From shoveling walks and changing light bulbs to greeting church members and chairing the church council, Chuck Diddia wore many hats as a member of Bethany Union Church, 1750 W. 103rd St., in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood.
But it was his appreciation for live musical performances that recently compelled the congregation to establish a fine arts scholarship in his memory.
A recent news release announcing the Chuck Diddia Fine Arts Scholarship described him as someone who could often be seen “enthusiastically throwing his arms up in the air” at church services when he heard songs that moved him. Diddia, who died in November, was also known to attend performances by fellow church members to show support for their appearances in local productions.
“He was a music lover,” said Diddia’s wife of 63 years, Nancy Diddia, who moved with him to the Beverly area in 1967. “His support for music and the arts really grew with taking our granddaughter Hannah to voice lessons. She’s now 32. The church also had lots of children’s concerts and productions. When Hannah was 13 or 14, she sang for the church.”
Diddia, who was retired from AT&T as the director of engineering and construction, attended performances by Maria Barwegen, a professional actor and singer living in the south suburbs who first came to the church seven years ago to sing for a Christmas Eve service.
“I came and loved it,” Barwegen said. “The music director asked me to sub several times, and I kept coming back. I liked that the church was inclusive and had diverse membership. I liked that there were other artists at the church too.”
She also noticed that Diddia seemed to be at the center of everything at Bethany Union.
“I knew he held many positions with the church, but what I remember most was that he was there every day, even changing furnace filters and shoveling the walks,” Barwegen said. “Chuck was also a greeter. He was just the glue.”
Barwegen eventually joined the church and even brought her parents on occasion.
“Before they knew Chuck, my dad used to call him, ‘the guy with the firm handshake,’” Barwegen said. “My dad died two and a half years ago, and before he passed away, Chuck brought him communion.”
Thirteen years ago, Diddia traveled far and wide to recruit the current pastor, the Rev. Laurence Michael Cameron, better known to the congregation as “Reverend Larry,” from a congregation in Michigan.
“We’re really happy to do this memorial scholarship,” Cameron said. “Chuck was all things Bethany Union. He was all about service, doing for others, and inclusiveness.”
Those admirable traits harken back to the church’s roots as a multi-denominational Christian congregation, Cameron said.
The Beverly-Morgan Park area has long had several Catholic congregations, but after the Great Chicago Fire, settlers were moving beyond Chicago’s original city limits, Cameron said. Because only a few people of different protestant Christian denominations were present in what was then a remote area, it made sense to create a multi denominational Christian church.
Bethany Union was founded in 1872 by Free Baptists, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists, Cameron said.
The current Neo-Gothic church structure was built in 1926 and designed by architect Raymond Hood. It includes arches and other medieval touches reminiscent of the Chicago Tribune Tower, another Hood design.
Beyond caring for the church structure and managing many aspects of it’s function, Diddia also built sets for dramatic productions held at the church, Cameron said. “He was also active with the Scout program (for Troop 607), which recently celebrated 100 years,” he said. “Chuck served as the liaison for the church and them. His sons were Eagle Scouts.”
On a recent Sunday, while sitting with Diddia family members in the church meeting hall, longtime church member Rol Dix described Diddia as central to the church and a dear friend. “He was at the church seven days a week,” Dix said. “He would lock it up at night.”
“He performed so many duties, they’re having a hard time finding people to fill all those jobs,” said Diddia’s daughter Cheryl Diddia-Bernstein, church council chair. “He did everything but deliver the service. And he even did that once when the pastor was sick!”
Diddia also was a bit of an actor. At the very least, he was willing to perform as Santa, according to his daughter-in-law, Liz Diddia, a teacher at nearby John D. Shoop Academy of Math, Science and Technology.
“He was big time into doing things for kids,” she said. “He was overseer of the church’s Benevolent Drive for Shoop Elementary. Nancy and Chuck would help give out Christmas presents to kids at the school. He was always committed to education.”
During a recent brainstorming session with other church members on measures to attract new membership, Barwegen suggested the arts scholarship to honor Diddia. Like her, several other church members are artists who live outside of the church’s immediate area. They include some North Siders and at least one Indiana resident.
“Chuck supported the music program 150%,” said Linda Murphy, of Gary, Indiana, who is a regular singer in the church choir. “It’s part of our heritage. World famous people have performed here including Sherrill Milnes (operatic baritone) and Dexter Bailey (organist).”
But though the fine arts scholarship is open to artists from anywhere of any age, preference will be shown to local artists from Beverly, Morgan Park and the surrounding area, Barwegen said. “That’s because with this effort, we’re trying to serve the immediate community.”
Besides musical artists, other talented creators, including visual artists, can apply by submitting a short self-recorded video of a performance or presentation of their art, keeping in mind it be suitable for the church setting. Applicants should also include a short, written biography.
Finalists will be invited to perform or present individually at Sunday services. “From those finalists, we’ll select a winner at the end of the year, but it won’t be like a talent contest,” Barwegen said. “It will be more a matter of putting the names in a hat and drawing a winner from those who already performed.”
Will incorporating the art performances and presentations into services require special coordination between the pastor and church’s music minister David Zizic? “Not at all,” Cameron said. “We’ve been known to rely on the holy spirit to pull things together.”
And people like Chuck Diddia.
More information about the scholarship is available via email at Scholarship@BethanyUnion.com and donations to the scholarship fund are at https://www.gofundme.com/f/honor-chucks-legacy-fund.
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.