If you are seeking a new spiritual home, you are welcome at St. Nicholas. We are a small yet vibrant Episcopal church rooted in the catholic tradition of worship that also has an open, democratic approach to governance. You will be greeted respectfully by people who understand your journey, and who will not pressure you in one direction or another as you seek to discern God’s will for you.
Welcome.
We’re glad you’re here, and we hope that you will feel emboldened to worship or attend a support meeting at St Nicholas. You can become part of a remarkable community simply by walking through the door. You, too, can “be St Nicholas,” and find spiritual meaning in living generously. To find out more about “the world’s favorite saint,” be sure to visit The St Nicholas Center: “Who Is St Nicholas?”.
Those who visit St Nick’s will experience two things:
- One is that we are warmly welcoming and accepting; you won’t be a stranger long.
- The other is that we include everyone: kids, interfaith families, people of color, gay women and men, people in recovery, young, old, singles, couples, and more.
As an Episcopal church, St. Nicholas welcomes and includes ALL.
We are a part of the apostolic tradition, and our roots go back to earliest Christianity.
Our bishops — which unlike the Roman Catholic church can be women as well as men — are ordained in “apostolic succession,” that is, in an unbroken line dating from the first apostles. But like other mainline Protestant churches, we have a form of democratic church governance, whether it’s our local Bishop’s Committee (lay leaders), or the yearly Diocesan Convention, or the triennially held General Convention. To learn more about the clergy and lay leaders of St Nicholas, visit our Leaders page.
We are the bridge, between two great traditions, reaching out to embrace both.
NEW! The final version of our parish profile is available to read as a downloadable PDF here.
Divorced or remarried? Every sacrament is available to you.
Recovering alcoholic? Grape juice is consecrated and available whenever we celebrate communion. There are a dozen twelve-step meetings each week, including AA, Al-Anon and GA. Even if you don’t plan to attend services at St Nick, you are welcome at one of the many support meetings we are grateful to be able to host.
Allergic to wheat? Gluten-free bread is always available at communion.
Excluded because of your gender? Not in this church.
Women have every opportunity for service and leadership that men do. One of our most joyous moments at St. Nicholas came in 2008, when the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori — presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church and the first woman ever to head a national bishops’ conference in any denomination — joined us to preside and preach at our Sunday liturgy.
Children
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, and so it is natural that we especially seek to include and nurture children and adolescents. With parental engagement, we strive to provide some type of religious education for young people ages three to eighteen at two of our services (Saturdays at 4:30 pm; Sundays at 10 am), from September through May. Children are also invited to participate in numerous ways in the liturgy, and are welcome to remain in church with their parents. Over the years we have learned that, even when it appears otherwise, children of all ages are profoundly interested what goes on in church.
LGBT Singles and Families
St. Nicholas believes that giving “lip service” to accepting people is not enough. That’s why we celebrate all of God’s people, including LGBTQ individuals and their loved ones. We believe families come in all shapes and sizes — and each person is made uniquely by God.
Adult Education
Adults and interested teens are encouraged to attend our adult formation program most Sundays after the 10 am service, September through May (and occasionally during the summer).
Book Discussion Group
We also have an interfaith group that meets at the Elk Grove Village Panera’s on selected Saturdays to discuss a book selection of the month. Our recent discussions have included The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, and The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud. For more information on the book club, contact Steve Gruenewald.
Adults and interested teens are encouraged to attend our adult formation program most Sundays after the 10 am service, September through May (and occasionally during the summer).
We also have an interfaith group that meets at the Elk Grove Village Panera’s to discuss a book selection of the month. Our recent discussions have included The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, and The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud.
None of the above?
That’s great. We just wanted to make sure that those who have been excluded in other churches know it won’t happen here. But you certainly don’t need to have known exclusion to be warmly welcomed at St. Nick’s! We’re one community made up of all sorts of people.
We’re not perfect.
But we’ll do our very best to celebrate who you are — a child of God, made in God’s image.
I Am St Nick
Read personal stories from the people of St Nicholas – or submit your story and a picture here.
Here is the first one, by our parish communications expert, Douglas VanHouten.
The community of St. Nicholas has changed my life. I’ve always felt that since most of time and energy is spent outside our church walls, most of our ministry happens outside those walls as well. However, my truth is that the community of St. Nicholas informs how I live “the other six days.”
I am inspired to be a better person when I watch Earl make someone completely welcome in acts as simple as walking over to get a bulletin for someone who didn’t take one upon entering.
I am reminded to live a bit more carefree when I witness our children–at their place of honor in church–simply enjoying being together and, without thought, sharing the materials provided for their common use.
I am mindful of the need to share the talents I have been given when I watch Bob step up to share his voice with the choir, and when I see Garrison and Jess faithfully join in choir practice.
I am motivated to serve others in my daily life–in even basic human acts such as holding open a door for another weary commuter at the train station–when I watch Scott, Eve, Cindy, Bob, Jay, Manny and others in action caring for our guests at the Holy Innocents Food Pantry.
I am humbled when I see the warm welcome Manny gives people during the week as they come to St. Nicholas seeking a safe place, shelter, a kind ear, and most of all a reminder that God loves them.
St. Nicholas is not a building. St. Nicholas is the spirit in the air in the walls of our building – a spirit palpable outside our walls. St. Nicholas is you. St. Nicholas is the person who seeks that reminder that God loves them. St. Nicholas is every guest at our Food Pantry. St. Nicholas is our music.
I am St. Nick. And, as such, I am also responsible for taking a share in everything written about above.
