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

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.

Forum Class

The Forum Class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15AM in Room 232. 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:

January 11 through February 14 - The Beloved Community: The Building Blocks of a Love-Filled Life
February 22 through March 29 - The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus by Adam Hamilton
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

Questors

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

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

Sisters Study meets on Mondays at 1:00PM in Room 254. All women are invited to join in the discussion. We will resume on Monday, January 5. Please reach out to Pastor Cindy Marino via email for the class session schedule and if you have any questions.

Practicing the Way Study

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 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 December!

The next Practicing the Way deep dive will be on the "Prayer Practice.” Beginning January 5, these four weeks will help you learn to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like Jesus and partner with Jesus in the world. All are invited to join us on Mondays from 6:00PM to 7:30PM in room 226 or via Zoom. There is no registration needed. Let's practice the way together! If you need a Zoom link, please email Pastor Eric at eric.blachford@peopleofgrace.org.

Working for Racial Justice Group

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.

Parenting with Grace Mom's Group

Parenting with Grace Mom’s Faith Formation Group meets on Tuesdays at 7:00PM to 8:15PM 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 Stephanie Abderhalden via email.

Join us for this upcoming discussions:

January 13 to Starting March 31 - Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy

Disciple Bible Study

Come join us on Thursdays at 9:30AM in both Room 254 and on Zoom. Beginning January 15 through March 26, we will study Luke-Acts. Our Disciple Study is a welcoming, warm fellowship. The cost is $20. Register at peopleofgrace.org/adultgroups, or please contact either Sandy Bray via email or Pastor Doug Bowden via email.

Building Blocks of a Love Filled Life Small Groups

Rent, groceries, utilities and other costs of living are high. War and natural disasters are wreaking havoc all over the world. Pain and fear dominate life. Does God care anymore? Does God care about me? About us? Where is this abundant life that Jesus promises? But what if we are asking the wrong questions? Is there a more excellent way?

Do you remember the old preschool building blocks? You know the ones! They were wood, about an inch or two all the way around. They had a letter on one side, a number with another color on another side, and maybe an animal or something else on another side. We used those blocks to build, count, learn our letters, learn to share, and learn the fundamentals of life.

In our upcoming sermon series starting January 11, THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A LOVE-FILLED LIFE let’s explore together what it takes to build the life Jesus promises, the Beloved Community. Guided by scripture, we will explore the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community. We will lean into the “building blocks” of a love-filled life as we discover, develop, design and build the Beloved Community together for such a time as this. Do not miss this life changing series as we dive deeper into the building blocks and practical ways to Build Blocks of a Love-Filled Life.

Join a small group to discuss both the sermon series and the small group guide. CLICK HERE to download your own version of the questions to discuss in a small group, or to discuss with family or friends, or simply to look at yourself and ponder.

CLICK HERE to register for one of the these small groups options:

Sundays at 9:15AM with Portico Connections in Room 231
Sundays at 10:30AM with some of our 9G Leaders (Lauri Treddinick, Lisa Borton, and Trudy Walters) in Room 250
Sundays at 12:00PM with Judy Piercy in Room 226
Mondays at 10:30AM with Doug Bowden in Room 226

fellowship & Support groups

Over 50 Fellowship

Are you Over 50? You are invited to gather and meet some new friends or gather with some old friends. Register for these two dates coming up this fall! Register online at the links below or at the Welcome Desk. Payment is due upon registration. You can pay via credit card online or in person at the Welcome Desk with cash or check. If you register online, you will receive a confirmation email once you register. If you don't receive one, that means your registration did not go through. Please resubmit or contact Pastor Kim at kim.neace@peopleofgrace.org.

Thursday, February 5 from 12:00PM to 2:00PM – Melodies of the Heart
Register at peopleofgrace.org/over50

Join us to celebrate the gift of friendship, the joy of music, and the love we share in community!

This month, we are thrilled to welcome two talented sisters who will fill our time together with beautiful harmonies, lively instrumentals, and a variety of music that will have you smiling, humming, and maybe even tapping your toes. Their engaging presence and genuine joy are sure to lift your spirits.

To make the day even more special, we invite everyone to bring Valentine’s to share—simple notes of kindness, encouragement, and appreciation to brighten someone’s day. You’ll also get to decorate your own Valentine’s bag, adding your personal touch before the love notes start pouring in!

Guys Gathering Together

Guys Gathering Together is a group for men who share common interests. Get out, eat, have fun, and have enjoyable conversations about various topics in a casual setting that impact each of us in today's world. The goal is to build relationships with other men around common values of integrity and honesty, while learning with and from each other. Stay tuned for details of our next gathering. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Bob Pacanowski via email.

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. To signup for a group or for more information, contact Bill Fronk via email or at 913-961-2903.

Working for Racial Justice Group

GriefShare Support Group

GriefShare is a support group designed to help you move through the grief process. This support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. During this 13-week group, you’ll discover that you are not alone and what to expect in the days ahead along with what’s “normal” in grief. Since the process of grief is not neat, and orderly, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.

Begins January 7 and is on Wednesdays at 6:30PM. Register at peopleofgrace.org/griefshare. If you have questions and for more information, please contact Richard Newell at richard.newell@peopleofgrace.org or 630-947-9311.

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 beginning February 14. Register at peopleofgrace.org/moviegroup. Contact Pastor Kim for more information at kim.neace@peopleofgrace.org.

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.