Who We Are
We're glad you found us.
Why People Embrace Lake Street Church
Located at 607 Lake Street, Evanston, our service begins every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Music is an integral part of our community, creating one of the strongest ties people feel to the church.
We have excellent Child Care and Sunday School programs. Our service includes “A Moment with Children."
Lake Street Church supports each person’s pursuit of their spiritual journey.
With a long history of leadership in peace, justice, and environmental issues, Lake Street Church is a Sanctuary Church, houses a homeless shelter and offers many opportunities to develop and support our world and community.
10 Ways To Get To Know Us
1. Read our identity statement.
In 2006, the Lake Street Church congregation spent almost a year working together on an identity statement we call our Covenant. It says a lot about who we are as a spiritual community. The covenant appears on the inside back cover of our hymnals. We recite it together every time we welcome new members to our congregation.
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Live streams of past sermons are available here.
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Our regular service is every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at 607 Lake Street in Evanston. Special Services such as Living Buddha Living Christ and World Wide Community Sunday occur on specific Sundays throughout the year.
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We have multiple classes which occur before regular Sunday Worship!
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After the service, everyone is invited to MacLeish Hall, the large hall adjacent to the church, for snacks and refreshments.
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The Lake Street Church Choir and Crystal Ringers Tone Chime Choir both welcome visitors to “check them out” during any rehearsal. Anyone interested in singing with the choir can make a short-term commitment of a few weeks to get to know us better. Choir rehearsal is on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. For more information, send us a message.
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7. Help the homeless shelter in our basement.
For three decades, our building has housed Connections for the Homeless and Hilda’s Place, the only overnight shelter for the homeless on the North Shore. This effort started in 1984 when First Baptist Church of Evanston (now Lake Street Church) formed a coalition of clergy and concerned residents to lobby city government for permission to establish a shelter, offering the lower level of the church house as an overnight prayer circle for the homeless.
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8. Come to a Peace & Justice meeting.
This committee helps us move from contemplation to action. Committee members raise awareness of local, national and international issues, providing opportunities for individuals to act together to promote peace, further economic and social justice, practice earth stewardship and alleviate hunger and homelessness. Visitors welcome. Send us a message and we’ll let you know when and where the next meeting will take place.
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9. Take a virtual history tour.
Lake Street Church was built in 1873 and is the oldest public building still in use in Evanston. To learn more about our rich past, check out our History & Building page, or send us a message to request a copy of the book published in honor of our 150th anniversary, “The History of Lake Street Church of Evanston: Embracing the Future and the Richness of Our Past.”
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Lake Street Church is a very active church for its size. You can get to know us better just by browsing the list of current spiritual development opportunities. They are as diverse as the church itself. Visitors are welcome to attend all groups and programs. Please send us a message if you have any questions.
