In 1938, one hundred and twenty-five families living in a community called Sunnyland petitioned the Peoria Council of Christian Churches for help in establishing a new church in the Sunnyland area, an area located between East Peoria and Washington, Illinois.
The first building of the newly formed church was built on Loren Street. On a Saturday in September 1938, workers from the Carpenters’ Union and other local volunteers set upon the task of “The Miracle of Sunnyland.”
With the building erected, pews installed, and exterior painting complete, the first worship service was held in the newly constructed church at 7:00 pm that same evening.
The membership charter of the new church listed only thirty-one people including the pastor, Reverend Donald Legg. During the next two decades the congregation grew enough that they needed to find a larger church home. In 1953 we built a new sanctuary, added classrooms in 1956, and the built a parsonage next door in 1957. In the 1970s, SCC decided a new sanctuary was in order, and our current worship space was dedicated in 1976. Its striking 8-point shake roof was first opened in April 1976, and the sanctuary was updated to its current copper-colored roof.
Our buildings have grown and changed with the needs of our congregation and community, but Sunnyland Christian Church is not primarily a building and never has been. It is about the people who call this place home, and experience God's love in our community.