Sunday, August 20

10:00 a.m. worship in person and online

Nanette Sawyer preaching

Worship bulletin

In person and streamed from the Sanctuary on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos

Audio available by phone (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166

Livestreamed worship services are accessible by going to www.bit.ly/fpcvideos, subscribing to our YouTube channel, or clicking on the photo with a “Play” arrow on the home page of the Fourth Church website.

Children are always welcome in worship! During the service nursery care is also available for infants through two-year-olds.

Sunday School does not meet during August; it will resume on Sunday, September 10.

Almost 400 of you have responded to the Long-Range Planning survey, and we’re hoping to hear from as many members as possible!

We also want to make sure that if you have comments to offer that you have opportunity to do so.

So the Long-Range Planning Task Force asks that you please—

Share Your Written Comments

Several of you who already completed the survey requested the additional opportunity to offer written comments anonymously, and so in conjunction with the survey we have made available a comment box where you can type your additional thoughts, ideas, and comments about Fourth Church and the development of the long-range plan.

You will find that option at www.bit.ly/fourth-survey-open-comment-box

Please note that the comment box will close at the same time as the survey: this coming Thursday, August 24 at 5:00 p.m.

Complete the Survey

If you have not yet completed the survey, please take 15 minutes to complete a survey online at www.bit.ly/fourth-survey. The task force will be available at Coffee Hour on Sunday to help you access the survey as well.

If there are multiple people in your household, each person is invited to submit their own responses, to the survey and in the comment box. (Each person will need to use a separate computer or mobile device.) 



Your responses to this survey will be anonymous and are important in setting our course for the next five years and laying the foundation for calling our next senior pastor.

In order to keep the planning work moving forward, please note that the survey and comments deadline is this coming Thursday, August 24 at 5:00 p.m.

Thank you for helping shape the future of Fourth Church!

Ready to share a caring heart?

Join Fourth Church Stephen Ministers after worship this Sunday, August 20 to learn how this vital ministry shares Christ-centered, compassionate listening and prayer through one-on-one connections with people facing life challenges.

If you are interested in learning how to serve as a Stephen Minister, this lunch-and-learn fellowship event will be a unique opportunity to hear from past and current Stephen Ministers about how this ministry has touched their lives and how they got involved.

If you or someone you know are interested in learning whether a caring connection with a Stephen Minister might be a fit, this event is also for you.

All are welcome, including those who are simply curious about how Stephen Ministry serves at Fourth Church.

Bring your questions and your appetite, as pizza and salad will be served.

The Stephen Ministers look forward to welcoming you. If you plan to attend, please register online to help us plan appropriately.

We are eagerly looking forward to the new worship schedule that will begin after Labor Day!

Starting Sunday, September 10 we will be worshiping at

9:30 a.m.

Worship with organ and the Morning Choir

In the Sanctuary and livestreamed

11:00 a.m.

Worship with organ and the Chancel Choir

In the Sanctuary

2:00 p.m.

The Gathering, with Communion

In the Sanctuary and livestreamed

The Gathering is the new name for our afternoon service, which will also be taking place at a new time: 2:00. This more casual, intimate service, which will feature music by the instrumentalists who helped to lead the jazz service, will take place in the Sanctuary and be livestreamed. We hope you will come experience it!

As with the current livestream of worship, the livestreams of the 9:30 and 2:00 services will be available to view anytime after the service begins if you would prefer to connect online at a later time.

Center for Life and Learning

On Saturday, August 26, the Center for Life and Learning will wrap up the summer with Encore 2023!

This annual fundraising event supports CLL programming and provides scholarships that make it possible for more adults sixty and over to participate in CLL activities.

To join in this evening of fun, which will feature local singer performer Peter Oprisko and his jazz ensemble, make your reservations online; for more information, call the Center at 312.981.3391.

Then right around the corner is the Autumn Session with the Center for Life and Learning, registration for which is now open.

The session of weekday classes for those sixty and over begins on Monday, September 11 and includes twenty weekly classes as well as several Special Topic classes and events sprinkled throughout the fourteen-week term. You can learn more about the autumn offerings on the CLL web pages.

Sunday Morning Adult Education

Also coming up is the fall schedule of Sunday morning Adult Education classes, which begins on September 10 with Vicky Curtiss teaching a class on Celtic spirituality at 11:00 a.m.

