Second Baptist Church of Elgin elects new pastor

Second Baptist Church of Elgin has chosen a successor for retiring pastor Nathaniel Edmond.

Rev. Patrick Parks will take over Oct. 1 for Edmond, who has been the church's pastor for 20 years.

"It's very humbling to be associated in any capacity with Second Baptist Church," Parks said.

Parks said found out he was elected by the congregation shortly before it was announced during Sunday's service. "They told us that I was elected and we (he and his family) were emotional and five minutes later they told me we had to go out and speak to the congregation."

He said he told them he was "peacock proud" to have earned their confidence as the church's next pastor. "It now becomes my responsibility to do my upmost to ensure that I retain it," Parks said he told the congregation.

Edmond will work with Parks for the next month on the transition, including introducing him around town and to city officials.

While he was technically an outside candidate, Parks has a long history with Second Baptist Church.

He is a graduate of Judson University with a bachelor's degree in Christian Ministries and Pastoral Leadership. Edmond served as a trustee at Judson while Parks was a student. When it came time to do his practicum classes, "I wanted to go somewhere and sit under a pastor who looked like me and was in the community. There was no better person than Pastor Edmond." Parks also did is internship at the church in 2017.

He and his wife Diane, a longtime member of the church, were married there by Edmond in 2013. While they lived in Chicago after being married, they did attend the church in Elgin from time to time. They now live in St. Charles.

Parks had until recently served as interim pastor for a year and a half at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on the west side of Chicago, filling in for their terminally ill pastor.

Second Baptist members say they are looking forward to what Parks can bring.

"I'm excited to see what's next at Second Baptist," said church youth minister Rev. Clemon McCullough. "If he can make it through this COVID pandemic, he can make it through anything."

Parks takes over as pastor at the church - founded in 1866 and boasts 2,500 to 3,000 members - at an interesting time in history with racial injustice at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist.

"Racial equality has to begin with the church because that's our message, there is no Black or white, we are all one in Christ," he said.