First United Methodist Church of Evanston, IL

The Christian Experiment
2025-09-14 09:15 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall
Sundays at 9:15am in Glenna Hall Sundays, first floor. Begins Sept. 14.
The Christian Experiment is a weekly gathering that creates community and explores faith-based questions. Ever had doubts? If you are like most, you have. Ever had doubts about Christian faith? Many of us have. In a recent study at a leading United Methodist Church, 95 percent of believers stated they struggle with doubt occasionally and 24 percent stated they struggle with doubt regularly. This same study also found that 44 percent believed their doubts helped them find or strengthen their faith.
Facilitators: Matt Rader (mrader@emich.edu) and Kristi Hubbard (hubbard.kristi@gmail.com)
Realm Registration Event.

History, Roots, & Rearview Mirror
2025-09-14 09:15 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Conference Room
History, Roots and a Rearview Mirror will use insight and discussion to understand our roots and history to have a rearview mirror of our story. The class will begin with a two-week unit on First Church history; followed by a four-week unit on church history under Constantine; a two-week unit on history of human sexuality in the UMC; a two-week unit on the history of race and racism in the UMC; and finish the year on Advent with the Wesleys.
Realm Registration Event.

Earth Care Committee Meeting
2025-09-14 11:50 - 13:15 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall

Youth Council Meeting
2025-09-14 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Conference Room

Faith Formation Council Meeting
2025-07-15 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Zoom
Zoom

Third Thursday Women’s Plus Basketball at First Church
2025-01-16 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Great Hall
Third Thursday Women’s Plus Basketball at First Church

Calling all women and non-binary folks who want to play ball or just have a ball.

What: Basketball for adults. Your children can watch (the way we watch their games). No skills are required. Fierce competition and great gentleness are welcome. The ultimate goals are fun and connection. Your friends who have not yet experienced First Church awesomeness are also welcome.

When: Third Thursday of Every Month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Where: First Church Gym
Who to Contact: Kathryn Grant-Bolton at kgrant@depaul.edu or 847-529-6256

Lake North 2025 Fall Academy
2025-09-20 08:30 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)

Styrofoam Collection
2024-09-21 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
The Earth Care Committee holds its monthly Styrofoam collection time at First UMC Evanston on the third Saturday of the month at the Church Street entrance between 10am and Noon. Material to be collected includes all clean No. 6 plastic foam. Acceptable items include disposable coffee cups; take out containers (such as clamshells); plastic plates, bowls and cutlery; meat and poultry foam trays and packing foam. When recycled, these items can be processed into a material used to make park benches, picture frames, and other items. Recycling these items helps keep this harmful plastic, which cannot be processed locally, out of the waste stream.

Men's Fellowship
2025-09-21 08:00 - 09:00 (America/Chicago) | Dining Hall
Men’s fellowship will not meet Sept. 14, but will meet Sept 21 at 8 am… all men are invited to coMen’s fellowship will not meet Sept. 14, but will meet Sept 21 at 8 am… all men are invited to comeme!

Styrofoam Collection
2025-02-16 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Bring your Styrofoam to Church to be Recycled!
Every 3rd Saturday of the month, 10 am to 12 noon, at the Church Street entrance.
And now every the 3rd Sunday of the month, near the front office.

Earth Care Lending Library
2024-10-20 11:30 - 12:00 UTC | Great Hall
Looking for a place to continue growing in your understanding of environmental justice and how to care for God’s creation?
Visit the Earth Care Lending Library, which is open every 2nd Sunday after worship in Great Hall. A small lending library with books for readers of all ages, the titles were curated by the Earth Care Committee and include Newbery Award-winning children’s books, as well as titles by leading voices from the spiritual and scientific communities.

Visitor Coffee and Tour
2025-07-20 11:30 - 12:20 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall
Visitor Coffee and Tour

Sundays after 10:30am worship on July 20, August 24, Sept. 21 & Nov. 2

Curious to further explore First Church? Want to meet others in the congregation and tour the building? Visitors and others new and not-so-new to First Church are invited to stay after 10:30am worship on any of the dates listed above for coffee, informal conversation, and a tour of the church building where “the magic happens” (to quote Pastor Grace). For example, we’ll see the kitchen, nursery, diaper pantry, and overnight shelter space. Information on the Inquirers Class will be available for those who are curious to learn more about First Church.