You can find online information about that class and others planned for this autumn. You will also find there a link for subscribing to our Adult Education email newsletter.

Everyone is welcome to attend any of these Sunday morning classes, and there is no charge for any of them.

If you haven’t attended an Adult Education class at Fourth Church before, we hope you will give one a try this autumn!

The Fourth Church Day School is enrolling children ages 1–4 years old for the upcoming 2023–2024 school year.

More information about our part-time preschool programs can be found at www.bit.ly/fpcdayschoolprograms

On Sunday more than a hundred people enjoyed our church picnic in the Michigan Avenue courtyard after worship.

BBQ box lunches were enjoyed in a festive atmosphere, while a few of the young-at-heart played bean-bag tossing games and blew bubbles.

The informal setting allowed relaxing conversation as people made new friends and reconnected with those they already knew.

In another opportunity to gather for table fellowship, forty-five people participated in the July Deep Listening Dinner in Anderson Hall. Seated at tables for six, participants enjoyed a BBQ dinner and reflected together on the experience of “Home.”

They discussed “Where have you called home and where are you finding it now? What places have and continue to be most meaningful in your life?”

Afterwards participants shared their reflections on the evening, including the following:

“Last night was an amazing night with new and old friends from church. It was so incredible to have the chance to learn how ‘Home’ can mean so many different things to so many different people. This was also an amazing time to learn how to listen to other friends and have the opportunity to be supportive in a safe and caring environment to them.”

“It was most enjoyable. The highlight was how people opened up and shared personal things about themselves. Considering we didn’t know each other as a group (although some of us knew each other one-on-one), I was moved by how people talked about themselves and their experiences. Yes, I recommend the Deep Listening Dinner to others, and I will likely do it again.”

“The dinner listening and conversation was lovely. It was such a nice way to meet other members and non-members over dinner and talking about specific topics. It is a good way to remember some names and be able to recognize them again during church functions and activities. It is always nice to put a face to a name.”

“At our table, were visitors to Chicago from California. They shared they were staying at the Westin across the street and had come in that day and were only in Chicago for two days. The daughter finds home where there's a strong church community. How awesome is it that Fourth’s website was enticing enough to have non-member, out-of-town visitors sign up for our Deep Listening Dinner for their first meal in Chicago!”

“It was nice to build a deeper relationship with others at the church. While I like Coffee Hour after service, it’s hard to engage past small talk and a quick story. I like how Deep Listening dinners allow time to go deeper to really get to know those at the church.”

“As visitors to Chicago and Fourth Presbyterian Church, my daughter and I enjoyed warm fellowship at the Deep Listening Dinner. We believe that this captures the essence of the Presbyterian church and fosters a greater community. Thank you for a wonderful evening!”

Our School Supply Drive organized by Women at Fourth is wrapping up this month but is still in need of monetary gifts (with the designation School Supply Drive) with which we will purchase the remaining supplies needed for Chicago Lights Tutoring.

For more information, email Simon Crow.

Save the date for our Neighborhood Block Party / Get Connected Sunday, which will take place Sunday, September 10!

It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Michigan Avenue courtyard.

We will have information tables for you to learn about opportunities to connect with Fourth Church this autumn. There will also be music, games, ice cream, a pet blessing, and more.

It will also be the day when we kick off a new year of Sunday School, Youth gatherings, and Adult Education classes.

Mark your calendar and watch for details in the coming weeks!

For more information, contact Simon Crow.

Eighth-grade Confirmation kicks off on Sunday, September 10 too.

That morning there will be a gathering of students and parents at 9:30 a.m. The youth will then meet at that same time on Sundays through April.

If you have an eighth grader who is interested in participating, please register by September 10.

The exterior scaffolding on the Fourth Church campus is to enable tuckpointing, flashing, and window repair being done this summer.

The scaffolding in the North Balcony of the Sanctuary is to assist in addressing the gradual delamination of some of the Frederic Clay Bartlett murals on the ceiling.

Marriages

We give thanks to God for the gift of life together.

Kathryn Anne Burkhardt and Steven Lamont Phelps

Married August 12, 2023

Jenna Danielle Whitaker and Kyle James Terpstra

Married August 12, 2023