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Reaching out in a new direction
suburban mega-church with a mostly white congregation formed a Spanish prayer group a few years ago; now it has evolved into a church
By Mary Ann Fergus
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
Published January 27, 2006
The service included a rockin' five-piece band, lyrics projected on a large screen and a casual conversation on stage about spiritual growth between the pastor and a member of Willow Creek Community Church.
It may look like just another Sunday at the South Barrington megachurch, but the 150 or so people gathered inside this intimate chapel were singing and praying in Spanish. And unlike the so-called "unchurched" who traditionally have flocked to Willow Creek's big auditorium down the hall, most everyone grew up with religion, usually Catholicism.
Church leaders started to reach out to the area's growing Hispanic community several years ago by forming a small prayer group on New Year's Eve 1999. They later found that the 2000 census had counted about 112,000 Hispanics within 20 minutes of the church.
"We weren't sure if Hispanics would feel comfortable here," said Mark Ashton, pastor of spiritual discovery at Willow Creek. "There were no Spanish-speaking pastors at the time, and it doesn't feel like a place where Hispanics go. We serve a mostly white market, and our campus has a corporate feel."
But the church's Hispanic neighbors have gradually begun to find their way to Willow Creek, where that small prayer group has evolved into a separate church called Casa de Luz, or House of Light. The church, which draws a consistent crowd of 150 to 200 people, will begin offering two weekly Sunday services this weekend.
At the onset of a recent service, Pastor Hector Hermosillo, clad in jeans and an oversized suede shirt, stood in a second-row pew, singing and clapping to the band's beat.
Hermosillo, who joined the church in July, is a former lead guitarist for Luis Miguel, one of Mexico's most popular singers and heartthrobs. Those rooting for this church say his journey from Mexican rocker to suburban Chicago pastor is another reason to believe that Latinos will find a home at Willow Creek.
As part of the church's kickoff of its new weekly services, Hermosillo has tapped an old friend, Maria del Sol, to offer a free concert in Willow Creek's main auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Friday. A popular Mexican singer from the late '80s and early '90s, she now performs Christian music.
One of the differences between worshipers at Casa De Luz and those at regular Willow Creek services is how and why they check out the church, said Gene Brush, a bilingual insurance agent from Berwyn.
Most Hispanics won't visit the church on their own, Brush said, but usually show up with friends or family on someone's recommendation. Brush believes Hermosillo will keep seekers coming back.
"He really has a love for the people," Brush said. "And they respond to him."
Juan Alvarez, a concrete worker from Elgin, for years had known Willow Creek only from the outside as one of a group of Mexican workers doing jobs on the sprawling church campus.
His boss and a Willow Creek member, Bob Olson, introduced Hermosillo to his crew one summer day. Soon, a half-dozen of the men and their families, including Alvarez, attended a Casa de Luz service.
Alvarez returned for a second service and plans to attend the Maria del Sol concert with family members. A Catholic, Alvarez found the services "interesting" and felt Hermosillo treated him like a friend.
"He's sincere and very straightforward," said Alvarez, 39. "It felt good to have someone speaking in your own language, talking to you."
Hermosillo, 42, grew up in Mexico City, the middle of three children raised by a single mother. He didn't know his father, nor much about religion.
Feeling a bit astray, Hermosillo started playing guitar at age 11 and found both solace and a talent. He became one of Mexico's best guitarists by the time he was 20 and his life appeared set.
"I made good money, I had a nice car," Hermosillo said. "I was very handsome," he adds, in jest.
But he struggled to find peace, "trying almost everything" including drugs.
Around the same time, Hermosillo's mother faced a critical illness that led the family on a spiritual quest. Hermosillo said he became transformed after hearing the gospel during a prayer meeting.
For several more years, Hermosillo continued his Christian journey while also succeeding as a secular musician. In 1990 he left Miguel's band to form a Christian rock band called Torre Fuerte (Strong Tower), which the Gospel Music Association named Best International Group in 1997.
Hermosillo eventually formed two churches of his own in Mexico. In 2004, he began taking calls from friends at Willow Creek who thought he might make a good pastor for the new church.
At first, both sides thought the idea was impossible.
"Why would we call him?" Brush recalls thinking about Hermosillo. "He's not going to be interested."
Hermosillo's churches were popular, each attracting at least several hundred people each Sunday. He and his wife, Gaby, and five children, ages 7 to 16, lived in a beautiful house with a swimming pool.
"We didn't have a lot to offer him, as far as material-wise," Brush said.
Meanwhile, Hermosillo thought he didn't meet the job qualifications. He never studied religion formally but read and analyzed the Bible on his own and picked up preaching tips through time spent with evangelical leaders, including Billy Graham's son Franklin.
Still, Hermosillo felt called to the job.
"When I traveled with Torre Fuerte, I got to know many Hispanic churches in the United States with many traditions, but they didn't have any real transformations of the people," Hermosillo said.
Eventually, after prayers and many tears, Hermosillo left his homeland and congregations and accepted the post. He hopes that at the church Latinos will find compassion and simple, Gospel-based teaching that will improve their lives.
Members say they like Hermosillo's personable nature and his casual attire.
"He's very down to earth, and that's very easy to connect with in the Hispanic atmosphere, said member Leo Di Bartolomeo of Riverside.
Casa de Luz's Sunday services are at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. For more information call Danny Perkins at 224-512-2320.