Ebenezer Opportunities...what we can offer

At Ebenezer, we offer a variety of activities aimed to at developing spiritual and social lives of our children, youth, and adults. New activities are being created and enjoyed every day.

For more information on the scheduled events with the following groups, refer to Calendar of Events.

Christian Education
Adult Bible Study: usually based on the Scripture lessons read in worship, is offered every Sunday, except when there is a special Adult Forum. The class begins at 9:15 a.m. and year-round. Come when you can. The class participants are at every level of knowledge and understanding. No lengthy commitment required.

Adult Forums: About once a month, a special Adult Forum replaces the Sunday morning 9:15 a.m. Bible Study. These usually involve an outside presenter or a panel of members and friends. The topics are timely and touch our lives. Examples of previous Forum topics would include: Biblical Images of Family, The Christian Church in India , Ebenezer and Fair Trade Concerns, and more. See the calendar of events for upcoming Forums.

Also check the calendar for other special educational events, retreats and weekday courses (usually 3-4 weeks long).

GLOCY ( Gay & Lesbian Outreach Center for Youth)
The GLOCY Task Force continues to look for opportunities to make a positive impact on gay and lesbian youth in the city. GLOCY seeks to provide a safe place and an affirming spiritual message in all that they do. Currently, members of the GLOCY Task Force have been taking monthly discussion topics and activities to the Center on Halsted. Watch the Messenger and website calendar for upcoming dates.

Junior Youth Group
Youth in 4 th – 8 th grades are invited to join Junior Youth Group. Monthly meetings alternate with social activities; watch the bulletin and Messenger for upcoming youth events. High school youth events are on an as-planned basis.

Music and The Arts
At Ebenezer, we use music and art to enliven and enrich each worship service. Creative arts inspire our hearts and spirits to be closer to God. We don't just sing for God, but for ourselves, as well. We use music to express things that cannot be explained in words. Music brings us together as a community.

Ebenezer is blessed with a creative musician who knits together instrumentalists and voices in unique ways. You may join the choir (no previous experience or audition necessary) which meets every Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. , from September through May.

If you play an instrument, your musical talent is welcome. Play solo or with others on a pre-arranged Sunday or special occasion. If you are interested in how the décor of the sanctuary can enhance worship and seasonal themes, there is a place for you. From time to time, drama team members present the scripture lesson or liturgical dancers interpret a psalm or anthem.

Usually on the Second Sunday of the month, a jazz combo leads the 10:30 a.m. worship. Other Sundays often include guest professional musicians, drawing from diverse styles and instrumentation.

Parents and Tots Playgroup  more...
Do you have a toddler who is too young for pre-school? Or is your toddler with a child care person during the day? Whatever your family situation, our Playgroup provides indoor play opportunities for kids and supportive conversations for adults. This group meets Thursday mornings, 9:30-11:00 , from September through May. No need to pre-register -- just come. A nominal fee of $2 is requested, but come even if finances are too tight. The space is large and the fellowship is great. Most participants are under age 3, but older siblings are welcome to join younger kids with supervision.

Prayer
The Prayer Ministry Team offers Advent and Lenten Devotional Booklets, Prayer Vigils, and studies on Prayer and Spirituality. Other devotional booklets are available in our narthex, by the sanctuary. Ebenezer has a Prayer Chain to respond quickly to prayer needs. You may join the prayer chain to help lift those in need or contact Pastor Koch to bring your prayer concern to the Prayer Chain participants. If you have a prayer request to share, please send it to ralphwes@aol.com.

Senior Exercise Class
Senior Exercise Class is held every Monday morning at 11am in the dining room. For information call the church office.

Seniors Luncheon
Seniors meet for lunch and program once a month on the third Thursday at noon . If you are retired or over 55, you are welcome. The meal cost is usually $7. RSVP's should be called into the office by Monday preceding the luncheon.

Social Justice
Is your interest social justice and community issues? Ebenezer is a member of the Organization of the Northeast, the community organization in Uptown/Edgewater/Rogers Park and Ravenswood. Members and friends are involved in many social justice organizations and campaigns (living wages, affordable housing, seniors rights).There are a number of ways in which you can get involved.
• Organization of the NorthEast (ONE)
• Thursday Evening Tutoring Program   more...
• Crop Walk for Hunger
• AIDS Walk
• Gay Pride Parade   more...
• And more . . .

