Park Ridge Presbyterian Church is a congregation in Park Ridge, in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, at 1300 West Crescent Avenue. It is known for hospitality, a strong emphasis on worship, and a commitment to the next generation. Children, teenagers, and parents are woven into the rhythm of the 10 a.m. Sunday service. Part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), PRPC is an open and affirming congregation led by Senior Pastor Rev. Josh Erickson, Associate Pastor Rev. Amanda H. Joria, and elected elders who make up the Session.
A Sunday at Ten: Sanctuary, Livestream and Coffee Hour
Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Children first remain with the congregation and then move to age-specific rooms after the Kids' Message. Coffee Hour follows the service, offering a time for fellowship. The same congregation also worships online: a new service premieres every Sunday at 10 a.m. on PRPC's YouTube channel. The online service is shorter than the in-person service and features a message from one of the pastors.
Families arriving for worship are directed to the check-in station in the Lounge, where the team connects each child with the right group. The church's music ministry includes an organist, a choir director and band leader, and a bell choir director. The combination of organ, bells, choir and band gives PRPC's worship both traditional and contemporary dimensions. Longstanding traditions include the Advent Cantata and a Christmas Eve candlelight service with a string section and chancel choir.
Next Gen: One Worship, Groups for Every Age
PRPC calls its family ministry Next Gen and describes its purpose as helping kids, teens and parents experience the life-changing love of God. The pattern is straightforward: families begin together in worship at 10, children hear the Kids' Message, and then each age group moves to its own space.
- Nursery: Children from birth to 3 years are cared for in the Loving Lambs Room on the Lower Level.
- PRPC Kids Sunday School: PreK through 2nd grade students gather in the South Room on the Lower Level for Bible learning in a safe, fun and engaging environment.
- PRPC Kids Small Group: 3rd through 5th grade students explore God's love through Bible study and Christian friendship in Chapel Landing on the Upper Level.
- PRPC Students, 6th through 8th grade: This group begins in the Sanctuary at 10 a.m. and proceeds to the Eagle's Nest on the Upper Level.
- PRPC Students, 9th through 12th grade: This group also begins in the Sanctuary and then moves to the Chapel on the Upper Level.
Middle school and high school students build on their faith foundation in community with peers. Associate Pastor Amanda Joria oversees the church's work with children, youth, missions and outreach, and has a particular heart for the next generation. Baptism can also be an important part of a family's faith journey at PRPC.
Adult Groups and Presbyterian Women
Adult programming is built around groups that meet weekly, every two weeks or monthly, in person and online. Some groups focus on Bible study, while others gather for volunteering or special leadership work. Presbyterian Women adds small Circles for women, giving adults several ways to study, serve and form relationships.
Every woman member of Park Ridge Presbyterian Church is considered a member of Presbyterian Women. Membership in the organization is not required, however, and any woman may join or form a Circle. The Circles usually meet monthly for fellowship, discussion of special projects, connection with mission partners and hands-on support for a charity.
- Circle 1 meets on the third Sunday at 1 p.m. and supports WINGS.
- Circle 3 has no fixed meeting day but usually meets at 7 p.m. and supports Northside Community Tutors.
- Circle 4/5 meets at the church on the first Thursday at 10:15 a.m. and supports Christopher House.
- Circle 6 has no fixed day and gathers near 7 p.m. to support the Irving Park Community Food Pantry.
- Circle 7 meets on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. and supports Lincoln Park Community Services.
- Circle 9 3/4 meets for brunch after church on a Sunday and supports Kids Above All.
The Presbyterian Women coordinating team hosts monthly gatherings from September through May on varied topics, with short presentations and a small requested donation. Three voluntary Circle offerings have distinct purposes. Thanks supports health ministries and creative mission ideas. Birthday can support up to five projects each year, including employment training, elder care, literacy, violence prevention and women's concerns. Least Coin symbolizes prayer for peace, justice and reconciliation and supports evangelism, awareness building and relief. Offerings received at Circle meetings also support the Presbytery of Chicago.
Two rummage sales are held each year, one in April and one in October. They raise thousands of dollars for community mission work, while accepting gently used, new or unwanted items. Members and friends are invited to donate or shop, and the wider community is welcome at both sales.
