Just before 5 p.m. on a Saturday, Nick Nedeau approached the Lily Reid Holt Chapel at Lake Forest College hesitantly, not sure he had the right place. Music blaring, it sounded like a dorm room, and he was searching for a worship service.
Once inside the little chapel, Nedeau, an attorney from Lake Bluff, realized he was witnessing what he called “new millennium religion” courtesy of the Community Worship Hour, started in September by Tom Dickelman.
“Ten years ago, I called it a micro-church,” said Dickelman, 43, of Lake Bluff. “The idea was to create an independent organization that provides creative, upbeat weekly worship services. It was designed with the hyper-busy lives of people in our community in mind. Instead of using the traditional church model, I created a no-guilt church without boards, committees and programs.”
Dickelman began his ministry as an ordained Presbyterian minister in 1988 at the Union Church in Lake Bluff. Robert Moore of Lake Forest is a member Union Church and was president of the board for Dickelman’s final four years at the church.
“Tom is the reason I started going to Union Church,” recalled Moore. “When he arrived a couple of months before I did in 1988, the church was dying. He came in with his knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise and revitalized the church. He brought in a younger crowd. He created a Sunday school and helped renovate the building. When he finished everything he set out to do, he came to me and told me, `I’m a sprinter, not a long-distance runner.’ He left in 1995 for new projects.”
Dickelman says that although Union was a wonderful experience, he burned out. He took a job at Lake Forest College as special assistant to the president but quickly missed his ministry. He presented a proposal to the college that he thought would meet a need on and off campus.
“I told them that we have 1,200 students here and we don’t offer them any Christian worship service,” Dickelman said. “Then I told them that we could also meet needs of people in the community. I explained that I believe that many people don’t go to church because they see it as one more organization pulling at them. So they stay away even though they have spiritual needs.”
Because the campus chapel was used only for special events and yoga classes, Dickelman worked out a rental agreement with the college to use it as the home for the Community Worship Hour. He combined what he saw as some of the best features of many religions to create what he felt would appeal to his community.
“My services are very similar to a Presbyterian service,” Dickelman said. “It’s non-denominational, but I didn’t want to attach the Christian label to it.”
The CWH Web site explains that although the preaching and liturgy affirm Jesus as the son of God, its services affirm the validity and value of other religious traditions as well.
To support his church, he developed a subscription plan. It covers a school year (there will be no services in the summer) and includes a $1,000 founders subscription, a $400 family subscription, a $300 individual subscription and a $100 friend subscription.
Most important, Dickelman wanted a clear distinction between membership dues and these subscriptions.
“When someone chooses to become a member (of a church), he affirms the creeds and values of the church,” Dickelman said. “I don’t have a traditional church and therefore no doctrine. I am not asking people to make financial commitments. I am not striving to get people to agree with my values. I want them to grow. I want to give them food for the path they choose. I have just taken one element of Christian church worship and made it available without all of the trimmings.”
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the service is the music, Dickelman said.
“I wanted to put together something people could relate to. I went out and hired professional musicians to play for us. I wanted to touch the people who come to the service,” Dickelman said. “Many of the people who come haven’t gone to church in quite some time. They come and can’t believe it isn’t terrifically boring. I think the music plays a part in this.”
Music director Jon Nordgren, a firefighter from Waukegan, plans the spirited and funky music service. Nordgren, a professional piano and trumpet player, said, “I try to mix traditional hymns with contemporary music. We play such things as Eric Clapton’s `Running on Faith,’ Van Morrison’s `Into the Mystic’ and `Imagine’ by John Lennon.”
Subscribers say the music moves them just as much as traditional hymns.
“We love the music. It touches our souls. It’s fun to sing, even if you don’t have a great voice,” said Cherie Richardson of Lake Bluff. “The entire service is such a wonderful family time. Tom has such a gift for giving messages. We usually all have tears in our eyes by the end of the service. My two teenagers, Heather (17) and Ryan (15), even enjoy it. They like going and being themselves. They don’t have to dress up for church. They really get something from the messages.”
“I feel so good that my services serve as springboards for talks about faith and God,” Dickelman said. “Parents come and tell me their children wanted to talk about the service. If I can do that, that’s huge.”
At the end of each service Dickelman closes with life advice to his friends and guests. “He tells us, `Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching,’ ” Richardson recalled. “We all leave so happy when he says that.”
High fives replace traditional handshakes as worshipers leave the chapel.
Dickelman said some people who attend the Community Worship Hour ask when he plans to build a church and others affirm that they like things the way they are.
“I plan to listen to my supporters and see where that leads,” Dickelman said.
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For more information, call Dickelman at 847-234-8673.
