OUR PAST

Many Alcoholics Anonymous meetings begin in someone’s home, a church, or a hospital. When a home group in Mokena needed more space, St. John’s Church agreed to provide a meeting room for two meetings a week.  After meetings, the group would gather outside to chat and take part in what is known as fellowship.  During the summer, late-night laughter disturbed the neighbors and the group needed to find a new place to call home.
 

In 1991, Don Ervin rented a room at 19836 Wolf Road in Mokena for $200 per month and kept Big Books in his trunk.  Meetings were added and they soon had a daily meeting schedule of 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, and 8 pm, most lasting over an hour.  As AA’s 7th tradition states, MFC was self-supporting. During each meeting a basket was passed and the funds collected would go to expenses to run the meeting, and support other AA-related organizations in the area. In the early days of MFC, until the group could support itself, Don E. provided the coffee, literature, rent and all utilities for the first year.  Every summer there was a picnic for members and their families to get to know each other and the first banquet was held in 1994.  Al-Anon always held their meeting on Sunday at 6 pm. The Saturday 8 p.m. meeting was devoted to the study of the first three Steps and hosted an open speaker meeting once a month. In 2004, Mokena Fellowship Center was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and was founded with the mission to provide facilities and/or functions to carry on the three legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous:  Unity, Service, and Recovery.

After 27 years at the Wolf Road address, on May 19, 2018, MFC moved to 11137 W. 191st Street in Mokena (downsizing to one room from two), and stayed for 2 years.  After 8 years of fundraising and searching, MFC found a forever home at last. On January 30, 2020, MFC purchased the former Victory Baptist Church. After a few months of renovating and updating to adhere to ADA standards, and receive an Occupancy License, MFC opened for meetings on August 1, 2020.  In these days of Covid, MFC has adapted to meet the needs of its Fellowship. MFC offers indoor, outdoor and virtual Zoom meetings every day, and has grown, adding new AA and Alanon meetings.  Come and see us, maybe Mokena Fellowship Center will be your new home, too.