80-Year Retrospective
- September 1944 — The Lake Region Conference is officially formed during a specially called meeting at Shiloh Church in Chicago
- Jan. 1, 1945 — The conference becomes the first regional conference organized with 2,320 members and begins official operations in Indianapolis in the parsonage of the Capitol City church.
- 1945 — Conference office moves to 619 Woodlawn Park Ave, Chicago
- June 1948 — The first annual camp meeting is held at Camp Wagner, vital for spiritual renewal and community bonding among members across the region.
- 60s and 70s — The Temperance Department conducts five-day Stop Smoking and other lifestyle care programs for the communities.
- 1960 — Conference office moves to 8517 South State St, Chicago
- July 1973 — C.D. Brooks conducts an evangelistic tent meeting and 243 people are baptized at the close of the eight-week series. Straford Memorial is organized as a result. The church is named Straford after its first pastor, Harry Straford, died.
- 1975 — Lake Region has the distinction of being the first regional conference to have an organized Spanish work connected to it, when a group of Hispanic laymen approach the conference asking them to accept their church, Spanish West/Logan Square into the fellowship.
- 1980 — Lake Region Conference membership exceeds 10,000
- 1992 — Membership exceeds 20,000
- 1999 — First female pastor, Judy Crawford, is hired. She previously was a Bible worker and had a successful evangelic series where 78 people were baptized. This launched the Tabernacle of Hope Church in Indianapolis, which she pastored until her sudden passing in 2005.
- 2011 — Membership exceeds 30,000
- June 2015 — In a significant moment at Lake Region’s camp meeting, Lake Union Conference officers publicly apologize for past racial injustices and lack of support for African American members. This apology is part of a broader effort to acknowledge the historical struggles of minority congregations and to promote healing, reconciliation and unity within the Church.
- 2018 — Conference office moves to current location, 19860 La Grange Rd, Mokena, Illinois
- 2020 — During the pandemic, the Youth Department pilots an online academy utilizing Adventurer awards and Pathfinder honors, which draws over 15,000 participants.
- 2021 — Through conference departments and the Conscience and Justice Council, nearly 60 virtual programs are held exploring relevant and timely topics such as COVID-19, mental health, police shootings, regional conferences, education, suicide, census, voter education and human rights.
Former Lake Region Presidents
- 1945-1949 –J. G. Dasent
- 1949-1951 –T. M. Fountain
- 1951-1961 – H. W. Kibble
- 1961-1970 – C.E. Bradford
- 1970-1977 – J. R. Wagner
- 1977-1987 – C.D. Joseph
- 1987-1990 – L.R. Palmer
- 1990-1994 – R. C Brown Sr.
- 1994-2005 – Norman Miles
- 2005-2014 – J. L. Davis
- 2014–2021 – R. C. Jones
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Lake Union Herald staff