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405 West State Street, North Aurora, Illinois 60542 |
Who We Are |
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. |
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Union Congregational Church is a Bible-based ministry serving people of the Fox Valley region in North Aurora, Illinois. We are a Congregational church, meaning that the church’s direction is understood to come from Jesus Christ through the Scriptures, and not through hierarchical channels. A Congregational church sees itself as a local embodiment of the universal Christian church. Union Church had its beginning in 1850 as a Sunday school. Meetings were first held in school buildings, with ministers from Batavia and Aurora conducting Sunday worship. The church was incorporated in 1885.
During the pastorate of the Rev. George E. Fields (1946-1959), Union Church joined the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches, which in 1957 merged into the United Church of Christ. In 1962, during the pastorate of the Rev. David Gallop (1960-1971), the congregation erected its present modern building on a five-acre plot at 405 West State Street. The Rev. John C. Riggs served as pastor from 1972 till retirement in 1991. In 1981, Union Church transitioned to the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, an evangelical denomination with views more in keeping with the church’s ministry. (Click here to read the C.C.C.C. Statement of Faith). In 1982, Union Church expanded its office and educational wing. The church called the Rev. Rev. Larry T. Wentzel as Senior Pastor in 1993; he served till accepting another assignment in 2004. In 1996, Union Church joined the National Association of Evangelicals. Community ministries of Union Church in recent years have included a preschool, a free community newspaper, and sponsorship of two refugee families. The church gives ten percent of its income to the support of Christian missions, both here and abroad. Dr. Richard Leonard, northern Illinois Area Representative for the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, was Interim Minister from July, 2004 until June, 2005. The Rev. Mark C. Alvis was called to the pastorate in April, 2005 and began serving in June. |
The first full time Pastor, Rev. Robert F. Paxton, was installed in 1891, but in the following years students from North Central College often led services. When a new school was erected in 1887 the congregation continued to use the old building, which was moved in 1929 to the present site of the North Aurora Fire Department.