Serving in Our Church Home

• Weekend Worship Serving:  Those who call LOC their home often choose to serve in weekend worship in a variety of ways - altar care, ushers, greeters, communion servers, readers, Connection Ctr Hosts, coffee hosts, sound and visuals. Server Guidelines. Servers are also welcome to visit the Welcome Team Volunteer Hub.

• Ministry Serving:  Our ministries would not happen if we didn't have the many servers who get involved in their passion and giftedness.  Musicians and vocalists for worship, men and women coordinating events and activities for adults, dedicated adults and student leaders working in Children's and Youth Ministries, small group leaders, and administrative people who get involved in the running and management of the church.  And there is always the potential to begin a new event or ministry when someone steps up with an idea.

• Office Ministry:  There is always a need for people to help with mailings, weekly bulletin preparation, copying, answering phones, cutting out items, and other office needs.

• Church Maintenance: There are opportunities to work on the grounds in spring and fall and occasionally we need painters to refresh rooms. It's a joy filled chance to work with others from the church and see the joy of accomplishment.

Serving in Our Community  

• Branching Out Tutoring:  Branching Out Tutoring is branching out to our community by providing eligible children educational assistance through free tutoring. This free tutoring program is available to children on the free lunch program (prior to COVID), Medicaid, SNAP or government subsidized programs or those who meet our income requirements. Need more info? Please reach out to Ann Sullivan at (224) 234-2124. Sign up to serve as a volunteer tutor HERE. To learn more about the Branching Out Tutoring program, visit the Branching Out webpage HERE.
• Food Pantry:  LOC is one of four founding churches that supports the Alg/LITH Food Pantry by regularly collecting food and by picking up food from local stores to be distributed by the Food Pantry. The LOC team helps with Monday morning pickup at Jewel, Aldi, and Trader Joe's and picks up an average of 2400lbs of food each Monday from these stores. In addition LOC volunteers sort food as it comes in on Monday mornings, and stock shelves on Wednesday evenings. Contact: Phyllis Gaffney
• Turning Point: Turning Point is a domestic violence agency with a mission to confront violence against women and children in McHenry County, Illinois. LOC Men's Ministry and Youth Ministry groups serve several times a year at Turning Point. A bin to collect ongoing donations is located inside LOC's main doors. Go to Turning Point website.
• Golden Diners:  We are one of several churches in Algonquin that help with delivery of hot meals to homebound seniors in our town. We participate 3 months of the year (March, July, November) and volunteers pick up the meals and deliver during weekdays.
• Angel Tree: For a number of years LOC has partnered with area agencies including Turning Point, Home of the Sparrow, Salvation Army, and more recently Meadowdale Elementary School to make Christmas brighter for families experiencing challenges. Tags listing age, gender and items needed are placed on a Christmas Tree in the LOC Welcome Center. Individuals, families or groups select a tag/s and purchase gifts of new clothing/household items/toys for a child or adult which are then delivered to agencies or families.

Serving Beyond Our Backyard 

• Adult Mission Trip:  LOC sends  several work groups each summer to Appalachia (West Virginia or Kentucky) to work  for a week with the Appalachia Service Project Organization. Their mission is to make homes warmer, safer, dryer. But it is also a relational ministry - interacting with the family you are helping, developing bonds with your group as well as the families being helped.  
• Feed My Starving Children:  a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God's starving children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals formulated specially for starving children in more than 60 countries around the world.  LOC sends youth groups to their Schaumburg packing location regularly.  Adult groups occasionally help there and we have sponsored two MobilePacks at Westfield School where over 750 people have packed over 150,000 Manna packs per Mobilepack.   FMSC WEBSITE
• ELCA World Hunger: LOC members share financial gifts through regular and special offerings to support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) World Hunger program which responds to hunger and poverty in the US and worldwide by addressing root causes. Through a comprehensive program of relief, development, education, and advocacy, people are connected to the resources they need to lift themselves out of poverty. Between 70-75 percent of ELCA World Hunger funds are spent internationally, and 20-25 percent are spent domestically.
• Operation Christmas Child: LOC has been involved with OCC for over 15 years assembling boxes for children worldwide full of toys, toiletries, school supplies, etc.  It has been a great opportunity for parents to get children involved.  OCC WEBSITE
• Team World Vision: LOC has been involved with World Vision for three years now, moving feet to raise money for clean water bringing fullness of life for people around the world.  Some of their events include the Chicago Marathon and the Run for the Hills Half Marathon each year, as well as the Global 6K. TEAM WORLD VISION WEBSITE