Church in Oak Park: About First UMC

Our worshiping congregation is a group of people who are diverse in age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic situation, and religious background. We gather to share the journey we each take in experiencing God and working to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

We worship every Sunday at 10:00 am in an experience that celebrates and glorifies God through prayer, music, praise and the spoken word. Everyone is welcome to join us in person in our sanctuary and online.

At First United Methodist Church of Oak Park, we believe that faith is a journey, a journey shared in a supportive community.

We invite you to review this site and Plan Your Visit to learn more about us—our ministries, our congregation, as well as our historic church building. Our journey is both life-affirming and life-sustaining. We welcome fellow travelers on the journey of life!

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities:

God - God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons.
Jesus - We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. God became human in Jesus of Nazareth; and his life, death and resurrection demonstrates God's redeeming love.
The Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is God's present activity in our midst. When we sense God's leading, God's challenge, or God's support or comfort, it's the Holy Spirit at work.
Human Beings - Genesis 1:27 asserts that we've been made in the image of the Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create.
The Church - The church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
The Bible - We believe that the Bible is God’s Word and is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
God’s Reign - The kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.
Sacraments - With many other Protestants, we recognize the two sacraments in which Christ himself participated: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park was the first established congregation to settle in the Oak Park area. Established in 1870, the congregation worshiped in a small one room school house. Under the name of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Oak Park, a church was erected on Lake Street, near Forest Avenue, which opened for worship in 1874. The church grew and flourished and, anticipating the need for expansion, purchased the land for our present site in the early 1920’s. Plans for the new church building were being developed when the old church was destroyed by fire in 1923. Built between 1923 and 1925, our current church building was dedicated in March of 1925. Our history is rich with a tradition of meaningful Christian ministry in our congregation, community, and for those in need. We carry forward the spirit of the past while we meet the spiritual needs of today’s people.

Our historic church building was designed by Tallmadge and Watson in the modern English Gothic Revival style. Built with Bedford limestone, the building features a Memorial Tower and Memorial Chapel. Designated an Oak Park Historic Landmark in 2005, the design and the blueprints of the church are preserved at the Art Institute of Chicago. Recent renovations have been made to maintain and enhance the building’s original features.

The stained-glass windows, designed by Giannini and Hilgart, were installed in the sanctuary as memorial gifts between 1957 and 1966. The windows depict Jesus’ life and ministry, his apostles, and Old Testament prophets.

While we our surrounded by history, the life within the building is focused on the present and the future. HOPE IS HERE!

We are excited about the new blessings revealed to us each day and our work to create disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is our focus. Whether it is welcoming the curious and the new to our Membership Exploration Classes or continuning our growth in one of our study groups, we know getting to know and experience God is a never ending road.

Our next chapter is still to be written. But our core values of serving others, working for justice, and growing in faith are sure to be a part of it! Come and help us write the next chapter of our service of God and God's people in our community!

Rev. Megan Tobola (née Dean) is an ordained Elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. The daughter of both a Catholic and a Methodist, she is a “cradle Methodist” that grew up participating in the ministries of the church from an early age on Chicago’s south side. She is the daughter and granddaughter of strongly committed lay persons.

During her Master of Divinity studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, she was Pastoral Intern at United Church of Rogers Park, served as Chair of the Garrett-Evangelical Black Seminarians (GEBS), Co-Convenor of the Beatitudes Society, and G-ETS Representative for the Young Adult Seminarian Network representative.

While awaiting appointment after MDiv studies, she was on staff in the NIC Program Office, and provided pulpit supply in Northern Illinois and Indiana.

During her full-time ministry as a licensed, commissioned, and ordained clergyperson she has been blessed to serve as Associate Pastor of Gary UMC in Wheaton, IL, Pastor of Living Faith UMC in Waukegan, IL, Pastor of Good Shepherd UMC in Bartlett, IL, and Lead Pastor of

Wesley UMC in historic downtown Naperville, IL.

Alongside the blessing of work in the local church and community, Pastor Megan enjoys serving in various capacities in ecumenical, interfaith, and inter-religious relationships locally, nationally, and globally. Finding this work to be a place of continuing education, dialogue, and formation for her pastoral ministry in the local church, she has served on the Illinois Conference of Churches Leadership Team, Illinois Conference of Churches ICER (Illinois Christians Encountering Racism) Team, and is a former Chair of the NIC Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships. She is serving her third quinquennium as one of two NIC delegates for the World Methodist Council, and her second elected term on the World Methodist Council Nominating Committee. She also serves upon request as one of the Ecumenical, Interfaith, and Inter-religious Representatives for the Council of Bishops.

With her beloved Frenchman, Ken, she enjoys the ministries of marriage and parenthood of their precious Linda. No day is ever dull.

Not simply a preacher and teacher of social holiness, she holds social justice to be critical to Christian witness. Through worship design, preaching, bible study, music, writing, service, mission opportunities, and partnerships, she strives to do her small part in helping to build the kin-dom, which is God’s kingdom of radical love here on earth. As she does, she hopes to help Linda find her unique way of doing the same.

In November 2023, Pastor Megan received the honor of being named one of the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) Faithful 50, which is, “a selection of 50 Black alums who exemplify faithfulness, commitment, and perseverance in ministry through their leadership in academic, nonprofit, and congregational settings.”

Bill Underwood and his wife, Adrianne Cury, are long-time residents of Oak Park. He has a daughter, Katie, a son, Will, and four grandsons, Noah, Jack, Teddy, and Liam. He graduated from Ohio Northern University with a degree in Music Education and did graduate work in composition at Florida State University. He has worked in a wide variety of churches since his first engagement as an organist at the age of fifteen at his home church; Beulah United Methodist Church in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. He has also worked extensively as a jazz, cabaret, and theatre musician; receiving Joseph Jefferson Citations for original music, and music direction. Since 2007 he has been the resident music director at The Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana. He has played and written arrangements for many albums, including the just released, ‘Quiet Nights’, with Chicago-singer, Bradford Newquist. As a pianist he has played for Aretha Franklin, Diahann Carroll, Lillianne Montevechi, Bobby Vinton, and Tiny Tim.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK

Church in Oak Park, Illinois