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Oglesby Union Church

100 East Walnut Street
815-883-3450

Oglesby Union Church is an independent evangelical church with a congregational form of government. The term "union" refers to the historical development of the congregation. In 1892 Oglesby was a coal mining community without any Protestant church. Believers from twelve different church backgrounds had a vision for starting a church. After months of prayerful preparation, the first semi-annual business meeting was held Tuesday evening, November 15, 1892.

The church has had 16 pastors in the past 112 years. Reverend Jack McConaghie has been the pastor since October of 1987. A house of worship was constructed in 1894. The building was enlarged in 1910 and 1957.

Local and foreign missions has been a prominent facet of Oglesby Union Church. The first missionary from the church was sent to Brazil in 1937. Several church members have been involved in short-term missionary work in Congo, Venezuela, Germany, Belgium, and Italy. Today the church supports 18 missionary families and organizations. In addition, individual families in the church support another 21 missionary families.

There are currently 145 members of Oglesby Union Church. The average combined attendance of the two morning worship services is 127. Sunday services include an 8:15 a.m. contemporary service, a Bible Fellowship hour beginning at 9:30 a.m., a more traditional worship service at 10:45 a.m. and an evening service starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday activities include an after-school Kids Klub outreach and an hour of Bible study and prayer starting at 6:30 p.m. A junior-high youth group and a senior-high youth group meet on Sunday evenings and have periodic social and outreach events.

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