JANUARY 4, 2023
Vol. VII No. 1 2022’s biggest stories, PAGE 6
Village board races form across Proviso suburbs
vfpress.news
2 churches catch fire in Maywood in less than 2 weeks
Westchester, Maywood races most contested among ninesuburb Village Free Press readership area
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Shanel Romain/Staff
Rev. Ronald Beamon stands in front of New Life In Christ Bible Church in Maywood, which burned down on Dec. 26.
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Races for village board seats are forming across Proviso Township, with some suburbs expected to see more contested races than others during the April 4, 2023, Consolidated Election. We’ve compiled a list of candidates who have filed for various seats. The information is taken from local clerk’s offices in the ninesuburb VFP readership, which includes: Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, Stone Park and Westchester. If you think we’ve missed some candidate(s) or have inaccurate information, please email: michael@oakpark.com. Bellwood Three trustee seats are open on the Bellwood village board. The three trustees seeking See CANDIDATES on page 8
D209 supt. asked to resign, PAGE 4-5
New Life in Christ Bible Church and New Rock of Ages caught fire last week, both churches housed in historic worship facilities By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The first church caught fire a day after Christmas. The second burned four days later. And now, two congregations housed in historic church buildings in Maywood are working to rebuild amid what remains of their houses of worship. At around 3 p.m., on Dec. 26, the New Life in Christ Bible Church, 1642 S. 15th Ave. in Maywood, caught fire, resulting
in major structural damage and a collapsed roof. No one was injured in the blaze, but the loss was widespread since the church was once home to the historic Rock of Ages Baptist Church before the megachurch moved to its current Maywood location in 1995. A week before Christmas, Rev. Ronald Beamon, the pastor of New Life In Christ Bible Church, 1642 S. 15th Ave. in Maywood, was bursting with pride. The sanctuary was decorated with Christmas trees and lights. And Beamon was reveling in some of the updates he’d recently implemented. “Two weeks before Christmas, I spent every day here,” Beamon said in an interview on Dec. 29. “We hadn’t cleaned the church in two years because of the pandemic. I was here repairing broken windows. We just bought an organ, a keyboard, brand new speakers — we even bought new Bibles over the last
year.” Beamon said his congregation opted to worship on Dec. 17, allowing them to spend more time on Christmas Sunday with their families. Two weeks later, the facility in which New Life in Christ Bible Church had worshiped for 27 years was engulfed in flames. Beamon said the fire was the biggest he’d seen in his life. The ordeal, he said, has been tough. “This was pretty devastating,” he said. “It feels like somebody died. Right now, I’m just going through the stages of grief. I know you’re not supposed to love stuff, but a house worship is different.” There were no injuries and no surrounding properties sustained much, if any, damage, the Maywood Fire Department said. “The fire department has done See CHURCH FIRES on page 3