1+ week, 2+ day ago (604+ words) People who drive along Randall Road in Elgin have most likely already seen the Colorado blue spruce that Elgin was putting up as its holiday tree on Thursday along DuPage Court downtown. Since the early 1990s, the 55-foot-tall evergreen has stood off the northwest corner of Randall and Highland Avenue by the illuminated sign for Journey of Hope United Methodist Church. "My son, Web, was a little guy back then. He and I and (the late) Chuck Stettner (cq) planted it there one fall," Jim Eby said. Eby worked for the Bartlett Park District at the time. He won the tree, which came from a now-closed nursery in Algonguin, during a raffle at a meeting for staff from various park districts. "The tree was just 6-feet-tall at the time, but I knew it would grow too big for where we live…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (167+ words) The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., the civil rights leader and founder of the Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, has been hospitalized. The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition confirmed Jackson was admitted to the hospital Wednesday but did not share any further details about his location or condition. This is the latest in a series of health setbacks in recent years. Jackson announced in 2017 that he had begun outpatient care for Parkinson's disease two years earlier. In early 2021, he had gallbladder surgery and later that year was treated for COVID-19, including a stint at a physical therapy-focused facility. He was hospitalized again in November 2021 for a fall that caused a head injury. Jackson stepped down from heading the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in 2023. A prot'g' of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (1408+ words) Holy Name Cathedral at 735 N. State St. celebrates its 150th anniversary this month. The Gothic-style sanctuary is the central place of worship in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. The limestone building is actually the second to carry this name. The first was consumed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Change is a constant inside the long-standing structure. Renovations have been frequent throughout its history. Yet, worshippers continue to visit Holy Name because of its steadfastness. It's where Catholic Chicagoans go to celebrate marriages, mourn their dead and pray during national and worldly strife. And peace is found inside not just by the religious. "For residents of the Near North Side, whether high-living yuppies or poor and homeless, its massive bronze doors represent a gateway into a space of transcendent calm," former Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin wrote in 2009. Here's a look…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (221+ words) Momentum Church: 2200 N. Main St. " Momentum Church's Sunday service will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 16. The Sunday gathering features fellowship, worship, prayer and teaching. Children's ministry occurs during service for ages 6 weeks through 5th grade. Cathedral of the Holy Angels: 640 Tyler St. " There will be a Mass in honor of Black Catholic History Month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 16. Bishop Robert J. McClory will preside, and Deacon Martin Brown will present "God's Men of Color." The Mass will be followed by a potluck. For more information, contact Dr. Pearlette Springer at (219) 680-0421 or visit dcgary.org/history-Mass. Marquette Park United Methodist Church: 215 N. Grand Blvd. " All are welcome to worship at 11:15 a.m. Sundays at Marquette Park United Methodist Church. There will be refreshments to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Faith United Church of Christ: 3030 175th St. " Faith United Church of Christ holds its worship service at 10 a.m. on Sundays, followed…...

5+ day, 23+ hour ago (809+ words) After a disappointing year for donations last year, officials with Aurora area Salvation Army units are hopeful they can reach their goals during this year's Red Kettle drive, which began recently in the Fox Valley. However, Salvation Army officials are bracing for yet another challenging year, given the recent government shutdown, a sputtering economy and the challenges of recruiting volunteers as well as paid bell ringers to work at posts at grocery and department stores in the next few weeks. Salvation Army Major Corps Officer Joaquin Rangel, who oversees the Aurora Salvation Army center that serves the Naperville and Aurora areas, said his unit began its Red Kettle drive on Nov. 14. Last year, Rangel adjusted the usual annual goal of the Aurora Salvation Army Red Kettle drive from $200,000 down to $188,000. Despite falling short of that goal last year, this year…...

4+ day, 10+ hour ago (655+ words) The bells are already ringing at 29 locations throughout the Elgin area as Salvation Army Lts. Scott and Allison Rodriguez oversee their first Red Kettle campaign. "Our goal is to raise $235,000. Last year the Elgin campaign raised $220,000," Scott Rodriguez said. All the money collected locally during the holidays stays in Elgin to cover operational costs, services and programming offered through the Elgin Corps Community Center, 316 Douglas Ave., Allison Rodriguez said. In fact, the married couple are planning to add two elementary school programs in January: a new recreation program run with the help of the Elgin Police Department and its ROPE officers and the launch of a new music program, The couple's own musical skills will come in handy for the latter. Allison plays piano and E flat alto saxophone and Scott plays tuba and guitar. Scott said he took to…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (313+ words) Faith Church: 100 W. 81st Ave. " Faith Church will have Thanksgiving services across its campuses on Nov. 26. The Dyer campus will have service at 5:30 p.m., with the nursery available for infants up to 3 years old, while the Munster, Beecher and Cedar Lake campuses will have service at 7 p.m. and the Highland campus will have service at 6 p.m. Marquette Park United Methodist Church: 215 N. Grand Blvd. " All are welcome to worship at 11:15 a.m. Sundays at Marquette Park United Methodist Church. There will be refreshments to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Faith United Church of Christ: 3030 175th St. " Faith United Church of Christ holds its worship service at 10 a.m. on Sundays, followed by fellowship and coffee. Saint Joseph Catholic Church: 5304 Hohman Ave. " Saint Joseph Catholic Church will have "Donut Sunday" on the last Sunday of every month after the 9 a.m. Mass. Free coffee and donuts are provided at the church hall. St. James…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (437+ words) Wayside Cross Ministries" plans to convert a former bank into transitional housing received the backing Monday of the Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission. The 42,000-square-foot building, constructed at 890 N. State St. in 2004 for Bank of Elgin, would house 94 people in a dorm-like setting with separate floors for males and females, Senior Planner Damir Latinovic told commissioners. It could be expanded to accommodate up to 120 people, and would include office space for 10 staff members and housing for residential staff members who have graduated from the program, Latinovic said. A security guard would be on the premises 24 hours a day. The basement would have a shared kitchen, dining area and laundry while the first floor would consist of flex space with offices for employees and programs, he said. Dorms for women are planned for the second floor and the men would sleep on…...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (1117+ words) Vicki Keller will never forget the first time she walked through First Congregational Church of Naperville. The year was 1969 and Keller, now 79, had moved to Naperville from Clay Center, Nebraska, her small town of less than a thousand people. She was looking for a church to join and while she came from an Evangelical background, she looked at First Congregational Church of Naperville as an option. "The minute I walked into that church, I had a feeling and it was warm " kind of like somebody was wrapping their arms around me," Keller said. "Standing actually in the back of the church by the stained glass windows is where I had this feeling and I thought, "This is the place for me." More than 50 years later, she is now leading an effort to secure landmark status for it. The Naperville Historic…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (408+ words) CrossPoint Church: 214 S. Court St. " The church's'annual Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing initiative is taking donations through Nov. 23. The operation seeks to provide gifts to underprivileged children all over the globe. Boxes and brochures with details on how to pack the boxes can be taken from the lobby of the church. St. Matthias Roman Catholic Church: 101 W. Burrell Drive " The church will have a Knights of Columbus Chili dinner from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 to support the Knights of Columbus Council. The dinner will have chili and chili dogs, cornbread, lemonade and water. There is a freewill offering and no RSVP is needed. Cathedral of the Holy Angels: 640 Tyler St. " There will be a Mass in honor of Black Catholic History Month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 16. Bishop Robert J. McClory will preside, and Deacon Martin Brown will present "God's Men of Color." The Mass…...