About Us
Welcome to Church Home Chicago, where we provide spiritual care resources for older adults of all faith traditions. Our mission is to help all people age with dignity, meaning, and hope.
It’s time to change the conversation on aging.
History
The Church Home grew from seeds of kindness, planted more than 125 years ago.
In 1888, the Rev. Walter Delafield came to the aid of three elderly women in his Episcopal parish in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. When the women needed a place to live that could accommodate caregivers, Rev. Delafield rented a home for them; others followed, and in 1915, what became the Church Home organization constructed its first residential building for 80 senior adults.
In the 1980s, the Church Home purchased a new property and began construction for a new retirement community, named for the Rt. Rev. James W. Montgomery, who served as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago from 1971 to 1987. Montgomery Place began welcoming residents in October 1991.
The Church Home continues to provide spiritual care for Montgomery Place residents, serving people of all faith traditions—or no faith tradition—with home and hospital visits, grief counseling, and caregiver support. In the years since its founding, the Church Home has expanded its reach, providing support to other seniors in northern Illinois and developing resources to foster meaningful conversations on aging.
What We Offer
Interfaith Chaplains
Our interfaith chaplains serve the Montgomery Place retirement community on Chicago’s South Side.
Discussion Resources
We provide discussion resources for religious congregations and community groups to change the conversation on aging.
Professional Training
Aspiring clergy and chaplains can complete their clinical training through our internship and volunteer program.
Benevolence
Through partnerships with local nonprofit organizations, we provide financial assistance to elders in need.
Lectionary Resources
Our “Chapel Notes” blog provides weekly worship notes for Christians who follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
Chaplains
The Rev. Lin Sanford Keppert
Lin serves as chaplain and coordinator of spiritual care at the Church Home. She has provided spiritual care to the Montgomery Place community since 2011. Rev. Lin is an ordained pastor with the American Baptist Churches USA and brings a background in environmental engineering, psychology, art therapy, interfaith dialogue, Black gospel music, and the visual arts to her ministry. Her interests include pastoral care to specialized populations and the design of interdenominational, interracial, and interfaith worship opportunities. She is a member of the Association of Professional Chaplains.
The Rev. Catherine Healy
Catherine is an Episcopal priest who is delighted to serve with the Church Home, where she leads the Sunday congregation at Montgomery Place and develops formation resources on aging for the wider church and beyond. Rev. Catherine also serves as a content editor for the Daily Office Network (dailyoffice.org), and her writing has appeared in The Christian Century, Sundays & Seasons, d365.org, Geez Magazine, and Forward Day by Day. She is a Chicago native who shares life with her wife, children, and a magnificent family forest that includes many different trees.
Board of Directors
Constance Bonbrest, M.D.
Morag Fullilove
Gregory Gleason
Henry Palmer, M.D.
The Rev. Joy Rogers
Charles Stewart
Scott Williamson