Online Worship:

• Sunday Worship at Grace
  We will gather online on Zoom for worship on Sundays as a congregation. To join us this week for services at 10:30 a.m. CDT, follow this link at that time.  The password (which is case sensitive) is: GraceOP
  
• Wednesday Morning Prayer
  Father John will offer Morning Prayer on Facebook Live on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Please visit our Grace Episcopal Church Facebook page at 10:00 a.m. CDT to participate in this devotional time. You needn't have a Facebook account to watch. If you're not available at that time, please know that the videos will remain on our timeline for viewing at your convenience.
  

Effective March 13, 2020, all in-person worship and meetings in all churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, including Grace, have been suspended in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19.  Accordingly, we won’t gather for in-person worship until further notice. All meetings at, and sponsored by Grace are suspended until further notice.  This page contains information and resources to keep us connected during this time. An update from our bishop, continuing the suspension of in-person worship in our diocese (5/1/20), is here.

Episcopal CHurch

In Brief:

• There are no in-person meetings, gatherings or worship at Grace Church until further notice (this includes all 12-Step groups, and outside groups). These will be rescheduled.
  
  
• During this period of fasting from in-person contact let's remember that we can stay connected by praying for one another, by calling one another, and by reminding ourselves that by staying apart temporarily what we're actually doing is coming together to stay together.
  
  
• Effective March 22, Housing Forward announced that all their clients were moved to individual accommodations rather than providing a PADS shelter site.
  

Staying Connected
in a time of fasting from in-person contact

Grace

Online Meetings:

• Monday Evening Study Group
  Father John will continue the Monday evening Study Group on the Sermon on the Mount starting March 23rd.  We will gather on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. CDT – feel free to join us even for any part of this study! You can join the meeting for Monday by following this link at that time. The password (which is case sensitive) is: GraceOP
  
• Parent's Time Out
  Stressed out at home right now? Finding a routine that works for your family? Mondays at 9:00 p.m. CDT on Zoom all parents are invited (even those who are not members of the Grace community) who wish to share what it's like right now parenting during this shelter-in-place. This group will be a place to relax and take a breath, hear some encouragement, share wisdom or worries, and have a brief prayer time (we don't want to add another "meeting" to your schedule - you can always come and go as you need, and the gathering will last no more than 10-15 minutes). Father John will facilitate this meeting at first with some open-ended questions and invitations to share, and he is open to parents who wish to take the lead in subsequent meetings. You can join by clicking here (use password, case sensitive: GraceOP). Let your neighbors, friends, relatives know that all are welcome!
  
  

COVID-19 Updates

Links:

• March 13, 2020 notice to the community of Grace temporarily suspending meetings and worship per order of our bishop.
  
  
• Updated notice (5/1/20) from our bishop continuing the suspension of in-person worship in our diocese.
  
  
• The Book of Common Prayer is available as an easy-to-navigate PDF download, here.
  
  
• As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, our Presiding Bishop invites us to join him each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new meditation will be posted on Mondays through May.  View the videos here.
  
  
• Oak Park Covid-19 resources are here.
  
  
• Illinois Department of Public Health Covid-19 resources are here.
  
  
• Forward Movement is offering free online courses, Prayer and Worship in Our Homes, here.
  
  
• Forward Day by Day meditations (updated daily) from Forward Movement are here.
  
  
• Members are wondering about financial offerings and pledge payments during this time.  If you haven't yet pledged, we'd love to receive yours here.  To make a donation or pledge payment, please either mail a check to the church, or donate online here.
  
  
• The Village of Oak Park, the Community Mental Health Board, and Oak Park and River Forest Townships have collaborated to create the COVID-19 Social Services Resource Guide.