A community of grace sharing God's love with no strings attached.
Sunday Worship:
8:30am & 10:00am
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Join us at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at the Preserve's Clubhouse for a time of fellowship and relaxed discussion about life and faith. Events are BYOB. The Preserve is the new community at the intersection of S 450 W (aka Bitner Rd.) and W 400 S in New Palestine.
What is the Youth Gathering?
– Every three years Lutheran youth from around the world gather in one city for worship, learning, entertainment, fellowship, and community engagement. It is a uniquely powerful experience for High School-age youth and will impact their lives in a positive way.
When is the Youth Gathering?
– Official dates are June 27 through July 1 (transportation will affect these dates by one or two days on either end)
Where is the Youth Gathering?
– Houston, Texas...yes, Texas in the middle of summer!
Who can attend?
– Any student enrolled in 8th through 12th grade in the Fall of 2017. A couple adult leaders will also be selected to attend.
How much does this cost?
– We don't know the official total until we receive our hotel assignment and figure out how we are getting to Houston. We will host a number of fundraising initiatives in order to lower the total cost per participant. A non-refundable $150 deposit is required to register. Individual financial aid packages are available as needed.
Summer Day Camp participants and their families are invited to join us for an ice cream social to kick off the camp week. Meet the counselors and ask any questions you might have.
Kids entering grades 1–6 are invited to register for a week of Christian Summer Camp right here in New Palestine!
During the week of July 9-13 four college-age counselors will come to Cross of Grace and lead daily programming from 9am until 4pm Monday through Thursday (Friday's programming ends at noon). Kids will be treated to the basics of a typical camp experience combined with the comforts of home. There will be a Sunday evening kick-off event as well as a closing program for kids and parents at pickup time on Thursday.
Registration costs $50 for one child or $75 for two or more children in the same family. Click here to go to the registration page.
Again this year, Cross of Grace is hosting a Vacation Bible School experience for our SonRise friends – local adults with unique emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. We anticipate a joyful experience full of singing, worship, learning Bible stories, and making new friends. Many volunteers will be needed to make this event a success, so please contact the church office to indicate your willingness to help.
The program will be held Monday, July 16, Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday, July 19. All are welcome to participate in the program's closing worship service on Thursday at 7:30pm
Again this year, Cross of Grace is hosting a Vacation Bible School experience for our SonRise friends – local adults with unique emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. We anticipate a joyful experience full of singing, worship, learning Bible stories, and making new friends. Many volunteers will be needed to make this event a success, so please contact the church office to indicate your willingness to help.
The program will be held Monday, July 16, Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday, July 19. All are welcome to participate in the program's closing worship service on Thursday at 7:30pm
Certified Yoga Instructor Lindsey Stamper is teaching a kid’s yoga class for youth ages 6 and older at Cross of Grace over the summer from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Friday, June 8 and Friday, July 20. This will be an excellent introduction of the practice of yoga and will feature fun themes. Recommended ages: Cost is $10 per family per class. Please let Lindsey know if your child plans to participate by emailing her (lindsey_stamper@hotmail.com) or telling her in person.
Attention all students, teachers, school administrators and other school employees!
Bring your backpacks or school bags to either of the morning worship services (8:30am or 10:00am) for our annual “Blessing of the Backpacks” liturgy. Pastor Aaron will offer a prayer and blessing for all who are beginning the new school year.
Join Pastor Mark on the labyrinth for a quiet, reflective time of prayer and meditation.
Certified Yoga Instructor Lindsey Stamper offers weekly yoga classes at Cross of Grace on Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Classes are $10, or you can purchase an 8-class pass for $70. No advance registration is required.
Join us at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at the Preserve's Clubhouse for a time of fellowship and relaxed discussion about life and faith. Events are BYOB. The Preserve is the new community at the intersection of S 450 W (aka Bitner Rd.) and W 400 S in New Palestine.
Youth and parents and invited to participate in a worship service to wrap up Cross of Grace's 2018 vacation Bible school program. A spaghetti dinner will precede the worship, beginning at 5pm. Worship will last from 6pm until 6:30pm. Please bring donations to contribute to world hunger relief ministries.
Cross of Grace's evening VBS program will be all about peacemaking. Children entering PreK (ages 4-5) through Grade 5 are eligible to participate. Parents of youth age 5 and under and asked to participate along with their child. As always, we offer VBS to our church and wider community completely free of charge.
Monday through Thursday we will host a meal for participating families beginning at 5 p.m. The VBS program will start at 6 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. The program will conclude on Thursday with a family worship service between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Lend a hand as we decorate the entire church in preparation for this summer's Peace Lab VBS experience.
The 2018 Indiana-Kentucky Synod Assembly is May 31-June 2 in Fort Wayne, IN. The Synod Assembly includes inspiring worship, fellowship dinners, breakout sessions and workshops on various topics, elections for synod officers, budget approval, and other business meetings. At least two congregational representatives are invited to participate in the event.
The worship time for our second service changes to 10:00am until Labor Day. First service remains at 8:30am.
