About CWUPC

History

of CWUPC

Welcome

About CWUPC

Sunday Services

Ministries

Events Calendar

Employment

We welcome you, members and friends, to the vibrant and growing congregation of Carter-Westminster United Presbyterian Church. The rich tapestry of this church’s history is woven out of the ministry of three congregations merging to become one after receiving God’s message to take action as they faced growing membership, the need for more space, and the great desire to keep their congregations together. We believe that every person who has come into this circle of fellowship was sent by God Himself. We are truly a family, rich in the relationships that matter most. Growing together, we worship, we serve, we teach, and we learn, but most of all, we reach out through our ministry to a needy world with life-transforming truth.

Our history started with a small group of worshippers who began holding services in the Skokie Pumping Station, which resided on our current property before a small but accommodating church known as Westminster Presbyterian Church was built in 1947. Ten years later the beautiful sanctuary and Sawyier Hall were added while the original chapel was renovated to become Memorial Hall. The church was full of life with two worship services, both adult and youth choirs, and monthly Presbyterian Women’s Association Circles for small-group Bible study.

Carter Memorial Presbyterian Church dates back to the early 1900s when Assyrians who were new to the area began meeting in their homes for Bible study. In 1907 Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago offered them the use of their chapel for Sunday afternoon services and later built them a place of worship known as Carter Assyrian Persian Chapel, dedicated in 1913. To accommodate the growing congregation, a new church known as Carter Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1947. However, the church was again faced with the same challenges of increased membership and the need for a larger space. This led to the merge with Westminster Presbyterian Church and the designation of the new name: Carter-Westminster United Presbyterian Church.

Twenty years later the congregation merged once again, this time with the Irving Park Community Presbyterian Church. Their history began in 1872 with sixteen men and women who built the first church, grammar school, and community center in Irving Park called the Dutch Reformed Church and Society of Irving Park. In 1913, the church severed its ties with the Reformed Church and united with the Presbytery of Chicago.

Decreasing membership resulted from the displacement of many church families who followed the popular trend to move to the

suburbs after the construction of the Kennedy Expressway adjacent to the church. Carter-Westminster United Presbyterian Church reached out to their sister congregation as the church faced leaving their home of 129 years.

As our congregation starts this new millennium, we look forward to spiritual growth and development in our church and in our community, as well as in ourselves. We have full confidence that God will continue to work faithfully and bless our ministries as we reach out to those who are praying, searching, and hoping for a place to belong. Let us express Christ’s love with a genuine, heartfelt invitation, “A warm welcome awaits you here!”

Please send any technical questions about this website to our webmaster at webmaster@cwupc.org

We, the congregation of Carter-Westminster United Presbyterian Church, as Christians, joyfully believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior who has been revealed by God the Father and Holy Spirit and has called us to be God’s people. We have been sent into this world as the reconciling community of faith to:

● Proclaim the Gospel for the salvation of all humanity,

● Nurture and provide shelter and spiritual fellowship for the children of God of all ages,

● Maintain divine worship,

● Preserve the truth,

● Promote social righteousness, and

● Exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

We believe the Bible is the true and authoritative Word of God teaching the way of salvation through faith which we obtain by grace through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection. Our church bases its creed and practices upon the Scriptures. Empowered by prayer, we go forward with confidence.

Mission Statement

for CWUPC

CWUPC

4950 West Pratt Avenue

Skokie, IL 60077

Phone: (847) 673-4441

Fax: (847) 673-4490

Email: info@cwupc.org

Website: www.cwupc.org