Alleluia! Lutheran Church sits on South Book Road in the heart of south Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Launched in 1993 as a mission of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, the congregation today describes itself as a Christ-centered and welcoming community that embraces and shares God's grace, hope, and unconditional love. Members gather around three simple verbs - Come, Connect, and Commit - that frame the rhythm of life here: come to worship, connect through learning and fellowship, and commit to serve others.
A Mission That Grew Up with South Naperville
Alleluia! was born in 1993, when the rapid expansion of south Naperville inspired Our Saviour's Lutheran Church to plant a new mission. The first services were held in the gymnasium of Springbrook Elementary School. Construction of a dedicated building on Book Road began in October 1994. A second stage of construction was completed in 2002, and the third and final stage followed in August 2008, giving the congregation the Sanctuary and gathering area, the lower-level KidZone and Celebration Room, the Underground Youth Center, a gym, the Music Room, the Praise Room, the Exclamations! Room, and the rest of the spaces that shape ministry today.
Alleluia! is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and one of the congregations in the Northern Illinois Synod. The ELCA has roots in the sixteenth-century Reformation led by Martin Luther, and the partnership with the synod helps Alleluia! stay connected to a wider network of Lutherans across the region. A second ministry - Little Blessings Preschool - opened in September 1996 and has shared the building ever since.
Come: Sunday Worship at Alleluia!
Two Sunday services anchor the week. A 9:00 a.m. traditional service features traditional hymns and is enriched by choirs, ensembles, and instrumental soloists. A 10:30 a.m. contemporary service draws on contemporary Christian music led by a praise team. Between the two services, the congregation gathers for refreshments and conversation.
Communion is offered at every service, and the practice is open: it is God who invites us to the table. A prayground at the front of the Sanctuary gives small children a space to color or play quietly during worship. After the children's message in each service, children ages three through fifth grade are invited to KidsConnect, the during-worship program where they hear Bible stories at their own level.
For those who cannot be present, services are livestreamed and archived on the church's YouTube channel, and the church office is also reachable by phone. The summer months bring a single 10:00 a.m. service; the regular two-service schedule resumes in mid-September.
Connect: KidsConnect and the Children's Ministry
The Children's Ministry, directed by April Blair, walks children from preschool through fifth grade through a series of faith milestones - intentional markers in a child's faith development. Pre-K children memorize simple Bible verses, kindergartners learn to pray, first graders are led through the Lord's Prayer, second graders tackle the Ten Commandments, third graders are presented with a Bible, fourth graders prepare for First Communion through a day-long spring retreat, and fifth graders attend worship once a month as a class and begin taking simple notes on the sermon.
KidsConnect meets during both Sunday services. Children begin in worship with their families, are dismissed after the children's chat, and head to the lower-level KidZone, where parents pick them up after the service using a dismissal tag. A Wednesday evening program for kindergarteners through third graders meets from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. in the Music Room, exploring a Bible verse each week through technology, cooking, dance, music, and creative expression. Connect45, for fourth and fifth graders, meets from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Celebration Room and serves as a bridge into middle school confirmation.
Special programs fill out the year. The HOPE Marketplace puts students in grades 2-8 in the shoes of HOPE entrepreneurs: they choose a handmade product, save to buy supplies, advertise, and sell at a marketplace where the proceeds go to HOPE International's work against global poverty. Created By God: Bridge to Adolescence is a Christian-based human sexuality course for fifth and sixth graders held each January, with a parent orientation first. Throughout the year, children can take part in Smiles for Seniors, a card ministry that delivers handmade cards to a local senior living center, and a Pen Pal Ministry that pairs Alleluia! children with same-age peers. On the first Wednesday of every month, families are invited to Table Together, a community dinner in the Welcome Area at 5:00 p.m. that costs $5 per person or $20 per family.
Connect: The Underground Youth Center
Middle school and high school students have their own space at Alleluia! - the Underground Youth Center, where the ministry's working motto is, "You are not the church of tomorrow; you are the church of right now," a line from former ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.
Confirmation is for students in grades 6 through 8. The Wednesday evening program, led by Youth Ministries Director Kurtis Arndt, runs from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year in the Underground. Students gather in a large group to explore the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Lutheran tradition before breaking into small groups with adult leaders. Each year, ninth-grade students affirm their faith on Reformation Sunday in a service marking their Affirmation of Baptism.
