When the 350 or so people entered the sanctuary of Christian Hills Church in Orland Hills, Illinois last on November 16, 2008 for the installation of their new pastor, ushers handed each of them a jigsaw puzzle piece. They knew Pastor Mike McCartney had a creative streak, but what was this all about, they wondered.
The commissioning for ministry was led by FCA National Coordinator Warren Heckman, who had served Christian Hills as a part-time interim pastor up until this service. He was joined for the dedication prayer and laying on of hands by Pastor George Thomas, elders, deacons, and other ministry staff members. People in the pews held their puzzle pieces patiently.
McCartney’s message this inaugural Sunday was entitled “God Has a Plan,” based on the familiar text of Jeremiah 29:11-14. “Each of you has a place to fill in God’s larger picture for Christian Hills,” he said. “Let’s work together to fit each member of this body into the role for which we were designed.”
McCartney and his wife, Kathy, are not new to this congregation; they served on the pastoral staff during the mid-1990s. Now, after pastoring in Amery, Wisconsin, for 11 years, they are returning to the Chicago area for this senior pastorate. They will lead a staff that includes four associate pastors plus the K-8 Christian school faculty and administration.
Christian Hills Church traces its 80-year history back to the South Side of Chicago, where it was known as Wittich Memorial Church. In the 1970’s, when they bought 40 acres of cornfield in a southwest suburb, they had few neighbors. Today there are rooftops in every direction.
McCartney’s predecessors in this pulpit include FCA notables Osborn Arnes (1973-91), Jerry Sherstad (1991-2000) and J. L. Rivera (2001-07).
