Community Christian Church to Celebrate 10 Years in Montgomery

It was 10 years ago next month that first opened its doors at 131 Montgomery Road.

And while they’re certainly planning to celebrate, according to Pastor Carter Moss—after all, 10 years is no small feat—the church is also renewing its commitment to service, and reaching out to the village of Montgomery, hoping to make a positive impact.

Community Christian is a multi-site church, meaning they’re one organization with locations in several different towns. Montgomery’s campus was the third one opened, following churches in Naperville and Romeoville—they’re up to a dozen now, as far north as Edgewater and as far south as Shorewood.

But Montgomery was one of the first, and it came about almost by chance. The Montgomery Road building was once home to Pathway Community Church, and in 2002, attendance there was dwindling, Moss said. The building’s owner, Glenn Bieritz, gifted the site to Community Christian, hoping to revitalize the church, Moss said.

And it worked. The first day, the Montgomery site saw 600 people in attendance, Moss said—many of whom were onlookers from other Community Christian sites, which explains why it eventually settled to a comfortable 400. And as for Glenn Bieritz, he still attends Community Christian every week, Moss said.   

“It took a lot of faith,” he said, “especially when we came in and took out the big pipe organ, took out all the pews, and hung big video screens.”

Community Christian now holds three services a week, and oversees 15 different small groups, where members can meet others at similar points in life and talk about their faith. And, Moss said, part of the church’s impact has been the launching of other houses of worship—the Community Christian sites in Yorkville and East Aurora, as well as a church in Boston, grew from the Montgomery congregation, Moss said.

So how does one celebrate 10 years? First, with a bit of a party. On the actual weekend of the anniversary (March 13), the church will likely just have an internal celebration, with retrospective videos. But come early summer, Community Christian will likely have a big event in Montgomery Park, and invite the village to celebrate with them. 

But more than that, Moss said, will be the church’s renewed commitment to being a part of Montgomery, and serving. The church has developed a partnership with the Kendall County Food Pantry, and holds food drives and job training workshops at the pantry’s site in Yorkville.

And in May, they will forego one week’s church service in favor of heading out into the community to do some good, which will include helping to clean up the Fox River banks in Montgomery.

Before that, though, Community Christian will partner with the village of Montgomery to host the village’s first ever Easter egg hunt on March 31, from 10:30 am. to noon. Moss said he called Deputy Clerk Ruth Maloy to ask how the church could become more involved, and this was the first thing they thought of.

“We’re hoping it starts a good partnership,” Moss said. The idea grew from Community Christian’s participation in last year’s Montgomery Fest and village Christmas celebration, he said.

The egg hunt would take place in Montgomery Park, he said, with games, crafts and refreshments back at Village Hall. The church will provide the volunteers to run the event, and would market it around town.

Moss said the church is hoping to do more for the community in the coming years. He said it’s all part of the mission, one that has defined Community Christian Church, and will continue to.

“We’re not just here to go to church,” he said. “We’re trying to be the church.”

For more on Community Christian, click here.