Be sure to join us today, tomorrow, and Sunday for services, and please note that there will be a dessert potluck reception following The Great Vigil service on Saturday evening. There is also only ONE service at 10am on Easter Sunday.

Good Friday | Apr 3

Stations of the Cross at 7:30am

Children's Liturgy at 11am

Stations of the Cross: The Way of Asylum at 12:15pm

Good Friday Liturgy at 7pm

Holy Saturday | Apr 4

The Great Vigil of Easter at 7pm with a dessert potluck reception following

Easter Sunday | Apr 5

Eucharist at 10am with Easter Egg Hunt and coffee hour to follow

Easter Vigil Dessert Potluck

Please join us for a dessert potluck after the Easter Vigil on Saturday. Please bring a treat to share if you are able or just join us for a celebration following the service. Please email Joan Roberts with any questions.

Stations of the Cross on Good Friday

Today, on Good Friday, COS will offer two opportunities to pray the Stations of the Cross. The first is at 7:30am and follows the traditional model of this prayer, and the second is at 12:15pm and employs a contemporary lens on this familiar journey of Jesus called, The Way of Asylum.

The Way of Asylum as a community experience of compassion and empathy was inspired by the art of Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera, who created a moving interpretation of the Stations of the Cross. In her version, Michelina's art recognizes that asylum seekers embody Christ in our midst, confronting us with the truly horrific journey that many who seek asylum endure on their journey to seek safety and refuge.

Parish Office Closures

The parish office will be closed on Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Monday, April 6.

The Gospel and the Work of Racial Justice

Easteride Adult Forum Series | April 12 - May 10

What does our faith and our Baptismal Covenant call us to in the work of racial justice? This four-week Adult Forum led by Deacon Jess, starts April 12 at 9am in the conference room, and invites us into a deeper exploration of the Gospel through the lens of justice, truth-telling, and love of neighbor. Rooted in the promises we make in baptism we will engage in honest conversation and shared learning about race, history, and our call as Christians.

Together, we will:

• Explore race as a social construct and how it has shaped our common life
• Examine the historical roots and ongoing impact of white supremacy
• Reflect on personal and systemic privilege and how it operates in our communities
• Connect this work to the Episcopal Church’s Becoming Beloved Community framework—truth-telling, proclaiming the dream, practicing Jesus’ way of love, and repairing the breach

Grounded in scripture, prayer, and respectful dialogue, this course invites us to grow not only in understanding, but in faithful action. As followers of Christ, we are called not just to learn, but to participate in God’s work of healing, reconciliation, and justice in the world.



Whether you are new to this work or continuing a long journey, all are welcome.

Come ready to listen, learn, and be transformed.

Healing Prayers Added to Sunday 10am Eucharist

We would like to offer the laying on of hands and prayers for healing during the 10 am Eucharist. Those who desire to receive healing prayer and the laying on of hands during the course of the Eucharist service will proceed to the back of the church after receiving Communion. There, a trained minister will ask for their name and any few details they want to share and pray a short prayer for healing and wholeness.

If you would like to be trained to serve as a prayer minister or have some questions about this ministry, please email Pastor Charlotte. The Book of Common Prayer offers a couple short prayers you can use, so extemporaneous prayer is not required. We will begin to offer this when we have a sustainable number of volunteers.

COS to Host Critical Cultural Competency Workshop | Apr 9

On Thursday, April 9, 9:30am - 3pm, Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training will lead a workshop inviting participants to explore the cultural stories that shape us and how they affect our views and actions. The workshop aims to challenge and question common ideas that, despite our good intentions, can lead to deeper community divisions and unfairness. Finally, the workshop invites participants to consider how our lives, communities, and organizations might change if, instead of protecting our perceived goodness, we focused on working together to create inclusive, just, and self-critical ways of being.

Tuition is $180, but scholarships are available for COS members. Contact Rich Trubey for more information. Register at http://crossroadsantiracism.org and click on Register for a Workshop.

Funeral for Molly Malek | Apr 23

The death of COS's long time parishioner and friend Molly Malek was announced back in January, and now her funeral service has been scheduled. Please join us at COS on Thursday, April 23, at 2pm, to celebrate Molly's life and memory with a reception to follow in the Parish Commons. All are welcome.

