Church News

Spring has sprung, and the time is right to become involved. With Earth Day, The Night Ministry, All Ages VBS, and more, there is a lot to share with the Ivanhoe Church family.

The month of March is brimming with activity, culminating in Easter celebration at both sunrise and traditional services at Ivanhoe Congregational Church. Join the warmest and most welcoming church in Lake County, Illinois in our 186th Holy Week journey.

The Lenten journey appears to be a linear forty-day march from Ash Wednesday to its culmination in Easter's joy. But our heart doesn't always follow our head. Our lives rarely follow a straight path, sometimes led by events but often by our wandering hearts. Even Lent often starts with a commitment to giving something up that often, like a New Year's resolution, is short-lived.

For over fifty years, Ivanhoe has partnered with Avon Township to provide Christmas Gifts to families that need help making Christmas merry for their children. This Christmas, we provided gifts for 30 children, and Avon Township Supervisor Michele Bauman attended our January 7th service to offer her heartfelt appreciation.

As blustery winter arrives to Ivanhoe Congregational Church, join Northern Illinois' WARMEST congregation for our 186th February of events sharing camaraderie, companionship, and God's love.

This cultural wordplay reminds us that the most basic transforming experiences of our faith — communion and baptism — are the starting points for life "beyond" our present limitations. Join us this new year as Christ's resurrection informs and transforms our lives, our community, and our world!

Join in the beauty and welcome of this holy season. From caroling to services commemorating Christmas, there's a place of acceptance, here. And a special service for those who find the shadows of loss cast their veil over the celebrations of this season.

From November 5 through December 3, we celebrate our annual Holiday Stocking Drive, filling stockings with a specific list of items in need that are distributed by The Night Ministry, a Chicago-based organization founded 45 years ago by a UCC minister providing human connection, housing support, and health care to those who are unhoused or experiencing poverty.

November brings many great opportunities to be involved with sharing and caring for each other and our surrounding community. This is just a small sampling of what we are involved in each month.

Ivanhoe members enthusiastically support The Night Ministry, serving Chicago's homeless community. Throughout the year, members volunteer at The Crib, and several times a year, we hold collection drives for things sorely needed.