On Church Street Since 1908
St. Lawrence Episcopal Church sits at 125 West Church Street in Libertyville, Illinois, and it is the only church on Church Street. Episcopalians first gathered in Libertyville in November 1908. Two years later, in early 1910, the congregation became a mission church and began meeting regularly in the former Union Church on Church Street, sharing the building with other denominations. In 1912, the St. Lawrence congregation purchased the building outright. A fire destroyed it in 1917, and the original portion of the present building was constructed in 1918. In 1945, St. Lawrence officially became a parish.
As the congregation grew, the building grew with it. An education wing was added in 1963, and a 2004 expansion brought a new sanctuary, parish hall, classrooms, and administrative offices. Today the building serves not only as the home of the parish but also as a shared space for Village Green Montessori preschool, several community and self-help groups, and the Hope Food Pantry. The sanctuary's acoustics have made it a popular venue for theater and musical performances as well.
Sunday at St. Lawrence
The parish gathers each week for a Sunday Eucharist at 9:00 AM, offered both in person and online. The service follows The Book of Common Prayer in the Episcopal tradition and includes music, readings from the Old and New Testaments drawn from the Revised Common Lectionary, a sermon, and the sharing of bread and wine that are blessed to become the Body and Blood of Christ. Gluten-free hosts are available for those with food sensitivities.
Children are full participants. They may stay with caregivers or move forward to the Soft Space at the front of the church, a corner stocked with toys, books, and coloring sheets where young ones can engage with the service on their own terms. Communion is offered to anyone who wishes to receive it, with no age restriction; many of the youngest members of the parish have been receiving since they could eat solid food.
After the service, the parish hosts a Coffee Hour at 10:00 AM in the gathering space, and Sunday School runs from 10:00 to 10:45 AM for children ages 3 and up.
Dress is entirely casual. Jeans are welcome. A team of clergy and lay volunteers also brings Communion to anyone unable to attend in person on Sunday mornings; those interested can contact the church office to arrange a visit.
Accessible from the Door to the Pew
The building is equipped for visitors with a range of abilities. There is an elevator, accessible restrooms, and a ramped entrance on Church Street. For those who are hard of hearing, the sanctuary is fitted with hearing loop technology. Receivers, along with headphones and T-coil neckloops, are available on the table at the back of the church; ushers are happy to help with set-up. Anyone with a pacemaker or implantable medical device is asked to consult their physician before using a neckloop.
For those who cannot be in the sanctuary at all, the service is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, and a weekly bulletin is posted online.
Worship Beyond the Parish Walls
On the second Tuesday of each month at 2:00 PM, the parish brings the Eucharist to StoryPoint, a Libertyville retirement community at 901 Florsheim Drive, where many St. Lawrence parishioners live. All are welcome to join that service.
Music in Worship
Music is a defining part of life at St. Lawrence. Director of Music Alan Whaley, who has served the parish since 2006, oversees all aspects of liturgical music, directs the volunteer choir, leads congregational singing, and advises on liturgical matters. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Music and Liturgy from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Music from Western Michigan University.
The parish's musical range runs from traditional hymns and classic motets and anthems to spirituals, gospel songs, and music from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Solomon Islands. The volunteer choir leads worship on certain 9:00 AM Sundays and at special holiday services; rehearsals are held twice a month on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Singers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome, and no prior experience is required.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
The parish invests deeply in its youngest members. Sunday School meets each week during the 10:00 AM hour following the Eucharist. Younger children ages 3 to 8 take part in Godly Play, a Montessori-based program, while children 8 and up follow a Junior curriculum. Parents are invited to Coffee Hour while children are in class.
Baptism is offered to all people of any age, including infants, and the parish teaches that there is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Confirmation preparation is a two-year program for youth entering sixth through eleventh grade, run in collaboration with St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Deerfield. The class meets once a month during the school year on Sundays from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, alternating between the two parishes.
Adults Growing Together
Formation for adults takes many forms. A parish Book Group meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 PM and is supported by the Cook Memorial Public Library District, which makes most titles available through the library.
Seeking Sophia is a small group for women that explores spirituality from a feminine perspective through reading, discussion, and shared reflection. It meets on the first and third Saturday mornings of each month at 9:00 AM in the Fireside Room and asks members to commit to regular attendance and confidentiality.
