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What's New with Our Church
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On June 13, the Congregational Church in Deerfield celebrated 15 years of leadership with the Rev. Blair Hull. During the worship service, Moderator, Cynthia Fremling, and Rev. Susan Martersteck led the transition to the sabbatical team. The celebration continued with a picnic following worship. Rev. Hull is on sabbatical and will return to the pulpit on August 15.
During her absence the work of the church, pastoral care, and worship services will continue under the leadership of the sabbatical team.
Rev. Susan Martersteck, Chaplain with Midwest Palliative Care and Hospice
Rev. David Wywialowski, Health Outreach Minister with the Night Ministry
Rev. Roger Dart, Associate Pastor for Outreach and Mission
Don Sheber, LCSW, with North Shore University Health System
Harriet Cavanah Dart, MDiv
Cynthia Fremling, Moderator
Each member of the congregation is encouraged to use this time for spiritual growth and renewal. Opportunities for ministry to the local and broader communities continue during this sabbatical time. Rev. Dart has a group of Chicago area volunteers working in New Orleans with the UCC Disaster Relief Ministries. He is recruiting another group for his mission trip scheduled for September as the UCC joins with other faith communities to continue to rebuild the city five years after Katrina struck. The garden grows in the front lawn of the church and will provide some fresh vegetables for the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry. Arrangements have been made by CCD to partner with Trinity UCC and Deerfield Farmers Market to share its produce with those who utilize the food pantry.
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Congregational Church in Deerfield
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We are the Congregational Church in Deerfield.
We are part of the United Church of Christ, and all who come are welcome here.
We stand for the integrity of creation, peace rooted in justice and righteousness, and the affirmation of all human beings as children of God.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we say that making a difference honors the magnificence of the human spirit and fulfills the possibility of being the body of Christ in the world.
An Open and Affirming Congregation...
We welcome all people who seek to follow Jesus.
We affirm that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people are welcome to full participation and inclusion within our community of believers.
We welcome all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, age, ethnic background, difference in ability, economic circumstance, or family configuration.
We encourage all people to share their talents, gifts, and energy in the life, liturgy, and leadership of our congregation.
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"Welcome to the Congregational Church in Deerfield. All who come here are welcome here."
This is how we introduce our worship every Sunday, and it is the truth. Oh, we aren't the biggest or the snazziest, but we are, in my opinion, the friendliest, healthiest church I have ever attended. I have never seen a church family so willing to open their minds and their hearts, not only to people they know, but people they don't know.
We are a family church where everyone knows you. We strive to live into the call and the mission of the United Church of Christ and to be in relationship with those who are with us as members, visitors, and friends.
 It is a great joy for me to be here. I am personally blessed to be called by this church to be their pastor. Here we work together in leadership, recognizing that we are all leaders in the service of God in God's church. My personal theology begins with the fact that we all need attention, that we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, and that we are loved by a triune God who is with us all the way, all the time.
We recently changed our name from the Congregational Church of Deerfield to the Congregational Church in Deerfield. Why? Because our members come from all over the area? Deerfield and the surrounding communities of Highland Park, Northbrook, and Buffalo Grove, among others. We also have members who travel from Vernon Hills, Roselle, La Grange, Grayslake, Evanston, and Chicago. People choose our church not necessarily because we are nearby but because they like our community of faith.
Often it isn't easy to live in our culture with its quick fixes, inch deep promises, and ever-changing landscape, but here we offer a church where all are welcomed and accepted as people of God where we strive to do as God would have us do in both the difficult times as well as the comfortable ones.
I invite you to come and visit us, stay for worship, coffee hour, or visit on a special occasion. Come try us on, and who knows, like so many others, you might choose to stay.
Blessings,
Rev. Blair Hull, M.Div.
(click here to email Rev. Blair Hull)
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Rev. Blair Hull has been the pastor of the Congregational Church in Deerfield, UCC for 14 years. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and Chicago Theological Seminary. Previous to ministry Blair was a musician with the National Coffeehouse Circuit and worked with prospective students at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Blair is married to Cecil Curtwright and has two grown children and a grandson.
Cynthia Fremling has been the organist and choir director for the Congregational Church in Deerfield for twenty-four years. Cynthia, who has Bachelor and Masters degrees in music education, has taught music and private voice for over 30 years and is presently teaching at Shepard Middle School in Deerfield. She has also performed professionally in operas, oratorios, musicals, and solo and duet recitals, often singing duets with her husband Warren. Despite her busy schedule, she has also served as musical director for many North Shore theater groups.
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