A cornerstone of the community

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church celebrates 75 glorious years of faith and service in Downers Grove

BY VALERIE HARDY | Photography by Madeline Craig

Founded in 1948, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church initially operated out of Downers Grove’s Masonic Temple. Carl Otterness, a septuagenarian who has been a member of the church since birth, recalls how during sermons, “all you could hear was a strike, because there was a bowling alley downstairs.”

For another charter member, Maren Huber, née Kjeldsen, the annual church picnic at Gilbert Park was a “main attraction,” especially because a member of the congregation would bring his pony over for rides.

Otterness, Huber, and other founding members were grateful for worship space at the Masonic Temple but wanted a place of their own. In 1951, the congregation placed a sign at the corner of Main and Grant Streets, announcing the “Future Building Site of Gloria Dei.” The first services in the Gloria Dei building were in November 1955.

“This place also serves… A LOT.”

– Pastor Tim Robertson

The current church reflects a series of additions, most notably stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary and chapel, all contributing to the building’s ambiance in symbolic and storytelling ways.

While structurally breathtaking, Gloria Dei’s truest beauty emanates through its leaders and members. Joyce Pauly, a longtime member, highlighted fellowship and a supportive community among the church’s greatest assets.

Among the leadership team at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church are 75th Anniversary Committee Chairperson Mary Rakowski, Charter Member Maren Huber, Council President Jim Gunner, Senior Pastor Tim Robertson, Charter Member Carl Otterness, and Council Member Tim Tlusty.

The congregation’s community is cultivated, in part, through monthly brunches held between the 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services, church council member Tim Tlusty explained.

“This place also serves… A LOT,” said the church’s senior pastor of over a decade, Tim Robertson. For example, the congregation provides meals to the Tivoli Hotel residents on a monthly basis and participates in the community’s annual CROP Hunger Walk to end hunger and poverty. Members also make quilts throughout the year to donate.

Robertson is an exemplar when it comes to philanthropy. He does an annual 500-mile bike ride and hands-on building projects for Habitat for Humanity. To date, he has raised over $200,000 for the nonprofit.

Gloria Dei functions as an overflow space for Downers Grove North High School programs as needed, and it provides meeting space for various groups within the community. It also houses a Community Adult Day Care Center.

To commemorate and celebrate the “75 glorious years of Gloria Dei,” the church is holding a special service on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. followed by a luncheon. Mary Rakowski, Gloria Dei’s 75th Anniversary Committee chairperson, said, “All are welcome to attend, including former pastors and members and members of the community.”

The Chancel Window, located behind the altar in the church’s Sanctuary, was designed, assembled, and installed in 1962 by Adolphus Valeska of Valeska Art Studios, Chicago.