Spiritual Gifts
We encourage spiritual growth through a spiritual gifts seminar offered periodically. This seminar includes a biblical foundation in understanding spiritual gifts, an inventory instrument to determine what your spiritual gifts may be, and a discussion of how to apply your gifts.

Spirituality Retreat
Annually members and friends are invited to a 24 hour Spirituality Retreat - typically the first weekend in February. This is usually led by a well known facilitator. See the programs & events page for pictures and explanations of previous retreats.

Sunday School
Sunday school is held every Sunday, starting at 10am during the regular school year. Classes available for kids age 3 to grade 6. After Sunday school, the kids are walked into the sanctuary to join the 10:30 worship service (already in progress).  New students always welcome.

Tutoring Program    more...
Tutors gather every Thursday evening ( 6:30-8:00 ) with students primarily from Trumbull School next door to the church. Many of these students are ESL or have significant educational challenges. Volunteer tutors work with students on homework and special projects. There are about 20 students in the program. Volunteers bring prepared meals for the students and some family members at 6:00 before the tutoring gets underway.

Wellness Program
Our Wellness program encourages and promotes the development of wellness and the healing ministry within the congregation and to bring wellness concerns and needs to the attention of the church leadership and the congregation membership. Our parish nurse raises relevant and important health concerns through newsletter articles and other events. Ebenezer occasionally offers Health Fairs, health screenings, educational forums on healthy living, and more.

Women's Book Group
This group is for women of all ages. We hope you will join us as we discuss the life of biblical women and the parallels between their lives and ours. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at church at 7:15. Email Steph Frank for more information. Our 2009 schedule:

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  January	The Lemon Tree (Sandy Tolan) Based on his 1998 NPR documentary, Tolan personalizes the Arab-Israeli conflict by tracing the intertwined lives of a Palestinian refugee named Bashir Al-Khairi and a Jewish settler named Dalia Eshkenazi Landau. The pair is connected through a stone home in Ramla, now part of Israel .
  February	A New Earth: Awakening to Life's Purpose (Eckhart Tolle) According to Tolle, humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation that shifts our attention away from our ever-expanding egos…Tolle's gentle tone and dialect begs his audience's attention simply through its straightforward approach. Something about this reading just seems profoundly important, whether one agrees with the material or not.
  March	If I Die in Juarez (Stella Pope Duarte ) Human rights activist Duarte 's latest novel is based on a string of real-life murders in Ciudad Juárez in the 1990s. Forced out of the house by her alcoholic mother, 13-year-old Evita takes to the streets, glimpsing newspaper columns about the murders, while struggling to survive.
  April	A Mercy (Toni Morrison) Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison creates an intense and involving philosophical, Biblical, and feminist novel set in the Atlantic colonies between 1682 and 1690. Her impressionistic story traces slavery from its early roots, using unique voices--African, Native American, and white--while moving back and forth in time. The primary speaker is Florens, a 16-year-old African slave.
  May	Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson) Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe ; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  June	Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult) Set in small town Sterling , New Hampshire , Picoult offers a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. As with any Picoult novel, the answers are never black and white…
  September	Old Man in the Sea (Ernest Hemingway) Set in Cuba during the 1960's, The last novel Ernest Hemingway saw published, The Old Man and the Sea has proved itself to be one of the enduring works of American fiction. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream . The Cuban fisherman triumphs over a giant marlin--only to have his prized catch literally eaten away by circling sharks.
  October	Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs) Between running her Manhattan yarn shop, and raising her 12-year-old biracial daughter, Dakota , Georgia Walker has plenty on her plate in Jacobs's debut novel. But … Georgia 's orderly existence begins to unravel. Her support system is her staff and the knitting club that meets at her store every Friday night … Club members' troubles don't intersect so much as build on common themes of domestic woes and betrayal.

Work Days
Ebenezer's monthly workdays are held as needed, usually on Saturdays from 9am to noon . All hands are welcome and appreciated. If you can come and help, please give Andy a call at the church office.