GLIMPSES OF GRATEFUL DAYS
1974 First immigrant gathering at 3030 Courtland Ave, Chicago
The International Christian Assembly emerged as Chicago’s pioneer Malayalam-English bilingual congregation through the founding ministry of Kanjappally Abraham Thomas, a visionary minister to the early diasporic Indians of the Windy City. Whereas tens of thousands of Indian immigrants and scores of Asian worship houses thrive in Chicagoland today, ICAG’s inaugural core in the 1970’s had only a lowly total of 21 persons led by Pastor Thomas.
Pastor Thomas’s dedication and service poised the church in a growth mode that has stayed on the ascent ever since. Assisting Pastor Thomas were his own father Kuttappan and Pastor A C John. This trio turned ICAG into the “go to” place for seekers of a new worship site.
Starting out at the Ravenswood YMCA, the fellowship moved on to a Czechoslovakian church building at 3030 W Courtland, where after a short lease period, Mr Milan Huba, the landord, donated the worship facility to ICAG. Mr. Huba’s property gift gave the church a stable operational base with encouraging growth. With its membership expanding, the church moved once again, this time to ICAG’s present location at 9628 W Iriving Park Rd in 1990.
Pr. K. A. Thomas
Pr. George K Stephenson
Pastor Thomas who has the Apostolic gift to found new congregations moved to Houston, Texas in 1978, handing over the ICAG pastorate to his young associate, Pastor George K Stephenson who had freshly arrived from India at that time. With a great heart for people and a burning passion for life in the divine Word, Stephenson reached out to the wider Chicago community through house visits and the media. Radio and TV programs over the next two decades expanded Stephenson’s ministry.
1989 ICAG Church at 9628 W. Irving Park Road, Schiller Park, IL
1996 church congregation
Rev. Stephenson presenting a check for the September 11, 2001 victims
True to its name, ICAG strives to serve the wider world, rather than the mere home grounds. The church runs a vibrant Sunday school, youth church, mission trips, summer programs, and visitation events, all of which in turn inspire other ongoing mission ventures. Several members of ICAG run indendent overseas ministries of their own in which the whole congregation also participates actively. Come and see your call take shape!