St. Edmund's Episcopal Church

What St. Edmund's Episcopal Church does

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church is a historically Black Episcopal congregation founded in 1905 in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood, operating as a non-profit religious organization. It conducts two in-person Sunday worship services (8:00am solemn and 10:30am with choral music and Holy Eucharist) at 6105 S. Michigan Avenue, supplemented by a YouTube livestream of the 10:30am service for remote participation. The church's core offerings include Sunday School and nursery care for children from 3 months old, the St. Dunstan's Choir and Music Ministry directed by Marcus Rhodes, a historic Casavant pipe organ acquired in 1963, and 33 commissioned stained-glass windows depicting Black religious figures. It also runs community programs including monthly BINGO events ($10 entry with $5 additional boards), an annual Back-to-School BBQ in partnership with CICS-Washington Park, and a Little Free Library.

The organization is governed by an elected Vestry of lay members and led by Father Barnabas Pusnur, who became the fourth rector in 2024, succeeding The Right Rev. Doctor Richard L. Tolliver (1989-2017). The church employs approximately 4-5 paid staff and operates under the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Its sole technology footprint is a Squarespace-hosted website, a PayPal donation channel, and a YouTube streaming channel — there is no proprietary platform, software product, or AI/ML capability. Revenue is generated through voluntary tithes and offerings (recurring donations via PayPal and in-service collection) and modest transactional fees from community events, with no fee-based services or commercial products.

Beyond its worship mission, St. Edmund's exerts community influence through the St. Edmund's Redevelopment Corporation — a subsidiary focused on housing development (senior housing, single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, and rental apartments) in Washington Park — and through longstanding interfaith partnerships such as the joint Palm Sunday procession with St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church. The church's customer base is its local congregation and Washington Park neighbors, with no disclosed external enterprise customers, and there is no available disclosure of current membership numbers, annual budget, or financial performance.

Name

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church

Legal name

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church

Website

https://stedmundschicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church is a historically Black Episcopal congregation in Chicago's Washington Park, founded in 1905, offering Sunday worship services, Christian education, music ministry, and community programs to neighborhood residents and parishioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Worship Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Episcopal worship services
• Christian education programs
• Community outreach ministry
• Children's ministry services
• Church music ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from congregation members through PayPal and in-person contributions during worship services
2. Event Fees: Revenue from community events such as BINGO sessions ($10 entry fee, additional boards $5 each)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church provides Christian worship services, religious education, and community outreach programs from its historic Washington Park location in Chicago. Its central offerings include twice-weekly Sunday worship with Holy Eucharist, Christian education for children and adults, a music ministry featuring the St. Dunstan's Choir and Casavant pipe organ, and community fellowship events such as BINGO and the annual Back-to-School BBQ. All worship services are free and open to the public, with the church sustained primarily by voluntary donations and modest event fees.

Product overview

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church is a historically Black Episcopal church in Chicago's Washington Park offering a unified portfolio of worship and community services. The core offering consists of Sunday worship services at 8:00am and 10:30am, supplemented by the St. Dunstan's Choir and Music Ministry featuring a Casavant pipe organ, Sunday School and Nursery programs for children ages 3 months and up, and various guilds and organizations for adult ministry and community engagement. Community programs include BINGO events, annual Back-to-School BBQs, and a Little Free Library. All programs are provided directly by the church without a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Weekly in-person worship services held at 8:00am (solemn worship without music) and 10:30am (liturgically beautiful worship with choral music and Holy Eucharist), with the 10:30am service livestreamed on YouTube for remote participation. Free and open to all.
• Sunday School and Nursery Christian education program serving children ages 3 months to 3 years during the 10:30am Eucharist, with Sunday school available for ages 3 and up. Nursery and Sunday school teachers provide support, with Dawn Prather-Hawk as the contact for questions.
• Music Ministry and St. Dunstan's Choir Music ministry featuring the St. Dunstan's Choir composed of select congregation members and professional singers, directed by Marcus Rhodes (Director of Music). The choir sings during regular services and presents special programs including The Seven Last Words during Holy Week and Christmas holiday music programs.
• Guilds and Organizations Ministry Parish ministry groups including Church Acolytes, Episcopal Church Women (ECW), Lay Eucharistic Ministry, St. Agatha Altar Guild, St. Monica's Guild, St. Veronica's Guild, Ushers and Greeters, and Strategic Team Ministries (Church Growth, Communications, Community Engagement, Financial Sustainability, Property).
• Community Programs and Events Regular community events including BINGO (every third Saturday, 1:00-3:00pm, $10 entry fee with additional boards $5 each), Back-to-School BBQ (annual event following the 10:30am service), joint Palm Sunday Blessing and Procession of the Palms with St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church, and Little Free Library program accessible at the church parking lot entrance.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chicago International Charter School (CICS-Washington Park)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005St. Edmund's Redevelopment Corporation brought Chicago International Charter School to operate out of St. Edmund's building. Ongoing collaboration includes community events such as Back-to-School BBQ welcoming new kindergarten students and their families.
• St. Anselm Roman Catholic ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970Established tradition of joint Palm Sunday Blessing and Procession of the Palms between St. Edmund's Episcopal Church and St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church.
• St. Edmund's Redevelopment CorporationcoreOthersCreated under Father Tolliver's leadership to provide housing options including senior citizen housing, single family homes, townhouses, condominiums, and rental apartments in Washington Park community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• All Saints' Episcopal Church, Atlanta: Historically prominent Black Episcopal congregation in Atlanta with deep civil rights heritage and music ministry. Comparable as a historically Black Episcopal parish with strong music tradition, stained glass/architectural heritage, and social justice identity.
• St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, New Orleans: Historically Black Episcopal congregation in New Orleans with similar music-led worship and community programs. Comparable as a historically Black Episcopal parish operating urban community ministries.
• St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Chicago: Hyde Park–Kenwood Episcopal parish with comparable Sunday services, music program, and Christian education offerings. Directly comparable as a Chicago Episcopal parish operating worship, formation, and outreach ministries.
• Trinity Episcopal Church, Chicago: Long-established Episcopal parish in Chicago offering traditional Sunday worship, music ministry, and community outreach programs. Comparable as a mainline Episcopal congregation serving an urban Chicago neighborhood with a similar mix of worship, education, and civic engagement.

Broad incumbents

• St. James Cathedral, Chicago (Episcopal): The seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago; offers worship, music, education, and community programming. Comparable as a larger Episcopal body within the same diocese providing traditional worship, music, and Christian formation.
• Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta: One of the most prominent historically Black Protestant congregations in the U.S., with civil rights heritage and active worship and community programming. Comparable as a Black Protestant congregation known for historic social justice legacy and cultural significance.

Regional players

• Christ Universal Temple, Chicago: Large, predominantly Black non-denominational church on Chicago's south side with significant community outreach and educational programs. Comparable as a south side Black congregation operating community-facing ministries.
• Apostolic Church of God, Chicago: Large historically Black church on Chicago's south side with extensive community programming including housing, education, and family services. Comparable as a Black church anchoring community development in nearby south side neighborhoods.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@stedmundschicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/SaintEdmundsChicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-edmunds-tower-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Edmund's Episcopal Church