From 77 Members to a Faithful Presence in Park Ridge
A 1947 survey of Park Ridge residents found a need for a Presbyterian church in the city. The congregation organized in July 1948 with the Rev. Dr. Robert Lee Sawyer as organizing minister. Sunday School met with 33 pupils that September. On October 10, Winslow Hall of Lincoln School hosted the congregation's first worship service with communion. PRPC began with 77 members and elected six elders and six deacons.
A manse was built in fall 1952, and the Rev. Dr. John A. Bellingham was installed as pastor on February 1, 1953. The congregation met for the final time at Winslow Hall on September 12, 1954, then processed across the street to its new chapel. The parking lot was completed in 1959, the Rev. Larrimore K. Wickett joined as the first associate pastor that year, and a new sanctuary and church school building was dedicated on September 10, 1962. Rev. Donald Cooper joined the pastoral staff in 1968.
By 1973, the congregation had finished the Family Center for fellowship. Mission and generations of young people were already prominent: the Summer Youth Mission Trip began as a Care-A-Van, and the Advent Cantata, Christmas Eve candlelight worship and churchwide rummage sale became enduring traditions. PRPC supported a missionary in Korea, and Rev. Dr. Bellingham helped establish a Presbyterian church in Japan during a sabbatical. The church also names mission relationships in Peru and with the Bakwe people of Ivory Coast, with the latter reaching back to the 1980s.
Local outreach expanded in the 1980s through a Christmas Giving Tree and monthly contributions to the Maine Township Food Pantry. When overland flooding displaced families in 1986 and 1987, PRPC opened its doors with temporary housing and meals. The congregation also acquired its rebuilt 1956 Austin three-manual organ in 1987. In 1995, the Rev. Dr. Andrew McDonald strengthened adult Bible study and began a men's Seed Group that continues to meet.
Rev. James P. McCracken began serving in 2000. His tenure saw the Great Banquet, a Wednesday Night Praise Service, Book Study and Soup and Supper. The Acts 16:5 Initiative renewed PRPC's emphasis on prayer with and for each other, and the congregation adopted its enduring mission statement: Share God's Love, Grow in Faith, Serve as Disciples. Sunday School made the fourth Sunday of each month Service Sunday. Hands-on ministry with the Lincoln Park Shelter and Night Ministry became a legacy honored in the name of the Reverend James P. McCracken Memorial Ministry.
McCracken retired on June 30, 2013, and several interim pastors led the congregation during the transition. Rev. Josh Erickson accepted the call in early February 2015 and began as senior pastor on Easter Sunday. Amanda Joria was elected associate pastor on July 22, 2018, and began in September with responsibility for children, youth, missions and outreach ministries.
The Niles Legacy Becomes Shared Ministry
Responding to suburban growth after World War II, the Church Federation of Greater Chicago planned new community churches for growing communities. In Niles, five families began worshiping in their homes in July 1951. Niles Community Church was chartered on March 23, 1952, by the Presbytery of Chicago with 33 members. Robert Kaiser led the congregation and was ordained and installed as its first minister in 1954. The first worship service in a new building on Oakton Street took place on January 22, 1956. A Youth Wing followed in 1960, and the congregation paid off its mortgage in 1971, eleven years ahead of schedule.
Niles Community Church lived up to its community name. It hosted Boy Scout Troop 62, GED and English as a Second Language programs, Korean, Polish, Hispanic and other Christian congregations, and health, cultural and arts groups. Its worship life included Sunday school, choirs, praise bands, Bible studies, confirmation, youth groups, retreats, Presbyterian Women, rummage sales and men's breakfasts. Baptisms, weddings and funerals were also part of its shared life.
As membership later declined, members considered joining a stronger neighboring congregation. In August 2021, they voted to merge with Park Ridge Presbyterian Church, and the two churches first worshiped together on October 10. The Niles legacy now belongs to one joined ministry serving Niles, Park Ridge and neighboring communities. Stained-glass windows crafted by charter member George Niesen in the 1980s and early 1990s are now displayed at Park Ridge; they depict Christ's birth, baptism, communion, death, resurrection and reformation.
