May 25 Healing Prayer at Saturday Evening Worship
5:00 p.m.
Activity Center
June 1 and 2
Youth Car Wash
9:00am-3:00pm Sat.
7:30am-1:30pm Sun.
June 9-June 16
Side-by-Side Youth Summer Mission
Jonesboro, AR
June 19
Open GYM (Youth)
Water Park
June 25-27
Hope at Home Youth Summer Mission
Chicagoland
July 11
Open GYM (Youth) to Michigan Dunes
July 24
Open GYM (Youth) to Zoo
For a comprehensive listing of upcoming events, click the "Grace in Mission Weekly Announcements" link under "Our Church Media" on this page
First Time Visitors
Welcome to Grace Church! You have choices in your search for a church home. In fact, even coming to church at all is a choice. Perhaps you're just beginning your search for a church family, or maybe you've visited us in person a time or two and would like to know more about us. Whatever your reasons for being here on our website, we're happy you are, and we hope you decide to make our church home your church home. In addition to the following FAQs, another useful tool is the "Find Your Place at Grace" image link on every page of our site, connecting you to Grace based on your interests, age group, needs, or gifts. Of course, the best way to get to know us is by visiting us in person. We hope to see you very soon!
Where in Naperville is Grace Church located? Grace Church is conveniently located in the heart of Naperville, at 300 E. Gartner Road, "Down by the [DuPage] River." We're just east of Washington Street, north of 75th Street, and approximately 1.5 miles south of downtown Naperville. Our building is directly across the street from Veteran's Park on Gartner Road. (Click the "Directions" tab on the upper left side of this page) Back to top
When are your worship times? Grace offers four distinct worship services, with a Saturday evening service at 5:00 p.m. in the Activity Center and three Sunday services at 8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary, all year long.Back to top
Are there any differences among your worship services? Yes! Our 5:00 p.m. Saturday "Circle of Worship" in the Activity Center is a family-friendly, informal service, featuring weekly Holy Communion and a monthly healing service with anointing oils. Our 8:15 a.m. Sunday worship is a more traditional service, with music from the New Life Singers and/or the Grace Bell Ensemble. Our 9:30 a.m. service is also more traditional, featuring classic hymns and liturgy, with music from the Grace Chancel Choir/Chamber Singers. Our 11:00 a.m. service is a contemporary worship experience, featuring music from the Grace Praise Team and visual projection. (Click the "Worship" tab at left)Back to top
What do children do during worship? Children of all ages are welcome to join their families in our worship services; however, loving free child care is offered to infants and toddlers from 8:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Sundays. For preschoolers through fifth graders, we offer Sunday School classes at 9:30 and a special children's time at 11:00 a.m. (click the "Christian Education" tab at left). For teens in grades 6-12, our Youth Ministry (click the "Youth Ministry" tab) offers Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Signs listing the rooms where children of all ages attend child care or Sunday School are clearly posted throughout the building. Our informal 5:00 p.m. Saturday evening worship service is particularly suited to families. Note: Grace Church also houses a paid child care service on weekdays called Parent's Day Out (630-355-6146; click the Parent's Day Out sub-tab under "Child Care" at left)Back to top
What about parking, and where do I enter the church? Grace Church has ample parking space on three sides of our building. There is a lower lot on the southwest side of the church, an upper lot on the northeast side, and an expansive overflow lot adjacent to the upper lot. Entrance to the church can be gained on either the upper (main) or lower level. Both levels have two points of entry into the building. The upper right entrance is the main entrance to the Narthex, Welcome Center, and Sanctuary. At all entrances are friendly "Grace Guides" to show you how to get where you want to go, and there is also a Welcome Center where you can ask questions inside the upper level entrance. For our Saturday evening worship, entrance is on the upper level, through the left door. Signs in and outside the church will guide you to this service.Back to top
How is the church building laid out? Grace is a two-story structure with its hallways forming a large rectangle and stairwells in each of the four corners. The upper parking lot feeds into the main story. The upper left entrance leads down a hallway into the Activity Center. On the lower level is Fellowship Hall (left entrance) and classrooms at the right entrance.Back to top
How accessible is the church to those with special needs? The upper (main) entrance is handicap-accessible, with button-operated doors. We also offer valet service to those with special needs at all three Sunday services. There is an elevator in the narthex area, inside the main entrance and to the left. Two of the eight bathrooms throughout the building are handicap-accessible, one on the upper level near the left entrance, and the other on the lower level near the left (Fellowship Hall) entrance. We also offer hearing devices, large print materials, and sign language interpretation upon request. New this year is the Open Doors Ministry (click the "Get Connected" tab, then "Special Needs"), which brings together the parents, families, and caregivers of those children and youth with special needs, be they physical, cognitive, emotional, or other. This ministry offers regular gatherings for support, fellowship, and the sharing of resources and plans of action. Back to top
