Welcome to Worship 2024
YOUR LOCAL RELIGION GUIDE
Find Community at Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Looking for a place where you can connect with others and explore what truly moves you? Join a community dedicated to both spiritual growth and collective action for the greater good. Together, we work to turn our values into meaningful change in our community and beyond. Discover a community where you can live into your beliefs and values, and where love and connection is at the heart of everything we do.
Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a multigenerational, creedless community with a mission of welcoming all, inspiring compassion, nurturing wonder, and serving community. We welcome and affirm people as they are—wherever they are in their journey, however they identify and understand themselves, whomever they love. Together, we work for collective liberation within and beyond our landmark building walls. We offer:
• Inclusive Sunday Services: Experience open-hearted worship services that draw from diverse traditions, encourage reflection and connection.
• Lifelong Learning: Enrich your understanding through educational programs that explore various spiritual paths, philosophies and life’s big questions.
• Social Justice: Join like-minded individuals to support local initiatives creating positive impacts within our community and beyond.
• Youth & Family Engagement: Nurture the next generation’s values of compassion, empathy and curiosity through our engaging youth programs.
We invite you to check out our worship services and children & youth religious education programming at 9 & 10:45am on Sunday. Live-streamed at 9am. Connect with us at www.unitytemple.org.
Connection | Transformation | Acceptance | Justice
Worship Service and Religious Education Sundays at 9am and 10:45am 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 unitytemple.org
Chalice Art by Peg Green www.peacepeg.com
Oak Park Temple: A Community for All
Oak Park Temple: A Community for All
Step into our rotunda any Sunday morning, and you’ll see why we treasure Oak Park Temple as our Jewish home.
Our men’s club, the Bagel Boys, is serving up bagels and cream cheese. Kids are rushing from religious school class to a youth service, where we can hear them joyfully singing. Adults are chatting, reading the Sunday papers, or heading to Torah study.
Oak Park Temple is a vibrant, welcoming, multigenerational Jewish community - a place where new and longtime members, interfaith couples, Jews-by-choice, LGBTQ+ families, and more come together to worship, learn, make friends, and make a difference in our world.
Bringing us all together are our worship services. Our clergy inspire us with powerful lessons, and support us with deeply meaningful pastoral care. Our new cantor leads us in beautiful song, and raises up our voices beside hers.
Anyone who might be intimidated at connecting with a synagogue need not be. Our Reform services incorporate significant amounts of English. Our Torah study groups are open to everyone - no experience required. And for those who want to learn Hebrew or further deepen their Jewish knowledge, we have Hebrew classes and an adult education program that brings in speakers on a wide array of subjects.
Oh, and we also have fun! Our communal life includes a Jewish book club, picnics in the park, Shabbat walks through the woods, and folk-song and camp-style Shabbat services.
We come from diverse backgrounds and with different levels of Jewish knowledge. But we are united by a desire to live out our Judaism in communityand to welcome new friends to join us.
We are a community of all ages. Our preschool is a joyous and enriching setting where children and parents make lifelong friends. Our Tot Shabbats get everyone jamming. Our religious school develops older children’s Jewish learning and prepares them for adulthood. Adults can practice yoga at Oak Park Temple, join the choir, help our neighbors, and become involved in social justice.
As the High Holidays draw near, we invite you to get in touch.
For all who seek a deeper connection to Judaism, Oak Park Temple is a place of warmth and welcome - and perhaps your new home.
Local Church Celebrates 100 Years
Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 100th year worshipping in Oak Park. The church began at Whittier School with a membership of 69 people, before breaking ground at the corner of Fair Oaks Ave. and Thomas St. in 1926. The church built its current sanctuary beginning in 1950, and its gothic architecture and signature stained glass remains today.
While a 100-year-old church may sound a little stiff, Fair Oaks strikes a balance of remaining both relevant and true to the church’s lasting commitment to reflect Christ’s love, service and humility.
“It’s important to us at Fair Oaks that we meet people where they are,” said Rev. Hailey Braden Lynch, co-pastor at Fair Oaks. “We know that many have had different experiences with churches in the past. We want to honor
those experiences while showing our community the radical love of Jesus.”
Fair Oaks often shows its faith through action, investing in the Oak Park-Austin area and beyond through community service and donations. The church dedicates a portion of its annual budget to mission work, partnering with local agencies and congregations to give where it’s needed most.
Church members also organize and host service-related projects throughout the year, including an annual volunteer trip for high school students, donation drives around the holidays, and the Fair Oaks Market — a local artisan event to benefit Austin mission partners and the senior high mission trip.
Fair Oaks is an open and affirming congregation that worships every Sunday at 10 a.m. Visit www.fairoakspres. org for more information.
Find Community at Grace Lutheran Church
As Christ welcomes and redeems people without distinction or exception, so do we at Grace Lutheran Church as we answer the call to share God’s love with the community and beyond.
Our 10 a.m. Sunday worship features traditional liturgies and congregation singing led by our organ and choirs. We use prayers and readings to express our identity as the people of God and celebrate our unity with Christians across the ages. If you cannot make it in person, you can join us on our YouTube page (@ gracelutheranchurchriverforest).
Grace Gathers is our Sunday morning time together before worship at 8:45 a.m. Pastor Lyle leads us in scripture, conversation, and prayer before we split into the different groups: Sunday School (PreK to 6th grade), Confirmation (7th to 8th grade), Adult Education (speaker,
Bible study, or book study), and Making Disciples (our prospective new member class). Our high school students also meet monthly for food and fellowship after worship. Nursery care is available from 8:45 until 11:15 a.m.
