Connect
Adult Small Groups
At FPCLG, we love fostering community and friendships, and small groups are a wonderful way to meet people and engage in fun and meaningful ways.
The following are some of the adult groups available at FPCLG. You are welcome to join any of them. Your thoughts and ideas on future groups are encouraged and welcomed. Contact the Church Office at admin@fpclg.com for more information on these groups.
Adult Weekly Groups
From September-May, a women’s book group meets every Wednesday morning, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the Church Parlor, for lively conversations about a variety of books.
A men’s discussion group meets every Thursday from 11:00 a.m.-Noon in the Church Parlor. They discuss a variety of topics from scripture to current events and appreciate the friendships that are formed over thoughtful discussions.
Environment and Climate Change Discussion Group
This group meets one Thursday evening per month in the Parlor to discuss environment and climate issues, and our stewardship of God’s earth. It is also a forum for updates on our Earth Care Congregation activities. Please contact the Church Office to sign up.
Garden Team
Ten organic, raised vegetable garden beds line the parking lot of FPCLG. A team of dedicated people organize and work the garden from March through October, sharing the harvest with two local food pantries, Second Baptist food pantry and Share Food Share Love free market. The team has partnered with community groups such as LTHS Urban Agriculture class, LTHS Future Farmers of America club, La Grange Apollo Camp, DePaul University’s urban planning initiative, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, Monarch Watch’s waystation program and The Chicago Tomato Man.
You can read more about the Grace Garden mission in this RB Landmark news article.
Exploring Mission through Media
These Mission and Outreach sponsored discussions use a variety of sources—books (printed and audio), documentaries and more—as the basis for exploring faith, meaning and ministry in a small group. Informal, inter-generational, and open to all. Past discussions have included the book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, the documentary Crip Camp, Anne Lamott's Help, Thanks, Wow and the documentary We Feed People. Please contact the church Office to find out about our next meet up!
Music Ministry
Please learn more about our music ministry here.
Sewing Circle
Meets the second Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. in Westminster Hall. The cozy comforters are made for Constance Morris House and BEDS Plus.
Sunday Morning Adult Education
Our Adult Education class meets in the Parlor most Sunday mornings following the 10:00 a.m. worship service. The topics change throughout the year but have included lectures on organic gardening, classes on artificial intelligence and wrestling with the concept of hell. Come to learn and engage and leave feeling connected!
Adult Ed on September 14: Greg Beglen, Olivia Hein and Jay Jacobs will offer a ‘tour’ of our newly refreshed website.
Adult Ed on September 21: Please join us immediately following the worship service for “The Maley Way.” Former Lyons Township basketball standout Jim Maley was a promising freshman for the Northwestern University Wildcats before depression got the best of him. Drawing from his own personal battle with depression, Jim will share his transformative story that has led him to become a self-described “depression agent” to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health and foster a culture of support and understanding.
Women’s Ministry
Women’s Ministry offers several monthly small groups, including Bible studies, book clubs and a sewing circle. They host monthly speakers and special programs open to everyone. Please see the church calendar for details on upcoming events!
Seasonal Groups
Occasionally we offer a limited-time small group on a special topic, sometimes coinciding with a Sunday sermon series, such as a weeknight small group during the weeks of Lent leading up to Easter.
Serving Others
Mission & Outreach
First Presbyterian Church of La Grange (FPCLG) works to serve our neighbors near and far with both hands-on and financial support. Some of the missions we support are listed below. If you are interested in volunteering, or know of a mission that could use support, please contact the FPCLG office at admin@fpclg.org.
Local Mission
BEDS+ (Building Ecumenical Discipleship through Sheltering)
BEDS is an ecumenical cooperative that provides services and night-time shelter to the homeless. Volunteers provide hospitality through laundry, cooking and cleaning. A BEDS Plus program, LATH (La Grange Area Transitional Housing), helps people on limited incomes, providing up to two years of temporary, subsidized housing. Volunteers mentor residents on finance and budgeting. BEDS and LATH were started by a group of caring FPCLG members in 1988 and have since grown throughout the area.
Community Assisted Rides (CARS)
CARS is a non-profit organization that provides rides to older adults in the Lyons, Proviso and Riverside Townships to medical appointments, therapies and life-enhancing errands such as the grocery store, bank and church. The CARS office is located in our church near the Catherine Ave. entrance.
