Our History

St. Andrew's Church, as she was formerly known and called, was established in November 1919 out of intense desire and thirst to have a place of worship for Negroes in Evanston and beyond, where they could freely worship God. Before the founding of the church, Negroes in Evanston worshiped in another Episcopal church in Evanston where they experienced discrimination which was common at the time.

However, the racism grew to the point where Negro members were denied the opportunity to worship God on a particular Sunday. Following the unkind treatment that caused them to leave the church that Sunday, they resolved to create a place where they could worship without hate, hindrance, or intimidation.

 

Three Matriarchs, Mrs. Esther L. Bryant, Mrs. Mary V. Jackson, and Dr. Louise Scott took it upon themselves to actualize the dream of the Negroes whose hearts yearned to worship God in the Anglican liturgy that they knew and loved. They made a petition to the bishop of Chicago for mission status. The petition had 21 signatories. In September 1920, St. Andrew's Church, Evanston, was founded as a mission and organized as the fourth Episcopal church in Evanston. 

The first priest, Reverend H.B. Browne, was appointed on September 8, 1920. The first services were conducted at The Emerson Street YMCA, with the Suffragan Bishop, The Rt Reverend Sheldon Munson Griswold officiating that service. Subsequent services were conducted by Reverend Henry B. Brown who began to lead the congregation. The new congregation held Sunday services at The Emerson Y.M.C.A and weekday services and meetings were often held in the chapel of St. Mark's Church.

From her humble beginning, worshiping at Emerson Y.M.C.A, St. Andrew's members recognized the need for their own space. With the help of Bishop and Council, a two-story frame house at 1930 Darrow Ave. was purchased in the early 1920's. Church services were conducted in the building which also served as a parish hall and rectory. As the church grew, it was determined that the frame building was inadequate for the church's needs. The church purchased its present site at 1928 Darrow Avenue, and, in 1926 a campaign began for a building fund to construct a brick church building. The church building was constructed and was consecrated on Advent Sunday, November 27, 1935.

The mission of St. Andrew's continued to grow and by 1945, St. Andrew's grew to a parish status and maintained it until 1985. St. Andrew's lost her parish status and became a mission due to the decline in membership and changes in the neighborhood.
As many of her members retired and relocated to other places the membership of the congregation continued to decline. Discussions for a merger began with the Church of the Pentecost a mission of the Diocese of Chicago located in Chicago.

 

Church of the Pentecost was born out of the need to serve Africans and Nigerian Anglicans who were skeptical about the Episcopal church and doubted if it was part of the Anglican Church. For many, the Episcopal Church was too catholic for their liking, and for others, they did not know the Episcopal Church had any relationship with the Anglican communion.

Hearing these concerns, Fr. Nwachuku was burdened by the absence of many Africans/Nigerians and started the discussion with Sola Olapade, Funmi Olapade, and Mercy Akpunonu who played key roles in the beginning stages of the formation of the congregation. Down the line, they got others involved and worked on how to address the spiritual needs of Nigerian Anglicans who live in Chicago.

As deliberations continued, Fr. Nwachuku submitted a proposal to the Cathedral of St. James in Chicago and they graciously allowed the Nigerian community to use their sanctuary for the first service that was held in the fall of 2000. From then on, weekly services commenced primarily for the Nigerian Anglican community at the chapel of St James. 

In 2001 the Diocese of Chicago embraced and adopted the fellowship. Hence, she enlarged her vision to embrace other African Anglicans in Chicago land.

On the 30th of May 2001, the fellowship then known as the African Anglican Fellowship began officially as a fellowship of the Diocese of Chicago at St. Augustine's Chapel on Argyle. The chapel at St. Augustine's College was used for her first service and it became a home for the fellowship in the first year of her ministry. Thereafter, the fellowship was housed by St. Peter's Church Belmont.

Shortly after the fellowship moved to St. Peter's on Belmont, her numbers began to grow and it became imperative for her to change her name. At this juncture, the members agreed that her name be changed to Church of the Pentecost. Despite the challenges of a typical ministry in Chicago, God blessed the Church of the Pentecost as she grew in width and bound. In no time, the chapel space she used at St. Peter's became too small for her membership. It became necessary for the fellowship to move to a bigger space. Attempts were made to find a space in the city of Chicago without much success.

An opportunity for a merger came up and with the support of the Diocese of Chicago, the two, St. Andrews and Church of the Pentecost merged on September 10, 2006, to become one family. Her name became St. Andrew's Pentecost Episcopal Anglican Church Evanston. St. Andrew's Pentecost has become known as "the church of hospitality", where everyone is welcome to worship and share in the delicious meals and diverse culture of our community. We are committed to service to God and humanity by empowering God’s people to grow spiritually, emancipate folks from the residues of slavery, engage in social services, and encourage God’s people to stand against social injustice.