Community effort to help restore historic Greenstone United Methodist Church in Pullman
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO (WLS) — On this Palm Sunday, there was a community effort to help restore a church in Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood.

Over the past couple of years, Greenstone United Methodist Church has fallen on hard times. It’s behind on its gas bill and also needs maintenance work on its roof.

Neighbors are now doing their part to help the church that they call a cornerstone in the community.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

It’s been two winters since the members of Greenstone United Methodist Church were last able to worship together inside the sanctuary during the cold-weather months. Services were suspended after People’s Gas turned off the heat as the church’s gas bills at one point ballooned to over $18,000.

“We were on a payment plan. We missed a payment,” Pastor Luther Mason said. “When you’re on a payment plan, it automatically knocks you off.”

Hoping to help the church re-open on a full-time basis, members of the Historic Pullman Foundation, which for years has included the church in its house tours, launched a GoFundMe page one month ago. Cindy McMahon, a third-generation Pullman resident, got married there, even though she’s Catholic.

“As a young girl I would walk by and go inside the church and it was on hot summer days it was nice and cool inside the church,” MCahon said. “It was a beautiful service. The organ was fabulous.”

Greenstone Church has sat at the corner of Lawrence and 112th streets since 1882, built as part of the original plan for the town of Pullman. But as the cost of maintaining a more than 140-year-old building has risen, the church has fallen on hard times.

Originally built to accommodate 600 people, they last counted around 25 as members. And have lost most of their shared space partners. The GoFundMe is now around three quarters of the way to its $20,000 goal.

“We’re grateful for their efforts, and we appreciate their efforts,” Pastor Mason said. “We will be right back here. Not only will we be back here, programming will resume.”

For those who live in Pullman and consider the church an integral part of their community, whether they worship there or not, that is all they want to hear.

“We all consider Greenstone Church our church because it’s like a community center/church,” longtime Pullman resident Roderick Lewis said. “Whenever there is an event like a community dinner, choir concert, organ concert, Boy Scout troop that meets there, the church has always been accessible to us.”

Paying its gas bills however are just the tip of Greenstone’s challenges, which for years has been engaged in an effort to replace its roof and repair its bell tower.

The church is still waiting for a million dollar grant the city seemed poised to give them under its adopt-a-landmark program, but which was later tabled indefinitely by City Council.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

22-Year-Old Woman Allegedly Murdered by Online Acquaintance After Expressing Friendship Intentions; ‘Gruesome Scene’ Discovered

A 22-year-old woman reportedly told a man that she wasn’t interested in…
QB Jake Retzlaff breaks silence on leaving BYU after rape accusation

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff Speaks Out on Departure from BYU Following Rape Allegations

Jake Retzlaff, a former BYU quarterback, addressed his departure from the university…
Aftermath of a Russian missile strike in Lviv, Ukraine.

NATO Jets Mobilized as Putin Executes Major Assault on Ukraine with 700 Drones and Hypersonic Missile

NATO fighter jets were scrambled overnight after Russia launched one of the…
Waycross teens killed by lightning strike, city manager says

City Manager Reports Teen Deaths from Lightning Strike in Waycross

Waycross City Manager Ulysess Rayford said the two teens were fishing when…
Man holding photos of murder suspect, mistakenly identified as suspect.

Travis Decker Doppelgänger Claims He ‘Spent Night Near Murderer’ While Evading Police for Days During Manhunt

A MAN mistaken for accused child killer Travis Decker has spoken out…
Texas family mourns 'shining light' 8-year-old daughter confirmed dead in Camp Mystic flood disaster

Texas Family Grieves Loss of Beloved 8-Year-Old Daughter in Camp Mystic Flood Tragedy

The family of 8-year-old Kellyanne Elizabeth Lytal confirmed to Fox News Digital…
Texas Trump threat suspect arrested after allegedly writing 'I won’t miss' in social media post

Texas Resident Arrested for Alleged Social Media Threat, Declaring ‘I Won’t Miss’

A man from Texas was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly…
2026 midterm elections: What the next election cycle means for Illinois Democratic Party as several Congressional seats open up

Upcoming 2026 Midterm Elections: Impact on Illinois Democratic Party with Multiple Congressional Seats Opening

The political environment in Illinois is poised for a notable transformation with…
Gervonta Davis arrested in Miami on domestic violence charge

Gervonta Davis faces arrest in Miami for domestic violence allegations

Police say the charge was connected to an incident that occurred last…
A six-year-old girl and a 45-year-old man.

Groom, 45, Marries 6-Year-Old in Disturbing Wedding That Shocks Even the Taliban, Highlighting the Tragic Reality of Child Brides

A 45-year-old groom allegedly married a six-year-old girl in Afghanistan in a…
Union says farm worker died after ICE raid that uncovered underage laborers

Union Reports Farm Worker Dies After ICE Raid Revealing Child Labor

On Friday, union officials reported that a farmworker had died following injuries…
Woman giving a speech at a podium.

Emotional Scene as Teenage Girl Delivers Tearful Eulogy for Murdered Mother and Stepfather, Leading to Her Being a Prime Suspect

This is the poignant moment when a teenager delivered an emotional funeral…