 a.m., alternating between traditional and contemporary styles.
A Contemplative Saturday Service
On the first Saturday of each month at 5:00 p.m., Edgebrook Lutheran gathers for a Spoken Worship Service. This contemplative, music-free service invites worshippers to reflect on how to live with meaning and purpose, opening space for Jesus to enter the quiet moments of life. It generally runs about 40 minutes.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministry
The Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Edgebrook Lutheran is anchored in the verse from Proverbs 22:6, "Train up children in the way they should go; even when they are old, they will not depart from it." Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. from September through May for preschoolers through fifth graders. Confirmation Class meets at the same time for sixth through eighth graders. A Children's Choir welcomes singers from age five through sixth grade, performing during worship every other month and leading the Sunday School Christmas program.
Vacation Bible School takes place for one week during the summer, geared for students in the neighborhood and surrounding communities in preschool through fifth grade, with leadership drawn heavily from the youth.
Edgebrook Youth Together (EYT) is an ecumenical ministry in partnership with Edgebrook Lutheran, Edgebrook Community, and Edgebrook Covenant. During the school year, middle school youth meet at Edgebrook Covenant from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday nights, and high school youth meet at Edgebrook Lutheran from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Scouting also has a long history at ELC. Girl Scouts Nokomis Service Unit #295 in Edgebrook meets at the church, serving troops from kindergarten Daisy through twelfth grade Ambassador. Boy Scout Troop 957 gathers on Monday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Music That Spans the Building
The Worship, Music, and the Arts ministry draws on Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God." The 95 Theses praise band leads contemporary worship with keyboard, guitar, percussion, and vocals. The Chancel Choir is an SATB ensemble that leads the hymns and anthems at the 8:45 a.m. traditional service from September through May. The Handbell Choir features 12 ringers and plays during the traditional service. The Children's Choir sings during worship every other month and leads the Sunday School Christmas program.
Altar Guild members prepare the sacraments of baptism and communion for all worship services. Eucharistic Ministers bring communion to those who are homebound or hospitalized. Worship Planning teams guide the congregation throughout the year by creating meaningful, faith-filled worship experiences. Rehearsals for musical groups happen on Tuesdays starting at 5:00 p.m.
Senior Life with OASIS
OASIS, which stands for Older Adults Sharing In Service, is a ministry for people 50 years or older. Its purpose is to provide fellowship and social networking, help meet spiritual needs, and promote outreach in the community. Activities range from bingo nights and fundraising events to educational seminars and musical entertainment.
Service and Outreach
The Service and Outreach Ministry Team describes its work with a verse from Matthew 25:40: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Several ongoing efforts carry that vision into practice.
The CILA homes ministry enriches the lives of residents living in two nearby Community Intact Living Arrangement homes operated through Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, providing holiday meals and gifts and a special summer picnic. Divine Dinners coordinates meals for congregation members facing medical treatment, recovering from a hospital stay, adjusting after a new baby, or grieving the death of a loved one. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls and blankets that are blessed and made available to anyone experiencing a physical or emotional crisis. The Quilt Ministry makes adult-sized quilts for Lutheran World Relief, baby quilts for Project Linus, and special quilts for baptisms of older children.
Edgebrook Lutheran also partners with several outside ministries: the Open Arms Food Pantry in Logan Square, Sarah's Circle (a daytime shelter for women who are homeless), the New Hope Food Pantry in the Norwood Park area, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, and ELCA World Hunger.
Other groups meeting at ELC include the Council, Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, Wednesday afternoon Bible Study, Saturday afternoon Bible Study, Finance, Stewardship, Property, and Hospitality.
Beliefs and a Wide Welcome
Edgebrook Lutheran anchors its teaching in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." The congregation affirms the Lutheran understanding that all are stained by sin, but through Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus Christ became the instrument of grace, and simply by accepting Him we are forgiven. As Lutherans, members live in daily awareness of and gratitude for this grace, striving to make their actions a response to God's abundant grace.
