There are Many Opportunities
 to Get Involved...

  

Ministries

Preparing and serving dinner at the A Just Harvest Kitchen whenever there is a fifth Saturday in the month. This partnership with Good News in Rogers Park has been active since the 1970's, when we used to do it every month. Our members delight in making delicious beef stew or goulash, and providing the hungry of Chicago with a hot meal, bread, cookies, and something to drink. Our next serving date is always posted on our Calendar page, as well as the recipe for the month.

Click HERE for a special appeal notice from Good News Community Kitchen.

Collecting year-round for the Niles Township Food Pantry. Non-perishable food items are collected every year at our neighborhood Halloween Party and are given to the Food Pantry. We also collect throughout the year, and begining in the fall of 2007, our Sunday School kids will launch a new program for the Food Pantry. Every first Sunday of the month, our children bring canned goods to the Chapel time at 9:00 AM to give to the hungry in our community.

We bake & bag cookies, and pack red mesh stockings with candy for The Night Ministry’s "Holy Night" Christmas Eve outreach. Each year we give several hundred cookies to this ministry, which has been active in the Chicago area feeding hungry for many years. And on Christmas Eve, the holiest night of our church year, we remember God's gift to us, and we give to others.

Collecting toys for the Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network in Chicago twice a year. Children at this wonderful organization need recieve dozens of new toys from us at Christmas. The toys are collected at our annual Advent dinner and delivered to the home. Then, in July, we collect again to support children who have birthdays throughout the year.

The Women’s Guild financially supports several ministries beyond our doors, including Women's Prison Ministry, Skokie Asist-a-Family and others.

Volunteer Opportunites

Volunteering is a large part of our church life and community. Every week there are opportunities to help around the church. We hold Sunday School classes for our youth September through May, and we always need people to teach Sunday School. We also have a year-round nursery available for the little ones during worship service. Our nursery attendant is a volunteer position, as well.

St. Peter's loves to hear from its members, and every week we have a different "lay person" read the scriptures during the morning worship. All of our readers are volunteers, and we enjoy hearing from them.

Our wonderful choir is also a great place to plug in. Choir rehearses from 8:45 to 9:45 on Sunday mornings prior to worship. Dan Surma, our organist and musical director, works with the choir and occasional soloists to bless our worship with music.

Ushers play an important role in our Sunday services. They welcome people, hand out bulletins, answer questions, collect the offering, and serve communion. Anyone can usher, and we are proud to occasionally offer "all women ushering teams."

Boards and Committees

There are several boards and committees that one can serve on as a member of St. Peter's UCC.

Church Council - Comprised of the elected officers of the congregation, including President, Vice-President, Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Treasurer. Meets every second Sunday of the month, and is responsible for the decision-making of the congregation.

Board of Elders - Volunteer board responsible for the spiritual life of the congregation, including communion and membership. Meets every month, and manages setting up communion on the first Sunday of the month.

Board of Finance - Responsible for the financial health of the congregation, including budget, bill paying, and contributions. Meets every month.

Board of Christian Education - Manages Sunday School for the youth of the church, as well as the Christmas and Easter Sunday School programs. All members are welcome to attend meetings, which happen quarterly or as-needed.

Board of Trustees - Takes care of the church building and grounds. This board meets as needed, and some knowledge of building maintenance is always a plus for members.

Board of Deacons - Takes care of "front of house" on Sunday mornings, including assigning ushers, greeting people as they come in the door, setting up the sanctuary for worship, and making sure all doors are unlocked. The deacons rotate on a monthly schedule, with one deacon being assigned to a particular Sunday each month.

Evangelism and Church Growth Committee - Volunteer committee whose goal is to grow the church and spread the word of Christ to the community and the world. Meets monthly to brainstorm ideas and follow through on programs to get the word out about St. Peter's United Church of Christ.

Environmental Justice and Stewardship Committee (EJS, or Edges) - Newly formed committee investigating how St. Peters can respect the environment as stewards of the planet that God has given us. Meeting schedule and membership is still being formed.

Dinner Committee - Responsible for planning and executing the several dinners that St. Peter's enjoys throughout the year.

Women's Guild - All women members of St. Peter's are automatically members of both our Women's Guilds. The "daytime" Guild meets the second Wednesday of every month for lunch and a small program, such as book reviews. The Women's Guild is also the workhorse of the congregation, managing many of the fundraising events like the Dedicated Luncheon in April, and the Rummage Sale in October.

PM Women's Guild - The newly formed "evening" Guild meets the third Thursday of every month in the evening. Made up of women members who cannot attend during the day, the evening Guild does much the same thing as the daytime group, finding ways to support St. Peter's spiritually and financially. Click HERE to jump to our page.