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This Week at LaSalle • July 17, 2025

Affinity Groups Launching THIS SUNDAY!

+ Book Club Meeting in Room 307

Join us after service this Sunday for the launch of our affinity groups! Three groups will be meeting:

• Cycling Group (with Pastor Julie): Grab your helmet for a relaxed 10-mile ride leaving right from Cornerstone Center after worship. Be sure to bring your bike, or rent a Divvy right by the Cornerstone building.
• Running Group (hosted by Pastor Brent for Karl Lauger): Meet up to chat routes and training plans—no run this week, just connection and planning.
• Movie Club (with Dir. Comms & Admin Lucas): Gather in Cornerstone Center to share about some of the films you love most and identify some opportunities to go to the theater together later this year.

Also after service this Sunday, our Book Club will meet to dive deeper into chapter 4 of Dominique Gilliard's Subversive Witness. This Sunday's discussion will be led by Rev. Liz -- join in Room 307 after worship! Check out the reading schedule for Subversive Witness here.

Got an idea for another affinity group or club? Email the church office at info@lasallechurch.org and let’s make it happen!

Join fellow LaSallers at Seward Park (375 W. Elm) on Friday, July 18 at 6:30 pm for the Near North Jazz concert featuring Park & Ride—bring a lawn chair, blanket, and snacks. Email the church office to meet up with other LaSallers going!

Thanks for Learning about Breakthrough With Us!

We had a fantastic time last Sunday learning more about Breakthrough Urban Ministries with Ann Healing. Thank you so much to Ann for your generosity in sharing with us -- we invite everyone interested to sign up for Breakthrough's newsletter here to keep up to date on their activity! Aftert the tour, LaSaller Kathy Neely shared this "Peacekeeper" documentary series which features Damien Morris, a peacekeeper working with Breakthrough to make his community safer. Check out the documentary here!

Take a Ride Through History in Chicago's South Side

CHANGED DATE: Sunday, August 3, 12:30 PM

The date for our Bronzeville bus tour has changed! Because the Bud Billiken Parade will close key South Side streets, our tour has moved up to Sunday, August 3 at 12:30 PM (same two-hour itinerary). Climb aboard to explore Bronzeville landmarks like the birthplace of Black History Month, Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s home, Pilgrim Baptist Church, and more—celebrating stories of justice, innovation, and cultural impact.

Seats are open again! Reserve a seat at the link below ($45 a ticket, no need to pay today) and join us for an inspiring ride through Chicago’s living history. Feel free to invite friends that may want to join us! If we can register enough people, the company will provide a private bus for our group to depart from Cornerstone Center.

Summer Rocks with the Gold Coast Sounds Good & Good Memories Choirs

Thursday, July 24 | 2 PM

Fourth Presbyterian Church

126 E. Chestnut St., Main Sanctuary

Chicago, IL

This community choir features Lasallers Judi Zink and Susan Schaefer. Enjoy this free concert! Conducted by Jonathan Miller, accompanied by a live, five-piece band

Summer Family Fun

RSVP Today!

Looking for ways to connect with other LaSalle families this summer? We’ve got a great lineup of casual events for families—park play, movie nights, museum outings, and more. These gatherings are a chance to build community, have fun, and enjoy the season together. Coming up on July 26: meet our new Pastor for Youth & Families Alexa Dava at the Midsummer Pizza & Movie Night at the VerHage home!

Click the link below to learn more and sign up!

Save the Date: All-Church Talent Show

Friday, August 22, 6:30 PM

Save the Date: Women's Retreat

September 26-28 at the Lindenwood Retreat Center

The registration form for the women's retreat is coming soon -- sign up here to be notified when the registration form is live.

Join Us at Breaking Bread

Looking for a midweek opportunity to serve our neighbors in the Near North Side? Come to Breaking Bread! We have multiple ways to serve on Wednesdays -- from meal prep, to helping distribute meals to our guests, to delivering meals to some of our senior buildings around the church.

Sign up to help at an upcoming Breaking Bread  (there are multiple times to sign up for on any Wednesday) or contact Pastor Julie for more information. Or click the link below to send needed items to directly to Breaking Bread via Amazon!

Eephus (2024)

This engaging baseball dramedy centers on a small-town amateur team playing their final game before their beloved field is demolished. It’s a story of friendship, community, and change, with classic stadium details — peeling of peanuts, singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and yes, recovering hot dogs nestled in buttered buns. One character even waxes poetic about baseball without hot dogs, reminding us how these little rituals enrich shared moments. It’s a gentle ode to simple joys and communal ties—perfect for celebrating both the ball game and small traditions this summer.

Eephus is showing at Music Box this Saturday!

Robot Dreams (2023)

Pablo Berger’s heartwarming animated gem follows a lonely dog in 1980s New York who assembles a robot friend. Amid their adventures across Central Park, subways, and Coney Island, there’s a cozy scene where Dog and Robot share hot dogs on a city sidewalk — little comfort and belonging in a big, bustling world . Though the film is mostly wordless, this shared snack moment speaks volumes — emphasizing connection, simple happiness, and the comfort found in friendship. The rest of the story resonates with warmth, loss, and hope as summer fades.

Summer Sermon Series Book:

Subversive Witness

Pick up a copy at the Welcome Table

outside Leslie Hall!

This Summer, our sermon series will highlight Subversive Witness: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege by Dominique DuBois Gilliard. In Subversive Witness, Gilliard challenges Christians to confront and steward privilege in a way that resists sin, empowers the marginalized, and creates real systemic change.

We invite you to read along with us! Copies of Subversive Witness will be available for purchase at the Welcome Table outside Leslie Hall after Sunday services—$10 with cash or $12 via our online giving platform. The book is also available for individual purchase.

Outreach & Advocacy