Adult Ministries

The desire to know God and grow in relationship with him is innate and lifelong. Whether you grew up in a house of worship, or have never stepped foot in one, you are welcome to join any of our adult faith formation opportunities at any time. Grace offers several distinct Sunday school classes for adults as well as midweek small groups, all-church studies, and spiritual retreats. Newcomers are always welcome! Take a one stop shop and sign up for all the faith formation groups by clicking here.

Sunday morning groups

Questors

Questors welcomes all adults on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 254 to participate in presentations/discussions on a variety of topics such as contemporary living issues, religious history, Biblical studies, and much more. Class offers mission and fellowship opportunities. Contact Betty Long via email or Joan Bratton via email for more information.

Forum Class

The Forum Class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 226. This faithful and welcoming group enjoys a spirited study of the scriptures as well as presentations from guest speakers, often incorporating discussion and thought-provoking audio/visual material. Contact Sandy Bray via email for more information. Everyone is welcome!

Hearts on Fire

Hearts on Fire gathers Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 250 with a welcoming atmosphere to share in fun but challenging and meaningful discussions around faith and discipleship. Contact Bob Pacanowski via email for more information.

Everyone is welcome to join these upcoming discussions:

April 12 through May 17 - God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions by Rick Warren
May 24 through June 28 - Tame Your Thoughts by Max Lucado

Portico Connections

Portico Connections meets Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 231. This is a great group to join if you have children or youth at 9:15AM Faith Formation Hour or if you attend 8:00AM or 10:30AM service, and want an hour of study and fellowship with a great group of people. Everyone is welcome! Contact Stefanie Abderhalden via email with any questions.

weekday groups

Temple Builders

Temple Builders meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:00AM in the Activity Center for exercise and strength training. Please contact the church office for information and availability.

Sisters Study
In person & via Zoom

Sisters Study meets on Mondays at 1:00PM in Room 254 and via Zoom. All women are invited to join in the discussion. Please reach out to Pastor Cindy Marino via email for the class session schedule and Zoom link information.

Practicing the Way Study
In Person & via Zoom

Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become like Him, Do as He Did by John Mark Comer
Who Are You Following?

Everyone is being shaped by someone—or something. Whether we realize it or not, we’re all disciples. The real question is: Who—or what—is forming you? If you’re sensing a deeper call… If your heart longs for more than just going through the motions… If you want to live intentionally, grounded in purpose and powered by God’s Spirit—then this journey is for you.

This past fall our church participated in an all-church book read of Practicing the Way and our recent sermon series was aligned with the same topics and themes. The discussion will continue in on Monday evenings at 6:00PM! All are invited to join us in room 226 or via Zoom. There is no registration needed. Let's practice the way together! If you need a Zoom link, please reach out to Pastor Eric Blachford via email.

Working for Racial Justice Group
In Person & via Zoom

Anyone interested in racial justice and eager to help Grace UMC and our community demonstrate how to love our neighbor and truly love our neighbor despite race or ethnicity is welcome to join the Working for Racial Justice Group. This group strives to provide opportunities for creating community and relationships among people of all races and ethnicities. In addition, this group hopes to provide opportunities for learning how to help our community and our world stand up against racial injustice through various offerings of speakers, service projects, book studies, and events. Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7:00PM in Room 254 and via Zoom. For more information, please contact Judy Piercy via email.

Parenting with Grace Mom's Group

Parenting with Grace Mom’s Faith Formation Group meets on Tuesdays at 7:00PM to 8:30PM in Room 231. All moms of every age and stage are invited! Feel free to purchase the book listed below or just come for the discussion.If you have questions, please contact Stefanie Abderhalden via email.

Join us for this upcoming discussions:

June 2 to August 4 - The Beach is Calling: 90 Devotions for Rest and Relaxation

Disciple Bible Study
In Person & via Zoom

Come join us on Thursdays at 9:30AM in both Room 254 and on Zoom. Stay tuned for our next class beginning in the fall of 2026. Please contact Sandy Bray via email or Pastor Doug Bowden via email with questions.

fellowship & Support groups

Prayer Team
Meets over
Conference Call

Each Tuesday at 3:00PM a group of people gather by phone conference to pray together for all the prayer requests that have been forwarded to us, along with prayers for our staff, church family, and our country. We have a short devotion, and then we take turns praying for the needs that have been entrusted to us. Won’t you consider joining us for this time of prayer? (30-45 minutes) It is very convenient, and a blessing to share in the concerns of our church family. Please contact Judy Cornett for more information or to join the group at 630-842-1912 or via email.

