Our Ministries

Praying Together

Prayer is a vital part of a healthy church community. As we seek the Lord together, we grow spiritually in Him and with each other as a family, learning to rely on God for all things.

The following times are set aside at Chatham specifically for us to come before our Lord in prayer.

Wednesday Prayer & Worship

Join us as we unite to seek the Lord’s face and praise Him in prayer and song together each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Room upstairs.

Child care is available, and parents with children in King’s Kids or senior high are encouraged to stay and spend this time in worship with fellow believers.

Morning Prayer Meeting

For those who find it more convenient to meet before work or early in the day, we also meet Wednesdays from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. in the Worship Center.

Sunday Morning Prayer

We take this time to pray for the worship service and the speaker each Sunday from 10 to 10:30 a.m., just before service begins. We meet in room 34 in the Learning Center.

Sunday School

Every Sunday at 9 a.m., Chatham offers Sunday school classes for children, youth and adults.

Child and youth classes are organized by age group as follows:

• 2's and 3's

• 4's and 5's

• Grades K-2

• Grades 3-5

• Junior high, grades 6-8

• Senior high, grades 9-12

Infant nursery is also available during Sunday school.

Adult class options for fall quarter 2008 (September 7-December 21) are:

• The God Who Makes the Dead Live: Exploring Revival in the Old Testament
• Women’s Class - Brokenness/Surrender/Holiness: A Revive Our Hearts Trilogy
• God-Centered Praying

Children's Ministries

Children's Church

Children's Church is for children 4-years-old through fourth grade during the morning service. Children are released after our time of praise and worship just prior to the sermon, and join others in their age group to learn about God and His Word.

Nursery through age 3 is also available during the entire morning service.

King's Kids

King's Kids is our Bible club for children 4-years-old through fifth grade, which meets on Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. from September through April. See the King's Kids page for more details.

Junior Camp

Junior Camp is our summer camp for third through fifth graders.

Kids' Quest

Kids' Quest is our summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) for 4-year-olds through fifth grade. It's a free, fun a week of Bible lessons, games, prizes, crafts, snacks and much more.

Youth Ministries

Youth Groups

• "S.W.A.T." (Students With A Testimony), our Junior High Youth Group for grades 6 through 8, meets on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Jr. High Room, #23 upstairs.
  S.W.A.T. blog: studentswithatestimony.blogspot.com

• "The Upper Room," our Senior High Youth Group for grades 9 through 12, meets on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in The Loft.
  Upper Room blog: upperroomchatham.blogspot.com

Our weekly meetings usually include prayer, Bible study and games. We also do various activities and service projects throughout the year. You’ll have a great time with other students as we consider what life’s really about.

Click here to read this week's student newsletter.

Adventure Camp

Adventure Camp is our camp for junior and senior high, grades 6 through 12.

Fall Getaway/The Advance

This is a weekend getaway for senior high, grades 9 through 12.

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." - C.T. Studd

Over the past few years The Upper Room at Chatham has gone on a Fall Getaway retreat. Those times are needed. A retreat helps us regroup, regather and refocus on our lives in Christ. They serve a purpose in helping us grow in our faith. But if there are no times of challenge, no times of difficulty, from what are we retreating?

This year we are not going to retreat. We are going to ADVANCE! Moving forward, shattering comfort and safety, to see the extraordinary things God is doing with ordinary people. That is what this trip is all about.

Friday – We will meet up at Chatham at 3:30 p.m. so that we can leave by 4 p.m. We will have dinner on the road to Rockford, IL. That evening we will hear from Diane Fuller about the work being done at Family Health Partnership Clinic and the community they serve. We will stay at the Fuller household in Rockford.

Saturday – We will leave Rockford to head into Chicago, and to JPUSA. We will receive a tour of the facilities and help out where needed. Later in the afternoon we will head to Pacific Garden Mission to hear about their ministry, share a meal with those being impacted by the ministry and attend a praise and worship service that evening. That night we will stay at a hotel just outside of Chicago.

Sunday – We will attend church at Lawndale Community Church. We will also hear firsthand about many of the things they do in the community. Lunch will be at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria that the church started in the Lawndale community. We will then return home. Our ETA home is 7 p.m.

WinterFest

WinterFest is a late December trip between Christmas and New Year's Eve to HoneyRock Camp in Three Lakes, WI for senior high, grades 9 through 12. (College age students are typically welcome, though space is limited.) We spend time each day in groups and on our own worshipping and learning more about the Lord in order to deepen our relationships with Him. Activities can include snow sports (if there's snow), horseback riding, canoeing, night hikes and hanging out by the campfire or in the lodge. WinterFest 2008 Brochure.

Women's Ministries

Women's Fellowship & Bible Study

Our women's Bible studies meet on Tuesdays. We discuss various books and topics, and come together to strengthen one another as we grow in the Lord.

We are currently examining the elements of fellowship one topic at a time. Choose from two study times, 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. Childcare is available for the morning meeting only. We usually take one week off a month in order to participate in other ministries, so check the church calendar for our current schedule.

Titus Women Bible Study

Using the Bible as our textbook, and with local and international speaker Janice McBride as our teacher, women of all ages are welcome to learn how to be godly women in an ungodly world. We meet Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Childcare is available upon request.

Ladies Reachout

We gather on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. and work together on projects to benefit the community. We usually create quilts and blankets to donate to organizations in need of such items.

Annual Women's Retreat

Watch for details on our 2009 retreat.

Free Biblical Counseling For Women

Our goal in providing Christian counseling is to help you meet life's challenges in a way that will please and honor the Lord Jesus Christ, and allow you to fully enjoy His love and His plans for you. The Bible provides thorough guidance and instruction for faith and life. Therefore, our counseling is based solely on Scriptural principles (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3-4).

We offer counseling free of charge to women in our community as a ministry of Chatham. Please contact the church office if there is any way we can serve you.

Men's Ministries

Men's Fellowship

We schedule special activities for men several times throughout the year. Cycling, barbecues, retreats and meetings with other men's groups from local churches are some examples of events we plan. Check the calendar for upcoming events.

Men's Softball

Our Tuesday night softball team forms during spring and plays other area churches at Creve Coeur Park throughout summer. If you miss the spring sign up and would like to play during the season, contact the church office for info.

Small Group Ministries

Our small group ministries offer many options for attendees to join a group suited to their interests, life experience, or age group. See our list of small groups for 2008-2009 here. You may contact the church office for more information.

College-aged attendees - Join our college Google group.

English as a Second Language (E.S.L.)

Chatham offers English as a Second Language classes from September to May. Learn to speak or improve your English in a small class setting. Everyone is welcome – beginner to advanced.

We offer free child care and a monthly family fun night as well.

Classes meet once a week on Monday at 7 p.m. or Wednesday at 10 a.m. The only cost is the price of lesson books. Students may join any time during the teaching year.