How many people attend Grace Church? A "typical" weekend registers approximately 600-700 in worship. There's certainly room for growth in our congregation, and we'd love to add you to our family of Grace! Grace serves an even blend of all age groups, from infants through senior citizens.Back to top
How long has Grace Church been in existence? Grace has served Naperville and surrounding communities for nearly 120 years. It was established in 1891 and, since that time, has occupied three building sites. The third and present site opened its doors in 1971 and has undergone several expansion/improvement projects over the past four decades.Back to top
Tell me about your pastoral staff. Our senior pastor, Dr. Robert Atkins, is our lead pastor and delivers the vast majority of our worship messages (sermons). You may listen to his sermons by visiting the online audio archive on our worship page. Pastor Lisa Telomen is our Administrative Pastor, the person who oversees the many programs and missions of Grace Church. Pastors Bill Bryan and Don Niswonger are parish pastors who are most often the ones who visit the sick, hospitalized, or otherwise hurting members of our church family. (Click the "Staff and Ministry Teams" tab at left)Back to top
How often is Holy Communion served, and which holy days do you observe? Holy Communion is served every week at our Saturday evening service and on the first Sunday of every month at our Sunday services. Holy days observed are those in the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday), the four Sundays of Advent, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. While not a holy day, Thanksgiving is celebrated with a special Thanksgiving Eve service in gratitude for God's many blessings. Weekly bulletins announce where we are in the liturgical calendar of the Christian church.Back to top
Do you have to be a member of Grace or the United Methodist Church to take Communion? No. Grace Church welcomes everyone to the table of Christ.Back to top
How do I become a member of Grace Church? New member classes are offered approximately every 6-8 weeks on a Sunday afternoon (includes lunch). Class participants then join Grace the following Sunday at the service of their choice. Methodists accept any previous baptism for membership; when necessay, baptism is done by simple sprinkling. Often, unbaptized new members opt to be baptized at the time they join Grace Church.Back to top
What special sacraments/services does Grace offer? Baptism and Holy Communion are the only sacraments of the United Methodist Church. Grace performs funerals/memorial services, weddings and confirmation of 8th grade students.Back to top
What are the roots and general beliefs of the United Methodist Church? The United Methodist Church traces its roots back to John Wesley, a preacher in the church of England in the 18th Century who discovered that in order to truly spread the Gospel, it was necessary to travel and preach to where the people were. This sense of outreach and mission to people in need is a hallmark of the Methodist Church. For more on the beliefs, traditions and principles of the United Methodist Church, visit www.umc.org.Back to top
Outside of worship, what does Grace Church have to offer me and/or my family? Where do we start? Truly, there is something going on at Grace seven days a week! Whatever your age, interests or needs, there is a group, ministry or event here that will expand your group of friends, your walk with Christ, your area of interest, your talents or gifts...you name it, we've got it! For the sake of this FAQ, we'll list the main areas of ministry and mission, but you can learn much more by visiting the individual pages of our web site ("Get Connected" is a great place to start, as is "Find Your Place at Grace" on every page), or downloading a copy of the Grace UMC Annual Report, to which there is a link on the right side bar of our home page. Main areas of ministry/mission: Christian Education (children, teens and adults); Music Ministry (children, teens and adults); Missions; Small Groups; Youth Ministry; Parish Life (men's, women's, seniors, support, fellowship).Back to top
Where do I go from here? The best way to experience Grace Church is to join us on a Sunday morning in worship, and make sure to stop by the Activity Center after worship (9:15 and 10:30 a.m.) to visit with members of our church family. Please pick up the special materials we have waiting for you at our Welcome Center inside the main entrance. Please fill out a green visitor card, too--we look forward to greeting you!Back to top
Grace United Methodist Church - A People of Grace
Grace United Methodist Church
300 East Gartner Road
Naperville, IL 60540
630-355-1748
630-355-9359 (fax)
Office Hours: 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday
