We continue to hold two weekend in-person services (Saturday 4:00 pm and Sunday 10:00 am). All are welcome to attend! Capacity is 25 people.

The information below will help you know what to expect before, during, and after the service to make this a safe experience.

Advanced registration is required using this online form. You must register each week that you plan to attend (i.e., there are no standing reservations). Spots are now available for February. Registration will close at 11 am each Friday for that weekend's services. After that time, you must call Carole Deacon Carole (773-580-3617) to be added to the registration list if spots are still available.

Attendees should come to the ramp door (off the back parking lot) for check in. Please arrive wearing a mask. Check in consists of screening for exposure to COVID-19 and symptoms, checking temperature, and signing a waiver. You may take an individual communion cup with you to the Sanctuary.

Attendees must adhere to all COVID-19 mitigation practices while in the building (mask worn over nose and mouth, social distancing, etc). We ask that you take conversations outside as much as possible. An usher will seat you and dismiss you from the service. During the service, please refrain from singing or speaking. Communion will be taken at your seat. Offerings may be dropped in a basket upon dismissal. Attendees will leave the building when the service concludes.

The single occupancy/"family" bathroom on the lower level is available for use. It is handicap accessible. Please do not use the other restrooms. If the "family" restroom is occupied, please wait in the South Hall to keep that hallway from becoming congested. When inside the restroom, keep your mask on and use a disinfecting wipe on any surfaces you touched before you exit.

The building is open for limited indoor use by community and church groups of 10 people or less. The office remains open from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Monday-Friday and preschool is in session.

We will continue to produce a recorded service for those who are not yet comfortable attending in-person worship. The link can be found on our homepage at www.edisonparkchurch.com.

The Congregational Annual Meeting will be next Sunday, January 31 at 11:00 am. This is a closed meeting for members of Edison Park Lutheran Church only. The budget review will be a part of this meeting and will not be held separately this year. The annual report will be distributed by email early next week. Budget questions should be submitted to Alyson or Deacon Carole by Friday, January 29.

Up to 50 members can attend in-person: 25 in the Sanctuary and 25 in the North Hall. The meeting will be live streamed to the North Hall. Masks, social distancing, check in, etc. are all required to attend in person.

Advanced registration is required using this online form. If you are attending worship that morning, you must ALSO register for the annual meeting. Call the office for assistance. In order to adhere to the capacity limits, please be sure to sit in the location you signed up for. Registration will close at 11:00 am on Friday, January 29. After that time, please contact Deacon Carole if spots are still available for the meeting.

It will be possible to participate via Zoom. Please email Alyson if you're interested in attending remotely.

We will have in-person worship on Ash Wednesday, February 17, at noon. Please register using this online form, or call the office between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm Monday-Friday. This service will also be recorded and available on our homepage. Worship will be virtual for the remaining Wednesdays in Lent.

Our Lenten Sermon Series will be “Faith under construction.” In the Midwest, there is always road construction and at times, it can be difficult to get where we want to go. Everyone can navigate the imperfect road of faith, by learning to identify obstacles in the road. There are potholes, speed bumps, dead-ends, roadblocks and U-turns. We will look at how to navigate through the potholes of living a life of faith.

BLAST will be "taking-off" Wednesday, February 3 for all children grades K-6th. Now that the church has reopened, we will gather in the South Hall from 4:15-5:00 pm. Health checks will be performed when children arrive. We will socially distance and wear masks. We'll also have fun Bible Learning And Sharing Together!

We can only accommodate 10 children so space is limited. Please email Jennifer Williams if you are interested. This six week session will run Feb. 3 through March 10.

Sunday School at home begins a series on The Lord’s Prayer (brought to you by Illustrated Ministry LLC , same as The Beatitudes). Beginning January 10, families are invited to experience this prayer through art, discussion and reflection. The curriculum focuses on Matthew’s version and you're encouraged to examine the language of this prayer and how it can be different although the same. This six week journey will lead us all right into Lent! If you are not receiving the emails with these materials and would like to, please let Jennifer Williams know.

As with most things, the format of the Sunday Suppers at St. Luke’s has changed with the pandemic. Meals are being picked up at a neighborhood restaurant and then packaged at St.Luke’s and delivered directly to cars.

Two or three volunteers are needed for both the March 14 and March 21 suppers. If interested, please email Kathy Erlandson at for more information.

A reminder to that meals for the January service opportunity should be dropped off this Sunday, January 24, between 1:45 and 2:00 pm in the church parking lot.

There are two future opportunities for you to serve. They are all on Sunday afternoons: February 28th, and March 28th.

We are asking you to make sack suppers in your own homes (wearing gloves and masks, please) and then deliver them to the church parking lot between at 1:45

and 2:00 pm on those days.

Each sack supper should contain:

• a sandwich

• three cookies or other small treat

• a banana/tangerine

• napkin

Please email Kathy Erlandson with the amount of sack suppers you're willing to donate, and which date(s) you'd like to serve. Thanks, in advance, for supporting

marginalized folks in the community, especially during this time of COVID.

The Outreach team would like to keep you updated on how you can continue to support, as you are able, those charitable organizations EPLC has been involved with in the past. As you can imagine, they desperately depend on supporters during this unprecedented time. (To have your donation count toward benevolence, please send a check written out to EPLC with the charity’s name in the memo line.)

USO Illinois - USO O'Hare Terminal 2 Center is currently operating on limited hours as a “Grab n 'Go” center to ensure the health and safety of their staff, volunteers and military. There are still many ways the USO is supporting military families at this time. To learn more or to donate, go to Illinois.uso.org.

Thank you for your generosity!

Please use the email addresses and phone numbers below to contact church staff.

773-631-9131 ext 226 (office)

224-204-7554 (cell)

773-631-9131 ext 227 (office)

773-580-3617 (cell)