Story
Testimony
I'm a graduate student in Chicago. I want to be part of a church that can thrive without legitimating anyone's cultural hangups on the one hand or affirming peopl ...
Story
It started with a simple conversation at the Corner Bakery on the corner of Washington and Wells in downtown Chicago. Trey Hall and Christian Coon were pastors of established congregations in the Chicago area and were both perfectly happy where they were.
But they also sensed that maybe there was something else in their futures. Something new. Something different. The more they talked, the more they realized they both had an interest in starting a new church. That simple conversation between two friends turned into many more discussions, prayers, and dreams about creating a new church in the city, one that would be bold, inclusive, and relevant.
Those dreams turned into reality in early 2009 when they both announced that they would be starting a new church, rooted in the South Loop and West Loop neighborhoods but reaching out to the whole Chicagoland region with a different way of being church. Urban Village Church started July 1, 2009, and they’ve continued to pray, dream, and hope that their vision matches God’s vision.
We’re excited about this church’s future. We are committed to creating a diverse Christian community in the heart of the city of Chicago, an “urban village” where we build relationships with each other and with God—relationships that change our lives and also change the world.
We desire to be:
a church that is bold: where there is authentic joy in gathering to worship God and power in discovering that our lives working together can serve and change the world.
a church that is inclusive: where absolutely everybody—seeker and skeptic, Democrat and Republican, gay and straight, young and old, woman and man—has a real place at the table. We mean it. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are truly welcome here.
a church that is relevant: where the message connects to the real world and helps you live your Monday-Saturday life, where beliefs aren’t rigid boxes to check but springboards into imagination and meaningful action.
