We are committed to providing a variety of ways we can connect, grow and renew energy at Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton, IL. Get connected through a variety of volunteer opportunities. Come find your place in the following study and fellowship opportunities as we walk together in our faith journeys.
Social Responsibility
Sundays through Feb. 15, 10:10 a.m., led by Rev. Dwight Stewart
The Rev. Dr. Howard
Thurman (1899-1981) was one of the leading religious thinkers of 20th century
America and was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will explore some of Thurman's thoughts and the implications for us
today, based on the book, "The Inner Life and Social Responsibility."
No reading required.
Exploring Membership Lunch
Sunday, Feb. 1, 12:15 p.m., Commons
Interested in learning more about Gary Church? Would you like to chat with our pastors about membership or our many missions and ministries? Join Pastor Mary Zajac and Pastor Daniel Cochran for a casual lunch followed by a building tour! Register here if you plan to attend. Please contact Jennifer Castino with any questions.
The God We Can Know:
Exploring the "I Am" Sayings of Jesus
Sundays, Feb. 22 through March 29, 10:10 a.m., led by team of pastors and biblical scholars
This six-week study will build on Rob Fuquay’s The God We Can Know, aligning with our Lenten preaching series exploring the “I Am” sayings of Jesus. These significant yet beautifully ordinary images—bread, light, shepherd, vine, and more—offer meaningful ways to experience Jesus and answer one of the most essential question in the Christian faith, “Who do you say I am?” Book will be available for $10, but reading is not required to attend the class.
Friday, Jan. 30, 5 p.m.–Saturday, Jan. 31, 4 p.m. at La Salle Manor Retreat Center, Plano, IL
Gather for connection, reflection and conversation in a cozy lodge that is perfect for winter.
Cost is $175 per person. Register here.
Thursdays, starting Feb. 19, either 2-3:30 p.m. or 7-8:30 p.m. (based on interest), led by Rev. Fred Kelsey
Our best decisions about life's most important events are seldom made in a time of crisis. Living Fully, Dying Well is a class designed to assist us in making careful, wise and prayerful preparation for meeting life's most important moments. Register here.
Cultivating a Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World:
A Lenten Study Over Zoom
Wednesdays, March 4 through April 1, 7 p.m., led by Pastor Mary Zajac
In The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her father tying a guide-rope from the house to the barn during blizzards so he wouldn’t get lost while walking the short, well-worn path. It was a matter of planning ahead. He knew that storms can be dangerously disorienting. Yet he also knew that the animals needed to be tended every day.
We live in changing times that can be disorienting, and yet the work of Christ still needs to be done every day. Let’s gather during Lent to learn some spiritual practices that can serve as our guide-rope through turbulent times. We’ll discuss a new practice each week.
There’s no book needed for this journey. Participants will be asked to stay current with the news, and engage in a practice during the week. Registration coming soon.
Creative Arts Open Studio
Saturday, March 7, 10-11:30 a.m., Gary Youth Rooms
Unleash your creativity in our Creative Arts Open Studio. This flexible,
hands-on class invites participants to design and create a project of their
choice in a welcoming, inspiring environment. The Creative Arts team will provide
a wide range of materials, including:
- Drawing materials
- Watercolor and acrylic paints
- Mixed media paper canvas
- Collage supplies
- Creative writing prompts
- Illustration tools
Bring your own ideas, projects and materials from home, or use the materials provided — it's all about your vision! Our experienced Creative Arts instructors will be available to offer guidance and support as you work. Your masterpiece could be featured in our Art Gallery this June. Suggested donation: $5 for materials. Registration coming soon.
Grief Support Group
Check back in the fall of 2026 for dates/times
Grief is one of those hidden wounds that takes longer to heal than many people,
even our close friends, expect. Years after someone we love has died we may
find ourselves still wondering if we could have done things differently. We may
still shed tears or experience deep sadness. When grief is complicated by
tragic circumstances, or unresolved relationship issues, it can be especially
difficult to return to living joyfully, loving others deeply and trusting God
fully.
This small group is for people who have experienced grief recently or perhaps
years ago. It is a safe place where those who grieve can support each
other, share experiences and work through faith questions. We’ll be using
resources from Dr. Bill Webster, a well-known British grief counselor, as well
as other sources.
Please feel free to invite friends and neighbors who might find this group to be of value.
Ongoing studies
Disciple Fast Track: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study
Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Heritage Room, led by Rev. Dr. Jamie Hanna Williams
Studying the Bible is essential to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is also fun and enlightening when you do it in a group! Disciple Fast Track, an adaptation of the original, bestselling Disciple Bible Study, provides a great way for busy people to get to know much of the Bible and grow together with others in meaningful conversation and community. The group will meet for a total of 24 weeks, broken down into two 12-week, 90-minute sessions. Each Disciple Fast Track session will be based on weekly reading, engaging videos and thoughtful discussion. We will end before Holy Week with a fellowship meal and Holy Communion. We invite you to join us! Register here.
Devotional Study Group, Half Truths
Tuesdays,
10 a.m., Commons A, led by Allen Reed
Join Adam Hamilton in this Bible study to
search for the whole truth by comparing common Christian clichés with the
wisdom found in Scripture. The clichés include: Everything happens for a
reason. God helps those who help themselves. God won’t give you more than you
can handle. God said it, I believe it, that settles it. Love the sinner, hate
the sin. Contact Allen Reed through the Church Office for more information.
