“Red and Yellow, Black and White”
Randy, you pastor an unusual congregation. It is genuinely multi-cultural and is a vibrant, growing church in a diverse community. Would you describe your church and community for us?
It is a church you cannot easily label or easily compare to another. This church is celebrating its 97th birthday and God has essentially recreated it before our very eyes.
The church had typically humble beginnings. Chicago Heights was a progressive middle-class Italian community, perhaps best known for being the weekend "getaway" home of the infamous Al Capone. During the 70's and 80's, Chicago Heights began to decline economically. Businesses began to close down. What growth there was in Chicago's southern suburbs was moving east and west of Chicago Heights. There was obviously a temptation for the church to do what most traditional churches have historically done under similar circumstances. Abandon, sell and relocate.
Author's Profile
Randy Dodd is the Lead Pastor of Chicago Heights Church of the Nazarene, a diverse multi-ethnic congregation with a purposeful vision of making a difference in their community. Randy has been a Nazarene Pastor for more than 32 years as well as an adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazarene University. He and his wife Nancy have two sons.