Sherburnville Christian Church, Grant Park, Illinois.
Sherburnville Christian Church (Established 1840)
17100 IL- Route17
Grant Park, Illinois
Yellowhead Township
Kankakee County, USA
July 22, 2018
(From the Daily Journal, Kankakee, IL.
Sherburnville church marks 175th anniversary with eye on future
•by John Dykstra
•Sep 28, 2015
It has survived the Civil War, World War I and World War II, as well as the Industrial Revolution. And on Sunday, it celebrated its 175th anniversary.
Established in 1840, Sherburnville Christian Church has its share of eighth-, seventh- and sixth-generation families. The graveyard surrounding the church can attest to that, with tombstones marked as far back as the 1830s.
About 40 people gathered for Sunday's 10 a.m. service in celebration of the congregation's longevity at the rural church, located about a mile west of Illinois-Indiana border on Illinois Route 17.
"It's gotta say something about God's wishes that this church has stayed here at the end of the state," said Joe Fetcho, the church's moderator and worship leader. "Hopefully it's here another 175 years."
The church is a landmark that displays Sherburnville's history. It has been the center of the community for decades, and its bell tower rings when church is in session.
Some members of the congregation even modified the popular 1857 song "Church in the Wildwood" to fit the church. They recite "little white church in the valley" rather than "little brown church."
Nathan Coffenberry established the congregation in 1840 on land provided by Ancil Britton, Yellowhead Township's first settler. Church members met at their homes until 1847, when a school house was built.
The Civil War interrupted the construction of the congregation's first church building, which was completed after the war in 1866. The graveyard is the burial site of a Civil War veteran.
In 1921, the congregation purchased a former Methodist church located on the same plot of its former building. The white building has since served the congregation, with repairs over the years.
Maxine Niedert, 95, is the church's oldest member. She has attended the church for more than 80 years and was baptized in Bull Creek. She can't believe the church has lasted this long.
"We're a small community and we're hanging in there," she said, noting her family has six generations of attendees.
Sherburnville once had a lot of promise for growth. It had two blacksmiths, two general stores, two hotels and 25 houses. Then, the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad placed its tracks in Grant Park and has since overshadowed Sherburnville.
Barb Curry, the sixth generation of the Britton and James Smith families, recalls when the church used to have about 100 kids at its Sunday school.
The 70-year-old attended Sunday's service with her niece, Lisa Forburger, the family's seventh-generation member, and her granddaughter, Hannah Norgard, a 10-year-old, who represents the eighth generation.
"There's a lot of love in this church, and that has helped us survive," said Curry, who once served as the church's treasurer. "We pray for each other and work together. It's a family."
That love was most apparent during the post-worship celebration.
"I like it out here so much, I bought a few plots out in the graveyard," said Gus Voigt, a 77-year-old who has attended the church for 10 years. "I like it so much; I want to be buried next to it."
Curry said the majority of the church is in its elder years, and that members get excited when kids show up.
The church has been without a minister for the past four years. However, Olivet Nazarene University students have been taking that role the past couple years.
Nonetheless, many visitors stop by the church while traveling down Route 17. Dottie Lockrey, a member of 14 years, was one of those visitors.
"My husband and I stopped by to visit and never left," Lockrey said.
In an age where smaller churches are going under, the congregation is optimistic about its future. Families may be growing up, but they still come back for holiday services, and visitors are aplenty.
"It's survived all this time," Curry said, "and I believe it will continue to survive."
Sherburnville Christian Church, Grant Park, Illinois.
Sherburnville Christian Church (Established 1840)
17100 IL- Route17
Grant Park, Illinois
Yellowhead Township
Kankakee County, USA
July 22, 2018
(From the Daily Journal, Kankakee, IL.
Sherburnville church marks 175th anniversary with eye on future
•by John Dykstra
•Sep 28, 2015
It has survived the Civil War, World War I and World War II, as well as the Industrial Revolution. And on Sunday, it celebrated its 175th anniversary.
Established in 1840, Sherburnville Christian Church has its share of eighth-, seventh- and sixth-generation families. The graveyard surrounding the church can attest to that, with tombstones marked as far back as the 1830s.
About 40 people gathered for Sunday's 10 a.m. service in celebration of the congregation's longevity at the rural church, located about a mile west of Illinois-Indiana border on Illinois Route 17.
"It's gotta say something about God's wishes that this church has stayed here at the end of the state," said Joe Fetcho, the church's moderator and worship leader. "Hopefully it's here another 175 years."
The church is a landmark that displays Sherburnville's history. It has been the center of the community for decades, and its bell tower rings when church is in session.
Some members of the congregation even modified the popular 1857 song "Church in the Wildwood" to fit the church. They recite "little white church in the valley" rather than "little brown church."
Nathan Coffenberry established the congregation in 1840 on land provided by Ancil Britton, Yellowhead Township's first settler. Church members met at their homes until 1847, when a school house was built.
The Civil War interrupted the construction of the congregation's first church building, which was completed after the war in 1866. The graveyard is the burial site of a Civil War veteran.
In 1921, the congregation purchased a former Methodist church located on the same plot of its former building. The white building has since served the congregation, with repairs over the years.
Maxine Niedert, 95, is the church's oldest member. She has attended the church for more than 80 years and was baptized in Bull Creek. She can't believe the church has lasted this long.
"We're a small community and we're hanging in there," she said, noting her family has six generations of attendees.
Sherburnville once had a lot of promise for growth. It had two blacksmiths, two general stores, two hotels and 25 houses. Then, the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad placed its tracks in Grant Park and has since overshadowed Sherburnville.
Barb Curry, the sixth generation of the Britton and James Smith families, recalls when the church used to have about 100 kids at its Sunday school.
The 70-year-old attended Sunday's service with her niece, Lisa Forburger, the family's seventh-generation member, and her granddaughter, Hannah Norgard, a 10-year-old, who represents the eighth generation.
"There's a lot of love in this church, and that has helped us survive," said Curry, who once served as the church's treasurer. "We pray for each other and work together. It's a family."
That love was most apparent during the post-worship celebration.
"I like it out here so much, I bought a few plots out in the graveyard," said Gus Voigt, a 77-year-old who has attended the church for 10 years. "I like it so much; I want to be buried next to it."
Curry said the majority of the church is in its elder years, and that members get excited when kids show up.
The church has been without a minister for the past four years. However, Olivet Nazarene University students have been taking that role the past couple years.
Nonetheless, many visitors stop by the church while traveling down Route 17. Dottie Lockrey, a member of 14 years, was one of those visitors.
"My husband and I stopped by to visit and never left," Lockrey said.
In an age where smaller churches are going under, the congregation is optimistic about its future. Families may be growing up, but they still come back for holiday services, and visitors are aplenty.
"It's survived all this time," Curry said, "and I believe it will continue to survive."