2025
Annual
Report
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
Historic
Moments
This past year marked a meaningful chapter in the life of Church in the Square—a year shaped by both joyful beginnings and tender goodbyes, by steady faithfulness and surprising growth.
It began with the birth of a new church. In God’s kindness, Church in the Square had the privilege of helping launch Refuge Chicago in Humboldt Park, celebrating a fresh gospel work rooted in a neighboring community. From sharing prayer, resources, people, and practical support, it was a reminder that the kingdom of God continues to expand beyond our single congregation.
Another historic moment unfolded in our church this year as the first women preached at Church in the Square. With clarity, warmth, and deep faith, first Aryn Korpalski and then Jayne George opened God’s Word and pointed us to Christ with conviction and grace. Their preaching marked an important milestone in our church's growth and obedience, widening our imagination of who God calls and how he speaks through his people. It was the fulfillment of a two-year journey, exploring the teachings of Ephesians 4.
We also returned to the place where it all started. Back in 2018, Church in the Square began at Monroe Elementary School in Logan Square. And in late February, we returned to the now Logan Square Elementary. We’re grateful for a renewed sense of place, a deeper connection with our friends, and more opportunities to bless our neighbors. In fact, because of the resources provided through our rental, the school was able to put on its first-ever drama production this year!
Desiring to steward this season well, over twenty of our leaders met for our first strategic planning meetings. Through this process, we discerned a need to develop both a discipleship pathway to better make disciples of Jesus and an engagement pathway to better welcome and connect newcomers (both of which we’ll roll out next year).
Grateful Goodbyes &
Fresh Leadership
This year also brought a significant leadership transition as we celebrated Juan and Lindsey Estupian. Juan stepped down from his role as elder after eight years of faithful, steady, and sacrificial service. While they remain deeply loved and fully engaged members of our church family, it was a joy to reflect on the many ways God used Juan and Lindsey to shepherd, encourage, guide, and love this community through formative seasons of our life together.
We took time to thank and bless the Schmidgall family, too. They cared for our church family with a gracious and honest presence. As charter members of CITS they served as group leaders and Derec as an elder. Their courage, prayers, and hospitality shaped our church more than words can fully express. In a similar spirit of gratitude, we blessed Liza as she stepped down from her role as deacon, giving thanks for the way she served with humility, steadiness, and care.
In his kindness, God brought fresh leadership. We welcomed three new elders—Jason Jesudoss, Quinn Baron, and Josh Burns—and three new deacons—Tyrell Shoemaker, Jayne George, and Laura Helveston—affirming God’s continued care for our church through shared leadership and communal discernment. We also welcomed Keynan Carter to our staff as the Minister for Operations. We’ve loved getting to know him and seeing his infectious kindness bless our community.
We also hosted our second annual teaching cohort and our inaugural formation class focused on discipleship for our group leaders.
Shaped through
the Word
As always, God cared for us through his Word. This year, we spent most of our time walking with Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, learning again the contours of his compassion and authority, and discovering the surprising shape of his upside-down kingdom—where the poor are blessed, the weary are welcomed, and grace meets us before we ever get our footing. Through Luke’s witness, we were reminded that Jesus does not merely instruct us; he draws near, speaks with authority that heals, and forms a people who receive the kingdom rather than strive to build it.
Over the summer, we turned to the wisdom of Proverbs, allowing God to shape the ordinary rhythms of our lives through ancient wisdom for everyday faithfulness. In these weeks, we learned again that wisdom is not simply knowing the right path, but becoming the kind of people who walk it—trusting the Lord with our whole hearts and learning to fear him in the small, unseen choices of daily life.
For the first time, we practiced a “September Sabbatical”—a simple but meaningful pause that embodied a countercultural truth: that we are not sustained by hurry, productivity, or striving, but by God’s love and grace. In rest, we were reminded that unless the Lord builds the house, our labor is in vain—and that joy, play, and shared life (yes, even kickball) are gifts meant to re-center us in the Father’s affection.
Taken together, this year has woven a tapestry of planting and pruning, sending and gathering, teaching and resting. And through it all, God has been really good and really faithful—steadily guiding Church in the Square with patience and love, forming us as his people, and leading us forward with confidence into the year ahead in our great city.
