Adult Ministries

The desire to know God and grow in relationship with him is innate and lifelong. Whether you grew up in a house of worship, or have never stepped foot in one, you are welcome to join any of our adult faith formation opportunities at any time. Grace offers several distinct Sunday school classes for adults as well as midweek small groups, all-church studies, and spiritual retreats. Newcomers are always welcome! Take a one stop shop and sign up for all the faith formation groups by clicking here.

Sunday morning groups

Portico Connections

Forum Class

Hearts on Fire

Questors

Portico Connections meets Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 231. This is a great group to join if you have children or youth at 9:15AM Faith Formation Hour or if you attend 8:00AM or 10:30AM service, and want an hour of study and fellowship with a great group of people. We will begin a six-week study of Adam Hamilton's The Walk on January 12. Please join us for this study of five essential daily practices to grow our faith. Everyone is welcome! Contact Stefanie Abderhalden via email with any questions

The Forum Class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 232. This faithful and welcoming group enjoys a spirited study of the scriptures as well as presentations from guest speakers, often incorporating discussion and thought-provoking audio/visual material. We will begin a six-week study of the Apocrypha books on Sunday, January 26. Contact Sandy Bray via email for more information.

Hearts on Fire gathers Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 250 with a welcoming atmosphere to share in fun but challenging and meaningful discussions around faith and discipleship. We will begin a six-week study of Adam Hamilton's The Message of Jesus on Sunday, January 12. (No class on January 19.) Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion! Contact Bob Pacanowski via email for more information.

Questors welcomes all adults on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 254 to participate in presentations/discussions on a variety of topics: contemporary living issues, religious history, Biblical studies, etc. Class offers mission and fellowship opportunities. Contact Betty Long via email or Joan Bratton via email for more information.

weekday groups

Temple Builders

Sisters Study

Parenting with Grace Mom's Group

Bible Study

Temple Builders meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:00AM in the Activity Center for exercise and strength training. Contact Keia Carter via email for information and availability.

Sisters Study meets on Mondays at 1:00PM in Room 254. All women are invited to join to discuss a new book that promises to help in the journey toward wholeness after loss. The author, Dawn Sanders, has traveled this path before and lived to tell the tale―not once but twice. After a divorce and then the sudden death of her second husband, Dawn discovered a buried treasure in Genesis 1: God's process for creating new life out of chaos. In her new book, When Your World Ends, Dawn digs deep into the creation story and unearths a seven-step process by which God brings us out of the void and into new beginnings. With her unique perspective, authenticity, and courage, Dawn meets those who are starting over and guides us into renewed hope.

Let's encourage one another in Christ through this time spent together. Please join us! Invite a friend or neighbor. The book is available on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore: When Your World Ends: God's Creative Process for Rebuilding a Life by Dawn Mann Sanders. Our group will resume on January 13, 2025. Please reach out to Pastor Cindy Marino at cindy.marino@peopleofgrace.org if you have any questions.

Parenting with Grace Mom’s Faith Formation Group meets on Tuesdays at 7:00PM to 8:15PM in Room 231. All moms are welcome to our NEW winter session starting on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. We'll explore "ways in which we can raise children to become healthy, independent young adults" - as discussed in the book Intentional Parenting: 10 Ways to Be an Exceptional Parent in a Quick-Fix World by Doug Fields. As always, you're welcome to purchase the book for a more in-depth experience with the content or simply attend and join in on a relaxed, fun, and informative discussion. If you have questions, please contact Stephanie Abderhalden at stefanieabderhalden@gmail.com.

Come join us on Thursday mornings. Our Disciple Study is a welcoming, warm fellowship. We invite you to join us to study "The Prophets." We meet in both Room 254 and on Zoom on Thursdays, January 9 to March 27 at 9:30AM to 11:00AM.

The session will cover The Prophets Themes - “Return, Near, Hunger, Obey, Divine Purpose, New Covenant, Doom, Promise, Redeemer, Vision, Courage and Witness.” (12 weeks). Two manuals are required at the cost of $9.98/each. CLICK HERE to register, sign up at the Welcome Desk, or please contact either Sandy Bray via email or 630-853-8347, or Pastor Doug Bowden via email or 815-990-0187.

fellowship groups

Over 50 Fellowship

Over 50 Fellowship group meets every other month for lunch with a speaker and discussion. We meet in Fellowship Hall at 12:00PM and have a catered lunch. Everyone over 50 is welcome to join us!