Holy Crafters gathers several times a year to share ideas and prepare for an annual Christmas sale that benefits both the church and the wider community; participation is open and flexible.
The Young Episcopal Seniors (YES) is a social group open to all ages, with monthly luncheons, special events, and ongoing fellowship.
An Online Prayer Group receives a list of prayer requests each week and prays in whatever way members choose. Requests may be sent throughout the week.
Hope Food Pantry and Gardens for Hope
Hope Food Pantry is one of the largest ministries of the parish. Each month, the pantry serves hundreds of local neighbors, providing shelf-stable foods, milk, meats, breads, produce, and personal care items. As a member agency of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, monetary donations stretch further through bulk purchasing power. Volunteers are needed on Friday afternoons to pack bags, on Saturday mornings to staff the pantry, and during the week for donation pick-ups. Small groups are welcome.
Through Gardens for Hope, the parish grows and harvests fresh produce on the St. Lawrence grounds during the growing season and distributes it directly to pantry clients. Home gardeners are encouraged to plant an extra row or share their abundance.
Refugee Resettlement and Wider Justice Work
Through NorthShore Welcome, a collaboration with Episcopal Migration Ministries, Sponsor Circles, and the Diocese of Chicago Sanctuary Task Force, St. Lawrence helps resettle recent arrivals, housing them on a transitional basis while supporting their path to self-sufficiency. The work is shared across the parish's Better Together partnership.
The parish is also active in Lake County United, a broad-based community organization that builds relationships, develops leaders, and acts on local justice issues. During the 2025 Season of Pentecost, St. Lawrence and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship called on congregations to focus on Gun Violence Prevention, an initiative that continues.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
A quiet and longstanding ministry invites knitters and crocheters to make prayer shawls. Each shawl is begun with prayers and blessings for its eventual recipient and accompanied by prayer as it is worked. Completed shawls are offered to those undergoing medical procedures, recovering from loss, marking a marriage or birth, in times of stress or illness, or simply in need of comfort. There are no meetings or rules; the only requirement is a willingness to begin and to pray.
Better Together: A Collaboration of Four Churches
In 2021, St. Lawrence joined three nearby Episcopal congregations in a partnership known as Better Together. St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Deerfield, St. Elisabeth's Episcopal Church in Glencoe, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Highland Park collaborate with St. Lawrence in seasonal worship, formation for children, families, and youth, leadership development, and social events. The Confirmation class, the NorthShore Welcome resettlement work, and shared programming all flow from this partnership.
Clergy and Leadership
The parish is led by The Rev. Kristin Saylor, who became Rector in 2021. A Midwesterner who grew up in Milwaukee, she is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Virginia Theological Seminary, and previously served as Director of Formation at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and as Priest Associate at St. Peter's in Port Chester, New York.
Hal Toberman has served as Deacon at St. Lawrence since 2014. He was ordained in the Diocese of Chicago in 1987, served at the Church of the Incarnation in Bloomingdale, and spent fifteen years with Kairos Prison Ministry at Menard and Stateville Correctional Facilities. He also heads the parish's Prison Pen Pal Ministry and supports Lay Eucharistic Visitors.
The Rev. Jackie Lynn joined as Deacon in 2023. Ordained in 2002 at St. James Cathedral, she served there until 2014 before becoming Executive Director of ElderCARE Lake County, an Episcopal charity housed at Christ Church, Waukegan. She is a long-time member of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Diocese of Chicago and chairs the national Episcopal Peace Fellowship.
Alan Whaley has served as Director of Music since 2006.
Giving and the Building
The parish runs a Capital Campaign that has funded a full roof replacement, HVAC upgrades, a part-time building manager, and the Associate Rector position. The most recent campaign raised $713,462, surpassing its $650,000 challenge goal. Pledges and one-time or recurring gifts may be made online; donations of altar flowers and altar candles, often given in honor or memory of a person or event, may also be arranged through the church office.
A Welcoming Door on Church Street
St. Lawrence opens with a clear welcome: a home for all who hunger in body, mind, or spirit. The parish celebrates diversity and, following the example of Jesus, embraces all God's children across cultural backgrounds, skin color, citizenship or immigration status, political views, age, gender identity and expression, marital and economic status, and physical and cognitive abilities. Whoever you are, whomever you love, wherever you are from - the parish extends its welcome on Church Street every week of the year.