A Photographic History will be added soon!

A HISTORY OF

SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS LUTHERAN CHURCH

MCHENRY, ILLINOIS 

            After a survey to determine the need for a new American Lutheran Church in the community of McHenry, the American Lutheran Church began construction of a church edifice and fellowship room on November 1, 1964.  It was the policy of the church at that time to build the original unit for a mission congregation and then call a Pastor to serve. 

            On May 1, 1965, Pastor Donald Johnson and Parish Worker Janice Wick arrived to begin a ministry in McHenry.  The first worship service was held on June 13, 1965.  The first meeting of the Steering Committee of the congregation was held on August 29, 1965, with the following committee members:  Louis Draeger, John Flint, George Kammerer Jr., Robert Petersen and James Widen.

            On September 19, 1965, the congregation was organized with Dr. Elmer A. Nelson, the Illinois District President, conducting the meeting.  The Constitution and Mission Agreement were accepted.  The original unit of the church was dedicated on December 5, 1965.

            In the fall of 1968, Pastor Donald Johnson received a call to serve as the regional missions director.  In the spring of 1969, the second building program was completed.  Pastor Roger Schneider accepted the Letter of Call to serve Shepherd of the Hills and arrived in the field on April 13, 1969.  The congregation entered into the internship program for training future pastors in 1973 and assisted the church at-large by training sixteen Interns over a period of years.

            In 1979, a Forward Planning Committee was formed to study the needs of the parish.  From this study developed a building committee, headed by Dr. Jerry Lingeman, charged with building a new sanctuary in 1980.  In the planning phase interest rates were at 8% but when it became time to go out for bids interest rates rose to 16%.  The congregation sold loan certificates to its members at 10% to finance the building and they were all purchased within a three week period.  The new sanctuary was dedicated on May 31, 1981, with Dr. Ehme Osterbur, Bishop of the Illinois District of the American Lutheran Church participating.

            The new sanctuary was paid off within seven years and in 1987 the congregation immediately went into a fourth building program to build the education unit.  The education unit was built for two thirds of the cost estimated by all of the architects interviewed because the church members worked evenings and weekends to paint, hang doors, install carpets, etc. Shepherd of the Hills has always had a vision for the future and has set goals.  We have always tried to move on from one success to another asking for God’s guidance.  We have been among the fifty to one hundred fastest growing parishes in the Lutheran Church.  The church has as its motto “A Church That Cares” and tries to meet people where they are at and help them grow.  Literally hundreds of talented and committed lay persons participate in the wide variety of programs and opportunities for service provided by our church program.  We thank God for His many blessings upon our church during its more than forty year history and we pray His continued blessing upon our congregation in the future as we are faithful in our ministry of Word and Sacrament.