Welcome to Grace! Below you will find answers to some common newcomer questions.
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Church of England. We are a denomination that straddles a traditional, liturgical style of worship with a decidedly progressive and inclusive theology that comes out of our preaching, hospitality and service to the community. Within the Episcopal Church there are districts led by bishops that we call dioceses. We are a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, led by Bishop Paula Clark.
For more information: The Episcopal Church · Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
When Mary Magdalene proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead, she became the first evangelist. Women have been leaders in the Church from the very beginning. Unfortunately it took much longer for women to be recognized in formal leadership. The Episcopal Church has been ordaining women since 1976 and today women are welcome at all levels of leadership in the church.
We welcome LGBTQ+ people fully into our church and this includes the celebration of marriage. We also recognize that the institutional church has, and in some places continues to be, exclusionary to LGBTQ+ people. We, here at Grace, are always working to repent for those past harms and make our church the loving and inclusive place God desires it to be.
We have services at 8:00 am and 10:30 am every Sunday. Our 10:30 am service is also live-streamed to Facebook. More about Sunday services
We have spots in front of the church on Pine Street, angled parking spots on Hickory Street, and a lot behind the church too. Take your pick!
At Grace, we believe Jesus is truly present with us in the bread and wine. We also believe Eucharist is God’s feast and intended for all God’s people. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, you are invited to take communion or come forward for a blessing if you prefer. We invite everyone to come forward and either kneel or stand in front of the altar rail. We use gluten-free bread, a shared chalice of wine, and individual cups of grape juice to ensure that everyone is able to take part in God’s feast.
Yes, wholeheartedly! We love having children at our services because we believe that even the youngest among us are full members of the Body of Christ. We also provide crayons and quiet fidget toys so children can be active participants in our services.
Yes! Sunday School meets at 10:15 am, during the first part of our 10:30 am service, and children rejoin the congregation at the sign of the peace. Sunday School is for children ages 3 through 5th grade. We teach on a variety of topics including our weekly Bible readings, why we do certain things at our services, and what it means to be a follower of Jesus out in the world. We tailor our lessons based on the ages of the children who are present on any given week. Adults are invited to join our Adult Forum, which meets earlier at 9:00 am. On Discovery Service Sundays there is no Sunday School: we all worship and learn together. Our Sunday School typically runs during the standard school year.
Absolutely! Baptism, or the rite of initiation into the church, is available to any who seek it. We will set up a time for baptism preparation and ask you to choose at least one godparent (“sponsor”) who is already a baptized Christian. Please email [email protected] about scheduling you or your child’s baptism.
We do not charge a fee for sacraments. Any couple who would like to be married, including LGBTQ+ couples, are welcome to do so with the following requirements: (1) that they give the priest at least 30 days notice, (2) that they be prepared by the priest in at least 3 sessions of marriage preparation and (3) that at least one of the two in the couple is a baptized Christian.
We consider you a part of our church from the moment you walk through the door. If you would like to become more involved, we invite you to sign up for our E-Newsletter to find out about what is going on in the life of our church, and to join our Parish Directory so we can stay in touch.
If you would like to become a member in a more formal sense, we invite any baptized person over the age of 13 to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church.
If you have other questions, please feel free to contact Fr. Bryan to learn more.
