Memorial Day Weekend - Winnetka Congregational Church

Winnetka, IL ― On May 28, 2017 — the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend — a special project will come to fruition at Winnetka Congregational Church. The project is all about one of our most sacred duties as human beings—remembrance. In this case, the act of remembering those who have answered our Country’s call to military service.

On May 28, worship will begin, as usual, in the sanctuary. But worship will eventually move outside to the memorial grounds (or Church Yard), where there will be commemorative wreaths, a memorial prayer, and the opportunity for worshippers to visit the graves of the 42 church members who served our Nation, including two who were killed in action — all of which will be marked with fresh American flags.

The man most behind this project is Thomas Anderson, a North Shore native with deep family ties both to the U.S. military and to Winnetka Congregational Church. Anderson’s inspiration came during Winnetka Congregational Church’s worship during the 2016 Memorial Day weekend. In that service, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Braun invited all veterans to rise and be recognized, and all deceased service personnel were appropriately remembered. The inclusion of those elements in worship moved Anderson to propose a goal to Senior Pastor Braun that very morning. Namely, by Memorial Day 2017, to properly identify and mark the burial place of every church member interred in the Winnetka Congregational Church Yard who had served in the U.S. military.

Not only did Anderson personally research and confirm the names of those who had served, he also personally cleaned all of their grave markers (which took months), created a map locating where each deceased veteran is buried in the Church Yard, ordered fresh 30” flags for each grave, and arranged for the commemorative wreaths that will decorate the Church Yard on May 28.

Anderson’s passion for honoring those who, through military service, have protected our God-given rights and liberties was matched by that of Senior Pastor Braun, who has worked with the church’s staff to ensure that worshippers know about this upcoming opportunity to remember and that the act of remembering on May 28 is as embodied, connective, and experiential as possible.

Though Memorial Day calls us to remember those service personnel who have died, any living veterans who attend worship on May 28 will also be appropriately recognized and thanked. Veterans are invited to wear their uniforms or something that signifies their military service. As the sponsoring church for Boy Scout Troop 20, Winnetka Congregational Church invites all Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to wear their uniforms to worship, as well, on May 28.

All are welcome to attend worship on Sunday, May 28 (and on any Sunday). Winnetka Congregational Church is located at 725 Pine Street, in Winnetka, IL.