All Saints Episcopal Church

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Diversity

All Saints’ is a congregation that celebrates diversity – both among ourselves and in the world we live in. We range in age from newborn to 90, with an average age around 38. A few of us have attended All Saints since childhood, and have raised our own children here. Many others are new to the city or the neighborhood and are just beginning to feel at home at All Saints'. Over the past five years, we have welcomed a number of young, single people as well as families with young children and, simultaneously, many empty-nesters.

Tradition and Engagement

Most parishioners were not raised in the Episcopal tradition. Indeed, many of us didn't attend church at all as children and are surprised to find ourselves encountering God through the institutional church. We turn up each week imbued both with skepticism and with hope, knowing that what we will find at All Saints' will be honest and provocative. Services and sermons are rooted both in tradition and in the real world, the spirit is joyful and fun and the congregation is warm and welcoming.

Commitment to Our Neighbors

All Saints' unique spirit also extends into the surrounding neighborhood through our commitment to helping others. We currently dedicate one-third (and we're aiming for half) of our operating budget to outreach. Our weekly community kitchen and food pantry, administered by Ravenswood Community Services(RCS), is also funded in part by private foundations and other Episcopal parishes. Every Tuesday evening, parishioners and volunteers from the community prepare a sit down family style meal for 125 of our neighbors who after dining take home a couple of bags of groceries. In addition, another 200 or so of our neighbors just come by for groceries. We offer more than 2000 lbs of food and an unending supply of respect and dignity to hundreds of our neighbors who visit us each week. Neighbors in need and neighbors of means all gather together to create a community of compassion and hope.

Worship times

Sunday

8:00 am

English

Sunday

9:00 am

English

Sunday

11:00 am

English

Ministries

Ravenswood Community Center

Advocacy

Meal Programs

The many outreach ministries of All Saints' are at the core of our community and mission. Through our partnership with Ravenswood Community Services (RCS), we open our doors to feed our community on Tuesday nights. With RCS we make dinner, visit, raise funds, run races, throw parties, and make connections in the church and the world.

RCS grew out of All Saints' Episcopal Church's strong commitment to meaningful neighborhood outreach. With deep support from the church, RCS operates a Food Pantry and Community Kitchen out of All Saints' space. RCS is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and is proud to be an agency of Episcopal Charities and Community Services, a member agency of the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) and a member of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce. RCS also has a strong partnership with nearby Ravenswood School, leading and supporting programs with 7th and 8th grade students as well as occupying their space for a monthly mobile Market Pantry.

We serve people from all parts of the city, although many come to us from the Ravenswood and nearby Uptown neighborhoods. At our Tuesday night Community Kitchen and Food Pantry, most of the neighbors who join us are elderly, fixed-income, or working poor people in our community. About 20% are homeless. In one year, RCS serves 5-7,000 hot meals and hosts 18-20,000 pantry visits for our neighbors in need of food assistance. We also provide a space for other kinds of outreach, running a volunteer-staffed clinic of trained nurses, providing assistance with SNAP (food stamps) applications, and welcoming social workers and organizers from Heartland Alliance, LIFT Chicago, and many other partner organizations from the area to connect our neighbors with other essential services.

RCS is supported by a committed community. Every Tuesday night, we host 40-60 volunteers on-site who help distribute groceries, build community, and cook and serve a hot meal. Our volunteers include All Saints' parishioners, neighbors who live on our block and in the surrounding area, local businesspeople, families, children and teachers from neighborhood schools, and corporate groups, among others. We could not serve the community without these volunteers, or without the support of our neighborhood partners.

Cross Walk

Advocacy

CROSSwalk is a citywide effort to engage people of faith on ways to address persistent violence against youth in Chicago. What began at All Saints as an idea for creative Holy Week liturgy grew into a 1,500-person multifaith procession that crossed the city and today operates as an ongoing ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, still fueled by the fire and commitment of the people of All Saints.

Through CROSSwalk, we are building relationships with congregations and community organizations already deeply involved with at-risk youth, translating goodwill into action and change. That includes developing a pilot youth jobs program, connecting volunteers to need in various communities, advocating for public policies that address both the drivers and aftermath of violence, and continued public witness through multi-faith liturgies and events. CROSSwalk embodies All Saints’ passion for justice and our hope for peace.

Youth and Children's Formation

Children and Youth Ministries

The goal of All Saints' church school program is to enable children to learn about the Bible, Christ and our Church through experiences as part of a loving Christian community beyond their immediate family. To achieve this a curriculum is offered which includes outreach activities, special parties and events and age-appropriate exploration of the Christian faith. The core of the program is provided by the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. This is based on Maria Montessori's theories of learning and organized to allow independent exploration that helps deepen understanding of God's presence in the world and how we worship.

Sunday classes are held between the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services from approximately 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Children 3 to 6 years-old are also invited to participate in classes during the 9:00 and 11:00 services.

Our nursery provides free child care for children under 4 during the 9 and 11am Sunday services. The nursery provides our younger members an inviting place to be when they are not participating in the service. Clyde has furnished the nursery with attractive toys and art materials that provide an interesting and safe environment for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.