Faith That Is Explicit and Welcoming
PRPC's vision is to engage and inspire all people to share God's love, grow in faith and serve as disciples. Its mission names four commitments: making disciples of all nations, bearing witness as Christ commands, loving God and others, and serving those in need. The congregation understands baptism and communion as the two sacraments recognized by the Presbyterian Church (USA). Baptism is an outward sign of inward spiritual grace and uses water to express God's love and grace.
Children's baptism speaks of God's love claiming people before they can respond in faith. Adult baptism speaks of a conscious response to God's love through repentance and the gift of one's whole self. Both are signs and seals of inclusion in God's grace and covenant with Christ, and both imply an ongoing life of discipleship and spiritual growth. At PRPC, baptisms and dedications are reviewed by the Session. The person being baptized, or at least one parent in the case of an infant, must be a member, and the family meets with the pastor before Session considers the request and schedules a date.
The congregation describes itself as open and affirming, including as a safe place for people in the LGBTQ* community. Its inclusion statement affirms the worth and dignity of every person, declares that all carry God's image, and welcomes people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, income or political beliefs. It condemns hate, racism and prejudice and seeks a diverse, equitable, inclusive and compassionate community. Membership is open to all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and strive to be faithful. PRPC also extends the covenant of marriage to any two consenting adults who are legally permitted to marry, provides communion to all people, and does not withhold baptism on the basis of the characteristics named in its statement.
Pastors, Music and Session Leadership
Rev. Josh Erickson has served as senior pastor since 2015. He earned his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and leads the congregation with a conviction that the local church should make a difference for the community. Rev. Amanda H. Joria has served as associate pastor since 2018 and earned her Master of Divinity from the same seminary. Her portfolio includes children, youth, missions and outreach, and her ministry emphasis centers on loving the community well and caring for the next generation.
Elected elders form the Session, which provides directional leadership and is moderated by the pastor. A Board of Trustees, Board of Deacons and other committees assist with administration and specific ministries such as worship and music, hospitality, children's and youth ministry, missions and human resources.
The music staff includes Madeline Smith as Choir Director and Band Leader, Matthew Guerrieri as Organist, and Linda Thomas as Bell Choir Director.
Mission Work That Reaches Neighbors and Nations
The Mission Team maintains relationships with PRPC's mission partners and oversees an annual budget distributed to multiple agencies addressing local and global needs. Longstanding partners include Lincoln Park Community Shelter, Maine Township Food Pantry, Irving Park Community Food Pantry and New Hope Community Food Pantry. The Circle partnerships add direct support for tutoring through Northside Community Tutors and for Christopher House, WINGS, Lincoln Park Community Services and Kids Above All.
PRPC supports two missionaries: Callie Herring Montiel of the Navigators and Todd Edgar of South American Mission. Its mission history also includes the Great Banquet and Soup and Supper, monthly food pantry support, the Christmas Giving Tree, hands-on ministry with the Lincoln Park Shelter and Night Ministry, and relationships in Korea, Japan, Peru and Ivory Coast. The April and October rummage sales turn community donations into funds for mission work. Circle offerings add support for the Presbytery of Chicago, health ministries, social care projects, peace and relief.
Giving, Weddings and a Continuing Legacy
PRPC's giving options include electronic gifts, ACH transfers after an authorization form is completed, checks, cash and marketable securities such as stocks and bonds. A note in the memo can direct a gift to a specific purpose. Cash without a designation goes to the general fund.
Legacy giving provides a way to support the church through long-range planned gifts made from accumulated assets, helping protect the longevity of the congregation. The church also provides a wedding inquiry form for couples. Its commitment to an open and affirming community is reflected in the promise to extend the covenant of marriage to any two consenting adults who are legally permitted to marry.
From its first 77 members to the Niles merger, PRPC's story has grown through worship, hospitality, children's ministry, small groups and hands-on service. Park Ridge Presbyterian Church continues that story at 1300 West Crescent Avenue, where Sunday worship at 10 a.m. remains centered on sharing God's love, growing in faith and serving as disciples.