All vacation Bible school volunteers are encouraged to join us between worship services for orientation and training in order to prepare for our Peace Lab VBS program
Join us Wednesday mornings throughout May to explore the rich and provocative book, The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin – a self-described “Radical, lunatic, Libertarian, Christian family farmer” and world-renowned authority on sustainable farming and ecology. This book explores the intersection of theology and creation care, which will help frame some of Cross of Grace's ministries including our new garden. Books are provided for free. The gatherings are B.Y.O.Breakfast.
We wrap up another year of wonderful GraceQuest education with an outdoor field day event for all ages.
Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held concurrently with our morning worship services on Sunday, May 20. You will receive a ballot to vote on our 2018-2019 spending plan, Church Council slate, and a couple other meaningful motions.
Our GraceQuest kids will spend their Sunday School time creating gifts for Mother's Day and Father's Day. All supplies will be provided.
Our eighth-grade Faith Formation students affirm their baptisms at this annual celebration at both morning worship services.
6th, 7th, and 8th graders are encouraged to participate in an overnight "lock-in" retreat on Saturday, May 5th at church. This event will be a fun, meaningful way to wrap up our year of Faith Formation together, as well as a way to prepare our 8th graders for their last steps toward Confirmation Sunday. We will play games, watch movies, do some Bible study and have discussion around the themes we've been studying and learning about over the course of the last three years.
We will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5th and wrap up when worship begins on Sunday morning, May 6th. Each child may bring ONE friend if they are so inclined. Please RSVP to Pastor Mark (pastormark@crossofgrace.org) so we can plan accordingly.
Participants in this summer's ELCA Youth Gathering will be meeting other Indy-area participants for our second Pre-Gathering Event Sunday, April 29. At 4:15pm that Sunday we will leave the church parking lot and head to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Indianapolis. We'll have fun with other youth who will participate in the Youth Gathering. Dinner will be provided. We should return to CoG around 7:45pm.
Cross of Grace is hosting another sale of assorted new items including kid's clothes, shoes, Halloween costumes, strollers, and more. All the profits support Nathan's Playroom – an organization that provides toys for the siblings of sick children who receive Make-A-Wish gifts and grants. Only cash is accepted at this sale.
The music of Cross of Grace's previous band leader, Phil Jacoby, will be performed in a celebration at Northside Baptist Church on Sunday, April 22 at 3pm.
Middle School and High School youth are invited to join us for a trip to Teter Farm in Noblesville. This farm is operated as a ministry of Noblesville United Methodist Church. We will learn about their mission and get out hands dirty helping out in the greenhouse. The experience will help us think about our new community garden initiative at Cross of Grace.
We leave after 2nd service (approx. noon) and stop for lunch. We will return by 4:30pm. There is no additional SNL youth event later that evening.
Did you know that there is a world-renowned Passion Play that takes place in Germany once each decade? Pastor Dave Schreiber will present information about the history of the Oberammergau Passion of the Christ on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00pm at Fireside Brewhouse in Greenwood, IN. There will also be a presentation about the opportunity to travel to Germany in 2020 to witness the Oberammergau production. If you would like more information about the trip, go to this link: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/851688
He is risen! Join us for festive Easter worship with the celebrations of Baptism and Holy Communion, plus special music.
Kids through 5th grade are invited to join for a lesson and and activity before being unleashed around the church grounds to search for Easter eggs.
A delicious Easter breakfast with casseroles, coffee cakes, fruit, and more
He is risen! Join us for festive Easter worship with the celebrations of Baptism and Holy Communion, plus special music.
A joyful and simple outdoor worship service with scripture, singing, and communion.
Join us for the last leg of our Lenten journey to the cross where we’ll hear the story of Jesus’ last moments, strip the altar and leave in silence, waiting for the Good News of Easter. The worship service will feature beautiful music including a string quartet, choir, and vocal ensembles.
We gather on the Thursday of Holy Week to share the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet and instructing them to go, serve, and love in his name. The service also features a First Communion celebration for our youth who have been learning about the Lord's Supper.
First Communion students will gather for some additional learning as well as the opportunity to bake the communion bread for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday worship.
On Holy Wednesday, join us for our annual Holy Week Prayer Vigil. The sanctuary is set up with prayer stations related to our Lenten midweek themes. Come, explore, and pray any time between 6pm and 9pm.
A prayer service will be held at 9am at Christ Church Cathedral as a prelude to the "March for Our Lives" event on March 24th. Bishops Bill Gafkjen (ELCA) and Douglas Sparks (the Episcopal bishop of Northern Indiana) will lead this brief service of prayer, a scripture reading and a couple of hymns, in order to gather and center those who are participating in the March. The idea is that this service, lasting no more than about 20 minutes will also allow our folks to meet up in a central spot in order to make their way to the State House, located just a couple of blocks away.
Bishop Gafkjen plans to participate in the March as an expression of the statement of support adopted by the ELCA Conference of Bishops. Click here to read the statement.
Christ Church Cathedral is located at 125 Monument Circle, Indianapolis.
Parking is available both on the street and at Express Park garage at 20 N. Pennsylvania Street (Southwest corner of Pennsylvania and Market). A few handicapped accessible parking spaces are located near the church doors on Monument Circle.
