Calvary Episcopal Church

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We are a teaching, preaching, healing community called to grow in the life of God

Teaching…

We don’t expect anyone to know it all; we teach one another. We are curious and practical, exploring questions about the meaning of life as revealed in the Bible or in the daily news, and studying recycling and finance, food and health in the context of our faith.

Children attend our 10:15 worship service, sometimes leading us in prayer and preaching, then move to our classrooms for instruction and fellowship for ages 3 to 16.

Adults gather between the two Sunday services for forums and study series, and in weekday groups at the church or in members’ homes.

Preaching…

Good news isn’t meant to be kept to ourselves. We enjoy sharing stories, new and old. We expect sermons to make us laugh, challenge us to examine new ideas, bring the life of God closer to home, and inspire us for our daily work. Some of us sing our faith. Others make the world beautiful, others build strong foundations: we preach with the work of our hands and hearts as well as with words. We expect our faith community to support us so that we can share inspiration, hope, and strength with friends, neighbors, and others beyond our Sunday community.

Healing…

Pain happens. Illness and loss, injuries, failure, and loneliness are common

wounds in our world. We believe that God gives us to one another to make us whole. All are accepted for who we are, in the love of God. We strive to be a safe place

of refreshment and strength. We offer prayer, companionship, meals, and blankets as needed to those who are hungry, to those who are ill, to those who are lost, and to those just bruised by the hard work of everyday life.

...Called to grow in the life of God.

We’re not done, whether we’re nine or ninety. Through hope and work, we grow closer to God together, and grow as a community. We grow by extending our reach to serve more people, we grow stronger hearts to care for more people, we grow when others grow with us.

Ministries

Loaves & Fishes

Meal Programs

It's been said that "If you give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day...." But what would happen if we bought that person a kitchen?

Imagine yourself or your child, as a teenager, without family to depend on. Imagine that three healthy meals a day have been more fantasy than reality for most of your life. Imagine that you have been offered a home with other teens, with support and caring adults - but the three square meals you are hoping for depend on an outdated kitchen with a stove that keeps breaking.
This Lent, Calvary is partnering with ChildServ, a foster- and family-care agency, to buy stoves and dishwashers for two group homes in DuPage County. With the new appliances, teens will be able to count on healthy, home-cooked meals as they cope with trauma and loss, and learn the skills needed to feed themselves well and care for one another.
A "meal" in this project costs only $15. Want to make a difference to a child in need? Help us build their kitchen!

Backpack Drive

Donation Coordination/Distribution

Closer to home, Calvary runs an annual Backpack and School Supply drive to benefit children at nearby Madison School in Lombard. Many Lombard families struggle to provide needed supplies, and Calvarians have stepped up to provide backpacks, pens, notebooks, crayons, glue and more to help ensure that our neighborhood’s children are equipped for learning at the beginning of the school year.

Sacred Ground Race Dialogue Circles

Racial Reconciliation

Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.