Here at the corner of Glenwood and Hollywood Avenues stands Edgewater Baptist Church. This church has a rich history within the Edgewater District of Chicago. Edgewater Baptist Church began with a Sunday School in 1906. It was held in a rented hall at 5455 N. Clark.
In 1909, the Edgewater Swedish Baptist Church was officially organized. It started with 34 members. They initially rented a Congregational Church on Rosehill Drive. By December 11, 1910, they dedicated their own sanctuary. The property had been purchased at Glenwood and Hollywood Avenues. At the time of dedication, membership had grown to 51.
The original parsonage had an interesting story. It was a 50-year-old building. This building was cut in half. The sections were moved from Berwyn and Glenwood in 1921. It housed pastors and served as the Sunday School Annex until 1952 when it was demolished.
Edgewater Baptist Church even published its own newspaper. It was called the Edgewater Herald. In the early years, the newspaper was in Swedish. The church began to minister to people of all national backgrounds. This led to dropping “Swedish” from the church name in 1941.
The Music Department was very active. Choirs and a band provided music. Henry Carlson and Hank Fabian organized the band. They found musicians from the Salvation Army. Stan Lindberg, Everette Kalman and Art Sundquist joined them. Rehearsals were first held in an apartment at 1772 W. Olive. The band played brass instruments. These included trumpets, euphoniums, trombones, saxophones and drums. One Sunday morning, Henry Carlson created a surprise. He had ripped out rows of seats on the right side of the sanctuary. This created a bandstand.
Edgewater Baptist Church has always had many ministries. There was always a youth ministry. Young people participated in the choir. Stan Carlson was the choir director for many years. The senior organization, the Hilltoppers, was founded in 1976.
Even in the 1930s, Edgewater Baptist Church collaborated with other churches. They held tent meetings at Ashland and Foster. Later, meetings were held at Catalpa, Ashland and Gregory. This later became the site of the Jewel Food Store. Before that, it was the Mann family farm and greenhouses.
The sanctuary was remodeled in the 1950s. Elof Lundstrom designed the remodel. Later improvements built upon that design. In 1954, a modern Bible School Building and Youth Center was built. It cost over $100,000.
James Shedd and his wife Jan led the congregation since 1989. Jim was ordained in 1990. The church celebrated its 90th anniversary in 1999. A book of oral history interviews was produced. It was called “So Far By Faith”. Dorothy Dahlman coordinated the project.
The Edgewater Baptist Church has been a cornerstone of this community. It has made many contributions. It continues to thrive.