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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually around Pentecost in the Southern Hemisphere and between 18-25 January in the Northern Hemisphere.  

In the spirit of Christian unity, St. Gertrude's Catholic Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church will collaborate to hold a Prayer for Christian Unity service on Thursday, January 20 at 7:00 pm at Immanuel Lutheran, located at 1500 W. Elmdale Ave.

The in-person service will be also be livestreamed on Immanuel’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdL1QtZ1MGFZ-qdz--Iewzw

Featured participants include Pastor Fred Kinsey, Unity Lutheran church; Father Richard Prendergast, St. Gertrude Catholic church; Pastor Erika Takacs, Episcopal Church of the Atonement; Pastor Michael Ware, North Shore Baptist church, and Pastor Monte Johnson, Immanuel Lutheran church. 

St. Gertrude Parish is a proud member of the Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA), an interfaith association of religious organizations who work toward fostering friendships and understanding of other faiths, and to nurture a thriving and just neighborhood. For decades, ECRA has linked religiously diverse neighbors to create solutions to local problems, including the Edgewater Community Council and creating Edgewater’s food pantry, Care for Real.

ECRA hosts several events annually that bring together Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, as well as our friends from the Jewish, Muslim, and Hindi faith. In November, an interfaith Thanksgiving service and celebration is held, benefiting Care for Real. Additionally, Sacred Seed talks are given twice a year, where Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic viewpoints are shared on a chosen topic and discussed in order to learn from each other. All gatherings are guided by a spirit of mutual respect and a desire for harmonious co-existence and community progress, with special attention paid to the most vulnerable neighbors.      

St. Gertrude parish also occasionally takes parts in ecumenical (members of Christian denominations) activities, typically during Advent or Lent.   

The Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA) is an interfaith association of religious organizations who work toward fostering friendships and understanding of other faiths, nurture a thriving and just neighborhood, and create solutions to local problems.

ECRA hosted an annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service benefiting Care for Real that brings together Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, as well as our friends from the Jewish, Muslim, and Hindi faith.

This service was held on on Sunday, November 21 at 3:00 pm, hosted by the Atonement Episcopal Church, 5749 N. Kenmore. 

Attendees  shared their bounty with the food insecure in our neighborhood and bring fresh produce to donate to Care for Real. Thank you to all who attended!