CONGRATULATIONS EXTENDED TO REVEREND DR. LEROYSANDERS ON THE
OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, After 35 years, Reverend Dr. Leroy Sanders is retiring as Senior Pastor at Kenwood United Church of Christ on October 31, 2015; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has been informed of this special occasion by The Honorable William D. Burns, Alderman of the 4th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Sanders has had a long and distinguished career. Born and raised in Chicago, Pastor Sanders was a member of Progressive Community Church, 56 East 48th Street from childhood until he studied under Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., at Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC), prior to his installation as Senior Pastor at Kenwood United Church of Christ (KUCC) in September of 1980; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Sanders served in the US Army and later began a long career at Illinois Bell eventually rising to supervisory positions in which he often served as the first African-American in the position. As he neared retirement, he went to school while still working to receive his B.S. degree from Chicago State University and then his Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. He then came to KUCC as he was retiring from Illinois Bell; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Sander's early tenure as Senior Pastor saw the beginning of rebuilding a congregation and rebuilding its deteriorating building, a process seen as impossible by many in the UCC denomination. He persevered and with the help of other UCC churches, particularly TUCC, and the gathering of community support, the church thrived. Membership rose from less than 25 when he arrived to its current level of nearly 400. He oversaw the upkeep in the church building and invested approximately $750,000 in the building's infrastructure allowing the church to stay open seven days a week. Under his stewardship the church became listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and achieved City of Chicago Landmark designation in 2013. The edifice pro...
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