New rhythms for a challenging season

The Church throughout the ages has had to be creative depending on what challenges it was facing at the time. 

Yet our calling to be a people formed by Christ to share his loving presence with the world never changes! 


Our love for our neighbor - and especially our concern for populations that are more vulnerable to the COVID 19 virus - has prompted us to suspend our normal, in-person Sunday worship gatherings. 


While this may seem like a setback to our life in Christ and shared mission, we are happy to share that rather than experiencing this season as a hindrance, we have experienced an unexpected recommitment 1) toward one another as family and 2) to our calling to share the love of Christ with our surrounding community. 


In this challenging season, we have been experimenting with new rhythms that continue to help us grow in the life of the triune God through fellowship with one another and demonstrating love for others. While we loved our old rhythms, in the midst of this pandemic, we seek to honor Christ's self-giving love which lays down privilege and preference for the sake of another.


What do these new rhythms look like?


1. FULL CHURCH WORSHIP, OVER ZOOM (1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays)


We gather as a full church over Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. We find that Zoom has been a helpful platform in allowing us to be more interactive with one another. Rather than broadcasting a one-way message, we still aim to pray, worship, learn, and converse together. It has been a joy to continue to see one another's faces and hear each other's voices.


Many of the same rhythms of worship from our normal in-person Sunday gatherings continue to shape our time over Zoom. You can read more about those rhythms of worship here. And every Sunday that we gather as a full church, we close our time by lifting up prayers for the world: for an end to this pandemic, for the safety and health of medical care workers, for those who are sick and/or isolated and those who mourn, for the justice and peace of our nation, for the wisdom and compassion of governmental leaders, and for the flourishing of the Church.


Interested in joining our Zoom worship service? Email Pastor Juliet at [email protected]


2. HOUSE CHURCH GATHERINGS, IN PERSON (2nd and 4th Sundays)


On the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, we gather IN PERSON in groups we call "house churches." Like the early church, we find that smaller gatherings help us to share our lives more intimately while worshiping, learning, and celebrating the gospel together. Because these house churches are smaller in size (20-30 people of all ages), we are able to meet in person, share the Eucharist meal, and deepen our friendships with each other.


Our house churches are organized roughly according to where you live, so that you can gather nearby with others in your area.

And for safety and health regulations we have put in place for COVID 19, scroll down to the bottom-most section.

Interested in getting connected to a house church? Email Pastor Juliet at [email protected]rg.

  • House Church West-Central

    Deacons: Mark Snyder and Doris Strom


    This group gathers those in the areas closest to our church building (Long Grove/Buffalo Grove) and also to the west from suburbs like Lake Zurich, north Palatine, and Crystal Lake.

  • House Church North

    Deacons: Jeff and Kristin Andrews


    This group gathers those in the areas to the north of our building, from areas like Grayslake, Mundelein, and Gurnee.

  • House church east

    Deacons: Heather and Rich Cordero


    This group gathers those who live to the east of our church property, many of them from Deerfield, Highland Park, and Highwood.

  • House church south

    Deacons: Stan and Laurie Frey, Laura Moon


    This group gathers those from the southern regions to Life on the Vine, from stretching from south Palatine to Des Plaines and Park Ridge.

  • house church highway 14

    Deacons: Anthony and Renae Lamb


    Another group that gathers those south of the church building, spanning the stretch of Highway 14 from from Arlington Heights to Des Plaines.

Health and safety Guidelines

For the time being, we are only gathering in groups smaller than 50. Even these small, in-person meetings are encouraged to take place outdoors whenever possible, where it's more difficult for infectious amounts of the virus to accumulate in the air.


Masks are required for everyone over the age of 2 at any in-person meeting, and social distancing (6ft+ apart) will be practiced. 


For the Eucharist meal, we are using pre-packaged, single serve communion cups and wafers to reduce the risk of transmission.


Hand sanitizer is available for in-person meetings, though you are welcome to bring your own. Additionally, for now, we are refraining from singing and shared food or drinks at in-person gatherings.


While we grieve the loss of shared meals, the joy of singing, and the ability to be physically near one another, we seek to honor Christ's self-giving love which lays down privilege and preference for the sake of another. Our hope and prayer is that we would soon be restored to these treasured privileges, and for the prevention of unnecessary loss of life and health.