St. Paul & the Redeemer is a thriving Episcopal Church located near the University of Chicago. Our vision is to become a community that mirrors the radical hospitality practiced by Jesus. Our mission is to "Welcome all seekers; Nurture one another in our journeys of faith; and Serve God's world." We are progressive and diverse. We are a worshipping community that loves to gather on Sunday to worship God, as we celebrate the mystery of Christ's faithful and liberating presence. Inspiring music from many traditions, from Gospel to Classical and enhanced by four choirs, lifts us heavenward. We use inclusive language at the 9:15 and 11:15 Eucharists, in which you will find both the beauty of traditional Episcopal liturgy and warm spontaneity. Preaching that is lively, thought provoking, and addresses real human concerns is highly valued by the congregation.

We are diverse. Being one of the most racially diverse congregations in Chicago is something we value highly. We are a church of all ages, including members above 90 years old and many young adults and children. We have an excellent nursery and fine formation programs for children and youth. Gay men and Lesbians participate in every aspect of our ministry, and we respond to same-sex couples who wish to solemnize their unions exactly as we respond to heterosexual couples. We are diverse in religious backgrounds. People from many traditions make up our community. In fact, clergy with affiliations in six Christian denominations are involved at SPR. Each year we add many new members who bring their gifts, energy, and perspectives. Attendance has tripled since 1998 to about 300 on a typical Sunday.

We are a community of fellowship. Many social events mark our life every year. Some of these are the Awesome Auction on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Easter Brunch, the Pentecost Gospel Mass and Brunch, the September Ministries Fair, the All Saints Celebration and Breakfast in November, which includes a major mass setting from the classical repertoire, and the Caroling Party and the Greening of the Church at Christmas. We are a community of learning and spiritual formation, supporting several adult formation opportunities.

We are a community of service. Through a weekly SPARK (St. Paul & the Redeemer Kids) Tutoring Program, we support children from nearby Shoesmith School. We serve the larger community through cooking for the Open Kitchen Lunch Program, which feeds up to 200 homeless people every day. Every summer we offer the surrounding community an outstanding Vacation Bible School. At Christmas we become Santa Clause, providing gifts and new warm clothing for the residents of the Bishop Primo Center, a shelter program that serves homeless women and children. A Justice Team is currently working to make sure that there continues to be affordable housing in our community as gentrification accelerates, and a parish task force sells fair-trade coffee and other products to support a living wage for farmers in the third world. The Cathedral Counseling Center at St. Paul & the Redeemer provides psychotherapy and other forms of counseling. These are but some of the ways we seek to serve God's world, and we have just begun to develop a new initiative for a major ministry to our immediate community.