Celebrating God's Work Throughout The Years at North Shore Congregational Church

All are welcome to join in our mission: "to grow and deepen Christian discipleship in a faith community guided by the Holy Spirit."

As a congregation, we are an active member in the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the Wisconsin Congregational Association. Recently NSCC received recognition for the NSCC monthly Newsletter, Annual Meeting Host, Rev. Sue LeFeber and Harry R. Butman Award, Rev. Karl D. Schimpf.

As a congregation, we are guided by the Holy Spirit in our local work which includes 40 years of preparing and serving meals for 365 homeless people at St. Ben's meal site, major sponsorship of a Habitat Duplex in Port Washington and a June 2010 Youth Mission Trip to Hosanna Industries Inc. in rural Pennsylvania, a mission that helps provide housing to those in need.

A History of North Shore Congregational Church

On April 27, 1949, a group of twenty-five faithful servants met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz von Grossman to sign the Charter Membership Roll of North Shore Congregational Church. The church held its first worship on May 15, 1949 in the Lower Assembly room of the Milwaukee Country Day School (now the Karl Jewish Community Center) on Santa Monica Boulevard. Dr. Everett MacNair of Plymouth Congregational Church led the ninety-six person congregation in this first service.

North Shore welcomed its first minister, Rev. Vernon I. ("Pat") Flynn, on July 1, 1949. Worship had been suspended for the summer to allow member and Rev. Flynn to canvass the neighborhoods, spreading the word about their new church. Weekly worship resumed on September 11, 1949 and Rev. Flynn launched the church's first fall programming season. On November 6, 1949, the church received 329 charter members.

In 1950 a national Congregational publication described North Shore as the "fastest growing church in all Congregational history."

In May 1954, the cornerstone of the church building was laid, and the congregation moved into this new home at the corner of Bell Road and Santa Monica Boulevard in January, 1955. Soon thereafter, John D. ("Jack") Fitzgerald, Jr. joined Rev. Flynn as the church's first Assistant Minister. Rev. Fitzgerald served the church from 1955 to 1957.

In 1986 the stained glass window "Freedom" was designed and built by Charles Burroughs and installed in the balcony. "Shining from the center of the lower panel is a lantern, symbol from biblical times of guidance, of revelation, of learning. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet wrote the Psalmist. The lantern of truth takes a prominent place in the Freedom window. Surrounding the lantern are familiar symbols of our Pilgraim heritage: the word Freedom, the year 1620 and of course the ships that brough the Pilgrims to the land of freedom." (from Rev. Ralph DiBiasio-Snyder's dedication sermon March 23, 1986.)

January 1993 NSCC installed a new organ. The organ is a modern representation of classic ideals in organ building and was specifically designed and voiced for our sanctuary. J.C. Taylor & Co., Organbuilders of Kaukauna, WI built a tonal scheme that is rooted in the American and English traditions of organbuilding. This is appropriate since the heritage of congregational churches is rooted in those same traditions.

The groundbreaking for the new addition occurred on April 4, 1999 where we changed the entry of the church and put in an elevator.

The 2009 Kitchen update brought us a working, welcoming kitchen that people will use for decades to come. The fellowship and outreach possibilities seem endless.