As a church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is ready to stand by our neighbors as they recover from the hurricanes this season. Lutheran Disaster Response is assessing the situation and coordinating with synods and affiliated social ministry organizations in the areas that have been in the path of these storms.

The 2018 hurricane season continues to produce strong storms with potentially devastating impacts to the United States. Currently, the Lutheran Disaster Response staff, network, and other partners are monitoring the paths of Hurricanes Florence, Helene, Olivia and Tropical Storm Isaac.

Your gifts designated for Hurricane Response will be used entirely (100 percent) for direct response until it is complete. Together, we can help provide immediate and long-lasting support for those in path of these hurricanes.

Clicking this button will take you to the ELCA Hurricane Relief page and provide the option to give directly online, by mail or phone.

When we baptize our children, one of the commitments parents make publicly is that they will "place in their hands the holy scriptures" and as a congregation we promise to support and pray for them. We, at Atonement, take that support very seriously and as a way to assist parents to pass on the Christian faith to their children, we provide a Bible to all children in second grade. We also give them help in learning how to use the Bible with their child.

All second graders and their parents are invited to join Atonement's Minister of Youth and Family, Jen Bradbury, for a "How to Use Your Bible Class" on Sunday, September 23 from 10:45 to 11:45am in the Fellowship Hall. This class will be interactive and fun and is designed for both children AND parents to attend together. The following week, on Sunday, September 30, 2nd graders will be presented with a new Bible in worship at the 9:15 am Families in Worship Service.
Please RSVP by clicking the button below to let us know whether you can attend the class and / or the presentation.

YM051

Atonement is excited to offer a music program to the very youngest members of our congregation and community. Musikgarten classes for infants through 2-year olds offer a pathway to music through music and movement. Research shows that early music education increases a child’s literacy and language development, problem solving skills, and even pre-math skills. Musikgarten classes encompass musical, physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth. We also believe music education is crucial to a child’s spiritual development.

These sessions are designed for parents and their children to take together. You will bond with your child as you play, sing (no talent required!), dance, and giggle together. Your child will learn and grow through activities that stimulate brain growth, build motor skills, enhance social-emotional development, and much more.

The 30-minute classes begin October 3 and run through March 13, 2019. They are held in a classroom on the lower level and the fee for the year is $85.00. Helen Ailabouni, our Worship & Music Director, teaches the Musikgarten program and will help you understand what your child is learning. You'll also learn how to continue the fun—and the learning—beyond the classroom. Only a limited number of openings are still available.

MW050

Pastor Don Wink will be teaching a communion preparation class on Sunday, October 7. Children and their parent(s) will meet at noon in the Gathering Place. Feel free to bring your lunch or a snack. This class is geared toward elementary school aged children (if your child is younger than that and asking about communion, please contact one of the pastors). Whether your child is already receiving communion and would like to learn more about it, or is preparing for her/his “first communion,” you are welcome to attend. There is no cost for this class. Please contact Pastor Don Wink with questions or just click the icon below to register.

YM050

Let's all grab the kids and head on over to Atonement for another Family Fun Night. All families are welcome to come to Atonement on Saturday, September 22. The gym will be open from 4:30 to 7:00pm with a break for pizza in the JAM room at around 5:30. Great way to get to know more parents here at church and let your kids have fun, too. Invite your friends and neighbors to come along. Cost is only $5 per person with a $20 per family maximum. Bring a salad or dessert to share.

It's time to enjoy a night of fun in the gym for the entire family! For more information, please contact Kate Duncan at 312-371-0352. Please register and pay online by clicking the button below so that we know how much pizza to order.

FE030

Our Tuesday Morning Women's Bible Study is participating in the Covenant study series, available on our website. Whether you have taken part in this study group in the past or are a newcomer, all women (young or more seasoned) are welcome to join this group. Feel free to invite your friends and neighbors, too. In our first gathering we'll spend some time getting to know one another. Please be sure to download the lesson from churchofatonement.org/covenant and bring it with you to class. Meets Tuesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am in the JAM room.

AE028

If we want to pass on our faith to our children, simply bringing them to church or enrolling them in Sunday School is not enough. As parents, we need to take an active role in developing and meeting the spiritual needs of our kids. Why?

Because the most important spiritual influencer in a child's life is their parents.

If we, as parents, don't attend to their natural curiosity about faith, they will eventually turn elsewhere.

Knowing this, we want to equip and support parents to be the spiritual leaders in their family, a job which we know can often feel daunting, not to mention lonely.

That's why we're introducing a monthly parenting class during the 9:15 worship service. This group will meet for the first time on Sunday, September 16. This fall, we'll be talking about "How to..." beginning with "How to pray with your kids". In addition to exploring concrete strategies for doing these things with your kids, the parenting class will also give you the opportunity to connect with (and learn from) other parents at Atonement. All parents are welcome, regardless of how old your kids are.

Here are some additional dates and topics to be presented:

All sessions begin at 9:15am and will be held in the JAM room on the lower level in the west wing of our building.

FM013

Are you part of a small group for our upcoming 6-week fall study, Covenant: the Ties that Bind? If not, it's not too late to join one or form your own group. Groups are scheduled to  begin meeting September 10. There's no book to purchase, no DVD to mess with, all the resources are available free of charge on our special "covenant page" for all participants. It's easy to get to—just tack on '/covenant' to our web address like this: churchofatonement.org/covenant to get there. We've also included a link here just to make it even easier! 

If you want more information about small groups, contact Mary Williams, our Minister of Community Formation.

AE027

Atonement has two choirs for youth from age 3 all the way up to 8th grade to give children an opportunity to praise God through singing. The Cherub Choir is for kids from age 3 to 3rd grade while the Children's Choir consists of 4th through 8th graders. Both choirs rehearse weekly when Sunday School is in session—Cherubs from 10:30 to 10:45 and the Children's Choir from 10:30 until 11:00am. Rehearsals are held in the Music Room on the lower level.

If you would like your child to participate, please click the "I'm interested" button, complete the form and click submit. There will be a brief meeting for parents in the Music Room on Sunday, September 9th at 10:30am (please bring your child(ren), too. 

The choirs typically sing in worship about once a month at the 9:15 service. You will receive a schedule at the parents' meeting on September 9.

The choirs will be directed by Kimberly Albrecht, co-founder of Atonement Children’s Choir and director of the Barrington United Methodist Church Cherub Choir for 10 years, who will be joined by Peggy Crawford, founder and director of the Barrington Children’s Choir for 31 years.

YM049

While many of our young adults are beginning to start the school year away at college, Atonement is again offering a ministry to keep them connected with their church home. Students appreciate knowing that the folks back home care about them and while they are away, the Adopt-A-Student program allows them to have a connection to their church family.  

Please  consider becoming part of the Adopt-A-Student ministry. We are looking for people (individuals or families) to sponsor one of our young members while they are at college, in the military, or taking a year off from school. The sponsors would send their “student” notes, text messages, care packages, and be a prayer warrior for their “student”. If you are interested in becoming part of this ministry, either on the “student” or Atonement sponsor side, click here to learn more, to apply as an adoptee or sponsor; or just to submit a question to Christine Curtis our program facilitator.

FM012