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On the church calendar are many opportunities to connect online with the Fourth Church community and one another. Included among them are—
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Friday Noonday Concerts, on January 22 featuring cellist Anita Graef and on January 29 featuring organist John Sherer
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Foundations of Faith Bible Study on Sunday, January 24
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Men’s Bible Study on Tuesday mornings
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Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings
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Benevolent Guild on Wednesday mornings
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Knitting and Crocheting on Tuesday, January 26
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Horizons Bible Study for Women on Wednesday, January 27
For information about whom to contact for an event’s Zoom details, simply click on the down “arrow” to the right of the event name in the calendar (which is easily accessible from the “Calendar” button in the upper left corner of our website). |
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Worship This Week:
Sunday, January 24
11:00 a.m. worship online
Organ prelude beginning shortly after 10:45 a.m.
Shannon J. Kershner preaching
Connecting to Our Online Worship Services
Our online worship services are available live at 11:00 a.m. (Central) via
For those who do not have Internet access, we also make our worship services available to listen to via the phone. If you know of someone for whom this audio opportunity would be welcome, please encourage them to call 888.916.9166 (toll-free) at the time of the service.
Throughout the Week
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“Loving Our Neighbor in a Time of Social Distancing”
The Board of Deacons invites you to join them in a two-hour online workshop this Saturday morning, January 23, when David Hogue, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology and Counseling at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, will lead a workshop on “Loving Our Neighbor in a Time of Social Distancing.”
This two-hour virtual workshop will offer a theological and biblical framework for the ministry of making phone calls to those who may be isolated during this season. Topics will include, among others, loneliness and depression; the COVID context of isolation and social distancing; and fears of the virus and the prospect of treatments, including hospitalization and ventilators.
Saturday, January 23
10:00 a.m. via zoom
Becoming a Stephen Minister
Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one ministry of care and supportive listening for those who are experiencing life’s challenges.
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A new Sunday morning online adult education class begins this Sunday prior to worship. We hope you will join us for the conversation!
On Restoring God’s Beloved Community:
Looking for Guidance in Scripture
Led by Carol Allen
Sundays, January 24–February 28
9:30 a.m. via Zoom
The starting point for this Sunday morning class is the struggle of Jews and Gentiles to create a uniquely inclusive community following the resurrection of Jesus. These early followers sought to live not by rules of empire but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
A Holy Presence can be seen in their efforts to heal creation, working from distorted images of what it is to be human that derive from the early colonization of lands and peoples. Over time, this process led to the ongoing tenacious hold of white nationalism on religious and civic life.
The central resource for this class will be A Theological Commentary on the Book of Acts by Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School.
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Included in our upcoming opportunities to connect online with others in the Fourth Church community is an evening Cornerstones program by artist Gerald Griffin, who painted the dramatic and moving “The Ascension” that hangs in our Commons.
Cornerstones
Friday, February 5
5:30 p.m. via Zoom
Those who are fifty and over are invited to join in a monthly Cornerstones time of fellowship followed by a program. For our next gathering, on February 5, we are honored to have Gerald Griffin joining us to talk about his work, the concepts that drive his creativity, and his view of the unique role Black artists play in this city and in our national conversations about race.
Virtual Coffee Hour
Each Sunday after worship you are invited to share in a time of conversation with one another, when we gather for virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom.
Following the postlude
Meeting ID: 963 5583 1751
Passcode: 631276
Phone: Call 1 312.626.6799
and enter Meeting ID 963 5583 1751#
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This past Tuesday, Fourth Church joined congregations and institutions across the nation in tolling bells in remembrance of those who have died from COVID-19.
If you follow us on Facebook, you will have heard our bells tolling once for every 10,000 individuals in this country who have died from the novel coronavirus. |
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Looking for suggestions of books to read on a wintry weekend?
Our First Tuesday Book Club and Books by Women groups have recommendations for you—as well as invitations to join them in conversation.
First Tuesday Book Club
Tuesday, February 2
7:00 p.m. via Zoom
For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/firsttuesdaybooks
This book group hosted by the Adult Education Committee, with conversation led by Jim Garner, examines the ethical and social issues facing Christians today.
February book: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes De Mez
Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.
Books by Women
Tuesday, February 9
6:00 p.m. via Zoom
All women are invited to join in monthly Books by Women discussions whenever their schedules allow and the books are of interest.
February book: Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War is the story of, as its subtitle puts it, “the daring young woman who led France’s largest spy network against Hitler.”
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Path of Discipleship:
A Lenten Series
Tuesdays, February 23–March 30
6:00–7:30 p.m. via Zoom
Space is limited, so please register by Monday, February 15.
Throughout the year the Fourth Church Spiritual Formation Council offers practices and experiences for people of faith to help us deepen our relationships with God, neighbor, and self.
This Lent, the council invites you to join them online for their annual “Path of Discipleship” series, a six-week Lenten opportunity to share in fellowship, discernment, and worship in preparation for the Easter celebration.
This year the Zoom series will be grounded in the book Entering the Passion of Jesus by Amy Jill-Levine (which is available online in ebook, audio, and printed formats), and our Tuesday evening studies, which will include small group discussions, will again be led by the associate pastors.
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