April Events
April's Event Calendar
Fellowship Groups
Cornerstones: Wednesdays at 10 a.m. (Church Library)
Yoga Class: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall)
Finding Hope: Fri., April 10, at 10 a.m. (Church Library)
Faith Forum: Tues., April 14, at 10 a.m. (Church Library and Zoom)
The Seder Meal as a Map for Life by Rabbi Adir Glick (Har Zion Temple)
Moms of Littles: Thurs., April 16, at 6:30 p.m. (Youth Center)
Religion in Literature: Fri., April 17, at 7:30 p.m. (Off-site)
“Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
Knitting Group: Tues., April 21, at 1 p.m. (Church Library)
Theology on Tap: Fri., April 24, at 7 p.m. (One Lake Brewing, Oak Park)
Men of Grace: Sat., April 25, at 9 a.m. (Youth Center)
Dads of Grace: Mon., April 27, at 7:30 p.m. (Off-site)
Grace Notes Mailing Crew: Thurs., April 30, at 9:30 a.m. (Church Library
For more information
Adult Education
Sun., April 12, at 9 a.m. (Seminar Room)
Why does Grace’s paschal candle look different this year? Also, what’s a paschal candle and why do we have one? Learn more about this tradition and the paschal candle’s place in our worship life, then step behind the scenes of the making of this year’s candle with Liz Hanson.
Sun., April 19, at 9 a.m. (Seminar Room)
As a follow up to Mark Bouman’s session on the Calumet Heritage Area, Laura Merwin will share some work she and her research collaborators, the Slag Queens, have done in the region. Their interest in the volunteer plants that have colonized old industrial dumping grounds has led to a growing understanding that while Calumet landscapes have been heavily impacted by human activities, they nonetheless still represent biodiverse, functional communities. The switch from “degraded, fit for restoration” to “novel, of value” has helped land managers make decisions about how to care for sites in ways that benefit human and no-human residents.
Adult Education: Sun., April 26, at 11:30 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
We are welcoming back Rev. Angela Denker to share about her new book, “Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood,” and to share an update on the growth of white Christian Nationalism in American politics, and how the theological idol of the movement has shifted, since she first started her work and research in this area in 2018, with her first book “Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism” and the wreckage it leaves behind. She will share about how this movement has increasingly emphasized gender, and how the example of Jesus can counter a push toward violent masculinity, especially in online targeting of white, Christian men and boys
Upcoming Events
Easter Brunch: Sun., April 12, at 11:15 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
2026 Confirmands and their mentors invite you to brunch after worship.
Operation Deluge: Sun., April 19, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Atrium)
Stop by to enjoy a treat, sign a card, and send a word of prayer or encouragement to a Grace member.
Upcoming Concerts
Heritage Chorale: Sun., April 12, at 4 p.m. (Sanctuary)
Tickets: General admission ($20) and Seniors: ($15)
Heritage Choral performs Johannes Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) and Zoey Lim’s commissioned piece, a setting of Emily Dickinson’s poem “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark.” Three Nocturnes by Daniel Elder, a fanciful setting of Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” and pieces by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Stephen Foster, Thomas Morley, and Rosephanye Powell deepen the resonances of the concert’s theme. The link to purchase tickets can be found on Grace Links.
Fine Arts Festival Concert: Fri., April 17, at 7 p.m. (Sanctuary)
Congregation members are invited to the concert that wraps up the school’s Fine Arts Festival.
Bach Cantata Vespers: Sun., April 19, at 3:45 p.m. (Sanctuary)
Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146
We must enter the kingdom of God through much sorrow
The title for this cantata, written for the Third Sunday of Easter, is misleading. While the cantata does at first point to the suffering that Christians endure in the world, the initial sorrow changes to joyful Easter hope of a future life in the kingdom of God. The sinfonia for organ and orchestra and the opening chorus are based on movements from an earlier concerto, which Bach again reused for his concerto for harpsichord in D minor (BWV 1052)