Though it has a small congregation, this Presbyterian church's community outreach is extensive. During the cold weather months, the church serves as an overnight shelter for homeless persons as part of the South Suburban PADS interfaith network. Oak Lawn Community Church also operates a community food pantry in conjunction with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. An adult bible study, a choir and youth programs are also available.
Faith Lutheran is a Missouri Synod Lutheran church founded in 1939 that believes the Bible is God's Word and that it has been correctly interpreted by the historic creeds and confessions of the church.
The church offers both adult and children's religious education, including adult Bible study after Sunday services and an "Evening With Jesus" for children in grades preK-5.
Among Faith Lutheran's other ministries are a food pantry, mission trips and visitation to the infirm and shut-ins. It also avails its parish hall for Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon meetings.
If you know what churches are about, we offer all the usual things. If you don’t know much about church, worship is the center of our life together at Mt. Zion. We worship every Sunday morning at 10:30am. Anyone can come and take part. If you’ve been baptized in any church, you can receive the bread and wine during communion. If you’d like to find about more about what it means to be baptized, you can talk to the pastor. If you have children, there’s a quiet room for babies, where you can see and hear what’s going on. There’s also a nursery during worship, and Sunday School for kids fifth grade and under. We serve coffee and snacks after church, so that people can talk before they leave.
Our church is part of the national Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, so we welcome LGBT members. Our building is handicap-accessible, because we have several members who need this. Our congregation is very small, but we are broad in wide in who we are and what we do. Here are a few things that might be interesting to you:
+ The Mt. Zion Book Club is open to anyone who would like to come and discuss the next book we’re reading. Recent books include Brigid Pasulka’s “A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True,” Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and Jodi Picault’s “Nineteen Minutes.”
+ We cook and serve dinners for a local PADS shelter once a month, October through April, and periodically collect things requested by the program, like hats and socks, or personal care items. We collect items for the community food pantry at Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ year-round.
+ In the summer, our garden is open to anyone who would like to raise fresh produce for distribution to feeding programs through Share the Harvest. This program also provides a lot of valuable help for beginning gardeners. We practice composting in our gardens, and anyone can add to our bins. If you would like to reserve a garden space this summer, contact the church office.
+ During Lent, we prepare to bring an Easter party and baskets to the residents of one of Lutheran Social Service of Illinois’ group homes for men living with mental illness.
+ A favorite Sunday School project is raising money in various ways to buy farm animals for families in developing countries through the ELCA Good Gifts program.
+ In December our Live Outdoor Nativity is open to anyone who would like to be part of the retelling of the Christmas story in our large outdoor stable with animals from The Children’s Farm.
The Family of St. Germaine Parish is one of only two Catholic churches in North America named for the Catholic saint of special needs.
As a Catholic community, the parish endeavors to celebrate God's presence by providing opportunities for spiritual growth and social awareness through worship, education, service and friendship. The parish seeks to relate the Gospel to everyday life by providing programs that minister to the unemployed, remembering those serving in the military, liturgical ministries, a teen club, a St. Vincent de Paul chapter and other activities for parish life.
In addition to its pre-kindergarten through eighth grade parish elementary school, St. Germaine's provides religious education for children of the Catholic faith who attend public school (also for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students).
Like its patron saint, St. Germaine's is also the only Catholic parish in Oak Lawn that has a special education religious education program for developmentally challenged and visually and hearing-impaired youth called "God's Special People."
Christ Centered Church Ministries supports a well-connected congregation and offers Christian education an hour before service to anyone hoping to learn more about the Christian faith. Evening bible discussions with meals are held Thursday evenings at 6:30pm.
Only one of 50 Wesleyan churches located in the state, the location on Austin Avenue serves the communities of Oak Park, Chicago Ridge and Worth. Wesleyan Community Church offers many opportunities for members to serve others, from choir and missionary programs to health fairs and Sunday school. With three experienced pastors who also produce their sermons online, members young and old can become involved in the church. Wesleyan Community is also a recognized member of the Willow Creek Association and the National Council of Evangelicals.
Until 2004, Golgotha was called "Maranatha." Golgotha features a vibrant facility for worship that fervently supports the Romanian community. The church has a spacious interior with windows spanning from the floor to the ceiling. A youth study group offers studies in theology.
The First Church of The Nazarene operates a large child care program through its Oak Lawn Day Nursery Early Childhood Academy for infants through kindergarten students. A large play area with play set is located behind the church. Afternoon Sunday Arabic service is provided for the growing Arabic Christian community.
Oak Lawn's Kingdom Hall is located on the corner of 98th Street and Oak Park Avenue. This modest congregation invites all to join its Bible studies, attend service meetings and learn how to teach the Bible. Bible discourse and Watchtower study are held at 9:30am every Sunday.