As a Reconciling in Christ congregation, the church publicly commits to ensuring welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and to work for racial equity and anti-racist efforts. Its Welcome Statement reads, in part, "We thrive as a church community when we embrace the diversity of all God's people. We challenge dynamics that create barriers to the participation of all people in this church."
The Fire and the Rebuilding
The present building carries a story of destruction and renewal. The first worship service was held on October 15, 1939, at Edgebrook School. Services continued at the school and in a nearby storefront until the church building was completed and dedicated at its present location on December 12, 1943. The facility was expanded in 1953 to include an extended chancel, offices, and classrooms, and a parish hall was added in 1957.
On January 31, 2010, in sub-freezing temperatures, a significant fire devastated Edgebrook Lutheran. The narthex and church offices, where the fire was concentrated, were destroyed, along with the rear of the sanctuary, the balcony, and the roof. Although the front half of the sanctuary was largely untouched, the heat, smoke, and water damage was substantial enough that the entire space had to be rebuilt.
The first service after the fire brought the congregation full circle, returning to Edgebrook School to mourn their loss and continue to celebrate their faith. The rebuilding took 18 months, supported by the generosity of Edgebrook Elementary School, Edgebrook Covenant Church, Faith Lutheran Church, and Edgebrook Community Church. Within months, the congregation was back on campus in its newly dedicated Rising Chapel, and by fall 2011 the Sanctuary reopened. The renovation brought state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment and a fully handicap-accessible sanctuary and fellowship hall.
Visiting Edgebrook Lutheran
Worship services include prayer, praise, readings from scripture, a sermon, and Holy Communion. Ushers can direct families to the nursery, which is staffed during Sunday morning worship by childcare providers certified by the Morton Grove Fire Department. Children are also welcome to stay in worship. The worshipping spaces are wheelchair and stroller accessible.
Parking is available in the church lot, with the entrance on Spokane, and street parking is ample. The main entrance is at the corner of Spokane and Hiawatha. A ground-level entrance on Hiawatha Avenue opens onto an elevator that provides access to all levels of the building, including the Basement and Fellowship Hall, the Sanctuary and Gathering Space, and the Balcony and Luther Room. Handicapped parking is available on the north side of the building on Hiawatha Avenue.
Most people wear casual or business casual clothing, though some wear suits and skirts and others wear jeans and sweaters. Casual clothing is fine at any service. Holy Communion is open to all baptized Christians of any denomination. The congregation lines up in the center aisle and comes down to receive a communion wafer; cups of wine or grape juice are offered, and gluten-free wafers are available.
All of ELC's worship services are livestreamed on its YouTube channel, making it possible to worship from near or far. Giving is supported electronically through Simply Giving, by texting a contribution amount to 773-757-5166, by check or cash in the offering plate, by mail, or through stock and cryptocurrency gifts via The Giving Block.
Pastoral and Program Leadership
Edgebrook Lutheran is served by Rev. Christina Garrett Klein as pastor. Pastor Christina graduated with her Master of Divinity in 2014 from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and came to ELC from Faith Lutheran Church in Homewood, Illinois. Her passions include children, youth, and family ministries, worship and music, and creating space for everyone to feel love and acceptance as children of God.
David Bugher serves as Director of Music and Worship. A professional pianist and percussionist working out of Chicago since 2010, he holds undergraduate degrees in music performance and education from Ball State University and master's degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and DePaul University. His performance credits include work with the Colorado Ballet, the Colorado Music Festival, Suena Latin Jazz, and others.
Hailey Bianco serves as Youth Minister and Communications Director. A current seminarian at Wartburg Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Arts in Diaconal Ministry, she came to Edgebrook Lutheran after graduating with a B.A. in graphic design from North Park University in 2023 and hearing her first call into ministry while working on summer staff at Covenant Point Bible Camp in Iron River, Michigan.
Robin Uminowicz serves as Office Manager, and Will Santiago serves as Custodian. Together, this staff team holds the day-to-day ministry of a congregation that has been a vital center of Chicago's Edgebrook neighborhood for more than eight decades and continues to grow as disciples of Jesus, share the gospel in meaningful ways, and engage its community with compassion and service.