2012 Seminar | First United Methodist Church, Evanston

June 6, 2013

A Methodist minister, a church organist, and a jazz musician walk into a room…


Student report by Nicholas A. Lewis (M.Div. ‘13)

To some, this might sound like the lead-in for a really bad joke.  In actuality, it is a prelude to the story of an unlikely trio who, collectively, constitute a triumvirate of truly transformative ministry in the making.  The minister is Dean Francis, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois.  And David Castillo Gocher is the congregation’s newly hired Director of Music and organist.  Eric Pryzby, a lay representative of the church, is a professional jazz musician and composer.  Together, these individuals comprise the leadership team from First Church.  And together, they seek to cast a new vision for ministry within the life of their church and their community.

The History/The Past

Originally organized in 1853 by a group of eight Methodists men seeking “a haven from the sins of Chicago,” First United Methodist Church-Evanston was founded on July 13, 1854.  Over the ensuing century, the church would grow to become the largest Methodist congregation in the world, with a roll topping 3300 members in 1953.  In 1954, First Church hosted the second assembly of the World Council of Churches; the only WCC assembly to date that has been held in the United States.  Its pulpit was home to prominent Methodist pastors Earnest Tittle and Harold Bosley, and often featured the powerfully provocative orations of guest preachers such as Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the immediate decades following its heyday in the 1960s, First Church saw a period of drastic decline culminating in the early 1990s.  Since that time, the congregation has seen a period of steady growth and new vitality under the leadership of its current pastor.  Over the past 20 years, First church has nearly doubled its attendance in worship, and has seen rapid growth in many of its mission activities and ministries.  Even with this renewed energy, the church now finds itself at a crossroads between its historic identity as a once nationally and internationally prominent church and its future life of living witness in and to the community of Evanston.

The People/The Present

For Pastor Dean Francis, his love of Methodism seems to only be surpassed by his belief in and commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ as a transformative force in the world.  A third-generation Methodist minister (his father, grandmother, and grandfather were all Methodist ministers), he possesses a passion and zeal for promoting diversity within communities of faith.

Energy and enthusiasm emanate from First Church music director, David Castillo Gocher, A classically trained musician of Mexican heritage; he is an exceptional performer with a passion for myriad musical idioms, including Hispanic sacred music, African-American gospel music, and improvisation.  Mr. Gocher deeply believes that liturgical music should be a source of inspiration for all who enter the worship space.

Quiet intensity might best describe team lay member, Eric Pryzby.  That is, until you get him talking about music.  Then, there is nothing quiet about him or his belief in the power music as a potent force for change in the lives of people.  A gaming developer by day, Mr. Pryzby is also a professional jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger who often lends his gifts and talents to the music ministry of First Church.

Together, they comprise a leadership team of diverse and dynamic personalities who possess a wealth of gifts, talents, and skill sets.  It is evident that all of these assets have brought to bear in the process of crafting their project for the ISM Congregations Project seminar.

The Project/The Future

The name of their project is “Embracing Transitions.”  Its purpose is to revitalize and revolutionize the ministry of First United Methodist Church.  Articulated most plainly by Reverend Francis in one of the ISM Congregations Project plenary sessions, “The time has come for [First Church] to define itself, not for the congregation of the past, but for the congregation of the future.”  Seeking not to reclaim the glory years of its historic past, but to build upon them, First Church hopes to foster and form a new identity in worship and service as faithful witnesses to God’s love and grace in the community of Evanston.

The “Embracing Transitions” project operates in two distinct ways.  Firstly, they seek to broaden the range of its own liturgical offerings with one simple goal in mind: inspire the congregation! Building upon the resources of its strong musical, artistic, and homiletic traditions, they will draw upon multicultural resources and liturgical traditions in an effort to promote greater diversity within their worship that is indicative of the rich ethnic diversity of the Evanston community.

Secondly, First Church is developing relationships and building partnerships with ethnic minority congregations in the area through the formation of the “Embracing Traditions Task Force.”  Already in conversation with Second Baptist Church, a predominately African-American congregation, this joint-leadership team is committed to the mutual exploration of each other’s liturgical traditions.  Over a period of two years, this task force will continue to seek out the faith traditions of underserved populations in the community in an effort to identify and promote the rich diversity of liturgical practices in Evanston.

With the enthusiastic support of the congregation, the leadership team has taken many active measures to integrate new elements from eclectic liturgical traditions into their worship.  Mr. Gocher and Mr. Pryzby have begun to expand the range and repertoire of music presented at First Church through healthy infusions of blues, gospel, jazz, and Latin elements and improvisation.  Already known as a dynamic preacher, Reverend Francis has begun to incorporate aspects of other homiletic preaching traditions into his sermons, occasionally opting to intone–or sing–portions in a style reminiscent of black preaching.  On a recent Sunday in which he “caught the spirit,” Reverend Francis’ sermon prompted a parishioner to remark, “Why don’t you do that all the time?!”  As you can see, the Spirit is alive and well, and the revelation is ongoing at First Church.

Keeping Time/Life Passages

How does First United Methodist Church keep time with the life passage of its congregation? By uniting its historic past of leadership and service with its vibrant present of integration and justice making, as a means of transitioning into a future life of ministry that embraces the rich diversity of their community and God’s kingdom.