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Who We Are

North Shore Baptist Church: Serving God...Welcoming the World!

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Who We Are...

We're probably not what you think of when you hear "Baptist Church". We don't tell you what you must believe, or offer simple answers to life's tough questions. Instead, we are deeply rooted in the good news of God's love shown in Jesus Christ, and find in that foundation the strength and guidance we need to live in today's world. For generations the people of North Shore have wrestled with the challenging issues of the day and responded in faithful, progressive, and even surprising ways. As a result, North Shore Baptist Church is...

* A multicultural Christian community

Worship is offered here in three languages: English, Japanese, and Spanish. Even within language groups, North Shore members represent a variety of nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. We cherish the loving community that is God's gift to us in the midst of this diversity.

* Engaged with the city

We are actively involved in responding to human need in our city through an after-school tutoring program, help for the homeless, advocacy for affordable housing and more.

* Serving God around the world

Building houses for hurricane victims in El Salvador, building a church in the Dominican Republic, and supporting a ministry with commercial sex-workers in the Philippines (Samaritana Transformation Ministries, Inc., led by Jonathan and Thelma Nambu, NSBC's missionaries) are just a few recent expressions of North Shore's historic commitment to demonstrate God's love world wide.

* Inviting others on a journey of faith

When something crucial in life is missing, or we need healing and new direction, God calls each one of us on a journey toward faith. We recognize that each person's journey is unique, and invite you to explore with us the wonders of God's love in Christ.

How Did We Get Here?

North Shore has reached out beyond a traditional white, Anglo-Saxon membership to others in Edgewater and Uptown, all the way back to a Chinese Mission School established in 1924. This first effort grew through the decades until it finally formed its own congregation, the Chicago Chinese Baptist Church at Clark and Pensacola in 1980. The ties between the two churches have remained strong in subsequent years. In 1954, a Japanese congregation began worshipping at North Shore and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, under leadership of Rev. Masaru Nambu for 48 of those years. 1957 saw the formation of a mission to Spanish-speaking church-goers, which expanded to the establishment of North Shore Spanish Baptist Church, currently at Montrose and Hermitage. A later Spanish congregation was begun at North Shore in 1978, marking its own 25th anniversary in 2003. In addition, the church has nurtured a Filipino Fellowship since 1974 and two Korean congregations, besides scores of refugees from Hungary, Bosnia, Serbia, the Middle East, Burma and Africa. Currently, an "African Friends" French-speaking fellowship worships at North Shore Sunday afternoons.

In the early years, the mission to other language groups was subordinate to the basic, English congregation, although in 1989, the Constitution was amended to state "the term 'Church' shall refer to the inclusive church comprised of all its language groups..." replacing "the term 'Church' shall refer to the English-speaking congregation." In 1996, the Constitution was further amended with the institution of the "Pastoral Team," in which all language pastors were part of a collegial and equally represented team to guide church ministries. Care is given each year in nominations for Church Council and Ministry members to have representation from each cultural, age and gender constituency of the membership. Currently, a group comprised of "younger" members is hard at work composing and putting into action a new "Vision for the Future" at North Shore.

How Do YOU Get Here?

We are located just north of Foster Ave., between Broadway and Clark, 2 & 1/2 blocks west of the Berwyn stop on the CTA Red Line. Click here for more detailed directions.

North Shore Baptist Church

5244 N Lakewood Ave

Chicago IL 60640

(773) 728-4200 - phone; (773) 728-1582 - fax