Rev. Samuel Strachan, a servant of God
Highlights for Black History
Rev. Samuel Strachan, is a native of the Island of Jamaica in the West Indies. He retired from West Pullman Church of God in 2018, where he served as pastor since November of 1983.
Rev. Strachan graduated from the Jamaica Bible School in 1960 and served the United Brethren Church, in which he was converted, as a local pastor from 1960–1962. In 1962, he came to the United States to further his studies at Huntington College, in Huntington, Indiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Theology in 1967 and upon completion of his education at Huntington, he enrolled in Wheaton College Graduate School of Theology in Wheaton, Illinois. There he earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education.
During Rev. Strachan’s stay at Wheaton College, he went to Italy in 1968 as a summer missionary with Operation Mobilization, and to the Philippines in the summer of 1969 as a youth worker with the Southern Baptist Convention.
After graduation from Wheaton College, Rev. Strachan worked with Rev. Gilbert Leigh, former Pastor of Ingleside Community Church of the Nazarene in Chicago. He served from 1969-1977 as Associate Pastor and Youth Minister. Pastor Strachan also became Director of Imani House, a group home for delinquent boys and Social Service coordinator for their Head Start programs. Pastor Strachan always lent a jand of support where needed.
Rev. Strachan served for over five decades with New World Christian Ministries, a not-for-profit Christian Social Service Organization, which he helped to establish. He also served for many years as Assistant Program Administrator for the child care programs for the Agency.
For many years, he served as chairman of the church council at West Pullman. In October, 1984, he received a Certificate of Ordination from the Ministerial Assembly of the Church of God, from Anderson, Indiana.
He also studied at a number of colleges and university, receiving training and certificates from The Jamaica Bible College, Kennedy King College, the University of Illinois and the colleges mentioned above. His work history and services stretched globally from Spaldings, Jamaica, Cebu City, Philippines, Princeton, NJ. to Chicago. He was given the opportunity to serve on a number of Boards; such as Caribbean Children’s Fund, Developing Communities Project, Inc., 34th Ward Ministerial Alliance, and Obadiah Institute.
In fact, President Barack Obama, was the first Executive Director and Community Organizer for the Developing Communities Project on the south side of Chicago. He came to Rev. Strachan’s office and recruited him in the early 80’s to serve on his board of Directors. Pastor served on the board for about 30 years. He served as chaplain, nomination committee chair, member of the finance committee and member of Local leaders for Change Committee. Pastor actively served with the Food Pantry at the Kroc Center in Chicago before the global pandemic. Today, through the use of Zoom he teaches Sunday School for Universal Community Church.
Over the years, Rev. Samuel Strachan has humbly served his various position, with the help of God, his wonderful wife Sadie and his daughter, Yukio, by his side.
-Used with permission