Witness Wednesdays

Gather weekly as a public sign of Christ's love in a time of great hardship. Episcopalians and friends will meet each Wednesday at noon in Federal Plaza on Dearborn, between Jackson and Adams (near the big red Calder sculpture), to pray for justice, mercy, and the dignity of all people. Being communal prayer, no signs or other materials are necessary, just a willingness to stand in solidarity with those who are hurting. All are welcome. 

Got Some News to Share?

If you have some COS ministry news to share in the weekly eNews, please email the office by end of day Wednesday to make it in the Friday publication. Please be sure to include a very brief blurb with information you wish to communicate along with any relevant contact information (for privacy reasons we do not include phone numbers in the eNews only links to email addresses). Contact the office with any questions.

141st Annual Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women of Chicago

Saturday, April 18, 9 am-12 pm, online

The Episcopal Church Women of Chicago will hold their annual meeting online on Saturday, April 18 from 9 am to noon. Lisa Bortner, president of National Episcopal Church Women, will be the keynote speaker. Other agenda items include re-electing Laura Brady as treasurer and approving changes to the bylaws.

Register

From Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe: Support Holy Land ministries through Good Friday Offering

Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church:

For more than a century, Episcopalians have given generously to the Good Friday Offering, which supports the vital work and ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Today, the need of the church in the Holy Land is greater than ever, particularly given the recent escalation of war in the Middle East, and I hope you will join me in making a generous gift today at iam.ec/goodfridayoffering.

Learn more

Environmental Lobby Days

Wednesday, April 8, and Saturday, May 30

ECO DioChicago invites you to attend an upcoming Environmental Lobby Day through the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC). This year's environmental priorities set by IEC are clean energy, conservation, and plastic reduction.

Though these lobby days are organized by IEC, participants will be from a broad range of backgrounds. Last year more than 12 organizations, including Faith in Place (FiP), participated, and more than 500 people attended.

Registration is free, and bus rides will be provided from various locations across the state. Never lobbied before? Not a problem. Lobbying is easy, and you will be working in small groups.

Learn more and register

Tell Me the Truth About Nature

Storyteller Cohort Begins April 16

God's relationship with all created things draws humanity into a deep connection with the natural world. We don't just care for creation; we are creation! In a new set of five nature stories that bridge faith and history, Sowing Seeds in the Sand invites leaders to become sand storytellers by wondering about this dynamic relationship, seeing where it's gone wrong, and wondering about how we might align again towards God's Dream.

This five-week experience over Zoom will equip leaders to tell these Montessori-inspired stories for others and host rich conversation in your community for people aged 4 to 104. This cohort gathers April 16 - May 14 on Thursdays, 11 am-1 pm. Cost is $350, with scholarships available.

Learn more

Leading With Love, Racial Reconciliation in Christ: Chicago's Black Metropolis, Voices and Fieldtrip

Discussion Friday, April 17, 6-7 pm, on Zoom

Saturday, April 18, 9:30 am-12:30 pm, in Chicago

We know Rosa Parks, Montgomery, and Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, but what was the Civil Rights movement in Chicago? Join the North Shore Episcopal Collective (Christ Church in Winnetka, Holy Comforter in Kenilworth, and Holy Spirit in Lake Forest) for a deep dive into Chicago’s Civil Rights past. 

On Friday evening over Zoom, hear from eyewitnesses to Chicago’s Civil Rights story, especially the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, from Eleta “Cookie” Murray and the Rev. Martin L. Deppe, author of Operation Breadbasket: An Untold Story of Civil Rights in Chicago 1966-1971.

Then on Saturday morning, join in a field trip to Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, including a visit to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Drexel Avenue, and brunch at Pearl's Place soul food restaurant. RSVP for location. 

RSVP to the Rev. Will Bouvel

Labyrinth Walk at St Paul's UCC | Monthly



A labyrinth walk is an ancient walking meditation and a gentle reflective practice (especially during the season of Lent). St Paul's UCC (at Fullerton at Orchard) has a labyrinth painted in their gymnasium space that will be open to the public monthly.

Monthly Gatherings

2nd Monday 7pm - 8pm

3rd Thursday 2pm - 3pm