You are invited to join the Over 50 Cruise Ship as we travel to Antarctica on Thursday, February 13 at 12:00PM to 2:00PM in Fellowship Hall. The tour guide is our very own Bobbi Khant sharing her travelogue. We may even see a few penguins if we are lucky! Bring $15 for the meal. Don’t miss this fun opportunity! Everyone over 50 is invited. Register at peopleofgrace.org/over50.

Guys Gathering Together

Guys Gathering Together is a group for men who share common interests. Get out, eat, have fun, and have enjoyable conversations about various topics in a casual setting that impact each of us in today's world. The goal is to build relationships with other men around common values of integrity and honesty, while learning with and from each other. Stay tuned for details of our next gathering. If you have questions, please contact Bob Pacanowski via email.

Grace Community Builders

Grace Community Builders help build a stronger sense of community within our church. This powerful idea is based on getting to know other members of our church better and to have an enjoyable time while doing it. Each (GCB) Group is comprised of six people. Beginning February 23, each Community Builder will spend approximately one hour a week with a different participant in his/her group over a period of five weeks. The meetings are set up by each participant and can be at the church Gathering Space, at a restaurant, coffee shop, or wherever you choose. On April 4, we will have a potluck at the church for participants and their spouse, significant other, or a friend. To join a group or for more information, contact Bill Fronk via email or at 913-961-2903.

Working for Racial Justice Group

Anyone interested in racial justice and eager to help Grace UMC and our community demonstrate how to love our neighbor and truly love our neighbor despite race or ethnicity is welcome to join the Working for Racial Justice Group. This group strives to provide opportunities for creating community and relationships among people of all races and ethnicities. In addition, this group hopes to provide opportunities for learning how to help our community and our world stand up against racial injustice through various offerings of speakers, service projects, book studies, and events. Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7:00PM in Room 254.

support groups

DivorceCare Support Program

DivorceCare is a safe place where caring people come alongside you as you find healing from the pain of separation or divorce. At this 13-week, video-based support program, you will find helpful counsel to manage the emotional turmoil and practical tools for decision making. You will meet others who understand how you are feeling and the struggles you are dealing with. You will find that you are not alone and there is hope. Through the videos and small group discussion time, you will hear from others who have thought there is nothing to look forward to who are now beginning to smile again and find that there is something to look forward to.

The 13-week program meets on Wednesdays at 6:30PM to 8:30PM, and will resume on January 8, 2025. There will be a $10.00 fee which will cover the cost of the books. Please CLICK HERE to register and access helpful videos and other information.

If you have questions and for more information, please contact Richard Newell at richard.newell@peopleofgrace.org or 630-947-9311.

Loss of a Spouse Seminar

You are welcome to Loss of a Spouse Seminar on January 13 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM in Room 231. Are you widowed? Help is here and hope is possible. Do you dread the lonely days and nights? Wonder what to do with your spouse’s belongings? Feel like your brain is in a fog? Unsure of how you’ll go on?
At the Loss of a Spouse seminar, you’ll discover:

Other people understand and have found ways to make it through
Why it won’t always hurt so much
Reasons for hope
Practical tips for coping with the death of a spouse

CLICK HERE to register and learn more. Please contact Richard Newell at richard.newell@peopleofgrace.org with questions.

GriefShare Support Group

You are invited to a GriefShare Support Group beginning Thursday, February 6 to help you move through the grief process. This support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, you’ll discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Since the process of grief is not neat and orderly, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.

CLICK HERE to register and learn more. Please contact Richard Newell at richard.newell@peopleofgrace.org with questions.

amplify media
digital faith formation resources

Amplify Media is a service that Grace subscribes to so that every member can have access to resources that encourage deeper discipleship and equip them to pursue their faith formation journey with greater impact. Amplify has videos that can be used in your small groups, Bible studies and, of course, in your own personal faith journey. You can access all of these videos anytime and on almost any device.

Who: Amplify has resources for all ages (adults, children, and youth) that can used for your own individual faith journey or as part of a small group. The resources are from publishers like Cokesbury and include popular authors such as Adam Hamilton and N.T. Wright.

Where: You can access all of these videos anytime and almost any devices.

How: To access our Amplify account, click here and enter our Access Code: BTSNPM

Why: To engage more deeply in your faith and to builder deeper community with Christ and others in a new way.