180-year tapestry of local history is interwoven with Ivanhoe church

Flanked by fields and retirement communities on a sleepy road near Mundelein sits a 300-year-old tree and a modest, nondescript white church.

Ivanhoe Congregational Church, though small, has served as a subtle but strong community force during its 180-year history. Its adjacent cemetery, which includes the names of many important families, bears that out.

"When I think of that church, I think of its historical significance," Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz said.

Throughout its history, Ivanhoe Congregational has charged people of all races to live peacefully, without prejudice, and flourish side by side, said church historian and Wauconda resident Steve Schmidt, 65.

"As Congregationalists, we have always been concerned with the community (and believe) every human deserves dignity," Schmidt said.

Established as Lake County's first church on Feb. 20, 1838, its history is deep and rich.

What started when 16 people met in a log cabin at Route 176 and Midlothian Road as the community sought a place of worship, became Ivanhoe Congregational and grew to 30 members. A building was erected in 1856 on its current location, and it served as a community school, community governing board and sounding board for residents to discuss local and national issues, such as temperance and slavery. In the 1960s, church members marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma.

"Even before the building was created," pastor the Rev. Kristopher Hewitt said in 1845, "(we) created an abolitionist statement."

Although undocumented because of ramifications, it is widely believed the church participated in the Underground Railroad.

Its post-Civil War members included a black man named James Joice and his wife, Jemima, son Asa, and daughter Sarah. The Fremont Township website said, "Asa Joice went on to attain a level of prominence and acceptance that puts him in a select group of African-Americans in the last half of the 19th century." He held several public offices, including town constable in 1889 and highway commission president in 1911. Jemima and Asa also held positions in the church.

There were some lean times to be sure, such as when Pastor Delberg Schrag arrived after World War II and found the church membership at about a dozen people.

Grayslake resident Zelma Dunn, 94, a member since 1946, said, "Years later, he told us the Conference office had sent him to close the church because our pastor was so old and our membership was so low. When he arrived, he saw a lot of possibilities, so he started visiting people individually and built the church membership to around what it is today - about 125 or 150 families."

Dunn remembers a church building with a small sanctuary in the basement, no running water and no bathrooms - only outhouses. Future building additions were made possible by member-sponsored fundraisers and volunteerism. Because of the concern for preserving history, one of the hand-hewn timbers from the original structure became the fireplace mantle in an addition.

As its fourth pastor in the past 100 years, Hewitt joined Ivanhoe in 2005 and is proud of the church's history. Ivanhoe's membership draws from a large geographic area and represents a broad spectrum of talents, education, vocations and age groups, church officials said.

One church constant has been helping others in the community.

Ivanhoe members cared for the children of migrant workers, were involved in the "Open Door" program created to meet the medical and substantive needs of the Spanish-speaking people who migrated to the area, provided Thanksgiving meals to the homeless and gifts to children and the homeless for Christmas, in addition to its fun projects like the summer Civil War re-enactments and fall crop walks.

Members also have had a long history of involvement with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, PADS, helping Native Americans and, in conjunction with the Mundelein Park District and other agencies, a program to provide for children not receiving subsidized meals during the summer to ensure they did not go hungry.

"Diversity is part of our vision statement," said Wauconda resident Keith Temby, 56, who grew up in the congregation. "We roll out the red carpet for everyone and welcome everyone who comes through the door. We find value in everyone who comes to see us."