Our Pastor
Pastor Charles J. Ivy accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 13. He was baptized at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Waukegan, Illinois, where his uncle, Rev. Bruce Ivy, served as pastor. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Ivy united with Shiloh Baptist Church of Waukegan in June 1974 under the late Rev. J. N. Lightfoot. He was crowned a Deacon in June 1987. Several years later, Pastor Ivy became Chairman of the Deacons and earned his certificate to teach Sunday School. On August 28, 1994, following the path God had chosen for him, Pastor Ivy accepted God’s call and was licensed to preach the gospel.
Early on, he completed multiple volunteer training programs for grief and bereavement, including Victory Hospital and Hospice Alliance. On April 13, 1997, he became an Ordained Baptist Minister. He was appointed to the position of Assistant to the Pastor here at Shiloh in 1999. He entered the Seminary at Northern Baptist Theological in 2004 and received his Master of Divinity degree on June 5, 2010.
I believe God has prepared me to serve him in many ways 'as a good servant of Jesus Christ'.
He was called to Faith Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana to serve as Pulpit Spiritual Leader in 2017. In December of 2018, Faith Baptist Church moved to accept Minister Ivy as their new Pastor. There, he provided pastoral care, support, and various responsibilities, utilizing the gifts God has given him. On April 30, 2021, the Shiloh Family called Pastor Ivy to become the 15th Pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church of Waukegan and Pastor answered the call on May 3, 2021.
When speaking about his roles as Pastor, Ivy believes "God has prepared me to serve him in many ways 'as a good servant of Jesus Christ'. In the words of Apostle Paul, 'My speech and my preaching [is] not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that [the people's] faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God' (1 Cor. 2:4-5)".
Pastor Ivy resides in the Lake County area with his wife, Shirley, of 39 years. Together, they have two wonderful children, Cedric (Anissa) and Alicia (Damon). They enjoy spending quality time with their family and creating new memories with their granddaughter, Riyah.