“
ransforming lives 
ransforming our world for Christ “
During the height of World War II in May of 1943, Rev. Sadaichi Kuzuhara was led of the Lord to leave Granada Concentration Camp and come to Chicago. His vision was to start an evangelical ministry among the Japanese who were displaced due to the concentration camps.
Soon after, in June of 1943, the first cottage meeting of Isseis (first generation) and Niseis (second generation) was held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Yoshida on Fullerton Avenue; 16 were in attendance.
In September of 1943 with the help of Dr. Ironside, then pastor of Moody Memorial Church; opened Moody’s Torrey Chapel as a place of worship to Rev. Sadaichi Kuzuhara and his congregation. It would be known as Japanese Christian Church at Moody. The magnitude of this event can be appreciated when reflecting upon the times. The United States was engaged in a war with Japan in the Pacific, and Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held captive in concentration camps throughout the western part of the United States. Because of this, there was opposition to the Japanese congregation’s use of Moody’s facilities.
In 1949 the Japanese Christian Church at Moody moved to the northeast corner of Sheffield and Wellington and changed it’s name to Lakeside Japanese Christian Church. (picture above)
In 1997 Lakeside sold their church building in the Lakeview neighborhood and for 4 years rented South Park Church in Park Ridge, Illinois. In 2001 Lakeside purchased it’s current church building and changed the name of the church to Lakeside Church of Chicago.
Lakeside has become a multi-ethnic congregation, which seeks to know Christ and to make Christ known, using the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 as our mission mandate. We are cultivating a love for God (Mark 12:30), a love for one another in the body of Christ (John 13:34-35), and a love for all people (Mark 12:31). We teach the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself and His truth, and our final rule of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17).