Wheaton Worship
Developing Worship in Wheaton
By Catherine L. Tully & Kristin Roberts
The spiritual component of Wheaton’s community life is strong, with 45 churches located within city limits and an additional 30 places of worship in the outlying unincorporated areas, representing nearly 40 religious denominations. The Genius Edition of Trivial Pursuit states that Wheaton has “more churches per capita than any other town in America.” It is also rumored to have more churches per square mile than any other U.S. city, and is surpassed worldwide by only a few places in Italy.
The city’s long-standing history of faith began with the Wesleyan Methodists who organized the first religious group in the community in 1843, and the establishment of the Illinois Institute in 1853, later re-established as Wheaton College.
Wheaton has been lucky enough to retain one of its original religious structures, Trinity Chapel. Trinity Church was established as a mission in 1875, and the original chapel is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Parish administrator, Bernie Ishmael is quick to point out that there are many new developments as well, saying “We have a brand new membership commission that is working on outreach events in the community to invite people to the church.”
Gary United Methodist Church has a similar history of faith, with the congregation having been officially established in 1853. The church building has been undergoing a major renovation to expand the congregation’s ability to serve in the community. Project manager Elaine McCluskey says that the work has included updating mechanicals and electric, providing a larger area for the classroom wing and creating more space for gatherings, meeting and fellowship, among other needed changes. She also highlights, “Final work to refurbish the courtyard with a labyrinth and preschool play space is currently underway.”
Wheaton Bible Church is another place of worship that was facing a growing church community and not enough space. In the 1990’s they purchased 47 acres on North Avenue so that they could move into a larger facility. At 225,000 square feet, the new structure will be significantly larger than their current building which is only 96,000 square feet. The construction process is nearly half finished and they hope to move into the new facility in June or July of 2008. The current building is being purchased by their neighbor, St. John Lutheran Church and school, who had also been hoping to find a way to expand.
The combination of Wheaton College, the Billy Graham Center, the Theosophical Society in America, and World Evangelical Fellowship help make Wheaton a metropolitan religious center. With many places to worship and continued growth in this area, the city is poised to continue living out its spiritual heritage in the years to come.
Theosophical Society in America
By Kristin Roberts
Built in 1926, the national headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America is located on Wheaton’s north side. The grounds of the Society’s large estate include a labyrinth and tennis court, as well as a mansion with a beautiful two-story library, a New Age bookstore named Quest Books, and the Theosophical Publishing House. The Theosophical Society holds lectures in addition to classes, and a variety of noted persons have spoken there such as author and spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, and British biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake.
Theosophy maintains that all religions are expressions of humanity’s effort to relate to one another, to the universe around us, and to the ultimate ground of being. Particular religions differ from one another due to the fact that they are expressions of the efforts adapted to specific times, places, cultures, and needs. While Theosophy is not a religion in and of itself, it is religious, in that it is concerned with humanity’s effort to relate to ultimate values. Individual Theosophists profess a variety of the world’s religions —Christian, Jewish, Moslem, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Buddhist, while some have no religious affiliation. The Society itself is an expression of the belief that human beings, regardless of the variations of their backgrounds, can communicate and cooperate.
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