Hope Presbyterian Church of Chicago: A West Englewood Congregation Since 1896
Hope Presbyterian Church of Chicago has stood on the corner of 61st Street near Loomis Boulevard in the West Englewood neighborhood since 1913, carrying on a Presbyterian witness that began in the homes of migrants from Bowling Green, Kentucky more than a century ago. The all-African American congregation is a particular church of the Chicago Presbytery, the Synod of Lincoln Trails, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is known for the dynamic preaching of its senior pastor, Rev. Leslie Sanders, a deep choir tradition, and a close partnership with Hope Technology and Education Center (Hope TEC), the digital-literacy and job-readiness program led by Lady Julie Sanders.
From Bowling Green to West Englewood
Hope was organized in 1896 when a handful of members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church left Bowling Green, Kentucky, and settled in West Englewood between Halsted Street on the east, Loomis Boulevard on the west, 59th Street on the north, and 67th Street on the south. They were led by The Rev. I.W. Nicholson, who believed a Presbyterian witness belonged in the neighborhood. Early gatherings met in private homes, including with the Brumfield family, before the congregation moved into a rented store at 6137 South Carpenter Street. The first installed pastor, The Rev. George Washington Camp, arrived in 1909 and resigned the following year.
A Building the Congregation Built
Through bake sales and other fundraisers, members raised enough to buy lots at 61st and Loomis. Ground was broken for the present building in 1911, and the structure was completed in 1913. The Rev. C. Lee Jefferson was called in 1911 and moved the congregation into the new space with financial help from the Presbytery. Hope's ministry expanded over the decades that followed - a great anthem-singing choir, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and Red Cross girls were all part of the church's life through both world wars and the Great Depression.
After World War II, the membership shrank as the children of the founders migrated to Park Manor, Chatham, and other neighborhoods for better housing and schools. The manse was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the mid-1950s, and the Sanctuary itself burned in November 1967. Members worshipped for a time at Drexel Park Presbyterian Church, 64th and Marshfield, before restoring the Sanctuary in just a year. In October 1976, the Rev. Herbert W. Jones and the Session dedicated a new multipurpose Christian Education Center built at a cost of $250,000.
Rev. Leslie Sanders and a Renewed Hope
The Rev. Leslie Sanders was recommended to Hope by The Rev. Dr. Floyd N. Rhodes in February 1986 and was formally installed as Stated Supply Pastor in March 1987, and has served the church ever since. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Pastor Sanders first answered a call to ministry at eighteen years old at St. Peters Baptist Church. His theological training began at Christian Brothers College in Memphis and continued at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, where he earned a Masters of Theology; Mid-South Theological Seminary of Indiana later conferred an honorary Doctorate of Divinity. His preaching is biblically based, sometimes bringing tears, sometimes laughter, and always leaving the congregation inspired and uplifted.
Pastor Sanders and his wife, Lady Julie, are the parents of two sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren. Lady Julie serves the wider neighborhood as Executive Director of Hope Technology and Education Center.
Sunday at Hope
Sunday morning begins at 9:45 with Church School for all ages, held in person in the Tec Center on the first floor and running until 10:30. At 11:00 the congregation gathers for worship in the Sanctuary. The service is broadcast live on Facebook at Hope1354, on YouTube at @hopechurch1354, and via Zoom, so members who are traveling or homebound can join in real time. Children and youth meet for Youth Church at 11:00 in the Merrill-Wagner Fellowship Hall on the second floor on the second, third, and fourth Sundays of the month, and remain in the Sanctuary with the whole congregation on the first Sunday.
Midweek Worship and Bible Study
Midweek worship meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in person. The long-running Tuesday Bible Study gathers over Zoom, with Meeting ID 852 5727 7139 and Passcode 135454; participants can also dial in at 1-312-626-6799 with the same access code. On the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. the church holds a special evening of worship, praise, and prayer in person.
Hope Technology and Education Center
Hope TEC, the outreach arm closely tied to Hope Church, gives adults and young people in the West Englewood community digital-literacy training, essential life-skills coaching, and job-readiness programs. Lady Julie Sanders has led the center as Executive Director, and its work is a central part of how the congregation has chosen to invest in its neighbors.
Ministries for Every Age and Stage
Hope's ministry life runs wide. Praise Dancing and the Michael Taylor Ensemble, which sings on the first and third Sundays, anchor the worship arts. Christian Education oversees Sunday Church School for every age. Men of Hope (MOH) hosts a regular watch party and fellowship, while Women of Wisdom (WOW) and the broader Women's Ministry gather for monthly empowerment meetings on the third Saturday, the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon, the Women's Weekend, and a Day of Volunteer Service at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Adult Church Ministries, Ushers, Leadership, and Membership Growth and Evangelism round out the work of the congregation, and the church has maintained a Scout tradition that stretches back to the 1920s. A Youth Summer Program, book-bag and laptop giveaways, and a yearly Unity Picnic with Hope Wheaton keep the church engaged with the wider community.
Joining from Anywhere
The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at 1354 West 61st Street, Chicago, Illinois 60636. Visitors arriving on Sunday can park on the street and head up to the Sanctuary for worship; first-floor Tec Center classrooms host Church School, and the second-floor Merrill-Wagner Fellowship Hall is home to Youth Church. Anyone who cannot attend in person can pull up the livestream on Facebook or YouTube, or join by Zoom.