During the month, there are various groups that meet regularly either for fellowship, Bible study, discussion, or spiritual growth. Some of them include yoga class, knitting group, Faith Forum, chronic illness support (Finding Hope), and many more. Cornerstones is our weekly senior citizen group who meet for fellowship and Bible study on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.
To find out what is happening, and to get involved, you can visit our website (graceriverforest.org) or stop by the church on Sunday. We hope to see you soon.
HSt. Christopher’s Episcopal Church: Am I really welcome?
ey there, dear reader. I’m George, a priest at St. Christopher’s, a lovely little neighborhood church at East and Adams in Oak Park. Our members and I invite you to join us some Sunday to check us out.
Our 8 am service is cozy and relaxed. Our 9:30 am Wiggle Worship service is full of explosive joy as kids lead and serve communion. At 11 am, our choir sings as we explore our lives through worship.
Hesitant to start out on a Sunday? Join us for one of our events: Serviceoriented outreach, The Blessing of the Animals, Blue Christmas in December; multigenerational wreath-making during Advent; chili cookoff; women’s gatherings; and “Thank You God for Video Games” youth night.
Stepping into a new church can feel wonderful and intimidating. But each
Sunday, we affirm that whoever you are; wherever you are on your journey of faith, we welcome you as you are. We include lifelong Episcopalians, nondenominational Christians, Catholics, atheists, agnostics, and more. We are all seekers.
In our pews are those who have been helped by religion and have been hurt by it. We are male, female, gendernonbinary, and trans. We are married and single, young and old, black and white. At St. Christopher’s, we believe that all are welcome at God’s table, including you.
I hope we’re lucky enough to meet you and see the good you bring into the world. Thanks for considering our church.
- Rev. George (George +)
Visit us at
We are a warm and welcoming community for individuals and families of all backgrounds.
Our Conservative congregation is home to a diverse group united by a dedication to Judaism and a love of the Jewish people. From young families raising their children to seniors sharing their experiences, Temple Har Zion nurtures faith and friendship. We pray, learn, and live, inspired by our Jewish faith, tradition, and community.
We strive to create an environment that is inclusive, uplifting, meaningful, and transformative throughout the full lifecycle, including intergenerational activities, ongoing adult education, cultural and community events, and social groups such as our Sisterhood. Our preschool and religious school create a strong foundation of Hebrew, study of the tradition, and tikkun olam (healing the world) for our youth.
We invite you to celebrate the High Holy Days with us in person or even online!
• Selichot Musical Service Sep 28
• Erev Rosh Hashanah Oct 2
• Rosh Hashanah Oct 3-4
• Kol Nidre Oct 11
• Yom Kippur Oct 12
• Sukkot Oct 16-18
• Simchat Torah Musical Service Oct 24
Complimentary High Holy Days tickets for first-time guests!
Sunday, October 20, 10am-12pm
Music by MISTER G!
No matter where you may be on your spiritual journey, you will find inspiration and meaning in our synagogue. Visit
Enjoy a day of fun, food, and music by Latin Grammy award-winning Ben Gundersheimer, better known as MISTER G! at our 2024 Jewish Latine Family Festival! Visit our website or scan the QR code for details and tickets.
If it’s your first time with us, we invite you to be our guests for the High Holy Days. Enjoy programs and services for all ages throughout the holidays.
Simply call or email us, and we’ll get a seat ready for you!
Interfaith families are welcome!
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Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of River Forest
Come as you are to First Pres River Forest! We may look like any church on the outside, but what you will find inside is what matters. There is laughter and noise. There are children. There are teenagers. There are adults. There is mess. There is music. There is beauty. There is mission work. There are Bible studies. There are celebrations. There is worship.
We invite you to come and see what we mean. Feel the vibrancy. Feel the sincerity. Feel the love of Christ. In all the different things we do, we have one singular focus on the main thing (spoiler alert, it’s Jesus!). As we prepare
to celebrate 100 years at Quick and Lathrop, you will find we don’t dwell in that rich history, but draw from the past and boldly lead into the future. First Pres is the future of church.
Unity, justice, and service to humanity with Baha’i Community of Oak Park
The Baha’i Faith is a world religion that emphasizes the oneness of God, religion, and humankind. It promotes principles of unity, justice, and service to humanity. We warmly invite individuals from all faiths to become partners walking together in service as we further in our mission to cultivate harmony and love among all people.
The Baha’i Community of Oak Park is one of the oldest Baha’i communities in the United States, dating back to 1898.
Our Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is an architectural wonder and serene sanctuary that invites visitors to explore its stunning gardens, experience its peaceful atmosphere and participate in uplifting community events.
The Baha’i Faith Community Center of Oak Park is a local gathering place for activities hosted by the local Bahai community.
Please join us every Sunday from 10:00 to 10:45 AM for the Hour of Prayer. This is an inclusive, interfaith devotional gathering. A special time open to all and providing a welcoming space for various expressions of prayer, song, and inspiration. We encouraged participants to bring their own readings and prayers to share during this uplifting event.
Please join us every Sunday from 11:00 to 12:30 PM for Meaningful Discussions. We meet to explore our inner spiritual nature discuss how we can contribute to creating a peaceful and united world and examine topics such as our purpose, and social justice.
Visit WWW.OPBAHAI.ORG for more information on events, programs or to contact our community.