Constance Morris House
Constance Morris House is part of Pillars Community Health and serves those affected by domestic violence. FPCLG provides dinner for (up to) 20 residents on the first and third Thursday of each month. This is a great activity to do as a family or with friends, and you are welcome to use the church kitchen for preparation and fellowship if signing up as a group. There is no need to worry about food allergies or restrictions. You can view the schedule here to see available dates. Please contact the Church Office at admin@fpclg.org for more information or to sign up!
Giving Trees
During the Christmas season, gift tags are placed on our “Giving Trees” and marked with a requested gift idea. Participants may select a tag and purchase the gift for a local senior or child in need.
The Grace Garden
Ten organic, raised vegetable garden beds line the parking lot of FPCLG. A team of dedicated people organize and work the garden from March through October, sharing the harvest with two local food pantries, Second Baptist food pantry and Share Food Share Love free market. The team has partnered with community groups such as LTHS Urban Agriculture class, LTHS Future Farmers of America club, La Grange Apollo Camp, DePaul University’s urban planning initiative, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, Monarch Watch’s waystation program and The Chicago Tomato Man. The Grace Garden has been featured in Greet La Grange, RB Landmark and LION newspapers.
Ronald McDonald House
Pop tabs from cans are collected in a labeled drawer in our 'recycling center' in the east cloister and delivered to Ronald McDonald House, which receives the market value of the recycled metal plus a charitable match from United Scrap Metal to support their mission of providing a home away from home for families who have a child in the hospital. Little things like pop tabs can make a big difference!
Share Food Share Love
A free market located in Brookfield, IL, serves 15 neighboring communities, approximately 150 families each week. FPCLG donates vegetable seed packets and organic produce in the spring, summer and fall seasons. We also contribute funds to stock the market shelves and fill the community fridge that is available 7 days a week for our neighbors who can not shop the market during opening hours. FPCLG also holds an annual school supply drive, which SFSL distributes to students and families.
Share the Harvest
A Grace Seeds mission that encourages people to bring in their excess produce, whether from their own backyard garden, the local farmers market or a grocery store, to be shared with a food pantry to help those facing food insecurity.
2 Cents-a-Meal
Food insecurity is a serious problem in many parts of the world, including our own backyard. Our 2 Cents-a-Meal program was started over 50 years ago to help address this concern. The concept behind the program is to remember those with hunger challenges each time we have our own meal, and set aside a small amount of money with each meal to support food pantries and similar charities. Many small donations can make a significant impact when combined together.
On the first Sunday of each month we collect these funds, whether given during worship or electronically. The money raised is donated to local and regional food programs in partnership with the Chicago Presbytery in an effort to bring about real change.
World Mission
Living Waters for the World
Our church is part of a global mission to partner with communities whose water supply is a regular source of illness, causing medical, financial and educational hardships. FPCLG is partnered with five communities in El Salvador: El Espino, El Paraíso, San Cristóbal, San Rafael Cedros and Mercedes Umaña. Through Living Waters for the World, FPCLG installed four new water purification systems and trained communities on when and how to use the purified water. We provide ongoing support to increase the storage and distribution of water. If you would like to support this mission,
please visit our Living Waters page.
"Buy a Part, Be a Part"
Our “Buy a Part, Be a Part” fundraising campaign provides the opportunity to fund a specific piece of the water purification system that will be installed for our next partner community in El Salvador. Click here to visit our Living Waters Webstore and sponsor a piece of the system!
Feed My Starving Children
The FPCLG high school teens participate in an annual mission trip to pack meals specially formulated for malnourished children and sent to partners around the world for use in orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs.
PC(USA) Special Offerings
Throughout the year, we promote and collect four different special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (USA): One Great Hour, Pentecost, Peacemaking and Christmas Joy.
To learn about or get involved with any of our mission projects, please contact the FPCLG office at admin@fpclg.org.
News of the Church
Worship and Children’s/Youth Ministry
We gather for worship on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Recordings of the services can be found at www.fpclg.org/sermons for those who are unable to attend. You can also subscribe to "FPCLG Sermons from the Sanctuary" as podcasts through iTunes or your favorite content distributor.
Cross Trainers for grades 5-8, Faith Forest for grades K-4 and Noah’s Ark Preschool for ages 2-5 meet during the 10:00 a.m. service. Nursery care is also available for infants and toddlers.
Our TUXIS High School Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings during the school year from 7:00-8:15 p.m. in the third floor youth room.
Visit our Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry pages for more information.
Coffetime After Communion
On the first Sunday of each month, we gather for coffeetime and fellowship in the Narthex after sharing in Communion during worship.
