Where Community, Faith, Family, and Friends Come Together
For more than a century and a half, First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago has stood on West Winnebago Street in the village of Winnebago, Illinois, where it now serves a multi-generational congregation and a small town that has grown up around it. The congregation describes itself plainly: an imperfect group of people who believe in the grace of God, seeking to follow Jesus together and learning more each day what it means to love God with heart, mind, soul and strength and to love neighbors as themselves. The motto that greets visitors says it the way the congregation wants to be remembered: "May the Lord bless you richly when you come to this place, so you may shine the light of Christ wherever you go."
First Presbyterian is a member church of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and belongs to the Blackhawk Presbytery, the regional body that links Presbyterian churches across northwestern Illinois. The congregation is led by Rev. Lisa M. López-Meyer and is supported by a small staff and a deep bench of volunteers who run everything from Sunday School to the choir loft to the annual Turkey Dinner. What follows is a walk through the life of the church: the building, the worship, the education, the food pantries, the choirs, the Presbyterian Women, and the seasons that mark the year.
The Sanctuary on West Winnebago Street
The church sits at 208 West Winnebago Street. The architectural front entrance faces Winnebago Street with steps, but the doors that most members and visitors actually use are the glass doors facing the parking lot, marked with a sign that simply reads "Welcome." The Sanctuary is on the second floor, and the Fellowship Hall sits down below.
Accessibility was clearly part of the building's design. A wheelchair accessible entry sits on the side of the building, marked by a blue awning and a white sign with the handicap symbol. A key-operated lift carries visitors to both the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall. All of the church's bathrooms are single-stall, which makes them usable for families; the ground-floor bathroom by the Fellowship Hall is handicap accessible and family-friendly, and a changing table is installed in the second-floor bathroom as well.
Parking is straightforward: a small lot by the church, the Simon Elementary School parking lot next door, and street parking around the building. Visitors who would rather slip in and out without crossing the whole sanctuary find it easy to use the side room or the balcony, both of which are popular spots for families with children.
Sunday Mornings in Two Acts
Sunday in Winnebago follows a steady two-act rhythm for most of the year. From September through May, Sunday School opens the morning at 9:15 am and runs until 10:15 am, and the congregation moves into worship at 10:30 am. When summer arrives, Sunday School takes a break and worship moves up an hour to 9:30 am, where it stays from June through Labor Day weekend. Rally Sunday in September marks the turn back to the fall schedule, with classes resuming for ages three through adult and the choir programs kicking off again.
Visitors are welcome to come dressed however they feel most comfortable, from jeans and t-shirts to dresses and suits. The greeters in the pews will hand out a visitor card for anyone who wants to be in touch, and prayer requests submitted through the card or the prayer chain are prayed over every Monday.
A Liturgy of Word, Song, and Sacrament
The Sunday worship service follows a traditional Presbyterian liturgy, blending traditional hymns with contemporary music and running about an hour. Participants follow along through a printed bulletin and projected slides, and the room is filled with the music of the Chancel Choir, which sings introits, anthems, and benediction hymns twice a month during the school year. Choir rehearsals happen before worship on the first and third Sundays of the month and on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm from late August through the end of May.
Two sacraments shape the rhythm of the year. Baptism is the sign and seal of incorporation into Jesus Christ; the church baptizes adults who profess their faith and welcomes the children of believers when their parents present them with the promise to raise them in Christian community. The Lord's Supper, also called Communion or Eucharist, is ordinarily celebrated on the first Sunday of the month, when elders come forward with bread and grape juice. All who trust and love the Lord Jesus Christ are welcome at the table, including children and members of other Christian traditions, and the elders will bring the elements to anyone whose mobility keeps them in their seat.
Children are not just tolerated in worship; they are expected. Every service includes at least one moment aimed at younger worshippers, whether that means a presentation from the Children's Choir, a skit from the Puppeteer ministry, or a brief Time with the Children. Younger children who need to keep their hands busy can pick up a Children's Bulletin coloring sheet from the ushers or grab an activity bag by the sanctuary entrance.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube so that members who are traveling, sick, or simply at home can worship alongside the sanctuary.
Christian Education for Every Age
Education is built around the Sunday School hour from 9:15 to 10:15 am during the school year. Classes are organized by age group, beginning with Pre-K and Kindergarten and running through first and second grade, third and fourth grade, junior high (grades five through seven), and high school. Pre-K through fourth graders take part in Children's Choir rehearsals as part of their Sunday School time, and the junior high class prepares the Puppeteers, who present puppet skits for the children during worship on the fourth Sunday of the month through the school year. One adult Bible study class meets in parallel.
