Woman Visits 121 Places of Worship in One Month, Shatters Record

When Vicki Garlock read about someone visiting 76 places of worship in a month, she thought one thing: I can beat that. The former psychology professor and interfaith educator spent most of 2024 planning an ambitious tour through Chicago's religious landscape.

Garlock grew up Lutheran near Chicago and now writes about world religions for kids. After seven months negotiating with Guinness World Records, she had her parameters: visit more than 77 places of worship in 30 days using only public transportation.

She chose Chicago for its incredible religious diversity and transit system. Throughout August, she scheduled 85 to 90 stops, personally reaching out to every location including multiple ELCA Lutheran congregations.

Then came week one of September 2024. Garlock visited a Jewish synagogue, an Islamic center, and several churches on day one. Everyone welcomed her with open arms.

But on Friday, Guinness emailed with shocking news. Someone else had just visited 111 places of worship. Garlock now needed 112 visits to claim the record.

After a night of pizza and wine, she changed strategy. Instead of sticking only to scheduled appointments, she started dropping in wherever she found people worshiping. A Seventh-day Adventist congregation meeting in an art gallery enthusiastically directed her to two more churches nearby.

For the next three weeks, Garlock spent six to ten hours daily on trains, buses, and her own two feet. She visited Hindu temples on Devon Avenue, the Bahá'í temple in Wilmette, and twelve Lutheran churches including Holy Family Lutheran in Cabrini-Green, her first Black ELCA congregation.

Some visits lasted an hour with detailed tours. Others took just minutes with a quick signature from building managers or cleaning staff. Her biggest day included 14 stops across Evanston and Wilmette.

She walked through pouring rain searching for temples, lost verification signatures at a Catholic church, and constantly hunted for public bathrooms. At Hispanic Catholic churches during an ICE scare, she witnessed communities simply trying to live their lives with dignity.

The Ripple Effect

Garlock's month-long pilgrimage revealed something powerful about America right now. Despite headlines suggesting deep division, she found overwhelming kindness at every stop across dozens of faith traditions.

Faith leaders, administrative staff, and worshipers consistently opened their doors to a stranger. They shared their sacred spaces, told their stories, and celebrated her mission. Chicago's Devon Avenue alone hosts Hindu and Sikh temples, multiple Jewish synagogues, several mosques, and numerous churches, all coexisting peacefully.

She ultimately visited 121 houses of worship, shattering the previous record by ten. More importantly, she collected 121 stories of people eager to share their faith and welcome an outsider.

Her journey proved what many Americans already suspect: most people, regardless of their beliefs, choose kindness when given the chance.