Women's Circle
Women’s Circle had been in existence from 1843 through the summer of 2008 with the mission of fostering fellowship, developing spiritual life and creating opportunities to serve the church and support the wider community. The circle has financially supported many areas of the church, such as the kitchen, the library, altar guild, meditation garden, and Great Hall landscaping. In addition, the following organizations, among others, have benefited from financial donations made possible through annual fundraisers such as the Spirit of Christmas Bazaar:
Women’s Christian Fellowship/ICCC
Church Women United/Greater Chicago
H.O.M.E.
Lakefront SRO
LifeSpan
Park Ridge Youth Campus
Bereavement Support
PRCC Youth Mission Trip
Rainbow Hospice
Resources for Community Living
WINGS
We all owe this wonderful group our deepest gratitude for their financial support and the fellowship opportunities they provided to the members of our church. Their final benevolent act was to donate $17,000 to our church, of which $11,000 will be used for the kitchen renovation, $5,000 to be used as seed money for a women’s-circle type of group should the need arise, and the balance to be used towards church operating expenses.
Many of their good works continue through other church committees and the smaller circles.
JOIN OR START A “LITTLE CIRCLE”
While the “big circle” (i.e., “Women’s Circle”) no longer exists, our smaller circles are alive and well: Some groups have been together for decades. Other circles are relatively new and came together based on interests and needs expressed by church members. They are:
Circle 2 Circle 2 meets about once a month, evenings or weekends. Comprised of moms with kids of varying ages, this Circle concentrates on benevolence and socializing--most meetings incorporate both! Some activities include a Christmas ornament exchange where we assemble gifts and food for a needy family, an annual 12th Night Brunch for the church, a bake sale, a church-wide Easter egg hunt, and occasional dinners out.
Circle 3 meets the fourth Monday of the month at 1:00PM. This is a social group that provides fellowship and helps each other when in need.
Circle 6 meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at 9:30AM. This is a traditional Circle that provides fellowship and contributes to select philanthropic groups.
Circle 7 meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at 1:00PM. This is a traditional circle that provides fellowship, occasional programs and contributes to select philanthropic groups. This circle also manages the collection of soup labels, cancelled stamps, soda can pop lids, and Boxtops for Education, and specifically the rose garden and hydrangea beds around The Great Hall.
Circle 8 meets every third Thursday of the month at 1:00PM. They create the famed “Peds Pups”, large soft fluffy stuffed puppies that are given to Lutheran General Hospital for distribution to children as they are admitted to the pediatric unit. This group also cares for the garden plots along the Great Hall.
Circle 9 meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at 7:30PM. They review books that they have selected to read as a group. The books usually have a spiritual aspect to them, everything from self-help to mystic to memoirs.
Circle 10 meets on Tuesday evenings most months. They assist with bereavement by providing light catered meals at wakes. Circle 10 also hosts a Friendship Tea held every other year in the spring and a bunco night in the fall. They occasionally have programs, like “dinner and a speaker,” and contribute to select church and community outreach projects.
Circle 11, a Bible study group, meets every Monday at 10:00AM for 90 minutes. Every session begins with prayers followed by a group topic discussion/Q&A. They also send cards of encouragement and go on one spiritual learning field trip per year.
Circle 21 is strictly a social circle that meets one Friday a month from 5:00-7:00 pm at either a member’s house or a nearby restaurant.
We hope you will join one or more of our circle groups. We also encourage establishing new circles to meet the changing needs of today’s women. Each circle is responsible for setting its own program.
To join a circle or to find out more information, please contact the church
office.