Over 50 Fellowship

Are you Over 50? You are invited to gather and meet some new friends or gather with some old friends. Stay tuned for our next gathering coming up in the fall of 2026. If you have questions, please contact Pastor Kim at kim.neace@peopleofgrace.org.

Guys Gathering Together

Life's busy. Work is demanding. Stress piles up. And if we're honest, most of us don't talk about it — we just push through until something gives. That's exactly why Guys Gathering Together exists. It's a space for men like you and me to share a meal, swap stories, laugh a little, and dig into the stuff that actually matters. Whether you're in your 30s juggling kids and career, or in your 60s navigating a different set of pressures, you'll find guys here who get it. No pretense. No performance. Just men being men — with a little food and a lot of honesty. Check back for details of our next gathering in the fall of 2026. If you have questions, please reach out to Bob Pacanowski anytime via email or 630-240-2122.

Grace Community Builders

Grace Community Builders help build a stronger sense of community within our church. This powerful idea is based on getting to know other members of our church better and to have an enjoyable time while doing it. Each (GCB) Group is comprised of six people and each Community Builder will spend approximately one hour a week with a different participant in his/her group over a period of five weeks. The meetings are set up by each participant and can be at the church Gathering Space, at a restaurant, coffee shop, or wherever you choose. At the end of five weeks, we will have a potluck at the church for participants and their spouse, significant other, or a friend. Stay tuned for our next session that begins in the fall of 2026. Please contact Bill Fronk via email or at 913-961-2903 with questions.

Reel People Movie Discussion Group

Everyone is invited to join in the discussion at the Reel People Movie Discussion group. We meet on the 4th Thursday of the month at 1:00PM to 3:00PM in Room 254. Contact Dick Trondsen via email for more information.

New Movie Group

Come join the New Movie Group. We meet on the 2nd Saturday of every other month. Register at peopleofgrace.org/moviegroup. Contact Pastor Kim for more information via email.

United Women in Faith Book Discussion Group
In Person & Via Zoom

UWF Book Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 12:45PM in Room 254 with a Zoom option. Contact Cathy Connor via email for the ZOOM link or for more information. Here are our upcoming book selections:

May 27- The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
June 24 - The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
July 22 - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

United Women in Faith Prayer Shawl Group

Prayer Shawl Ministry meets 3rd Thursday at 7:00PM at the Church. Contact Barb LeMaster via email for more information.

United Women in Faith Quilt Group

The Quilt Group meets every Monday morning at 9:30AM in the Fireside Room. This groups makes hand quilted quilts like the annual Mission Quilt which are displayed at events like the Mistletoe Marketplace. All of the proceeds from the quilting projects go directly to Missions. Contact Sandy Bray via email or Nancy Lindberg via email for more information.

Grace Gardeners

Come join the Grace Gardeners! Our goal: keep the church planting beds attractive. How do we work? The landscaping beds on the property are divvied up into sections. Gardeners take responsibility for one or more sections, and work at the time and pace of their choosing. Most beds are already planted with shrubs and perennials. We assist with keeping them weeded and trimming off dead material. Professional B&B Landscaping does Spring cleanup, bush trimming, Preen and mulch applications. Occasionally, we gardeners divide and transplant perennials, but most of our work is not strenuous. We have varying levels of experience, so you needn’t be an expert! If you’d like to learn more, please contact Betty Long via email or 630-961-0258.

"Chic Flicks" Movie Group

All women of Grace are invited! If you would enjoy a Saturday or Sunday afternoon movie with lady friends, please consider joining the movie group, “Chic Flicks.” An afternoon movie, followed by a light dinner at a restaurant to discuss the movie is the current format. Please contact Judy Cornett via email or 630.842.1912 to join or get more information.

amplify media
digital faith formation resources

Amplify Media is a service that Grace subscribes to so that every member can have access to resources that encourage deeper discipleship and equip them to pursue their faith formation journey with greater impact. Amplify has videos that can be used in your small groups, Bible studies and, of course, in your own personal faith journey. You can access all of these videos anytime and on almost any device.

Who: Amplify has resources for all ages (adults, children, and youth) that can used for your own individual faith journey or as part of a small group. The resources are from publishers like Cokesbury and include popular authors such as Adam Hamilton and N.T. Wright.

Where: You can access all of these videos anytime and almost any devices.

How: To access our Amplify account, click here and enter our Access Code: BTSNPM

Why: To engage more deeply in your faith and to builder deeper community with Christ and others in a new way.