News @ Fourth Church: June 21, 2019

June 21, 2019

What’s coming up on the church calendar? Among other things—

Knitting and Crocheting on Tuesday, June 25
Women at Fourth, with Fourth Church Organist and Director of Music John Sherer presenting a program on sacred music, on Thursday, June 27

The complete calendar is easily accessible from the home page of our website.

Sunday, June 23: Second Sunday after Pentecost

8:00 a.m. Communion

Joshua Heikkila preaching

9:30 a.m.

Shannon Kershner and Nanette Sawyer preaching

11:00 a.m.

Shannon Kershner and Nanette Sawyer preaching

4:00 p.m. Jazz Communion

Liudmila Hernández preaching

More about worship, including bulletins

This Sunday we continue our “ Big Questions” sermon series at 9:30 and 11:00 as Shannon Kershner and Nanette Sawyer consider together another question you asked be addressed from the pulpit: “What do Presbyterians believe about homosexuality?”

Then we will conclude our series on Sunday, June 30 at all four services with “Is Satan for real?”

Come think about big questions with us!

Curious about our previous questions? You can read online the sermons exploring them.

Also this Sunday we will welcome two of our global partners in ministry.

Joshua Heikkila, West Africa Regional Liaison for Presbyterian Church (USA) World Mission and a member of Fourth Church prior to his ordination, will be preaching at our 8:00 a.m. worship service.

Then at 11:00 a.m. in Borwell Dining Room, he will talk about his ministry since his World Mission move to Ghana in 2009.

Also joining us will be Liudmila Hernández, pastor of our sister congregation, the First Presbyterian Church of Havana, and the vice-moderator of the Presbyterian Synod of Cuba. She will take part in 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship and preach at Jazz at Four, after which we will have a reception in her honor in Allison Library.

On Monday, June 24 Liudmila will return for a time of conversation at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Room as she shares with us perspectives and reflections on the current atmosphere in Cuba.

Please join us in also welcoming to Fourth Church youth from Mifflin Presbyterian Church of Gahanna, Ohio; Buffalo Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, Minnesota; First Presbyterian Church of Howard Lake, Minnesota; and Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

They will be arriving Sunday afternoon for a week of our Urban Youth Mission (UYM) program, a time for service and learning about urban mission and ministry.

During their week with us, these youth will have opportunity to explore diverse city neighborhoods while performing valuable hands-on service and reflecting on God, faith, and the Christian call to justice. We look forward to partnering with them in mission!

While we are hosting youth groups taking part in UYM, our own youth will be spending next week on mission trips as well.

Our Junior High youth will be traveling to Detroit and our Senior High youth to New Jersey, where they will be engaged in service and learning.

Please keep these youth and their leaders in your prayers as they travel, serve, and together grow in faith and discipleship!

While the Urban Youth Mission groups and our own youth engage in learning about urban issues and ministry, we too are invited to explore one of the issues plaguing our cities: the “death gap.”

This coming Thursday we will have opportunity to hear David Ansell speak about his book The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills and about his work.

Dr. Ansell, who is Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity at Rush University Medical Center, has spent nearly four decades as a doctor at hospitals serving some of the poorest communities in Chicago. He will share with us the realities behind the statistics that poor urban blacks die sooner than almost all other Americans.

All are invited to join us on Thursday, June 27 at 6:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel for this event hosted by the Interfaith Coalition Against Racism—of which Fourth Church is a partner—and introduced by Toni Preckwinkle.

Come engage in conversation about how to address this devastating inequality!

If you are interested in joining us in Prague, Geneva, and Luther sites in Germany this autumn, we have a few spots still available.

Registration for our October 2–13 Reformation trip closes next Friday, June 28, so sign up soon if you would like to join us!

The flag that will be hanging over our Sanctuary steps for Gay Pride Week, beginning this Sunday, is a public witness to the inclusive hospitality we extend to all and to our welcome of all of God’s children into the life of the church.

As an expression of our support of the LGBTQIA community, we will again this year be walking with the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches—of which we are a partner congregation—in the Chicago Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30. For details about when and where to meet on the day of the parade, email Nanette Sawyer.

Also, those who would like to join our “Widen the Welcome” group for our monthly LGBTQIA brunch are invited to meet at Coffee Hour this Sunday, June 23 at 12:15 p.m. and from there go to a restaurant for a time of fellowship.