Men’s Bible Study
Tuesdays, 6:30–8 p.m., Anderson Room, September through May
The Men's Bible Study is open to all men seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible and Christian Faith. Please contact Steve Novy through the Church Office for more information. Check out the next study:
Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws
Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., Anderson Room, led by Steve Novy
Pastor and bestselling author Adam Hamilton explores the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Luke. Please contact Steve Novy through the Church Office for more information.
Women's Bible Study
Wednesdays, 2 p.m., Anderson Room, September through May
The Women's Bible Study is open to all women seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible and Christian faith. Contact Holly Trueblood through the Church Office for more information. Check out the next study:
Women's Bible Study
Understanding the Old Testament
Wednesdays, 2 p.m., Anderson Room, led by Holly Trueblood
Take a fresh and eye-opening look at one of Western civilization's
most fundamental texts, and learn to decipher and interpret the meanings of
this world-shaping collection of books of the Bible in the Old Testament.
Featuring scholarly lectures and insights, this Great Courses series
is sure to help even the most studied Bible student understand the Old
Testament better.
Anti-Racist Book Club
fourth Wednesday of the month, September through May
Each month, we explore a book or film. Read the book on your own and join the conversation. Register here.
Anti-Racist Book Club: If
Beale Street Could Talk
Wed., Jan 28, 7 p.m., Commons
James Baldwin writes a love story about a young Black woman whose
life is torn apart when her lover is wrongly accused of a crime—"a moving,
painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it
strikes us as timeless" (The New York Times Book Review). Read the book on your own and register here.
Anti-Racist Book Club | The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs
Wednesdays, March 25 (Part 1) and April 22 (Part 2), 7 p.m., Commons, led by Kim Austin
Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King and Louise Little were all born at the beginning of the 20th century and forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women. These three extraordinary women passed their knowledge to their children with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning. These women used their strength and motherhood to push their children toward greatness, all with a conviction that every human being deserves dignity and respect despite the rampant discrimination they faced. Read the book on your own and register here.
Young Adult Lunch
Sundays, Jan. 25 and Feb. 22, 12:15 p.m., meet at Door 5
Our “post-High School/ college/ early on in adulthood/ probably in your 20s or 30s” adults are invited to join Dan Lee for lunch in downtown Wheaton on the last Sunday of the month. Our treat! RSVP to Dan Lee, or just come!
Special Blend Fellowship
Enjoy coffee, tea, treats and fellowship every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in Commons E and near the Sanctuary. If you'd like to help with set up, clean up or providing goodies, sign up here.
The Green Team invites you to bring your own reusable dishes and utensils for all your food and fellowship opportunities at church, including when you provide treats.
Fellowship
Fourth Friday of the month, 8:30 a.m., Seven Dwarfs Restaurant, 917 E Roosevelt Rd.
Join Dan and Sandy Fridley for food and fellowship. RSVP here to reserve your place at the table.
United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women)
United Women in Faith Circles are small groups that develop supportive fellowship and expand concepts of mission. All women are invited to participate. Contact the Church Office and we’ll put you in touch with the circle leader for more information on meeting dates and times.
Joy Circle
Knitting/Stitching Circle
Mary Martha
Susanna Wesley
Men's pickleball
Mondays, 7 p.m., Activity Center
Let’s get together for some fellowship, laughs and a little bit of
exercise. We’ll set up courts in the gym and rotate through positions. No
experience necessary. Bring your own pickleball racquet and ball. Sign up here. Contact Mark Mathis through the Church Office for more
information.
Second and third Saturdays of the month, 7:30 a.m., Egg'lectic Cafe, 145 N. Hale Street, Wheaton
All Gary Church men are invited to join. RSVP here to reserve a place at the table.
Walkers & Talkers Fellowship
Thursdays, 9:30 a.m., Commons
Stop in and chat with this welcoming fellowship group.
Game night
Fourth Friday of the month, 6:30–9 p.m., Commons
Join your Gary Church friends for games of bridge, dominoes or anything you like. Contact Fern Evelhoch through the Church Office for more information and to let us know you're coming.
Create cards
Thursdays, 1 p.m., Heritage Room
Anyone is welcome to drop in whenever you can to create cards. The cards go to people celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries. They go to people grieving or sick. And, the cards go to people to simply let them know their friends at Gary Church are thinking about them.
Help make Gary gardens gorgeous
Anyone can join the Gary Gardeners team, and in the spring, summer and fall, there’s always something to do. If you can help with weeding, watering, maintaining/updating planters, general landscaping or various short-term projects, please let Barbara Wernicke know through the Church Office.
Monday morning golfers
These golfers love to play together so much, they even meet in Florida in March! Here in Illinois, they try to play most Monday mornings in the spring, summer and fall at a different golf course each week. If you’d like to be a regular golfer or a substitute, contact the Church Office to get on the email list.
Class Meeting
each group decides best day/time
Looking for friendship? Belonging? A closer relationship with Jesus? You could find all that and more at the Class Meeting. Class Meeting is a small group that laughs, prays and encourages each other in Christ. We began our first Class Meeting the year before the pandemic, helping people grow in faith and develop deep friendships with others. For more information, contact Carey Williams Bebar.