Please RSVP for your preferred date as you complete this registration.
Register here!

Questions? Please contact Mary Taylor-Johnson, Director of Membership and Engagement, at mary@faithafirst.com .

Racial Justice Committee meeting
2025-09-21 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall

Rosh Hashanah set up
2025-09-22 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)

Rosh Hashanah
2025-09-23 08:00 - 14:30 (America/Chicago)

JRC hosts High Holy Days at FUMC
2025-09-23 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Sanctuary
The JRC will be using the sanctuary and assorted additional rooms for Rosh Hashanah on September 23, 2025. They will return for Yom Kippur Services on the evening of October 1, and again will be in the sanctuary and assorted rooms all day (into evening) on October 2. Additional days will be blocked to allow for them to move in/out their items in advance of their services.

Communications Committee Meeting
2025-09-23 19:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Conference Room

Coffee, Conversation, and Friends
2023-06-28 10:00 - 11:00 UTC
This group of women “of a certain age” meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 10:00 to 11:00 am. We meet at Le Peep in Evanston for informal conversations on a wide variety of topics: books, the news, restaurants, grandchildren, and places to visit. No matter what’s on the table, we are all ears. Come join the conversation and make some new friends.

Collaborate, Connect, Care Staff Meeting
2024-09-25 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | Dining Room

Membership Committee Meeting
2025-09-24 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall
The Membership Committee meets monthly to discuss ideas and work on strategies to encourage member and visitor engagement in First Church worship, programs, and other opportunities. Please address any questions about this committee and its work to Lynelle Diener, Chair.

SPRC
2025-09-25 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Glenna Hall

Herbert Randall Gefvert
2025-09-27 11:00 - 11:45 (America/Chicago) | Dining Hall
The Memorial Service for Herbert Randall Gefvert will be held on Saturday, September 27, at 11:00 a.m. All are welcomed. Burial will be held at Memorial Park in Skokie following the service, family and friends only. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be made to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Bring Change to Mind (organization dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental illness).

Limitless and Young Adult Apple Orchard Outing
2025-09-27 12:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
You’re invited to join the Limitless along with the young adult’s group for our 5th annual Apple 🍎 picking Saturday, September 27th. Please meet us at the Apple Holler orchard entrance.

The Apple Orchard has many fun things included with the price of your apple picking. There is a cow maze, corn maze and fun house maze, farm animal visits, kids play area, Bees and Trees Learning Center Including Observation Beehive, shopping and many photo spots along the way. Oh, and the donuts and apple dumplings are amazing!

We usually all stop for dinner on the way home.
https://www.appleholler.com

Evanston's Living History: The Fight to Escape Racial Discrimination
2025-09-28 09:15 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Dining Hall
God calls us to be a church of compassion and justice that affirms the dignity of all people, while striving to correct injustices of the past in our churches and communities.

Join Reverend Richard Mosley, Jr. in this critical Social Justice Intersections discussion.

Part 1 on 9/28 is a viewing of Evanston’s Living History video.
Part 2 on 10/5 is a discussion of the video.

JRC resets sanctuary
2025-09-28 13:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago)

Stewardship Preview Event
2025-09-28 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | Great Hall

Young Adult Potluck
2024-09-22 17:30 - 19:30 UTC
Calling all Young Adults! Join us for our Potlucks every other week at 5:30pm. Feel free to bring your favorite side item or dessert! Contact Sydney Harkrider at sydney@faithatfirst.com for the location!

Bundled Blessings Diaper Packing with Evanston Professional Moms
2025-09-30 09:00 - 22:30 (America/Chicago) | Room M

Kol Nidre Set Up and Service
2025-10-01 09:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)

CPR & 1st Aid Training- Total Child
2025-10-01 15:00 - 18:15 (America/Chicago) | Dining Hall
