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Church History Page 6 In October of 1976, Reverend Samuel Leroy Thompson became pastor of West Side Assembly. His family included Wife Betty, Scott (13 years old at the time), Steve (an Art Major at Northern Illinois University), Patricia (who was working on becoming an RN at Burge School of Nursing in Springfield, Missouri), and Phyllis (the oldest who is married to Reverend Robert Johnson, pastor of the Assembly of God in Streator, Illinois). In January of 1977, the congregation voted to build a new church, and on February 12, 1977, a contract was signed with General Contractor Herbert W. Jaeger and Associates. The church was designed by Robert M. Kueny, who was a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship. Contemporary in design, the building has around 14,000 square feet of floor space, and a parking lot for 167 cars. Board members at this time were Floyd Lane, Larry Quiggle, Jess Walker, Homer Edwards, and Norman Dickson. In May 1977, after much work on Brother Thompson's part, a loan was secured at Rock River Savings. Construction was started and in November of 1977 the basement was in. Brother Thompson did a lot of work overseeing the building of this church. Finally it was closed in and to the point where people in the church gave of their time to stain the wood and paint the walls. Dedication of the church was held on October 15, 1978. Reverend Richard Dortch gave the dedication address, and Burton Beilfuss lead the singing. Northwest Section Presbyter Dwight Von Ahnen did the Invocation and the Benediction. Our own Riverside Choir "Victory Voices," led by Sister Thompson sang "How Great Thou Art" and "Come, Holy Spirit." Under the leadership of the Thompson's, the church continued to grow. In March of 1988, after 11-1/2 years here, Brother Thompson accepted a call to the church in Morton, Illinois.
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