Bethlehem's History
(Bethlehem's story) is the story of a company of people who possessed a dream, a mission, and a sturdy faith in God......Here are people going through struggle and achievement, sorrow and joy, disappointment and victory......But all the different people in our history, with their various characteristics and abilities, yes, even their peculiarities, have their lives drawn together by a common bond, a common center: The fellowship of faith which bears the name Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
---- Pastor Robert G. Edlen, 1977
Bethlehem Lutheran Church's history began on the morning of March 20, 1927 when a group of children gathered at the home of Hugh Johnson, 811 Brooke Road, to organize a Sunday School. In those days, the southeast Rockford neighborhood known as Grant Park was a rapidly growing area. Its residents were working people, like furniture makers and construction workers and factory workers. Families were large, with five or more children being common.
In 1927 there were few churches south of Harrison Avenue in Rockford. Thus, many families residing in that area were unchurched due to difficulties of transportation. Getting a family of seven or eight across town on a Sunday morning was difficult to say the least.
The Brooke Road Sunday School meetings continued, now often being called the "Grant Park Sunday School", and were spiritually guided by the Rev. Melvin Smith, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church at Ninth Street and Seventeenth Avenue. As the Sunday School enrollment grew steadily, Pastor Smith's involvement did likewise. At last, a formal name for the Grant Park group was chosen: Calvary Junior Sunday School.
Increasing enrollment meant larger quarters were needed. The home meetings were literally being overrun with children. A building at the corner of Sandy Hollow Road and Kishwaukee Street was donated. It had been a popular hangout during World War One for U.S. Army troops at Camp Grant, just a mile south at the end of Kishwaukee Street. Unfortunately, the building needed major repairs. Even as rain poured through the roof in streams, Pastor Smith was baptizing Sunday School children in that dilapidated old building.
Parents began coming to Sunday School along with their children, and it soon became evident that some sort of chapel services were needed in addition to the Sunday School. Before long, the decision was reached to erect a chapel.
A search was started for a suitable location for the new chapel. Since Brooke Road was halfway between Harrison Avenue and Sandy Hollow Road, and southeast Rockford's population was centered along the railroad tracks between the Rock River and Hanson Street, a building site in that area was sought.
In the summer of 1927, two lots were purchased in the triangle area between the railroad tracks and Saner Avenue, facing Brooke Road.
Used lumber for the chapel was purchased from Grant Park Wrecking Company, which was tearing down old barracks at Camp Grant. The cost of the lumber: $700, a fortune in those days.
Calvary's Grant Park Chapel was built using nearly 100 percent volunteer labor. A mortgage of $1,850 was taken out by individual members of the building committee, using their own signatures and collateral, since the chapel was not incorporated. The chapel was finished in just two months. Work began at sunrise each morning, and it was typical for work to continue until late at night. A neighbor allowed an electric line to be run from her meter so that work could continue after dark. The new chapel was dedicated October 30, 1927, with a keynote address given by Rev. Dr. H.M. Bannen, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church.
Dark Days and the "Milk Line"
In October, 1929 came the Great Depression. In early 1930, Rev. Smith talked Rockford's dairies into contributing skim milk, which was ordinarily sold to farmers to feed their hogs. Each morning he collected the milk from the dairies and brought it to the chapel, where it was given to folks who needed it. In the first week, 210 gallons of skim milk were carried out of the little chapel on Brooke Road by people who were grateful to have it. At times, the "milk line" stretched more than a block.
Soon, Rockford's bakeries were contributing day-old bread to "the milk line". By November, 1931, 500 people, 154 families, were being served. Rockford Mayor Herman Hallstrom visited the milk line and said it was a wonderful work, and promised to do everything he could to help. Sunday mornings on the milk line were a "bonus". Local grocers had begun donating fruits and vegetables which would not "keep" until Monday after they closed up on Saturdays. Grocery stores in those days weren't open on Sundays, and none of them had large coolers. So Sunday mornings saw vegetables as well as milk and bread on the line.
10-cent suppers
The Calvary Chapel began offering weekly suppers as a fundraising measure. Originally, the price was 30 cents, but during the height of the Depression the price was lowered to 10 cents. The menu usually consisted of meat and chickens donated by rural members, plus whatever produce and potatoes could be scratched up from donors. And there were always pies and cakes.
A Chapel Becomes a Church, and the House of Bread is Born
In September of 1938 the members of the Sunday School Chapel decided the time was right to have church services. Rev. Melvin Smith resigned his pastorate at Calvary Lutheran Church in order to devote full time to services at the chapel. It became evident that "far southeast Rockford" needed a Lutheran church. The first church service was held at the chapel on October 1, 1938.
At the congregational meeting on December 1, 1938 the new church was formally named Bethlehem Lutheran Church. In the Hebrew language, Beth Lehem translates as "House of Bread", and that name was especially chosen in remembrance of the thousands of loaves of bread and gallons of milk which had been given to the poor during the Depression.
During this time period, fellowship dinners became popular at Bethlehem, a tradition which remains alive and well to this very day.
The Camp Grant Chapels
In September of 1946 the U.S. Army announced that Camp Grant was to be closed and torn down, and that the camp's four nearly identical white frame chapels would be sold to organized churches. In fact, Camp Grant was converted to civilian housing for families of veterans returning from WWII, and at least one of the chapels remained until the mid-1950's when the camp eventually did close.
Bethlehem Lutheran had been collecting money in a building fund for several years, and had $10,000 in hand when the Army chapels became available. After a complicated process of applications and approvals, word came down on January 24, 1947 that Bethlehem would receive one of the Army chapels.
Six months of intensive planning began in order to work out details of pouring a suitable foundation, relocating the present chapel to the rear of the property, and transporting the Army chapel intact up Kishwaukee Street and onto Brooke Road to reach its resting place. Highway officials objected to closing Kishwaukee Street. Power and telephone companies grumbled about having to temporarily move their lines in order to provide clearance for the building as it journeyed along the streets. But in the end, city politicians were persuaded to intervene on Bethlehem's behalf, and on the day of July 20, 1947 the move took place. Four men rode on the chapel's roof, using wooden poles to raise the utility lines as the building passed underneath.
That little Army chapel, which served Bethlehem from 1947 to 1967, still stands at the corner of Brooke Road and Saner Avenue.
Growing Pains
By the early sixties, parking at the Brooke Road site had become a real problem. There was little room to expand the church or to have off-street parking on the small triangular property. A building committee was appointed to look for a suitable building site.
In February of 1965, a 15-acre site was purchased at 4580 Twentieth Street. (The street number has since been changed by the Post Office Department to 4620 Twentieth Street).
Bethlehem's final service at the old Brooke Road church took place on October 29, 1967, nearly 40 years to the day after the original chapel had been dedicated. Beginning on the first Sunday of November, 1967, Bethlehem Lutheran Church met at Froberg Elementary School, across the street from the new property.
Groundbreaking
Ground was broken on March 31, 1968 for the new church on Twentieth Street. The cornerstone was laid on September 15, 1968.
The first service in the new church took place on January 26, 1969, ending 15 months of worship at Froberg School.
The following quote is taken from Bethlehem's 50th Anniversary booklet, written in 1977:
"As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we take this time to thank and praise the Lord for His guidance. We have been fortunate to have wonderful pastors who have each contributed to the life of our church. We are deeply thankful, too, for the lay persons who have given their time and talents.
In these past 50 years, as we have seen, there have been many blessings, and, by God's grace, many accomplishments. We now move with courage into our next half century, knowing that this same gracious God sustains us to share in the life of His Kingdom now and forever."