The worship bulletin will be available to download and print on Friday

Streamed from the Sanctuary at www.bit.ly/FPCworship

in Buchanan Chapel

The worship bulletin will be available to download and print on Friday

For those choosing to worship with us in person, wearing masks fully covering nose and mouth is required of everyone on the Fourth Church campus, regardless of vaccination status. Those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are also required to practice social distancing.

The front section of the Sanctuary is for those required to or choosing to practice social distancing, with seating by households. The remainder of the Sanctuary is open seating, with masks required wherever one sits.

We are not checking vaccination status, but anyone coming on site certifies by doing so that (a) they do not currently have COVID-19; (b) they are not experiencing COVID symptoms; (c) they have no reason to quarantine; and (d) they will practice social distancing if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Doors open a half hour before each service, and there is no congregational singing.

Read about all of the guidelines that are in place for in-person worship—as well as information about continued online opportunities—at www.fourthchurch.org/reopening

The service is also available online any time afterwards on YouTube.

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.

Our Sunday services are available for viewing following the conclusion of worship and throughout the week at www.bit.ly/fpcvideos.

Worship and sermon podcasts are available via iTunes and Spotify, and you can sign up to receive the text of the weekly sermon by email.

The registration deadline for the “Peace and Compassion: A Music and Travel Seminar Trip to the Middle East” is fast approaching!

Those interested in joining Fourth Church and our interfaith partners in traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories in June 2022 are asked to register online by September 1, 2021, at www.bit.ly/mideast2022

Or to learn more about fees, travel arrangements, and other logistics, contact John Sherer.

The Nominating Committee is in need of recommendations for candidates for positions opening in 2022 for Elder, Deacon, Trustee, and Nominating Committee as well as the Chicago Lights Board.

So please take a moment yet this week to think of Fourth Church members who have demonstrated gifts for leadership and a commitment to the life and ministry of this congregation.

Then add their names—self-nominations are welcome!—to the Leadership Candidate Form online at www.bit.ly/nominating2022.

This Friday our weekly Music by the Fountain outdoor concert series continues with saxophonist Eric Schneider performing at 12:10 p.m. in the Michigan Avenue courtyard.

You are invited to join us in person for these Friday performances or, if you prefer to enjoy our concerts online, to watch the summer 2020 performance by Eric and his fellow jazz musicians (as we are not livestreaming the outdoor concerts).

Another Friday treat is fresh produce from the Chicago Lights Urban Farm Farmstand.

Each purchase supports Chicago Lights job-training programs, as students and young adults gain job skills through urban farming.

1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm

444 W. Chicago Ave.

As we look ahead to a new school year, the Fourth Church Day School has openings in its Together We Play program (for those 12–30 months) as well as its preschool classes for those ages 2–5.

If you’d like to know more about the learning and growing opportunities at our Day School, please let Director Kathy Hager know!

The First Tuesday Book Club—a forum for examining the ethical and social issues facing Christians today—will resume its monthly conversations on Tuesday evening September 7 with an in-person discussion.

That evening we will have opportunity to talk with co-author Catherine Meeks about her book Passionate for Justice: Ida B. Wells as Prophet for Our Time.

Dr. Meeks, who is also Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, and her co-author, Nibs Stroupe, have written movingly about Ida B. Wells, who was, notes the book, “a powerful churchwoman and witness for justice and equity from 1878 to 1931. Born enslaved, her witness flowed through the struggles for justice in her lifetime, especially in the intersections of African Americans, women, and those who were poor. Her life is a profound witness for faith-based work of visionary power, resistance, and resilience for today’s world, when the forces of injustice stand in opposition to progress.

“These are exciting and dangerous times. Boundaries that previously seemed impenetrable are now being crossed. This book is a guide for the current state of affairs in American culture, enlivened by the historical perspective of Wells’ search for justice. The authors are an African-American woman and a child of white supremacy. Both have dedicated themselves to working, writing, and developing ministries oriented toward justice, equity, and mercy.”

7:00 p.m. in Room 5G

Registration required at www.bit.ly/firsttuesday0921

For those interested in becoming members of Fourth Church, our next online Inquirers’ Class will be held on Sunday, September 12 via Zoom.

You can register for this one-session class at www.bit.ly/inquirersclass0921

For additional information about Fourth Church membership, please contact Joe Morrow.

The Chicago Lights Social Service Center would appreciate donations of clean, gently used adult shoes and clothing.

Particularly needed are men’s laced shoes in sizes 7-1/2 and up that are good for walking as well as clothing items in sizes L, XL, XXL, and XXXL. (We are not accepting children’s clothing, household supplies, or used underwear or used socks at this time.)

Donations can be dropped off inside the entrance at 126 E. Chestnut on Sundays through Fridays (not Saturdays) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Please do not leave any donations on the church steps. Upon arrival, simply ring the receptionist bell to be buzzed in and directed to where to leave the donations. Masks are required while on campus.

For one-to-one spiritual and emotional support through difficult times, be it death, loss, illness, financial insecurity, pandemic fatigue, or other life challenges, we encourage you to consider being paired with one of our congregation’s trained and caring Stephen Ministers.

To request a match with a Stephen Minister or to learn more about this opportunity, contact David Handley, Interim Minister for Caring Ministries, or leave a confidential message for a Stephen Minister at 312.573.3365.

If you are looking for healthy ways to cope with stresses or anxiety, frustration or anger, uncertainty or grief, the staff of our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being is also available to offer suggestions and support through phone appointments or teletherapy, whether for just a few sessions or on an ongoing basis.

To set up a time to talk or for more information about how the Center can be a resource for you, call the Center at 312.787.2729, ext. 2260.

Additionally, 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.

On the church calendar are many opportunities to connect online with the Fourth Church community and one another. Included among them are—

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).

If you know someone who would like to receive email updates from us but currently is not, please encourage them to add their email address to our distribution list by signing up at www.bit.ly/newsfromfpc