Illinois is where I spent 47 years of my life, from Junior High School through pre-retirement. Most of my life experiences happened there and so I suppose it felt the most like home to me. I left this post last as I figured it might take the longest, though hopefully by now I can more judiciously stick to the high points since this is not meant to be a biography. We did see places in all parts of the state which one should do if they are in one state for 47 years.
Joliet Central High School
We moved from New York to Joliet, Illinois, and that was our first contact with the Midwest. Having lived out on Long Island where it is basically one large city, it was strange to see wide open spaces between cities strewn here and there. Joliet Central High School was my entrance in high school life and I did not like it. Kids were rude and tried to make everybody's life miserable. There were knife fights in the hallways. My locker was broken into numerous times and I changed lockers just as many times. The only bright spots in an otherwise dreary day was classes like photography, architectural drawing, and woodworking which were all subjects that would be part of my life. I ended up graduating 3rd in a senior class of 669.
The Mississippi is the border between Illinois and Missouri
Then there is Quincy, where the family moved right after leaving Joliet. During that summer I was getting ready to move to Minneapolis while my siblings were preparing for school in Quincy. But something happened as my first year of college was nearly finished. Everyone is talking to everyone, maybe planning trips to new friends in other states or trying to hold on to a boyfriend or girlfriend over the summer. Or, like me, I happened to talk to a friend of mine who said they wouldn't be back for sophomore year. This guy was one of the smart and popular ones so I thought that was a bit odd, and I asked him why. His reply was that he was going to take a year of Community College to dispense with all the core classes that can be taken anywhere and then transferred back. His reasoning was that Community College is far cheaper than regular colleges. So when I headed home to Quincy I checked out our Community College options. Turns out there was one called John Wood Community College that had just started up a couple years earlier. Some of their class offerings would be held at their building while other courses would be taught at Quincy College as they tried to ramp up their schedule and buildings. So I put together a schedule of classes I thought would be better taught at these two colleges and then ran the schedule past my school in Minneapolis. It was all approved, in writing, and I never had any trouble transferring the classes. I started working full-time at a new company in Quincy called Broadcast Electronics with the stipulation that I be allowed to leave for my classes. It was a win-win since I made more money at work and I paid less money for classes. I estimate the costs were one-fourth those in Minneapolis and I really enjoyed them. I am grateful for that opportunity to stay in Quincy for the year and better my education. I also happened to win the contest to design the cover for the first printed book giving all the details for the new school.
Belleville First Assembly of God
After college graduation and our summer wedding we moved to Belleville, Illinois in the fall of 1980. It was about a town of 45,000 or so. I had been accepted to the church as youth pastor and we would stay there four-and-a-half years. We movied into a one bedroom apartment for six months, then moved across the street to a two bedroom apartment for two years. After having enough of rental life we purchased a mobile home and set it up in a mobile home park for two years. Thankfully we didn't have that much stuff to move. Our first son was born in Belleville and we did a lot of activities with the youth and the young married groups. Too many stories to tell. But I will say I get into hot water for saying I liked the orange carpet in the new church and the orange pews. There must have been a year or two when I like the look of orange, but over the years there have been many times where my wife reminds me I shouldn't like it anymore as a decorating theme. My parents lived in Springfield at the time so it was only a ninety minute trip to say hello and help my dad on his projects.
Warren Faith Assembly of God
Our second stop in ministry was in the northwest corner of Illinois at a town called Warren where just 1,600 people lived. Life was very different there with a much slower pace. Our second and third sons were born here and all our boys started school here. In a small town everyone knew everyone and people got to know us as one of the five pastors in town. The house we lived in was directly across from the church and we did a bunch of fixing up in there. One year we were asked to be in the local Tour of Homes with five different homes being shown for their different styles. We highlighted all the period details of the 1870 era house and people appreciated the work that went into it. I started a computer class at the local library, and then the local lawyer asked if I could help set up their network. I didn't even what a network was at the time but I figured it out and did the job. Near the end of our time there I was asked to run on the ballot for village board member and I came in 4th out of 5 running. Only the first three became part of the board so I never go to see that part. We stayed there seven years and we remember them fondly.
Lincoln Faith Assembly of God
As 1992 began we were planning to move to the center of the state to a town called Lincoln. There were 16,000 in the town at that time and they had a Walmart. In Warren we had to drive to the larger towns nearby to get the things we needed, but here we could get most everything in town. I was the 24th pastor of this church where the average stay was two-and-a-half years but we ended up staying for twenty one years. Most of my time during that stay was devoted to planning and directing the building of a new church building that would replace the three smaller buildings that had served them for forty years or so. The entire process from the beginning of figuring what we wanted to do as a church, to the paying off of the mortgage was about fifteen years. The total cost of land, parking lot, architectural drawings, church building and garage, landscaping, furniture and furnishings came to just $600,000 for a facilities that was valued at over two million. This project was completed almost fully with volunteer labor which saved a great deal of money. This was all done while still the pastor with all its responsibilites but we all did what we could. It was a great addition to the town.
