The Wayside Chapel at The Center

About

The Center gives people of all faiths, backgrounds, and ages the space to dream, grow, and become fully alive.

Story

In 1932 Paul Sanders—Sandy—was given nine acres of land by a Palos farmer named Ernest Warner. Sandy’s dream was to build “a house by the side of the road” that would be welcome to all, to people of all faiths and to people of no faiths.

Those initial nine acres have grown to seventy-eight at present.

Today, we host weddings, baptisms, memorials, and vespers at our Wayside Chapel. We also are home to the Lodge, a place for meetings, presentations, luncheons, and retreats; Pathway to Sobriety, a longterm residential recovery program; the Log Cabin Center for the Arts, a full service art program featuring everything from poetry to pottery; the Farm & Nature Discovery Preschool, a DCFS accredited school for three- to five-year-olds; three different Summer Camps; and the Children's Farm, a real Chicagoland working farm that provides education and fun to thousands of visitors each year.

As we have grown, Sandy’s dream has been the core of The Center’s mission over those decades to this very day.

Dreams are an important part of The Center, and we give people of every age the space to dream. We strive to inspire people because we truly believe inspired people can change the world.

The Center
12700 Southwest Highway
Palos Park, Illinois
708.361.3650