History of Grace Bible Church

The year was 1929. Herbert Hoover was president of the United States. Comic strip character Popeye and the Oscars made their debuts, as did the soft drink 7-Up. The first car radio named the Motorola (a combination of motor and Victrola) was invented and penicillin was discovered. The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Gangsters made headlines with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago, and an influenza pandemic took the lives of 200,000 people worldwide.

And, on the eve of the Wall Street stock market crash in October, a small group of neighbors in Elmhurst began meeting for worship and prayer in a vacant store building in the southern part of town.

Persevering with faith during the time of the Great Depression, the newly formed church continued to provide a place of worship and Christian fellowship. Guiding this dedicated group of believers was a leader from St. Peter’s Evangelical Church of Elmhurst, known only as Mr. Brown, and Rev. Theodore Holtorff, pastor of a church in Glen Ellyn. In 1931, the church became established as Grace Church, Undenominational, and 33 members witnessed the writing and adoption of a church constitution. Rev. Holtorff was installed as the first official pastor of the church.

In those early years, Grace Church moved from storefront to storefront along the Spring Road commercial district, as the need for expansion became evident. People eagerly attended Sunday morning services for hope and encouragement to face the foreboding world of the Great Depression. Sunday School and a men’s fellowship were started and the church took on their first missions projects in 1932 – Daily Vacation Bible School summer outreach to the community and Grace Gospel Mission on South State Street in Chicago. Church attendance more than tripled in numbers.

By 1941, Grace Church purchased a basement structure at the corner of Berkley and Eggleston from the First Baptist Church. In 1949, the church legally changed its name to Grace Bible Church, aptly named to reflect commitment to Bible-based doctrine and desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Building expansion projects were prayerfully undertaken and completed in 1951, 1961, and 2007. The original building is now the basement under the main auditorium of our present building.

Grace Bible Church has known ten senior pastors and a number of assistant and youth pastors since the small, struggling congregation began meeting over 80 years ago. Church members faithfully serve the Lord and one another as leaders in various activities. Together, the people of Grace Bible Church are committed to share Truth of God’s word.

Over the years, the church has held special events to reach out to the local community. Special evangelical services in the 1930s and 1940s blossomed to a multi-church tent campaign in 1949 and 1950. As a result, Sunday School attendance soared to over 150 and the church more than doubled in size. Tent meetings continued into the 1960s. A missions conference was held in the fall of 1952 to promote involvement in world missions, and such conferences have continued annually since that time. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing for 30 years, Summer Park Concerts were held Sunday evenings on the lawn of Elmhurst’s Wilder Park. Contemporary Christian musicians performed and a clear presentation of the gospel message was given at each concert.

As in the past, today Grace Bible Church remains a strong and secure anchor of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the people of Elmhurst and the surrounding communities.