Pastor Dan Harrison has watched the population of his Lake in the Hills church double in just the past few months.

But the jump from 250 members to nearly 500 doesn't surprise the Springbrook Community Church pastor one bit.

With more and more residents migrating to the Fox Valley each month, the growing need for spiritual centers in the community is inevitable.

Many residents commute to jobs outside the Fox Valley, missing out on local, work-related friendships.

And, often, new residents have no extended family members in the area, which leaves a void in their lives.

So, many head to church to find the close social and spiritual relationships they're lacking, Harrison said. Through the church, they find fulfillment in youth groups, adult Bible studies, social hours and volunteer projects.

"It's a way they can really tie in to the community and make friends," Harrison said. "That's what we can provide, while also providing a place where we can build passionate followers of Jesus Christ."

While the booming population in the Fox Valley has led to a recent growth of new churches, people have flocked to their houses of worship as a way to meld into the community for decades.

For years, local churches have served as a social centers for many residents.

In the 1800s, hundreds of people moved to the Elgin area from New England to work at the watch factory.

Many left their extended families behind in Massachusetts, prompting the need to find close relationships in the Fox Valley.

A group of religious men banded together and formed the First Universalist Church, trying to build a local spiritual gathering place. They erected a building in 1866-67 on the southeast corner of DuPage and Village streets.

The church helped provide the close-knit relationships they had left behind in New England.

Because churches filled the needs of many, they also began to grow at a fast pace.

By 1891, the Universalists had outgrown their sanctuary. In 1892 they completed a new, larger building. The church continued to grow.

Because of the deep needs churches fill in the Fox Valley, members are loyal, and the congregations continue to grow.

Springbrook started meeting at Lake in the Hills Elementary School. When it outgrew that site, it transferred to Jacobs High School, where it still meets.

Now, its members are looking for a more permanent location. They have their eye on property in Huntley along Algonquin Road.

Harrison said he expects a permanent location will help the church grow even larger.

Other churches have gone through the same growing pains over the years because they are so invaluable to residents.

Members of the United Methodist faith started in the Dundee area with 12 families in 1962. They met at Lakewood Middle School.

By 1965, they, too, needed their own spot. They built the Trinity United Methodist Church in Carpentersville.

Over the years, McHenry County's Jehovah's Witnesses congregation has grown at such a fast rate it had to move locations several times. Members started in the Dundees and then moved to Algonquin. Now they have locations in Crystal Lake, Marengo, Spring Grove and Woodstock. More than 1,000 members belong.

More recently, Light of Christ Lutheran Church in Algonquin met in a rented storefront in downtown Algonquin from 1986 to 1988. Its members finally built a church on Hanson Road in 1988 to keep up with the growing population.

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Huntley is trying to keep up with Huntley's booming population.

Members plan to retain their existing church on Woodstock Street and build a site on Dundee Road.

As the congregations grow, local ministers expect their churches to grow, too, as social centers of communities.

At one time, the church served as the center of communities in the area. It provided schools, meeting places for spouses and weekend activities.

Harrison expects that commitment to continue to grow in the area.

"There's no doubt, with the growing population out here, we will continue to grow," he said. "There is such a need, and people are seeing that more and more. It's an important part of life that will keep growing."

RETURN