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Day of Pentecost, May 31
This Sunday is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the birth of the church and the giving of the Holy Spirit to the disciples of Jesus. The liturgical color for the day is red, which symbolizes the pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
11:00 a.m. online
Lucy Forster-Smith preaching
If our 11:00 worship time does not fit your schedule, the service will be available for viewing throughout the week.
Pentecost Offering
This Sunday, May 31, we will receive a special offering for Pentecost. Gifts to this Presbyterian Church (USA) Pentecost Offering will help the church encourage, develop, and support its young people and also address the needs of at-risk children.
Of the special PCUSA Pentecost offering gifts given at Fourth Church, 40 percent will be used to make an impact in the lives of Chicago’s young people through the work of Fourth Church’s Action for Equitable Education mission group.
The remaining 60 percent will be used to support children at risk, youth, and young adults through ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
To make a gift to this special offering, note “Pentecost Offering” in the comments when
making a gift online or write “Pentecost Offering” on the memo line of a check made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church (mailed to Fourth Church at 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, IL 60611.2014).
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Have you worshiped with us online this spring? If so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take just a couple of minutes to complete
this brief survey.
With Session voting last week to have online-only worship throughout the summer, your responses to the survey will help us shape that livestreamed worship in these days when we are not able to gather in person.
While we all look forward to that time when we can worship together in the same space, we know that until then our worship will be different. Please take a moment to complete the
survey so we can make that “different” the best experience possible.
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As we enter summer in this season of pandemic, the Session of Fourth Church last Friday approved a plan for our life together as a church in the summer of 2020.
Included in that plan is the decision to have livestream-only worship throughout the summer months.
Also during that same time period—June through August—the Fourth Church campus will remain closed, and programming will take place online, from Center for Life and Learning exercise classes to VBS to Summer Day to Bible studies and more.
The meeting of essential needs by Fourth Church Meals Ministry and Chicago Lights Social Service Center will continue to be offered outdoors, as it has been since mid-March.
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Those graduating from eighth grade, high school, college, or a graduate or professional program in 2020 are asked to send their names to
Katie Patterson no later than Sunday, June 7.
Graduate names received by June 7 will appear in the worship bulletin on June 21, which is Baccalaureate Sunday.
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Have you seen—
Rocky Supinger’s observations in
Presbyterian Outlook on what youth ministry will look like this summer?
Or Shannon Kershner’s interview in the
Sun-Times
on what it means that “the building may be closed, but church is still going on”?
For these and ongoing glimpses into what we’re up to, be sure to follow us on
Facebook and
Instagram!
And keep your eye on Facebook this Sunday, when we will mark Pentecost—considered the birthday of the church—by releasing
a series of fifteen-minute videos by Matt Helms on “Pentecost to Constantine: The Growth of the Early Church.”
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Men interested in reflecting together, in a confidential context, on faith and personal life are invited to take part in our new Men’s Small Discussion Group led by David Handley, Interim Minister for Pastoral Care.
Beginning in July, and meeting for three months, a group of six to eight men will take turns sharing their “spiritual autobiography,” including the people, places, and events that shaped their life and faith.
In addition to opportunity for the other participants to talk about themes and experiences they have experienced that are similar, there will be a reading of a half chapter of the Gospel according to Mark (twice) and guidance on how we might hear the scripture being read in a way that intersects with our lives.
To express interest in taking part in this new group, please contact
David Handley (312.573.3360).
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We are grateful to all who have made gifts in support of our mission and ministry this year. Thank you! This monthly generosity report summarizes those contributions to Fourth Church as of April 30, 2020.
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In this time of social distancing and our closed campus, we remain firmly committed to caring for the most vulnerable among us.
Fourth Church Meals Ministry is continuing to serve those in our community who are hungry. Staff and volunteers are outside in the Cloister handing out “to go” lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and “to go” meals for Sunday Night Supper. They are also handing out “to go” meals for Monday Night Supper at Catholic Charities. This enables us to distribute meals while also limiting lines and in-person gatherings.
How can you help? You will find online
lists of items we particularly need as we continue to feed our neighbors. These can be ordered and shipped directly to the church. You will also find, along with the list, information about making a financial gift to support this ministry for those in need.
The
Chicago Lights Social Service Center is also continuing to offer “curbside” emergency services on Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Wednesdays through Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. These services include essential emergency clothing, hygiene items, and pre-assembled bags of food for those who have scheduled Food Pantry appointments
How can you help? While we cannot receive individual donations of canned goods, clothing, or hygiene items direct from households, you can order and have shipped to the church the items on our
emergency distribution list.
How else can you help in these days? If you are interested in sewing face masks for health care workers and other providers of essential services, please contact
Nanette Sawyer.
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Please let us know—
- If you are a medical professional or other essential worker, please let our Pastoral Care Office know who you are so we can reach out and care for you in what we know are are difficult days for you.
- If you are—or someone you know is—in self-quarantine or feeling isolated, lonely, anxious, or sick, please contact our Pastoral Care Office so that we can reach out to you.
- If you would like to talk to a pastor, please call the church (312.787.4570), and your request will be forwarded to someone on the pastoral staff.
As a connectional community committed to living out our care for one another and remaining together while apart, we very much want to hear from you!
If you would like to
talk with a therapist in the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being, you can schedule a teletherapy appointment by calling the Center at 312.787.2729, ext 2260.
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Each Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m., Fourth Church staff gathers via Zoom for
Morning Prayer. If you would like to join in this weekly time of prayer for those in need, please contact
Carol Allerton for the Zoom information.
If you have
a prayer request that you would like included in Morning Prayer or as part of our Deacon Prayer Ministries, we encourage you to send those requests to
David Handley, our Interim Minister for Pastoral Care.
We also invite you to join us for a time of virtual
Sacred Pause on Tuesday mornings (7:45 a.m.) and Saturday mornings (8:30 a.m.). You can connect with us online for these times of silent meditation—hosted by Tom Schemper, Director of the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being—on the
Replogle Center Facebook page.
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Whether it is for just one phone conversation or more, our Stephen Ministers are available to be God’s listening presence during this season when many of us are struggling to sort things out.
If you would like to be in phone contact with one of our Stephen Ministers, who have all been trained in providing emotional and spiritual care, please leave a confidential message at 312.573.3365.
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As you know, we stream a Noonday Concert online at 12:10 p.m. each Friday and then make it available for viewing throughout the week at
www.bit.ly/fpcprograms.
If you missed today’s concert—featuring Kara Wagner Sherer on alto recorder, Carlisle Wagner Sherer singing, and John Sherer on piano—you can listen to it there. Next Friday’s online concert will be a piano performance livestreamed from the Sanctuary.
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