Chicago, Ill. Iglesia Nueva Esperanza records, 1875-2007.

Collection

Identifier: RG5344

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains administrative records that document the operations of the Iglesia Nueva Esperanza, as well as records from auxiliary group, membership records and programmatic records which document the activities of the church and its members, and church publications. This collection includes meeting minutes for multiple administrative groups, financial records, women’s club records, church newsletters, event programs, vital membership records, programmatic files, and service bulletins for special events and holidays.

Dates

1875-2007

Creator

Iglesia Nueva Esperanza (Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.

Restrictions on Use

Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

Historical Note

In 1879, some families in the relatively sparsely populated area of Lawndale banded together to form an “Independent Ecclesiastical Society” and the following year they called a council to form the Lawndale Congregational Church. Construction on a church building at the intersection of 23rd and Central Park Avenue was completed in 1883. In 1889, the church changed its name to Millard Avenue Congregational Church.

On Christmas day, 1922, the church suffered a fire centered in the Sunday School rooms. The church was repaired and expanded following the fire. In 1934, the church once again underwent extensive renovations and refurbishing after it was discovered that the roof and foundation needed repair.

The Lawndale neighborhoods experienced significant white flight and disinvestment during the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, the Millard Avenue Congregational Church’s membership declined and the church experienced financial hardship. In the 1970s, the church entered into a “Churches in Transition” covenant with the Community Renewal Society and Chicago Metropolitan Association. At the same time, the church was becoming predominantly Hispanic and began offering bilingual services and publications.

By the mid-1990s, the church changed its name to Iglesia Nueva Esperanza, and New Hope Church, in English. The church likely closed around 1999 or 2000; at the very least, the church last appears in the 1999 UCC yearbook. There are at least two churches in Chicago open today with the name Nueva Esperanza, however, it is unclear if either of these churches are successors or just similarly named.

Extent

3.41 Cubic Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Lawndale Congregational Church was formed in 1880. A church building was constructed in 1883. In 1889, the church changed its name to Millard Avenue Congregational Church. A significant fire damaged the church building in 1924. The church underwent renovations following the fire and again in 1934. Demographic shifts caused the church’s membership to drop in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s, the church became majority Hispanic and services and publications became bilingual. The church changed its name again in 1996 to Iglesia Nueva Esperanza. The church likely closed around 1999 or 2000. This collection includes meeting minutes and other church records, records of auxiliary groups, especially women’s groups, runs of newsletters, event programs, vital membership records, and programmatic files.

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged into the four series listed below. Materials within each series have arranged into chronological order by start date.

Series 1: Church auxiliary records, 1875-1956

Series 2: Administrative records, 1879-1997

Series 3: Publications, 1890-1960

Series 4: Church membership and programs, 1911-1996

Custodial History

Some materials in this collection were given to the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, likely around the time of the church's dissolution. There is no further documentation on how the materials arrived at the Illinois Conference.

Acquisition Information

Materials were donated to the Congregational Library & Archives by the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2014; accession number 2014-124. Additional materials were donated to the Congregational Library & Archives by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ in December 2024; accession number 2024-46.

Processing Information

The initial collection was processed by Billy McCarthy, 2017. This collection was reprocessed by Zachary Bodnar, January 2026, according to the rules of Describing Archives: A Content Standard.