Publications & Sites 
Hinsdale ‘campus’ of The Chapel will open doors on Easter Sunday
Sara Clarkson
Updated: April 4, 2012 5:28PM
“Rediscover God” encourages the sign outside of the church on 620 N. Oak St. in Hinsdale. I am always reading church signs as I like to think about the provocative ones. “God is still speaking” — the banner which hung outside of the Union Church of Hinsdale for eons—is one of my favorites. The Annie Dillard quote “How you spend your days is, of course, how you spend your life” was a particularly arresting sentiment outside of the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale one week several years ago.
“Rediscover God” grabbed my attention, too, as did the words “Grand Opening” and then of course the date, Sunday, April 8. This Sunday is Easter. It is also the grand opening of the Hinsdale “campus” of the Chapel, a multisite church with the church at 620 N. Oak St., being its newest and eighth site.
The 620 N. Oak edifice has been most recently known as Oak Community Church and the Hinsdale Baptist Church before that. It and its congregation have a 100-year-old history in Hinsdale.
Merging
At some point in the past year or two, church leaders from Oak Community and The Chapel began talking to see if they could come together, according to Jeff Knitt, who is newly arrived in Hinsdale as the pastor. What the two churches found was they shared a number of common values, callings and beliefs, there was “incredible alignment” as Knitt put it.
With the merging of the two churches, “We are a joint family,” Knitt said.
The Chapel’s other seven campuses are in Grayslake, Barrington, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, McHenry, Mundelein and Palatine, and it has two senior pastors who share duties. The church carries the same message to all campuses every Sunday, using technology such as simulcast, as a way to do that.
Basic theology
With its now eight sites, Chapel parishioners number about 6,000, according to Knitt. Without going into a lot of theology, here are The Chapel’s four essential beliefs: Jesus is the son of God; the Bible is the word of God; the gospel is the way to God; the church is the people of God. The Chapel has numerous ministries for all ages of its parishioners, from the very young to adults. It has support groups and many other fellowship opportunities and venues. Locally, the very popular Thursday morning women’s bible study at 620 N. Oak St., will continue.
Sunday’s grand opening Easter service will be held at 10:30 a.m. For more information about The Chapel, visit www.chapel.org or phone (847) 201-2777.
Cleopatra visits
middle school
The Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra, will visit the Hinsdale Middle School from 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 12 in the school’s common area courtesy of the HMS PTO. Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, of course died more than 2,000 years ago, though interest in her has never waned and facts about her have always been elusive. Book dramatist Barbara Rinella will bring her to life based on the best-selling and critically acclaimed book Cleopatra: A Life by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff. Rinella, once a New Trier English teacher, is an entertaining and thorough book presenter who is often called on to present books in the Clarendon Hills/Hinsdale area to packed audiences. The presentation is free and open to the public. Visit www.hmspto.org for more information or phone (630) 887- 1370.
Spring singing
The Hinsdale Chorale emerges from hibernation with a concert called Our Midwestern Prairie the weekend after next. The Chorale will sing works from Aaron Copeland and local composers Lee Kesselman and Paul Carey. The Hinsdale Chorale is a nonprofit ensemble of volunteer singers who must audition to join. The caliber of music, however, is professional as is the leadership with Michael Oriatti as director, according to Chorale member Ron Lindberg, who, incidentally has been a member of the Chorale since its first concert at Grace Episcopal Church in November 1999 as part of the Hinsdale Christmas Walk. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 13 at the First Congregational Church in Western Springs. Another concert will be at 3 p.m. April 15 in Immanuel Hall, 302 S. Grant St., Hinsdale. The concerts are free and open to the public, though the Chorale does suggest a donation of $12 a person. For more information, visit www.hinsdalechorale.org.
Readers may contact Sara Clarkson by leaving a message at (630) 320-5448 or by sending an e-mail to doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com.
