History of the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Hanover Park, Illinois

(Formerly Calvary Baptist Church and First Baptist Church)

1955-1958, Dr. John R. Rice [1] (Calvary Baptist Church)

In 1940, Dr. John R. Rice re-entered full-time evangelism and moved his publication, The Sword of the Lord, from his church in Dallas, Texas to Wheaton, Illinois. He continued his evangelism ministry from his home in Wheaton, and in the winter of 1955, he and his son-in-law Dr. Walter Hanford assembled a group of believers. The group met faithfully, and on January 16, 1955, the Calvary Baptist Church of Wheaton, Illinois was officially chartered. Dr. Rice was the church's first Pastor with Dr. Hanford as his associate. Dr. Rice continued his evangelism meetings while Pastor. In fact, the year of the church's founding, Dr. Rice made his first trip outside of the United States to Glasgow, Scotland with Billy Graham (Graham at that time was still considered a Fundamentalist). In 1957, Dr. Rice thought the church would reach more at a better location, and so that year, he moved the church to Glendale Heights, Illinois, changing its name to the First Baptist Church.

1958-1965, Dr. Walter Hanford [2] (First Baptist Church)

At some point (probably sometime in 1958), because of Dr. Rice's busy evangelism schedule, Dr. Walter Hanford became the official Senior Pastor, and under his leadership the church moved to Glendale Heights, Illinois, changing its name to the First Baptist Church. In 1965, Pastor Hanford was called to Greenville, South Carolina as the pastor of the Southside Baptist Church.


1965-1976, Pastor White

That same year (1965), Pastor White was installed as the Senior Pastor. No information of his ministry is known at this time.


1976- 1978, William Johnson [3]

In 1976, William Johnson became the Senior Pastor. In 1978, under his guidance, the church began a Christian ACE school. His associate at that time was Darrel Wilson. Attendance was around 50 when he came, and the church grew to over 200 members.  Pastor Johnson was leading a growing ministry.  The church floated bonds which, significantly, would have balloon payments due in later years.  The church sanctuary was beautifully remodeled, and the downstairs of the church was improved to pave the way for a Christian school (pre-school through grade 12) which was to open in the fall of 1978.  Pastor Johnson was more of an evangelist/church planter, and he would stay at a church for a short time, build it up, and move on.


1978-1983, Darrell Wilson [4] (Tabernacle Baptist Church)

Pastor James Darrell Wilson was first called to First Baptist Church of Glendale Heights in 1978, as Associate Pastor under Pastor Johnson.

David and Gayle Ekstrom (Pastor David would later become Senior Pastor) came to the church in August 1978, to both establish a teen ministry and to run the A.C.E. learning center for grades 2-12 at Glendale Christian Academy.  This was at the height of Rev. Johnson's ministry, and the church attendance was over 200.  By the third year, the learning center had achieved "Model School" status from A.C.E.  The teen program was also successful, reaching both churched and unchurched teens.

In 1982, balloon payments from the earlier bond program came due.  The economy was now in a recession and interest rates were in the range of 18%, so refinancing was not an option.  Rev. Wilson made the difficult decision to sell the church building on Bloomingdale Road.  The Christian school closed.

(The church building was purchased by the Wheaton Christian Center, led by Pastor Carlton Arthurs.  The beautiful sanctuary was the perfect backdrop for their televised church services.)

The church then met in rented space at the Hanover Park Park District.  These were difficult days for the church, as many people did not stay with the church after the sale of its building.

The church purchased a new building in 1983.  The new building, in Hanover Park, was a house that had been converted to a church by its previous owners, a Presbyterian congregation.  Rev. Wilson changed the name of the church to Tabernacle Baptist Church.


1984-1993, David Ekstrom [5]

In early 1984, Rev. Wilson left to pastor a church in Vidalia, Georgia.  The church then called Rev. David Ekstrom to be the pastor.  The congregation was small and the church was in a tenuous financial situation.  Pastor Ekstrom immediately implemented a financial accounting and accountability system, and issued detailed monthly financial reports to the congregation.

The church knocked on every door in Hanover Park (many of them several times).  The church grew through conversions and baptisms.  (We held baptismal services at Messiah Baptist Church.)  Vacation Bible School (VBS) was a special outreach.  We would fill the sanctuary with children from the community every year.

Over time, we improved the outside of the church by adding siding and a roof, and paving the parking lot.  We improved the interior as well, by replacing folding chairs with pews, adding a pastor's study on the main floor, building Sunday School space in the lower level, and adding air conditioning.  We paid off all debts, including the church mortgage.

By 1992, weekly attendance averaged over 100.  We moved to two worship services on Sunday mornings (at 9:00 & 11:00, with Sunday School at 10:00).  This was necessary because the small sanctuary was so full it was inhibiting further growth.  We started a building fund in late 1992.

The church had 90 people in attendance and an annual budget of $55,000 at the end of 1992, which was the Ekstrom's last full year at the church.  In August 1993, the Ekstroms moved to Chicago and David became a full-time student to finish the last year of his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  He would follow that with a Master of Theology as well.

1994-2005, Brad Hilgeman

In May 1994, the church called Bro. Brad Hilgeman to be its pastor.  The church once again flourished under Pastor Hilgeman's leadership, and a new building program was initiated with the purchase of several acres of land on Irving Park Road in Streamwood, Illinois. Many people were saved, and the attendance averaged over 100. On September 23, 1999, the Calvary Baptist Church of Palatine, Illinois also merged with the church. Pastor Hilgeman's motto was that Christians need to "grow and change", and the members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church did! On June 12, 2005, Pastor Hilgeman accepted a call to a church in North Carolina.


2005- present, Matthew S. Black

On October 8, 2005, the church extended a call to its current pastor, Matthew S. Black. He began his official pastoral duties on January 1, 2006. Pastor Black has been a foreign missionary church planter to the Madrid and Basque regions of Spain, assisting in the establishment of two churches. With the Hispanic community growing in Chicago's northwest suburbs, God's providential preparation has been obvious, and the church now holds two Spanish services each Lord's Day (10a.m. Spanish Sunday School, 5p.m. Spanish evening service). The three pillars of Pastor Black's philosophy are 1.) God-centered expositional and practical preaching, 2.) confrontational Biblical evangelism, and 3.) Spirit-filled living. The church is healthy with folk being saved and believers growing in the Lord.  As we say at our church, "Come, grow with us!"


[1] Dr. Rice went to be with the Lord at age 85 on December 29, 1980.

[2] Dr. Hanford retired from the ministry on May 23, 1996.

[3] Pastor Johnson went to be with the Lord on October 20, 2002 when his life was taken in a car accident. His son, Pastor Bill Johnson, Jr., is now pastoring a church in Chillicothe, MO, and can be reached at 660-857-4307.

[4] After a year and a half in Georgia, Pastor Wilson accepted the call to pastor a Presbyterian Church in Water Valley, Kentucky where he continues to pastor.

[5] Pastor Ekstrom is now pastoring the Grace Community Church, 3200 Mary St., Marinette, Wisconsin 54143. Phone: 715-732-0780. The church's website is: www.gracemarinette.org.