Standing with
our neighbors
Over the past year, our church has repeatedly encountered situations that called for us to respond not simply with opinions or political posturing, but with Christ-shaped wisdom rooted in Scripture and love. This has been really hard. We’ve seen our neighbors mistreated. Many of us have been mistreated. With anger, sadness, and utter confusion, we’ve been drawn to the Scriptures to find hope and absolution.
This past year has shown us how easy it is to fall prey to emotionalism, tribalism, and superficial responses when crises arise. Yet, the gospel calls us to something richer and more demanding. Our collective experience has taught us that being the church in a fractured world means choosing reflective, gracious engagement over reflexive judgment and bitterness, and holding fast to the unity that comes from seeing others through the lens of God’s redeeming love rather than through the lens of conflict. As we continue to navigate cultural pressures, these lessons remind us that our primary commitment is not to winning arguments or asserting preferences or defeating our enemies, but to embodying Christ’s love—loving our neighbors as whole human beings made in God’s image.
In addition to financially supporting organizations like Life Impactors Foundation, here are a few of our written responses to issues of mistreatment, immigration, and the presence of ICE in our city:
Giving and
receiving
As we stepped into 2025, we did so with clear eyes and a sense of purpose. We knew there would be new financial challenges—most notably, the move back into Logan Square Elementary and the decision to hire an additional full-time staff member. Both choices were made for the long-term health and well-being of our church, yet they carried implications. Together, they resulted in a budget that anticipated and, in fact, did have an overall net loss for the year. Yet, giving from our congregation remained remarkably steady. In fact, it increased a bit. What a gift!
Even amid expected pressures, we wanted to remain committed to generosity beyond our immediate context. That means we continued to set aside 10% for needs and work outside of Church in the Square. By God’s grace, our external giving more than doubled from last year!
We were able to …
Give nearly $15,000 to support the work of Life Impacters Foundation.
Provide consistent, monthly financial support to two partner churches—Refuge Chicago and Missio Dei Uptown.
Give monthly to both The Humanity Share and The Chicago Partnership.
Even after this increased generosity, we still have nearly $86,000 allocated for external giving.
As we look ahead to next year (our eighth year as a church family!), we anticipate similar pressures if both giving and spending remain consistent. We recognize that our members and our neighbors are facing their own financial pressures, with rising costs for rent, healthcare, and groceries, often without corresponding wage increases. In light of these realities, the coming year will invite us into a prayerful assessment and discernment process. We want to understand where the Lord is calling us as a church, in both giving and receiving, according to his perfect will. And in him, we always have all that we need.
2025 Financial Report
Our complete 2025 Financial Report will be shared at our next members’ gathering on January 18th. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch with our Elder for Finance, Jason Jesudoss.
KIDS iN
THE SQUARE
When God opened the opportunity for us to return to Logan Square School at the beginning of 2025, His provision was evident — placing all classrooms on the same floor, providing a parent lounge, extra storage space, and a gracious principal to partner with.
Kids in the Square continued to grow steadily. After opening our third elementary classroom late last year, we’ve been able to give our kids more room to learn and connect each Sunday. We now have about 36 children regularly attending, and it has been a joy to watch families settle in and find community. We welcomed many visitors this year and added several new families to our regular attenders. One of those families had just moved to America and visited Church in the Square within their first few weeks in the country. It’s been beautiful to see how quickly they felt at home among us—finding community and familiarity in a new city far from their own.
Our Youth in the Square ministry has also flourished. We started 2025 with three students, and now have six students who attend consistently. In April, we expanded our classes from once a month to twice a month, and this rhythm has helped deepen their relationships and engagement.
Although eight volunteers stepped away this year due to life transitions, God continued to supply exactly what we needed. We added three new volunteers along the way, and remarkably, only required to merge classes a handful of times—far fewer than expected given the transitions. We are currently blessed with 25 Elementary volunteers and five youth volunteers, with several children’s volunteers also helping with youth as needed.
We’ve seen incredible depth grow within our volunteer team this year. Many have stepped into greater leadership—taking initiative, growing in their roles, and serving with a more missional mindset. That growth has been reflected in the meaningful connections we’ve witnessed each week: volunteers welcoming new families with patience and warmth, teachers connecting with kids by sharing their own faith journey, and team members supporting each other both in ministry and in life. Their shared leadership, encouragement, and genuine care have been among the greatest blessings of 2025.
Last, but not least … we also enjoyed our first Kids in the Square Advent play!
oh …
One more thing.
We went through a full rebranding this year, too, complete with our first run of merch. Make sure to order yours today!