Patch Spends Five Minutes with Rev. Peggy McClanahan

She’s Rev. Peggy McClanahan, senior pastor at Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ. Originally from the southwest, McClanahan grew up in Oklahoma but came to Oak Lawn after having ministered in various states throughout the Midwest.  She brought along her husband, Michael, her two sons, David and Daniel, as well as “a vibrant personality and outstanding preaching style.”  On the eve of her first sermon at Pilgrim Faith, a church member surprised her by asking if she was a Cubs or White Sox fan, to which she replied, “I don’t watch much football.”  The perfect answer, she says, to break the ice.  McClanahan is also active in and around the village and strives to do her part to bring peace and justice to the community.

Oak Lawn Patch:  How long have you been a pastor?

Peggy McClanahan:  I’ve been a pastor since 1975 and I’ve served churches in Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Oak Lawn Patch: How and when did you first become interested in ministry?

McClanahan:  I wanted to be in ministry since I was a teenager. I have always been very involved in the church and have always loved the church.  While I was in the seminary, I started serving churches and over the last three years I started preaching every Sunday, and I just loved it.

Oak Lawn Patch:  What was it like being in an environment that was at that point historically driven by men?

McClanahan:  I actually didn’t know any women ministers but I just had this sense that that’s what God was calling me to do and by the time I actually started seminary there were other women in seminary training doing the same thing. There are thousands of women ministers nowadays but when I first started out, because most people had never met a woman minister, I felt like I was under a lot of pressure. If I didn’t do things well then the next woman that came along might not have a chance.

Oak Lawn Patch:  How long have you been at Pilgrim Faith?

McClanahan:  16 years

Oak Lawn Patch:  What brought you to Oak Lawn?

McClanahan:  My family and I had been in Iowa for the last five years and I was looking to move to a different church. I was open to serving in Illinois and Pilgrim Faith actually thought I might be a good fit. They contacted me and we went through an extensive series of interviews and visits and it was actually my interviews with this congregation that made me fall in love with them.

Oak Lawn Patch:  What are some of your duties and responsibilities?

McClanahan:  I am responsible for planning and leading worship and preaching.  I teach confirmation and communion class, adult Bible study and new member preparation. I do all the weddings and baptisms, I visit the sick and the shut-ins and anyone else who wants to talk with me. I’m also very involved in helping the church reach out to the community.

Oak Lawn Patch:  Can you say a little bit about the church and its history in Oak Lawn?

McClanahan:  Pilgrim Faith has been in Oak Lawn a long time, since 1881.  We are a church that is very involved with serving the needs of the community. We have a food pantry that has been in operation since the mid-1960s and we host a homeless shelter site for South Suburban PADS. We had what was probably the first pre-school in Oak Lawn, though that is closing at the end of the school year. We also we have several youth, women’s and men’s groups, as well Bible study.  And there are about 400 members.

Oak Lawn Patch:  How has Pilgrim Faith as well as the community changed in the time that you have been in Oak Lawn?

McClanahan:  My perception is that it’s a much younger community than it was 16 years ago, and we’re certainly seeing that in the church. A lot of the folks who have been in the church since the 1940s and 1950s have passed on, but we’ve got a lot of people with kids so it brings so much energy.

Oak Lawn Patch:  What is the main difference between the United Church of Christ and other Christian denominations, Catholicism, for example?

McClanahan:  We worship God and we all seek to follow Jesus, but one of the main differences between the Catholic Church is in how the church is run. We are a church that is run by the congregation rather than by somebody higher. In terms of practices, I would say that 95 percent of what we do is similar. One thing that does make us different is that we don’t have a lot of doctrine and that makes us different from even some Protestant churches. 

Oak Lawn Patch:  What is the most rewarding element of what you do?

McClanahan:  Being able to help people and a lot of that just comes through listening and talking to them. While I enjoy the worship leadership, it’s the one-on-one stuff that I really love.

Oak Lawn Patch:  And what is the most difficult?

McClanahan:  You can’t keep everybody happy. That’s very challenging and certainly in the last few years finances have been challenging. 

Oak Lawn Patch:  If you could have lunch with three people, dead or alive, who would those three people be?

McClanahan:  I would definitely want to have lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt—I think she was an amazing woman.  I would also want to have lunch with Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama.

Oak Lawn Patch:  How do you like to spend the little free time you have?

McClanahan:  My passion is genealogy. I really got involved in this after my parents died and I realized I didn’t know as much about my family as I’d like to know.  I’ve got some information from the 1400s because a lot of my family was in America very early in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Oak Lawn Patch:  Have you discovered any oddities?

McClanahan:  One of the things that just amazes me is how much moving around people did. Even if they didn’t move very far, they’d still pick up their whole family and go further West—it is mind boggling.

Oak Lawn Patch:  Now that Lent is over, what are some words of wisdom for Christians and non-believers alike?

McClanahan:  I would always encourage them to focus on loving one another and loving a stranger.