The high school youth group, also led by Kurtis Arndt, meets on Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year for fellowship, activities, and learning. Alleluia! youth, friends, and visitors are welcome. The year includes an overnight fall retreat to the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center in Oregon, Illinois, as well as service opportunities and a summer trip.
Connect: Adults in Study, Service, and Fellowship
Adult ministry at Alleluia! is built around three kinds of small groups. Study Groups gather to discuss, learn, and reflect on God's word; recent offerings have included a women's book study of Amy-Jill Levine's "Short Stories by Jesus," meeting on alternating Wednesday mornings in the Exclamations! Room. Service Groups put faith into action in the church, the community, and the world, reflecting the verse from 1 Peter that "God has given you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve others." Fellowship Groups connect people around shared interests, from a Creative Christians Scrapbooking Group that meets on various Fridays to a fall season of men's competitive basketball in the Alleluia! gym on Tuesday evenings.
The Women's Ministry gathers at various times for service, fellowship, and fun events, and a Dance Spirit program offers tap, jazz, ballet, musical theatre, adult tap, and yoga for students ages four through adult. A Fun and Fit exercise program offers cardio and strength training for adults.
Connect: A Music Ministry for Every Voice
Music is a vibrant part of worship at Alleluia!. The 9:00 a.m. traditional service relies on traditional hymns; the 10:30 a.m. contemporary service features contemporary Christian music. Both services are enriched by praise teams, choirs, instrumental soloists, ensembles, and children's choirs.
Music Director Nicole Melody oversees several musical communities. Sunday Worship Singers, the Praise Team, and the Handbell Choir (open to ages 14 and up; no music reading required) rehearse and lead worship throughout the year. The Praise Choir, open to middle school students through adults and their children, rehearses on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. and again Sunday morning at 8:15 a.m. Children and youth sing in a Children's and Youth Choir that rehearses Wednesday evenings and sings in worship roughly once a quarter. Volunteers can also be trained to run the sound board during the service of their choice.
Little Blessings Preschool
Little Blessings Preschool has been a ministry of Alleluia! since it opened in September 1996. It is a state-licensed, not-for-profit program offering preschool, prekindergarten, a Twos program, Lunch Bunch, and enrichment classes. The facility includes classrooms, two large indoor playrooms, a well-equipped playground, and the Garden of Thanks outdoor classroom. Scheduled tours are available by appointment through littleblessings.org or by calling 630-904-9898.
Commit: Serving Near and Far
Alleluia! takes seriously the call to send God's people out to serve. Walking Together is a mentoring program in which volunteers spend one hour a week with a child at a local school, building caring and consistent relationships. Loaves & Fishes, the Naperville and DuPage County food pantry that distributes more than 60,000 pounds of groceries a week through more than 1,000 volunteers, is supported through both volunteer time and the annual Harvest Sunday collection on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Around the world, Alleluia! sponsors children in Peru through Compassion International and supports a HOPE International savings group in Comas, Peru. Each November, the congregation fills shoeboxes through Operation Christmas Child. Volunteers can also sign up to pack meals with Feed My Starving Children, which sends hand-packaged meals to nearly seventy countries. During Advent, the community provides gifts for foster children through Lutheran Social Services of Illinois - winter clothes, toys, holiday meals, and other needs.
The Alleluia! Welcome
"Whatever brings you here, we're glad you're here." That is the greeting at the front door of Alleluia! Lutheran Church. The church is located at 4055 S. Book Road in Naperville, Illinois, and the office can be reached at 630-904-3311. Worship is held Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with a single 10:00 a.m. service in the summer. Communion is open and offered every Sunday. Children of all ages are welcome, with a prayground in the Sanctuary for the youngest worshipers and KidsConnect for ages three through fifth grade.
Anyone can submit a prayer request by emailing prayer@alleluia.church, give online or set up electronic funds transfer, and create a My Alleluia! account to access registrations, the church directory, and the newsletter archive. A new-members class with Pastor Joel and worship volunteer coordinator Deb Bostjancic is offered periodically for anyone considering making Alleluia! their church home. All are welcome.