”The History of Roberts Road Bible Church”
(A Brief Synopsis)
The Church began as a Sunday School in a home by Gustave Le Grand. There were 18 there that first day, in October of 1938. As the Sunday School grew God led Pastor Le Grand to buy a lot near 85th and 77th Court.
After the lot was purchased, On January 2nd 1939 Gustave and 8 men worked on the holiday and built a 16 by 32 foot building. It was named The Gertrude Highlands Gospel Tabernacle. A year later the building was doubled in size. In 1946 Pastor LeGrand took $400 and purchased a lot on Roberts Road. The Church name was changed to Roberts Road Bible Church. At the new location a 35 by 50 foot basement was built. In the first evening service two people professed to trust in Christ.
After 11 years, in 1949, Pastor LeGrand offered his resignation. For the following three years Rev. Heefner was the Pastor. Then, on April 29, 1953, the Church called John Bauer as part time pastor.
With just a handful of dedicated Christians, the rebuilding of RRBC was begun. Pastor Bauer instituted a calling and soul-winning ministry and in a year the Church was able to support the Pastor full time. In 1954 the Sunday School averaged 92 per week. God blessed the preaching of the Word! The Roberts Road Bible Church grew again and there was need for expansion. Through the hard work of the Pastor and people a new church building was built in 1956. Much of the work on the new (1956) building was done by the men of the church. The new Church building was dedicated November 25th, 1956.
In 1963, the house and 100 ft lot, two doors south of the Church was then purchased that year. In 1967 on the 29th anniversary celebration the morgage was burned. Later in 1970 the house and lot just south of the church was purchased. These buildings were eventually razed and in 1978 our present Church building was constructed. This was the Church’s 40th anniversary. The theme of the church was A Bible teaching and a Bible preaching Church. Second Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Illness forced Pastor Bauer to resign as pastor of the Church effective December 31, 1980. This concluded 28 years of faithful service as pastor of Roberts Road Bible Church 1 Corinthians 15:58 sums up Pastor Bauer’s ministry. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, by ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor in not in vain in the Lord.”
In January, 1981 Rev. Roger Boone became the Pastor of the Roberts Road Bible Church. He was pastor for three years. After him in 1984 the church voted Frank O’Neal as their Pastor. In 1992 Pastor Frank O’Neal resigned effective June 1st. Dean Christofilos was then voted the Leader of the Church with Paul Fetzer as the interim pastor.
The Church then called Brian Miller as the Senior Pastor, and Pastor Brian Miller started his duties November, of 1994. He has successfully guided the Church to its present growth and effectiveness. In July Pastor Miller completed and received his doctorate in Pastoral Ministries and Leadership. In January 2016 Pastor Miller was called to be Executive Pastor of Berea Bible Church in Springfield Ohio.
In 2013 The Lord has blessed RRBC with its 75th anniversary as a church. A celebration in honor of it was held on Oct. 13 at the Marriott Hotel in Burr Ridge Ill.
In January 2016 David Ashworth has been appointed Administrative Youth Pastor and Stephen Clark has been appointed Pastor of Visitation and Evangelism and are the current Pastors here at RRBC.
God has used our Church down through the years to reach hundreds and hundreds of people in our area with the blessed Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and several of these people are in full time Christian service today. We thank God for all those who have gone out to the Mission Field from our Church and for enabling us to support many missionaries with finances, prayer and fellowship. They have reached other hundreds of people far beyond our area.
As of January 2018 Pastors David Ashworth and Pastor Steven Clark both have resigned from their positions at RRBC. Pastor Dave took on a Youth Pastors roll in a church in the state of Wyoming, and pastor Steve Clark went into retirement. As of February 2018 Pastor Clark Seefeldt took over the roll of Interim Pastor, as the pastoral search committee begans its search for a full time Senior Pastor to lead RRBC. As of April 7th 2019, Pastor John Fetterhoff was voted in by the church to becomes RRBC's new full time Senior Pastor. Pastor John began his new roll at RRBC starting on July 7th 2019, and is currently the Senior Pastor at here at RRBC.
As of September 2021 Pastor Fetterhoff has resigned as was being called to another postion in minnistry in the upper portion of the U.S. RRBC is in the process of having the Pastor search seeking all options as to whom The Lord has chosen to be our next Pastor. Until then, many well trained men of The Bible has been filling in and doing all of the preching.(Note...this portion will be updated as news progresses upon the pastoral search committee)
As of December 1, 2021 David Kim has was voted in by the congregation to take on the role of Senior Pastor here at RRBC. He begins his role as Senior Pastor as of January 1, 2022. He has long ties with RRBC as he once served as an intern here as a student from Moody Bible Institute, as well as RRBC used to support him when he was out in the mission field. His last 2 years he was youth Pastor in a large church in California.......and has been called upon by The Lord to fill the Senior Pastor position here at RRBC.