Across 1-80

"Everything is Southern Illinois south of 1-80"

This is something that I have heard from my good city family and friends ever since I decided to come to LCC. This statement, while is not exactly correct, because LCC is in Central Illinois, the pastoral difference seems to be huge.

I come from a church called Community Christian Church, which is located, well all over the Chicago land area. The pastors that I have gotten to know through my childhood, adolescence, and now young adulthood play guitar hero, drink beer, watch movies that are rated R, drink lattes, have decent hair cuts, and don't end every conversation with God bless.

These pastors were the run of the mill pastors. They didn't seem to be holier than anyone else, but were more like doctors. They found a passion in trying to keep humans healthy, but in a spiritual sense, rather than a medical sense.

And then I moved. I moved south of I-80 and suddenly felt like I was living in the 1950's. The pastors are still a large part of the community development. They are still part of the reason people are moral and why people still go to church. They are still the capstone of the church down here. Now, I have met many pastors in and around Central Illinois, and I would never want to give them a bad name. However, there is only one or two that I have felt completely comfortable around.

I think the reason that I don't feel comfortable with some pastors down here is because they still play the part of the holy Shepard. They do end every conversation with God Bless, and seek to find the holiness in everything. While it at times makes me uncomfortable, it also is fascinating. People invite their pastor to major life events, and the pastor actually comes, when the pastor does your grandpa's funeral, he actually remarks about the summer that was without rain and how your grandpa remained faithful. The pastor within small communities knows the family church history.

I think that the pastors in Naperville are try too hard to be human, and I think the pastors in Central Illinois try too hard to be holy. Maybe if we throw a mixed party and invite all of them they could rub off on each other.