Sacred Heart Church, 721 N Springfield St, Virden, IL 62690, US

HistorySouthern View Chapel has faithfully proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Springfield, Illinois, community since its inception in the spring of 1938. During the first 11 years, there was no stable pastoral ministry, but that changed in the Fall of 1949 when a young pastor from Peoria by the name of Edward Hellyer arrived. Pastor Hellyer served the church as Senior Pastor until his semi-retirement in 1980, when he became the Visitation Pastor. Even after full retirement and a 90th birthday party, Pastor Hellyer continued leading our monthly communion service until 2006. In 1980, Gary E. Gilley became the Senior Pastor, after serving the church as Assistant Pastor since 1975. Over the course of his pastoral ministry the church experienced steady numerical growth. As a result, it became increasingly apparent that new facilities were necessary. After more than a decade of prayer and faithful giving, SVC moved to its current church building in 2003.SpecialtiesA well-loved hymn opens with these lines,