News & Info

Sunday Worship – 10 a.m. Sanctuary Service Children's Church – 10:20 a.m. Sacred Grounds – 11:00 a.m. following worship Spanish-speaking service – 12 noon For news and programming information, see the Current News section at right.

Harvest Celebration of Thanks

We enjoy a wonderful selection of food and great fellowship as we enter the holiday season.

Iowa Youth Mission Return and Leave a Lasting Mark

They were here in August 2005 and helped us refresh our gardens and grounds, revitalize our kitchen, refinish entry doors and do needed repairs. They returned in August 2007. This time with more people. Renewed energy. And a commitment to helping our church be all that it can be. They have become our sister church and see our growth as a sign that their witness is working.

Once again they worked in 100+ degree temperatures. They slept in the sanctuary. They showered at the YMCA. They painted over one-third of our church. They filled our church and the neighborhood with music and laughter. Fortunately they also managed to fit in visits to Chicago beaches, the loop, the Temple, the museums and some favorite restaurants.

Their home church in Nevada, Iowa (http://www.fumcnevada.org) has a long list of missions and community service projects, but Pastor Steve and the youth group felt that returning to Old Irving Park to help their sister church was their calling this year ... and we are so very grateful.

All you need to do is walk through our doors and you’ll see the results of their labors of love. Enjoy an event in our fellowship hall or take your child to our nursery ... you’ll see even more. Our Work Niters mens’ group is busy replacing windows, renovating rooms, organizing and repairing. The energy is high. As a church we are committed to keeping the work they started moving forward.

In 2005 ...

Helping each other Open Doors through Open Hearts and Minds

They came from the United Methodist Church in Nevada, Iowa to the Irving Park United Methodist Church in Chicago and a big thanks goes out to anyone involved in bringing these two churches together. Everyone involved in this mission trip was enriched and the Irving Park UMC is glowing thanks to refreshed gardens and grounds; a revitalized kitchen; completely refinished entry doors; polished pews and so much more.

Fourteen members of the senior high youth of Nevada UMC arrived on a Sunday night, along with their Pastor, Steve Williams, his wife Janet, and their two sons, James and Tommy. Other adults included their new youth counselor Jackie Hawley and Keith Hobson. Other youth included: Maggie Davis, Joe Nehring, Lisa Schumacher, William Fenner, Ruth Powell, Rebecca Hobson, Dana Deyoe, Korrin Lehman, Natalie Hobt, Ben Ackerman, Kenton McBride and Josh Bonham.

They gave of their time and talents. They slept in the sanctuary. They worked in 100-degree heat day after day. They stripped and sanded the wood entry doors and made the hardware look brand new. The church ramp and fences have been sanded, treated and repaired.

Prior to leaving, the group sat on the front porch of IPUMC and sang “Make me a sanctuary of your love.” After they left for Iowa, neighbors kept stopping by to discuss what they had witnessed over the past week. They offered thanksgiving for the freshened church grounds and building changes. They were obviously moved by what they observed.

“We’ve been to places before, but we’ve never worked on the church we stayed in. It’s awesome how the church opened their doors to us,” said James Williams.

We hope to see these friends again soon!