Batavia United Methodist Church

I've been a member of this church since the mid-1980's, during the terms of two senior pastors. The membership has more than doubled to over 400 in weekly attendance during that time. I've joined the choir in the last few years and I've found that it deepens the significance to me of the Sunday service (as well as providing more extended opportunities for fellowship with a great bunch of people). The church takes its missional purpose seriously by paying its apportionment to the connectional church and by engaging in numerous community service projects. The youth are active in small groups, weekly large groups, and on both "mini-missions" (one-day outings to help in the community) and on an annual week-long mission trip. In recent years, the youth have traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild after Katrina, to an American Indian reservation to fix up a playground and repair houses, and to Virginia to participate in the Appalachia Service Project. The Batavia church is a beautiful 1887 fieldstone building designed by Solomon Beman, who also designed the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. To walk into the sanctuary the first time is an awesome experience. It is a beautiful place. (See the website for imagery.) Sunday worship and Christian education at the second location--Aurora, IL--currently takes place at Herget Middle School on Deerpath Road, west of town. That location is set up and taken down every Sunday morning. The style there is informal and features a really good praise band.