After we left Lincoln I took a job as the manager of a local shipping store in Rockford, Illinois and helped the boss with a number of projects needed at his business. It was only at this time in my life that I discovered Rockford was the second largest city in Illnois with almost 150,000 people, right behind Chicago with 2.7 million. Most folks consider the entire northeast block of the state to be Chicago but there's only 232 square miles right on Lake Michigan with the name of Chicago. You will find there are many other cities nearby like Lombard, Naperville, or Bolingbrook that have their own governments and finances, but they are not Chicago. And Rockford happens to come in second even though it's only ninety miles away. Some people outside of Illinois really believe the state of Illinois is instead called Chicago. When asked where I live, and I respond Illinois, they would say, "Oh Chicago?" To which I would then add that Chicago is only a city in the entire state. I know Chicagoans think they represent the whole state but they do not and anyone outside of Chicago would tell you that.
Absolutely no ketchup on a true Chicago Style Hot Dog!
I was in Rockford for this stage of our lives and updated our house there like I had others before. That first house in Warren, which was not mine but the church parsonage, had been fixed up mostly cosmetically to make my wife happy. Our first home in Lincoln was completely updated on the exterior but mainly cosmetic improvements inside. The changes my wife wanted to do to that house were beyond my skillset at that time, but once I had learned many construction skills on the church project she suggested we sell the first house and buy one that needed a lot of help. However, she was able to do some major renovation on that one because we were renovating it from the ground up. Though my dad had built several of his lifetime homes by himself, this house project would be the closest I would get to building on completely on my own. Truth be told, after I finished all those projects like the concrete driveway and replacing the shingle roof, I decided that once was all I needed to find satisfaction on that bucket-list type item. It was fun to make a house exactly what we wanted.
My boys took me to see the Cubs play the Cardinals in Chicago
I had little reason to find myself in Chicago until my oldest son went to college there at Northwestern. We would visit and see parts of the area where he lived but we'd make sure to leave before rush hour. I did get to one Chicago Cubs game with my boys and at least I can say I've been there. My wife and I have been to IKEA. We brought our Australian friends down to Michagan Avenue and Navy Pier. We ate at the Weber Grill which is one of the finest restaurants we've been to. And we've had true Chicago Style hot dogs out of a tiny local place that were fantastic. I might go so far as to say that Chicago Style hot dogs and Chicago Style deep dish pizza may be the best things to come out of Chicago, for me anyway.
Superman statue in Metropolis, Illinois
Emergency action
One of the more memorable visits we had was in Metropolis, Illinois when we saw the sign for the Superman statue pointing the way. We were on our way to Panama City Beach in Florida and were trying to be spontaneous. We got the photos of the Superman and then I took one of Kathy in a corner raised platform. Leaving the platform she stumbled on the stairs and her head met the metal railing in a loud thump. Blood was spilled. Fortunately the ambulance was on the other side of the parking lot and drove over to help her. We thought that was funny too.
World's Largest Covered Wagon and Big Lincoln
We visited a lot of places in Illinos, the Land of Lincoln. Some of those places were right in Lincoln, such as this large covered wagon with the Big Lincoln. It used to be in town but now it's been moved to Old Route 66 near the Fairgrounds. We took a day trip to look around the historic Nauvoo State Park and check out the buildings. We visited other pastors in the state by either inviting them to our place or by going to theirs. We had many pastor's meeting at our state headquarter in Carlinville and we got to know that place well. We went to Champaign for a wedding I performed and usually travelled through that city on the way to other places. We took friends and family who visited us to Galena, Illinois where there was a lot to see. I spent most of a week in Geneseo where I helped remodel their church. We've been to the Quad Cities, with Rock Island and Moline the two cities on the Illinois side, and Davenport and Bettendorf on the Iowa side. We spent a lot of time in Peoria with other meetings held in churches there. We went to Springfield often especially when we were looking to show friends the touristy stuff. Normal and Bloomington were also very close while in Lincoln and my oldest son lived there while going to Illinois State University. I made a number of trips to Macomb to help my second son get settled in school each year. And not to leave my youngest son out of the equation, I took him to Quincy to get him settled at Gem City College and find him an apartment. As I scroll around the map of Illinois I realized I have been to more places in the state than I even imagined, all of them with their own story.
I end this with a story about my wife. She always seemed to be the one with itchy feet, always wanting to move on to the next place. I was the one who liked where I was and was happy to keep finding my place in Illinois. Until I wasn't. My wife always said she was never getting out of Illinois, more out of a frustration of knowing that there were other great places we could be. One day I decided I was ready to go and after I told her that she looked at me in disbelief and said, "Are you sure?" I was and we sold our house, packed up our stuff, and headed to Georgia for life in the South. There are still times she'd like to leave the Atlanta area, while I love this place. I guess that may just be our dynamic. But we're happy.
Until next time,
Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)
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