Five decades of worship
PISTAKEE HIGHLANDS – The first time that Sally VonBruenchenhein stepped into Mount Hope United Methodist Church, it didn’t look much like a church at all.
There were no stained-glass windows, and worshipers didn’t sit in pews. The building itself was more of a barn.
That was 50 years ago. Now the church is more than 70 congregants strong and is gearing up to celebrate its semicentennial at a special service to be led this weekend by Methodist Bishop Hee Soo Jung.
“We’re very excited about him coming,” said the Rev. Ron Petersen, pastor of Mount Hope. “There’s been a spiritual spark, just an attentiveness to wanting to make this occasion a very meaningful and celebrated day.”
The celebration will start at 9 a.m. Sunday with a reception in the church to honor the church’s former pastors. At 10:30 a.m., the bishop will preside over the Sunday service, and Petersen will serve as the liturgist. At 12:30 p.m., a celebration banquet will take place at Maravela’s restaurant in Fox Lake.
All are invited.
The anniversary has been a time of reflection for VonBruenchenhein, who joined the church when she was pregnant with her first child.
“I was just a new kid on the block, and now – wow, 50 years,” she said.
The church’s first service was held in a barn in February 1959.
Services did not take place in what would become the church building until October 1961.
Both of VonBruenchenhein’s children were baptized in the barn.
In the 1960s, the church could hold about 40 people. But high growth was anticipated in the area, so the church was remodeled in 1971 so it could hold more than twice as many people.
That proved a smart move by the mid-1980s, when Spring Grove United Methodist Church merged with Mount Hope.
Today the church draws worshipers from across the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin region.
Church member Dottie Thurlwell said that what draws worshipers is the congregation’s camaraderie.
“It’s a very strong family atmosphere here,” said Thurlwell, of McHenry. “From the minute I came in the door, I knew I was home.”
Thurlwell joined the church about two years ago. She’s active in many church organizations, including United Methodist Women and the choir.
The church also has a weekly prayer group, Sunday school for children, a baseball team, and a ministry group that visits people in nursing homes. The church has a chapter of United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, and supports the FISH Food Pantry and Home of the Sparrow. During holidays, church members host clothing drives and adopt families through The Salvation Army and prison ministries.
“When I think about what we do here for a small church,” Thurlwell said, “it’s pretty amazing.”