Confirmation is built into the life of the church for eighth graders (or equivalent age), who spend the bulk of a year learning about God, the church, the Bible, and what it means to follow Jesus from a Presbyterian perspective, usually meeting during the Sunday School hour and ending with a personal profession of faith.
Seasonal Bible studies run during the winter, spring, and fall. Recent series have explored what it means to be "called," looked at hard passages under the title "Mishandled Texts of the Bible," and walked through the emphases of Reformed theology and the doctrine of predestination. Most Bible studies meet in person in the Fellowship Hall, though some meet by Zoom; announcements go out in worship, in the church newsletter, and on the church's Facebook page.
For new members, an orientation process covers what it means to be a Christian, a Presbyterian, a member of this congregation, and the privileges and responsibilities of active membership. Orientations are scheduled whenever a small group of new participants is ready.
Youth and Young Adults
The Youth Group, open to teens ages thirteen through eighteen and up, meets twice a month on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Youth Room. Meetings mix fellowship, education, and service, and the group also takes part in the annual Stronghold Youth Retreat at Stronghold Camp and Retreat Center in Oregon, Illinois, a weekend of worship, devotions, and recreation. Special activities have ranged from volunteering at the Food Bank to movie nights to bowling nights.
Workcamp, the church's week-long summer mission trip for high-school-age youth, sends a crew out in late June to spend a week on home repair and improvement projects while deepening their faith through worship and devotionals. The trips have become a highlight of the year for the teens who go.
Young adults in their twenties and thirties gather once a month through the 20's & 30's LifeGroup, rotating between homes for an afternoon meal and conversation. The group welcomes children, which makes it a real option for young families.
Presbyterian Women and the Ruth Circle
The church hosts a chapter of Presbyterian Women known as the Ruth Circle, which gathers once a month, usually on the third Tuesday, for Bible study and event planning. The chapter's stated purpose is to nurture faith through prayer and Bible study, support the mission of the church worldwide, work for justice and peace, and build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the PC(USA) and witnesses to the promise of God's kingdom.
Across the year, the Ruth Circle leads a long list of efforts that quietly fund the church's mission: the Church World Service Blankets program, the Birthday Offering, the Mother's Day geranium and hanging basket fundraiser, the Church World Service Kits collection, the Fall Turkey Dinner, the Thank Offering Service, Memory Angels for the Christmas tree, the Christmas Cookie Walk and Bazaar, and the luncheons served at funerals. All women of the church are welcome to join as members or guests for any or all activities.
Feeding the Neighborhood
No part of the church's mission reaches more people outside its walls than its food ministries. A Micro Pantry sits on the southeast corner of the building outside, stocked with staples and other food items for anyone who needs them. People take what they need; those who need more can call the pastoral cell phone to make an appointment. Several times a year, the church hosts the Northern Illinois Mobile Food Bank in its parking lot, a morning event where volunteers hand out food and visitors bring their own boxes and bags.
Once a month, usually on the third Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 am, a crew from the church heads to the Northern Illinois Food Bank to fill shelves, sort, label, and package food items for the wider region. The church also collects school supplies each summer for District 323, hosts an annual winter clothing drive whose donations are delivered to the Rockford Rescue Mission, and partners with the school district on Operation Christmas Shoes, which buys new shoes and socks for children whose families have identified footwear as a need.
A smaller, hands-on group called Chicks with Sticks gathers on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 10:00 am to noon. The knitters and crocheters make hats, prayer shawls for the sick and homebound, baby items for The Haven Network, NICU preemie hats, and baby blankets, with other projects added to support the annual church bazaar.
Vacation Bible School and the Children's Choir
Vacation Bible School has long been one of the highlights of the church's year. Children ages four through eleven (Pre-K through fifth grade) spend a week exploring Bible stories through storytelling, music, games, and crafts, with snacks each day. Older children and teens serve in leadership roles, and each year's VBS takes on a community project. Recent themes have been "Road Trip on the Go with God" and "Breaker Rock Beach," with school supply collections for District 323 as the outreach project.
The Children's Choir, directed by Kasey Smith, gives children a chance to lead worship through song and hand motions. The choir presents on the second Sunday of the month in the regular worship service and rehearses during the first fifteen minutes of the Sunday School hour through the year.
