Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Good Shepherd is on the southwest corner of East Avenue and Randolph Street in Oak Park (map), one block north of Washington Boulevard. There is plenty of on-street parking on both East and Randolph. On Sundays, please enter through the front doors on East Avenue. For non-worship events on other days, the back door on Randolph Street is best. Just ring the bell!

If you're a morning person, the first Sunday worship service begins at 8:00 am. If you like to sleep a little later, the second worship service begins at 10:30 am (9:30 am June through August). The two worship services are very similar, generally using the same songs and hymns, but the early service is a little calmer and the second service is a little livelier and has more children present. From 9:10-10:20 am (September through May), we offer Sunday school for children, Breakfast Club for high-school youth, and Bible study and discussion groups for adults. Ask us if you need help finding any of these. September through May, following the late service you're invited to join us for coffee, snacks and conversation downstairs in our Fellowship Hall if you'd like to.

September through May
8:00 a.m. Worship
9:10 a.m. Sunday School for age 3 through adult (September after Labor Day through May before Memorial Day)
10:30 a.m. Worship (attended nursery available)
11:30 a.m. Coffee Hour

June through August (summertime worship schedule)
8:00 a.m. Worship
9:00 a.m. Mini-Coffee Hour
9:30 a.m. Worship (attended nursery available)

This is easy. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Good Shepherd is an informal church. You can expect to see more people wearing jeans (or shorts in the summer) than ties or dresses.

We're a diverse, lively, informal and friendly community. Expect to be greeted when you come in, and sit wherever you like. We use many different kinds of music, from classical to contemporary, so the flavor of our worship changes from week to week. On some Sundays, the ushers will give you a contemporary hymnal or worship folder with your bulletin, and on some Sundays we will use the more traditional hymnals found in the pews. The service follows an order of liturgy found in the hymnal or the bulletin and we sing at many places in the service, so if you're ever uncertain what's going on please ask a neighbor. We're more than happy to help out (and we may be figuring it out ourselves)!

During the service we always take a moment to greet those around us by shaking hands and saying "Peace be with you." We offer communion every Sunday to every baptized Christian who believes Christ is present in this sacrament and forgives sins. Both wine and grape juice are available. If you have questions about communion, please call! (708-848-4741).

We strive to be an inclusive church. If you have restricted mobility you can park in the handicap spaces on the south side of Randolph Street next to the Randolph Street entrance, and enter the sanctuary through an elevator which is just inside this entrance. If you need a large-print bulletin or a headset to hear the service better, please ask an usher.

Do I have to join to be involved?

You are welcome to attend worship, take communion, and engage in ministry with us at Good Shepherd even without official membership, except for things such as serving on the board or in certain other elected positions or voting at officially called congregation-wide meetings.

How do I join?

If after visiting for a while you would like to become a member, just let the pastor know. We usually hold membership classes in the fall and in the spring. The main goals of our new member gatherings are to build a stronger sense of community with others interested in Good Shepherd, to help you know more about this church and some of its members, to answer any questions you might have, and to help you find a satisfying place to plug in.

The precise content varies a little from group to group. Generally, in four or five sessions, you will connect with others interested in joining; experiment with a variety of ways to pray; experience different ways to read, study or meditate on the Bible; consider a variety of faith questions; maybe learn more about your spirituality type; and discover a little about your gifts and talents and where you might plug in at Good Shepherd to make a difference in something you care about and in ways you enjoy.

There's usually a good deal of laughter in these groups as well as substantive conversation. And the beverages and munchies are pretty good, too. Childcare can be provided.