Downers Grove Community Church is part of the larger denomination of the Reformed Church in America.  The word Reformed comes from the Protestant Reformation which swept across Europe in the 1500s under the leadership of such men as Martin Luther and John Calvin.  The denomination currently has about 1,000 churches in the United States and Canada, including The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

Starting a new church takes vision, the ability to see a need, and a willingness to follow God’s leading on the part of a dedicated group of people.  On a summer Sunday, June 20, 1965, in a school called Hillcrest, a small band of believers gathered to worship God under the name of Covenant Reformed Church (now Downers Grove Community Church).  A year later, after much planning and decision-making, six remote acres of property were purchased at the corner of 66^th Street and Fairview Avenue.  Less than a year after that, on April 2, 1967, ground was broken for the construction of a circular building that would become the worshipping home of the Covenant Reformed Church.  On May 12, 1967, the congregation of 42 communicant members and 38 baptized members, comprising of 24 families, was officially organized by the Classis of Chicago of the Reformed Church in America.

In 1981, a Building Committee was formed to plan for the expansion of the sanctuary.  Work on the sanctuary addition was completed and a service of dedication was held on Sunday, May 23, 1982, approximately fifteen years after the church was organized.  At that time a total of 65 families, including 117 communicant members and 103 baptized members were active in the life of the church. 

Building and Finance Committees were formed in 1985 to begin plans for a fellowship hall expansion and an education wing.  Ground was broken for this new addition on October 12, 1986, and the work was completed in March of 1987.  A Twentieth Anniversary Celebration and Dedication was held on Sunday, April 26, 1987, at which time the congregation had grown to 90 families, including 168 communicants and 100 baptized members.

The first pastor, Rev. Stanley Vugteveen, began serving this newly organized congregation in July of 1966 and continued through January, 1974.  Rev. Evert Fikse began his ministry with the church in October of 1974.  Evert served the church until 1988.  Because of our well-organized church councils, we were able to maintain our ministry for a year without a ministry until Rev. Dan Plasman began his ministry at DGCC in October of 1989.  Upon Dan’s departure in 2003, Sue Curtis agreed to serve as our interim pastor from September 2003 to September 2004 when our present pastor, Rev. Angie Mabry-Nauta began her ministry with us.

Downers Grove Community Church is a family of people – God’s unique people.  Our task is to share God’s love in fellowship with one another and also to genuinely love those whom God places in our pathway of life.  We truly have experienced forty wonderful years of God’s faith and fellowship.