The Seasons of the Church Year
Lent and Holy Week are shared with the wider Winnebago community. The season opens on Ash Wednesday with a service of ashes and Communion at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary, preceded by a soup supper in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 pm with a free-will offering for the One Great Hour of Sharing. On Wednesday evenings through Lent, mid-week services move from church to church around the village at 6:30 pm, each with a soup supper at 5:30 pm, gathering worshippers from Dimensions Living Winnebago, Middle Creek Presbyterian, First Presbyterian, Winnebago United Methodist, and Seward Congregational.
Holy Week opens with Palm Sunday worship at 10:30 am in the sanctuary, plus an afternoon service of worship with Palms for residents of Dimensions Winnebago. Maundy Thursday brings a soup supper at 5:30 pm and a foot-washing and Communion service at 6:30 pm. Good Friday worship is held at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary. Easter Sunday begins at 7:00 am with the SonRise service led by the senior high Sunday School class, followed by a donut and coffee fellowship from 8:00 to 10:15 am, and then the traditional Easter service at 10:30 am with the Chancel Choir. Every Easter service includes Communion.
For those who want to read a book of the Bible during Lent, the church has suggested the Psalms as a Lenten practice, with four psalms a day taking a reader through the book before Easter, or simply using selected psalms as starting points for prayer.
Turkey Dinners, Rummage Sales, and Cookie Walks
The church calendar is anchored by a handful of annual events that draw the wider community into the building. The Annual Turkey Dinner and Fall Bazaar, organized by Presbyterian Women, returns each October with dine-in seatings and curbside pickup, alongside a bazaar and bake sale. The Annual Rummage Sale fills the Fellowship Hall for two days in early June. The Christmas Cookie Walk and Mini Bazaar fills the first Saturday of December with cookies and crafts. Trunk or Treat in the fall, a Back-to-School donut and coffee morning for parents dropping children at the adjacent elementary school, and Operation Christmas Shoes round out the year's community celebrations.
Fellowship after worship is a quieter rhythm: once a month on the first or second Sunday, a church group hosts refreshments in the Fellowship Hall, sometimes a simple cake and coffee, sometimes a more elaborate spread. Three times a year, the congregation gathers for a full-blown potluck: after the Annual Congregational Meeting in late January, on a Sunday in June with picnic games in the church yard, and on Rally Sunday in September. Members also take part in larger community initiatives when the chance arises, like the Winnebago Softball League in the summer.
Pastor Lisa and the Staff
Rev. Lisa M. López-Meyer has served as pastor since arriving at First Presbyterian. Born in Illinois, raised in Puerto Rico, and ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA) since August 13, 2011, she holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Before coming to Winnebago, she served as the Associate Minister for Groomsport Presbyterian Church in County Down, Northern Ireland, and as solo pastor for Christ Presbyterian Church in Hanover Park, Illinois. She has also taught at McCormick Theological Seminary.
She is supported by Betsy Carr as Office Administrator, Sharon Smith as Chancel Choir Director, and Mary Gross as Custodian. The wider leadership team includes Stefanie Kluck as Clerk of Session, Marilyn Larson as Deacon Moderator, Rick Carr as Trustee Moderator, Terry Schweitz as Treasurer, and Bill Newkirk as Financial Advisor. Ministry leaders include Staci Thompson as Sunday School Coordinator, Kasey Smith as Children's Choir Director and VBS Coordinator, Barb Whitney as Workcamp Coordinator, Sue Jansen as PW Moderator, Bev Williams as Fellowship Coordinator, and Katelyn Hergert as leader of the 20's & 30's LifeGroup.
Visiting First Presbyterian
First-time visitors are a regular part of the rhythm here. The doors on the parking-lot side, the lift on the side of the building, the visitor cards in the pews, and the ushers with Children's Bulletins and activity bags are all in place to make a first visit feel easy. Office hours run from 9:00 am to noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The office phone is (815) 335-2051. Online giving is set up through Tithe.ly, and past services are available on the church's YouTube channel for anyone who missed a Sunday.
For more than 150 years, First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago has been gathering people in this small Illinois village to pray, to learn, to sing, to feed their neighbors, to send their young people out into service, and to come back to the table together. The motto at the door is the simplest summary of the whole thing: May the Lord bless you richly when you come to this place, so you may shine the light of Christ wherever you go.