July 2017
Many communities have garden walks in their community: a local group organizes a tour of spectacular gardens, sells tickets and raises money for a good cause. Have you ever considered how your church might tag along with such community-wide events?
First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chicago opens its doors on the day of the annual Dearborn Garden Walk, this year on Sunday, July 16. The Dearborn neighborhood event includes access to 20 private backyard gardens for ticket holders. It also includes, along with other streetside festivities, a self-guided walking tour of notable architecture in the area.
First Saint Paul’s, at 1301 N. LaSalle Drive, just three blocks or so from the heart of the Dearborn Garden Walk, is pretty notable itself. Dating to 1843, the congregation was the host church for the organizing meeting of the Missouri Synod in 1847.
Of course, the congregation has relocated a few times since then but it’s always stayed on the near north side. Their current sanctuary dedicated in 1970, at LaSalle and Goethe, is nestled in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood and has a unique artistry all its own—built to be a “working church instead of a monumental one,” so said Architect Edward Dart. The congregation serves the richly diverse neighborhood with a community meal, feeding 150 every Saturday, year round. They also have a foot clinic for the homeless with volunteer podiatrists.
For their part in the Dearborn Garden Walk, First Saint Paul’s put out fliers and invited people to include their strategically positioned campus in the day’s festivities.
The flyer offers these highlights of a visit to First Saint Paul’s during the Garden Walk:
- Free access to First Saint Paul’s spaces and activities
- Scheduled guided sanctuary tours
- Scheduled mindfulness and gardening presentations
- Rest and enjoyment in First Saint Paul’s newly-renovated patio garden
- Flower pot painting for all ages throughout the day
If you are in the Dearborn neighborhood on Sunday, July 16, noon to 5 p.m., be sure to stop in at First Saint Paul’s, on the corner of LaSalle and Goethe. For information on the official Dearborn neighborhood event, go to the city of Chicago’s neighborhood events website.