We at Grace are a small congregation, but a very active one! We believe it is important to help our members grow as Christians, but also believe in reaching out to the community around us.
Grace regularly offers Christian formation classes, activities and ministries for adults (and some for kids!). These include:
- Second Sunday Sunday School: Our “one-room” schoolhouse for our parish children, this monthly Sunday School class helps introduce even the youngest Grace members to Christian development in a fun and welcoming environment.
The Night Ministry:
Since the 1970s, the Night Ministry has responded to the needs of
people in Chicago's neighborhoods without judgment. Through this
program, participants from Grace Church assist their neighbors in
Humboldt Park by serving 150 sandwiches and cups of soup on the second
Thursday of each month.
- Post-Coffee Hour Discussions: Following our 10 a.m. worship service and Coffee Hour, we often host discussions led by Father Ted Curtis or other members of Grace on thought-provoking topics. Recent ones include discussions on the 4th-Century Nicene Creed and why it still matters today in our Christian lives; an informational session from a homeless ministry, and a series of discussions on how our race, sex, and sexual orientation impact how we experience faith.
- Movie Night: We gather in our rector’s or another member’s home for food, fellowship and film, engaging each other in friendly discussion about the movie on the screen.
- Sunday at the Art Institute with Grace: A series of after-church visits to the Art Institute of Chicago a Grace member shares insights into a piece of artwork. A recent “pocket lecture” led by two Grace members who formerly served as artists-in-residence in Florence, Italy, focused on Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Renaissance-era “Gates of Paradise” bronze panels from the famed Baptistery in Florence.
- Race at Grace: Members of our congregation take part in regular Race at Grace discussions, where we tackle the often-touchy subjects of race, prejudice and privilege in America – and how those play out in our own lives and even in the larger church.
- Chicago
South Loop Campus Ministry: Grace Church is
home to
this exciting new ministry to thousands of college students now living
in the South Loop. A joint Episcopal-Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America venture, this ministry centers around weekly, informal worship
in a setting that allows young people to ask tough spiritual questions
in a safe, non-judgmental space.
- Annual
“Blessing of the Animals”:
The South
Loop has one of Chicago’s largest concentrations of pets, and
Grace realizes the important roles they play in residents’
lives.
On the first Sunday in October, Grace joins with Christians worldwide
in celebrating the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint
of animals. An outdoor pet blessing, attended by members and local
residents alike, is followed by fellowship indoors (of both pets AND
people) and a worship service that invites and includes our furry
friends.