On January 15, 1945, while World War II was still raging in Europe and the Pacific, a group of people met in the home of Joe and Nell Outhous on the southwest side of Chicago. They loved the Lord Jesus Christ and believed the Bible to be the inspired inerrant Word. Desiring to worship together with like-minded believers, they agreed to establish a new church.

The following day the group leased an old liquor store, a two-story building located at 1546 West 87th Street in Chicago (where they would meet for the next thirteen years). Several days later, the church held its first Wednesday evening prayer service, and 138 people signed the charter founding the Beverly Baptist Church. That night they also elected J. Walker Martin as their first pastor.

In 1958 the church built a beautiful new sanctuary and classroom addition to the old storefront. Six years later in 1964, they burned the mortgage, Pastor Schulenburg resigned, and the church called William G. Johnson as pastor. “Pastor Bill” stayed for thirty years.  In 1968, Clement P. Bilhorn was called as Associate Pastor. They formed a wonderful team that led the church for the next twenty years.

In 1967, the church decided it was time to build again and selected a piece of land at 6300 West 127th Street in Palos Heights. Construction was completed in June 1970. With the move to Palos Heights, the name changed once again and became Moraine Valley Baptist Church.  In this new location, attendance and membership soared.  By 1974, we were holding two Sunday morning services, and within two years we were out of space even with two services.  Here it was time to rebuild yet again – this time in two phases: a new auditorium and an educational wing.

Groundbreaking for the addition occurred on Easter Sunday 1979, and the new auditorium was completed on August 1, 1980.  The first service was held August 17, with dedication services following on September 10, 12 and 14. The additional classrooms were then added in 1985.  In 1990 we again added a second Sunday morning service, this time with a more contemporary feel.  (Within a couple of years, however, our congregation would come to miss the unity of worshipping together.  We then returned to one Sunday service, with Adult Bible Fellowship and Sunday School classes following.)

In 1991 we changed our name one final time. Because of preconceptions about the word “Baptist,” some people we wanted to reach with the message of Jesus Christ would not come through our doors. Thus, we became simply Moraine Valley Church.  On March 7, 1993, Moraine Valley Church called Patrick B. Peglow as Senior Pastor upon Pastor Bill’s retirement.  Pastor Pat was installed as Senior Pastor on April 18, and Pastor Bill became “Pastor Emeritus” on January 16, 1994 (his 30th anniversary with the church).

In recent years, we have once again reached a point where our ministries and activities have exceeded our spatial limits.  On March 9, 2008, we saw the completion of our new Worship Center and Atrium with extra meeting space including a café.  We anticipate a gradual rebuilding of the rest of our facility in order to make it a more inviting place for our community.

In the sixty-plus years since the meeting in Joe and Nell Outhous’ home, the world has changed significantly with advances in military action, government, technology, and medicine.  However, the church that was established that night has held fast to the principles on which it was founded.

We still love the Lord Jesus Christ and believe the Bible to be God’s inspired inerrant Word, and we still desire to worship together with likeminded believers.  Our prayer is that those who celebrate the 100th anniversary of Moraine Valley Church will be able to say the same!