Retired Covenant pastor Greg Mesimore died August 18, 2026. He was 71.
Gregory Scott Mesimore was born on July 25, 1955, in Greensboro, North Carolina, to Harold and Flora Belle Mesimore. Growing up in North Carolina, he became a lifelong fan of the Tar Heels—a devotion he held alongside the Chicago Cubs fandom he picked up after settling in Illinois.
After graduating from high school, Greg attended Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, earning a bachelor of arts degree in Bible and history in 1977. He earned an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1983 and an MA in church history in 1984. He completed Covenant Orientation at North Park Theological Seminary and was ordained by the Evangelical Covenant Church in 1988. He later earned a doctor of ministry in preaching from North Park Theological Seminary in 2002.
He married Charlotte Csakai on October 8, 1989.
Greg served as associate pastor of Faith Covenant Church in Wheaton, Illinois, for ten years. He went on to serve Edgebrook Covenant Church in Chicago for twenty-eight years, where the church’s written history says he led the congregation “with tender loving care and innovative ideas.” One of the ministries he loved and enjoyed supporting was Café Eutychus, a coffeehouse set in the church’s chapel, featuring live music and open to the neighborhood. Among his other contributions, he led the congregation through a “50-Day Spiritual Adventure” and started an annual Christmas Open House at the parsonage that became a beloved tradition. He also helped shape the church’s mission statement, “Committed to Christ, Calling to Community,” words that reflected his own pastoral heart. He retired in 2022.
Outside the church, Greg loved cycling through Chicago’s forest preserves and shared a passion for cars with friends who became like family. In his final years, he was cared for and cherished by a wide circle of loved ones—congregants, cycling buddies, fellow pastors, and car enthusiasts alike—along with relatives both in Chicago and back home in North Carolina.
Greg is survived by his wife, Charlotte; sons, Charles Mesimore (Alison) and Nathanael Williams (Bridget); granddaughters, Grace Elizabeth and Abigail Rose; sisters, Neilsa Warren and Marleen Farris; and a niece, Stephanie Warren.
Visitation will be held Friday, September 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 6150 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago, Illinois. A memorial service will follow Saturday, September 26, at 11 a.m. at Edgebrook Covenant Church, 6355 N. Spokane Ave., Chicago. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Edgebrook Covenant Church.
Peace be to his memory.
