Bethel UCC, Elmhurst, IL

05/20/2026

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Email from Bethel UCC Notice: Because of Memorial Day weekend, there will be no Sunday School this Sunday. Midweek News from Bethel Worship A Note from Nick Schmitt Upcoming Events Call for Giving May

05/13/2026

We began our May sermon series, “Like A Prayer: Prayer Practices When Words Are Hard to Find,” this past Sunday by exploring how music itself can be prayer, in the Bible and in our lives today.
This Sunday we’ll continue the series with a prayer practice that is much quieter but still powerful: breath prayer. I hope you’ll join us, whether in person or online--you are welcome!

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Email from Bethel UCC Notice: Tonight's Modern Spirituality Group is canceled. Midweek News from Bethel Worship A Note From Pastor Alaina Upcoming Events Call for Giving One Great Hour of Sharing May

05/06/2026

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Email from Bethel UCC Midweek News from Bethel Mission, Service, & Giving Opportunities (OGHS, May Collection for the Food Pantry, Rummage Sale, Styrofoam & Ink Cartridge Collection) Upcoming Services

04/29/2026

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Email from Bethel UCC Midweek News from Bethel This Week & Worship Sunday (Bulletin, Livestream) Mission, Service, & Giving Opportunities (OGHS, May Collection for the Food Pantry, Rummage Sale, Styro

04/22/2026

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Email from Bethel UCC Midweek News from Bethel This Week & Worship Sunday (Bulletin, Livestream) Mission, Service, & Giving Opportunities (One Great Hour of Sharing, April Collection for the Food Pant

04/17/2026

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04/08/2026

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03/20/2026

Email from Bethel UCC Meet our new Senior Pastor Good News! It is with profound joy and excitement that we are able to report that a call has been offered and accepted for the position of Senior Pasto

02/25/2026

What if the measure of a church isn’t just how many people show up on Sunday, but how deeply people are engaged the rest of the week? That's a question we've been pondering at Bethel UCC. Recently, we were invited to write an article about our new LIFT Community Learning Center for the Illinois Conference United Church of Christ that addresses that issue. Here's the article:

"Beyond Counting Heads: Creation of the LIFT Community Learning Center"

We woke up to snow on December 7, 2025, the day of our "We Are the World" re-creation at Bethel UCC in Elmhurst, and more than 120 singers, instrumentalists, and volunteers were planning to attend. I remember thinking, “Who’s going to come now?” Nearly 100 people did—shoveling driveways, braving the elements, and showing up anyway.

Hearing all of us sing "We Are the World" together has never felt more meaningful.

That day became the kickoff for LIFT Community Learning Center, an initiative born from a simple but challenging question: what if the measure of a church isn’t just how many people show up on Sunday, but how deeply people are engaged the rest of the week?

Inspired by congregations like All Saints Church in Pasadena, which asks not “How many members do we have?” but “How are people being transformed?” we began focusing on engagement as the common thread.

Through LIFT, that engagement is taking many forms—square dancing (ages 7 to 80), art workshops for kids and parents, masterclasses, listening nights exploring music from jazz to Copland’s Appalachian Spring, social forums, and small circles for reflection and conversation. Again and again, we hear the same response: “I feel more connected!”

"At LIFT, we’re discovering that worship doesn’t happen only on Sunday mornings—and that transformation often begins when people gather, create, and learn together—in person, face-to-face, and heart-to-heart" according to Jenny Riddle, Co-Director of Lift with her husband.

For more information, contact Jenny Riddle at [email protected].

02/24/2026

Bringing people together through LIFT Community Learning Center at Bethel UCC. Enjoy a photo montage of some of our recent events and workshops. Join us, won't you?

Register for a class here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/0pntglp/LIFTCourseCatalog