Worship, Study & Service  
 

Sunday Schedule

  
 

9:00 am Adult & Children's Choir
10:00 am Congregational Worship
10:20 am Religious Education
11:15 am Refreshments
11:30 am Second Hour Programs: Adult Education, Congregational Meetings, Open Fellowship, Missions & Social Concerns*

* Missions & Social Concerns Sundays are the Sundays preceding second Mondays of each month, and consist in both Chili-Making for the Soup Kitchen and Letter-Writing regarding social concerns.

 

  
  Worship  

Hyde Park Union Church is an open membership church with a broadly ecumenical spirit and members with many different backgrounds. Together we are deeply committed to Christian witness in an urban and academic neighborhood.

We serve one another and grow in faith by enjoying life in community, speaking our convictions in love, and caring for one another in adversity and change.

We invite you to join us in the challenge to create a responsible and sensitive community life. As a free church, we have no creeds, and welcome everyone in worship, service, and social activities.

    
 
   


Worship is central to our life together; through music, liturgy and spoken word we offer our grateful response to the love of God. We employ prayers and music from different cultures and periods, and regularly involve church members and children in leadership.

We celebrate communion the first Sunday of each month. Children participate in communion at the discretion of their parents. We practice infant baptism and the baptism of adults by immersion or pouring. Young people then make commitments by baptism or confirmation of baptism.
Music Program

The Senior Choir, volunteer singers anchored by a professional quartet, sings anthems from a wide range of traditions and periods. Rehearsals take place on Thursdays at 7:30 pm; pre-service warm-up is at 9:00 am. The choir welcomes new members at any time.

These paid soloists also serve as section leaders for a small but talented volunteer choir. The season begins with rehearsal on the first Thursday after Labor Day and runs approximately 40 weeks. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings, 7:30-9:00. The choir sings one service on Sundays at 10:00 a.m., with a pre-service warm-up and rehearsal at 9:00 a.m., and seasonal holiday services (Christmas Eve and Holy Week).

For an audition appointment, please contact
Patricia Spencer, Director of Music
(773)667-8599 -- pspencer@cometlink.com


Regarding Children in Worship

Children are an integral part of our church life. Child care is available for infants and toddlers in the Church Nursery on the second floor (9:50 am-12:20 pm). Parents are also welcome to keep children with them in worship. Children’s religious books, displayed in a book rack at the back of the sanctuary, help occupy restless children. Please feel free to pick a book whenever you are so moved.

After the Children’s Sermon, children ages 5-8 may leave for Children’s Church, a worshipful activity geared to their developmental and energy levels and staffed by volunteers. Children ages 8-14 are invited to sing with our Children’s Choir, which rehearses weekly and performs throughout the year.

  
   

Accessibility

Our Sanctuary, Social Hall, and rest rooms are handicap accessible. An outdoor ramp is located on Woodlawn Avenue at the south end of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is equipped with a FM transmitter for the hearing impaired. Large print hymnals and hearing aids are available on the back table.

  
After Worship  
  As part of the Fellowship Hour in the Social Hall, after worship we engage in a number of monthly service activities. We have a monthly Letter-Writing Sunday for a wide variety of issues, especially human rights and hunger alleviation. We are a covenant church with Bread for the World and a member of Amnesty International. Once a month in our church kitchen we cook chili for 200 people, to be served the next day at the Open Kitchen sponsored by the local Interfaith Council.

  
Sunday School  
Sunday School classes are available for children and youth of all ages. Commited teachers seek to instill an understanding of the Bible and our faith. For younger children we offer a Sunday School opening time with singing in the Parlor at 11:20 am.

  
Adult Education  
 

Adult Education classes led by the pastoral staff provide an opportunity for study and discussion. “Life Together” is a new name for Adult Education, signifying a new way we gather as a church after worship for life-long education, theological reflection, shared practical wisdom and spiritual friendship. After worship, we have refreshments and the children sing with Rev. Rich Landers, and at 11:30 the Social Hall is transformed into a major program venue for adults, including lectures, panel discussions, outside experts, workshops, and hymn-sings. Everyone is welcome.

Our 2006-2007 schedule includes:

Our Work with Jackson Park Hospital -- lectures and discussions by Nicole Urbach, Lilly Resident and JPH chaplain; Judi Wardian, Clinical Director, JPH Obstetrics; Bill Gerstein, Principal, South Shore High School; and Dr. Peter Friedell, Past President and CEO, JPH

An Introduction to the Social Gospel Movement -- led by David Johnson

Vocation: Discerning our Callings in Life -- led by Jana French

Exploring the Controversy -- led by Don York and Sophie Littleton Behlen

The Religious Poetry of Emily Dickinson – led by Rev. Rich Landers

Peace Corps Kenya -- led by Sarah Johnson

 
 

 

Additional Service Opportunities

Community Food Pantry

The Community Food Pantry is now located at Hyde Park Union Church. Begun in 1982, it serves an average of 55 people per week. Needy residents of Hyde Park-Kenwood and Bronzeville may pick up emergency food (bags of groceries) once a month on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. HPUC’s communion offering allows for the purchase of dry and canned goods at cost. HPUC also supports the pantry by providing space, and sending volunteers to unload trucks with incoming supplies, to pack grocery bags for distribution, and to help distribute bags on Saturday mornings.

To learn more about the Hyde Park and Kenwood Hunger Programs or to make a donation, please click here.

Jackson Park Hospital

Hyde Park Union Church and Jackson Park Hospital began a partnership in the summer of 2002. Early on in the conception of the Lilly Residency Program, Dr. Georgia Lubben suggested that part of the resources and staff energy from the grant be directed towards creating a chaplaincy program at Jackson Park. Currently, the Lilly Pastoral Resident serving at Jackson Park Hospital coordinates volunteer chaplains, meets and prays with staff and patients, serves on the Ethics and Customer Service Committees, and holds hospital wide prayer services and unit specific Bible studies. Church members have generously contributed their time and resources to the hospital through Christmas caroling, book, magazine, and clothing drives, and look forward to deepening their relationship in future years.