Naperville churches to host worship, volunteering event at Loaves & Fishes

Naperville’s Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church and St. Timothy Lutheran Church will come together Sunday, Aug. 3, to host a special “Worship in the Park(ing Lot)” service and food-sorting event at Loaves & Fishes Community Services, 580 Exchange Court in Aurora.

The outdoor worship service will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is open to all members of the community. Musicians from both churches will come together for both contemporary and traditional worship music, and the service will feature a special children’s message.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, a reusable water bottle and a donation of nonperishable goods for Loaves & Fishes. A large tent for shade will be set up in the parking lot.

From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., all will be invited to help sort food donations inside Loaves & Fishes’ Aurora hub, which typically is closed on Sundays. Loaves & Fishes currently serves more than 10,000 individuals each week, with food distribution taking place four days a week at the agency’s community grocery market on High Grove Lane in Naperville.

Loaves & Fishes notes that it has seen demand for the organization’s food assistance and other services increase dramatically since 2022.

The event follows the two churches’ partnership last summer on a Worship in the Park service at the Naperville Community Concert Center. Both churches, which welcome and celebrate all individuals, regardless of race, gender, nationality, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status or spiritual background, are members of the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

"I’m really excited for this worship service because it highlights our strong partnership with St. Timothy’s and our shared history as the wider church, the ELCA," said Our Saviour’s senior pastor the Rev. Dr. Brian Wise, who will give the morning’s sermon. "After worshiping together in the park last year, this year we’ll gather in the parking lot of Loaves & Fishes, a place where so many people from our community are truly loved, fed and welcomed. Worshipping together at Loaves & Fishes and then serving side by side is such a powerful image of the church living out its mission in the community."

For more information on Our Saviour’s of Naperville, visit oursaviours.com. For more information on St. Timothy, visit sttimothylutheran.com.