Like many Lake County congregations, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wadsworth was born with modest membership at the turn of the century.

Today, it has grown to 2,500 families with an estimated 7,500 parishioners.

What's sustained congregations like St. Patrick, church officials say, is a mixture of member loyalty and - maybe most significantly - a steady population increase during the last 100 years.

As residents filtered into the area, they search for a common niche, something that make's them part of a community.

A nearby house of worship helps people feel connected to one another and through fellowship, to other communities, church officials say.

Throughout the past century, churches and synagogues in Lake County grappled with growth. Several have had to make more room, spending thousands of dollars on relocation, renovation or additions.

St. Patrick recently underwent substantial renovation after a fire in May. The original church, constructed in 1849, burned just as the existing church was being built in 1912.

St. Patrick experienced most of its growth in the last 20 years, and has added 500 families in just the last three years.

But it's the parish's personality, not just the area's population boom, that keeps drawing people, church members say.

"There's very much been a spirit of welcome at St. Pat's for a long time," said the Rev. Patrick Cecil, the church's pastor. "When you walk into the entrance, there's lots of baskets there for food pantries, and we collect things for a number of causes."

The collections - ranging from causes in Vietnam to Central America - helps broaden the church's vision, he said, thus reaching out to a larger group.

Lake Zurich's St. Peter United Church of Christ now has deep roots in the county, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

One member, Beulah Prouty, has been with the church throughout her life - she turned 99 this year.

"We have children of the founding members that are still attending this church," said the Rev. Kemery Baldwin. "We have four generations of families here."

Baldwin said the church has adjusted to its members' changing needs. For example, child care is offered during services every Sunday in a supervised tot care room.

"It is the connection of the church into everyday life - the bridge club, dart ball leagues - it's done in Christian faith and those connections lasted," Baldwin said of the church's 750 members.

Others churches, such as St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lake Zurich, persevered by standing firm on conservative views.

Pastor Harold Krueger said the congregation has remained loyal because the church has not backed away from strict Bible teachings.

The church, which started in 1863 with 23 members, was rebuilt after a fire early in the century and has undergone several additions. It later opened a school, and church membership continued to increase from 120 to 2,000 in the last 40 years.

Meanwhile, Congregation Beth Am's growth was too much for its former house of worship in Wheeling.

After nearly doubling its number of families in three years, the congregation relocated into a former Crate & Barrel store in Buffalo Grove earlier this year.

It moved into the 37,000-square foot building that this year served more than 1,200 people in an area interfaith service. The new facility includes a sanctuary with an estimated seating capacity of about 900 people, a social hall, 20 classrooms, a kitchen and administrative offices.

Transfiguration Catholic Church in Wauconda has also been a mainstay, starting in 1841 as only a house of worship on farmland, and eventually adding a school.

Church officials say although the area has undergone much change, the human desire to seek God has not wavered.

"I think people feel at home here," Transfiguration's Rev. Robert Aguirre said. "We do our best to welcome people and to feel at home and to address their needs as best we can."

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