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Our Story

What do we believe?

At Community Presbyterian Church we hold our beliefs lightly — so no, we won’t be checking yours at the door. That said, overall, in this congregation we believe we are called to love God, love all our neighbors, and love ourselves. That’s what Jesus said was the most important thing for us to do in Matthew 22:36 – 40, so that is our north star.

 

We also believe in having faith. And doubt. And that sometimes we can even have both at the same time. We believe that curiosity, questions, and conversations are beautiful—they’re how we all grow. We believe in being the kind of community where there’s space for everyone to belong. And we believe in being honest and speaking the truth in love.

 

There are many ways to worship and follow God — and we don’t claim to have a corner on the market. But some of the things that have been meaningful to us include openness, inclusion, working for justice, and embracing mystery. We’re big fans of Micah 6:8 — “What does the LORD require of you but to seek justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

 

We also participate in sacramental acts like baptism, sharing bread and cup around a table, and sharing our own stories, because we believe that engaging in these practices together is one of the ways God’s grace finds us.

Beliefs
The Presbyterian Church

We’re a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

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The Presbyterian Church (USA), the denomination we are aligned with, has a full description of the official PC (USA) beliefs — on everything from angels to baptism to worship — on their website, here.

 

A few things we particularly like about PC (USA) are its emphasis on grace and serving others, as well as its support for ordaining women as ministers and openness toward full inclusion of LGBTQIA members.

 

In the Presbyterian Church we celebrate diversity and believe in the priesthood of all believers, which means we value equality of all people over hierarchy and feel strongly that God calls everyone to ministry, not just pastors or clergy. We believe that pastors don’t stand above the rest of the church, and in fact, we don’t hold anyone up on a pedestal — all leaders, clergy, and members of the congregation are of equal importance to God, so we treat everyone as such.

 

We practice open communion here at Community Presbyterian because as Presbyterians we believe God’s invitation to the table is for everyone. So it doesn’t matter to us if you’re a member of our church or even Presbyterian. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what your religious background or your marital status is, how much faith you have, your age, race, abilities, socioeconomic status, your gender or sexual identity — there’s something holy about sharing a meal, and we invite you to eat and drink and share that holy space with us — no exceptions.

Say hello to our staff.

Rev. Beth Freese Dammers

Head Pastor

Email Pastor Beth at: Beth.fd@chcpc.org

Christopher Cock

Christopher Cock.jpg
Director of Music Ministries & Choirs

Email Christopher at:

christopher.cock@chcpc.org

Kristin Duy

Kristin Duy.jpg
Director of Children
& Family Ministries

 

Email Kristin at: kduy@chcpc.org

Shannon Nyhart

Email Shannon at: 

shannon.nyhart@chcpc.org

Church Administrator

Laurie Scola

Financial Administrator

Email Laurie at: laurie.scola@chcpc.org

Jason Hill

Jason Hill.jpg

Email Jason at:

jason.hill@chcpc.org

Staff Musician

Stephanie Rens-Domiano

Stephanie Rens-Domiano.jpg
Full Bio
Director of
Digital Platforms

Paula Cyphers

Email Paula at: 

paulacyphers@aol.com

Co-Director of Older Adult Ministries

Email Paula at: 

paulacyphers@aol.com

Email Paula at: 

paulacyphers@aol.com

Kris Veenbaas

Co-Director of Older Adult Ministries

Email Kris at: 

kveenbaas@aol.com

Our Staff
our history

Contact us

39 N Prospect Ave.  

Clarendon Hills, IL 60514 

(630) 323-6522       

office@chcpc.org​     

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Office hours: M-Th 8:30-5; F 8:30-noon; Sun 8:30-10:30

Summer office hours: M-Th 8:30-5; Sun 8:30-10:00

Visitor access is only available at door 5C. Please ring buzzer and wait to be let in.

Rev. Beth Freese Dammers

Pastor/Head of Staff

Kristin Duy

Director of Children & Family Ministries

Wendy Cook

Youth & Family Ministries

Jason Hill

Staff Musician

Christopher Cock

Director of Music Ministries/Choirs

Shannon Nyhart

Church Administrator

Laurie Scola

Financial Administrator

Stephanie Rens-Domiano

Director of Digital Platforms

Paula Cyphers

Co-Director of Older Adult Ministries

Kris Veenbaas

Co-Director of Older Adult Ministries

Jane Hudgins

Program Director, CPC Kids' Academy

Sintia Arambula

Asst. Director, CPC Kids' Academy

Stephen Ministers

Confidential Caregivers

contact us

We have a long history.

With beginnings dating back to 1929, Community Presbyterian Church has been around for quite awhile. And we think where we came from is important. But while we value our traditions, we’re a church that’s also open to change and always growing. 

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Want to know more about out history and leadership?

Interested in joining our team?

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