Volunteers are invited to sign up to host and provide a treat, such as doughnut holes, for one of the coffeetimes. Regular and decaf coffee are provided. If desired, hosts may provide an additional beverage option (such as tea, juice, pop or a fun creamer flavor). Contact the Church Office or use the SignUp Genius to pick a date to host. You can sign up on your own, as a family or with a group. Thank you!
Free Community Concert Series
Stop by on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., and you'll be in for a treat. Invite a friend or neighbor, and meet us in the Sanctuary. You can support our Community Concert Series through our Online Giving page.
Children’s and Youth Volunteer Lunch & Learn
If you ever work with the children or youth of this church—or would like to—please join us for a luncheon on Sunday, October 5, 11:15-12:15 in Westminster Hall. This is an opportunity to thank you for all that you do, as well as to review our Child Protection Policy. As a reminder, volunteers commit to attend the refresher training held once every three years. Please RSVP to Kelly at khiggins@fpclg.org if you can make it, so we can order the correct amount of food.
Rebuild of Organ Keyboard System
In 1963 the First Presbyterian Church of La Grange dedicated its Aeolian-Skinner, Opus 1390. Its installation was featured on the cover of the January 1963 edition of The Diapason, the official journal of the American Guild of Organists. Since that dedication, our instrument has continued to faithfully provide accompaniment for worship, celebrations and recitals, but both the wear of time and advancements in technology have deteriorated the keyboard’s response. As a result, our Session has approved a rebuild of the keyboard system; the aging mechanical spring and switch pneumatic system found at the hidden end of each key will be replaced with modern digital switching. The work will take approximately five weeks and will ensure its playability for decades to come. Additionally, the rebuilt instrument will be capable of digitally storing ten times the number of stop combinations (as opposed to the six that are available now), with nearly instantaneous response in contrast to the current increasingly lagging pneumatic delay. We hope in the months ahead that contributors will replenish the Organ Fund so we may secure this magnificent instrument’s contribution to worship for generations to come.
Tote Bags for Sale
Support the TUXIS high school youth group’s summer mission trips AND celebrate our Grace Garden by purchasing a canvas shopping bag. You can purchase one for $8 or two for $15. They are available during the week in the Church Office (M-F, 9-2), or contact Kelly at khiggins@fpclg.org. As always, we appreciate your support!
Food Pantry Donations
Food donations (of both non-perishable items AND fresh produce!) for the local food pantry may be placed in the bin in the Ashland Ave. vestibule of the church. In addition to food, the pantry gratefully accepts donations of toiletries and other non-food items. We feature an "item of the month" to highlight some of these needed supplies. September’s item of the month is shampoo.
Magazine Collection
Our Board of Deacons is collecting magazines with lots of pictures (not technical info) for use at an area nursing home's memory care unit. Examples are People, National Geographic, Better Homes & Gardens, etc. Please place donations in the blue bin in the Ashland Ave. vestibule.
“You are Loved” Comfort Care Totes
Many thanks to our generous congregation for supporting the “You Are Loved” Comfort Care Totes project for people going through cancer treatment. If you are aware or become aware of anyone of any age to whom you would like to give one of these totes, please let your deacon know or contact the Church Office.
2025 “Per Capita” Amount is $38.00
Each year, PC(USA) churches pay to support the work of their Presbytery, Regional Synod and National General Assembly based on each church’s total membership. You help us to cover this cost by paying the $38.00 per capita amount for each member of our church in your household. Per capita contributions may be made through our website or sent in to the Church Office. Contact Rick Foulke at 708.354.0771 or rfoulke@fpclg.org with questions.
Click to Give
Online giving on our website allows you to make one-time donations or set up recurring payments by charging your checking account, savings account or credit card through one of the industry leading vendors for secure payment processing. A confirmation e-mail is sent to you for each gift, and a record of your gifts is also visible to you. It is very quick and easy. To make an online gift, click this link. There is no need to set up an account, but taking a few minutes to do so will make it easier to track your giving history as well as make subsequent or recurring gifts. You can also complete our direct debit authorization form to set up recurring payments directly from your account.
Church Calendar
Please see the calendar of church services, activities and meetings here.
Contact Us
Prayer Request
If you are in need of prayer, please email pray@fpclg.org and our prayer team will lift you up in prayer.
Become a Member
For information about joining FPCLG, learn about Becoming a Member.
Email & Phone Number
Email: admin@fpclg.org
Phone: 708.354.0771