- Our Advent Open House for friends and neighbors this Saturday, December 1
- The annual Family Advent Wreath Workshop on Sunday, December 2
- Brunch for LGBTQIA individuals and friends on Sunday, December 2
- A one-session orientation for new tutors on Monday evening, December 3
- A festive TwentiesThirties Advent Party on Thursday, December 6
- This month’s Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, December 8
- And later this month, the “Longest Night” Service on Tuesday, December 18 for those who this season are experiencing feelings of loss, loneliness, grief, or sadness, whether personally or about world events
- Our annual traditional Christmas Dinner on Tuesday, December 25 following worship
The calendar, which is easily accessible from the home page of our website, includes opportunity to
register online
for any event for which registration is involved (along with an option to make online payment of any registration fees).
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First Sunday of Advent, December 2
8:00 a.m. Communion
Shannon J. Kershner
9:30 a.m. Communion
Shannon J. Kershner
11:00 a.m. Communion
Shannon J. Kershner
4:00 p.m. Jazz Communion
Joe Morrow
The Season of Advent
This Sunday—four Sundays before Christmas—marks the beginning of Advent, the first season on the liturgical calendar and thus the beginning of a new church year.
Advent is observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas as well as the return of Jesus at the second coming.
The season takes it name from the Latin word meaning "coming," and its liturgical color is purple, to remind us that this is a season of humility and reconciliation.
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Let us help you with your holiday shopping!
This Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2 we are again hosting a Fair Trade Gift Bazaar.
This annual bazaar features handcrafted merchandise, ranging from folk art to ceramics, textiles, baskets, jewelry, and more. A variety of vendors, including Ten Thousand Villages, will be on hand.
Groups in more than thirty countries benefit from the proceeds of this bazaar, making it possible for them to earn a fair wage for their labors and provide food, shelter, education, and health care for their families. Come shop for a difference!
In Anderson Hall and Borwell Dining Room on—
Saturday, December 1
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 2
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
And why not invite your friends and neighbors to join you on Saturday, December 1 between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., when we’ll also be hosting our
Advent Open House in the Sanctuary, complete with live music and, in the Narthex, refreshments.
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As the weeks ahead become increasingly busy, the season of Advent invites us to set aside time for daily personal prayer and reflection and to create space to prepare our hearts and lives to receive the gift that comes to us in the stable.
Our daily Advent devotions—which begin this Sunday, December 2—offer a resource for this meditative journey. To
receive them daily by email, sign up online.
Devotions also will be posted daily on
Facebook, on
Twitter (@FourthChicago), and on our
devotions web page. They are also available in a printed booklet in the literature racks at the church.
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As we begin a new liturgical year this Sunday, we are also beginning a new season for our weekly Jazz at Four worship service.
In a much-anticipated move, the service will now be taking place in Buchanan Chapel. Sharing jazz worship in this space will allow us to gather in ways that strengthen our feeling of community and imaginatively employ visual and musical arts. (The angel above is part of a new set of Advent banners created for our jazz worship in Buchanan Chapel.)
The move will also provide opportunity to deepen forms of prayer and to demonstrate the power of the Communion table to help us experience God's powerful welcome.
If you have never been to Jazz at Four, why not make it one of the ways you observe this Advent season: come join us in Buchanan Chapel on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.!
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Plan to be with us for one of our beloved Advent traditions at Fourth Church, the Festival of Advent Lessons and Music, on Sunday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
Pastors and members of Fourth Church will read the scripture lessons of Advent, and Fourth Church's Children's, Youth, Chancel, and Morning Choirs will present anthems of the season. Together we'll sing Advent hymns and anticipate the birth of Jesus Christ.
A reception hosted by Women at Fourth and featuring homemade cookies and hot cocoa will follow the service.
Sunday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.
in the Sanctuary
Reception to follow in Anderson Hall
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This season we invite you to join us in sharing Christmas joy with those in need.
Holiday Bags
are being collected for guests of Sunday and Monday Night Suppers. A list of needed items as well as bags to decorate and return
by next Sunday, December 9
are available at the Meals Ministry cart during Coffee Hour.
The
“Christmas Wishes”
gift project collects gifts for Chicago Lights Tutoring students who might not otherwise receive one. Wish lists are available at Coffee Hour and from
Anne Ellis
.
Gifts to the
“Light Up a Life”
offering support congregational programs, mission, and community outreach—including Chicago Lights programs—as well as denominational efforts. In this season when needs for many are great, “Light Up a Life” gifts make it possible for us to provide meals for those who are hungry, a shower and clean clothing for those living on the street, a warm place to escape the winter cold, a listening ear for those searching for a supportive community, and so much more. “Light Up a Life” gifts can be made using the envelopes in the pew racks or
online
.
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Remember loved ones and recognize those who are special in your life with contributions toward the purchase of Christmas flowers and garlands to decorate the Sanctuary and Buchanan Chapel.
A list of those remembered will be printed in the Christmas bulletin. (Contributions must be received
by next Sunday, December 9 in order for names to be included in the bulletin.)
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St. Charles Singers Candlelight Carols
Saturday, December 1
at 7:30 p.m.
in the Sanctuary
Christmas with Chanticleer
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 4 and 5
at 7:30 p.m.
in the Sanctuary
Tickets available by calling 312.294.3000 or at
www.cso.org
Use promo code CHANTICLEER for a 15 percent discount
Lakeside Singers Holiday Concert
Friday, December 7
at 7:30 p.m.
in the Sanctuary
A Festival of Advent Lessons and Music
Sunday, December 9
6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
A worship service featuring Fourth Church's children's and adult choirs
Christmas with Tower Brass
Wednesday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m.
in the Sanctuary
Suggested donation of
$20 at the door
Bella Voce:
A Ceremony of Carols
by Benjamin Britten
Friday, December 14
7:30 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
Chicago
a cappella:
Holidays
a cappella
Friday, December 14
8:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Christmas Cantata
A Ceremony of Carols
by Benjamin Britten
Sunday, December 23
During 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship in the Sanctuary
Presented by the Morning Choir
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- Cookie bakers and reception hosts for the December 9 cookies-and-cocoa reception following the 6:30 p.m. Festival of Advent Lessons and Music
- “Christmas Wishes” gift project volunteers to help do inventory, staff the Coffee Hour table, and wrap gifts
- 100 ushers for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services (December 24: 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, and 10:00 p.m.; December 25: 11:00 a.m.)
- Sunday Night Supper volunteers to greet and serve guests on Sundays, December 23 and 30 from 3:45 to 6:15 p.m. (sign up here) and to cook and help in the kitchen (sign up here); age 12 or older (youth must be accompanied by an adult)
- Tutors to work one-to-one with Chicago Lights Tutoring students one evening a week at the church; sign up for the December 3 orientation here
- Volunteers to unload food trucks at the church on second and fourth Mondays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.; must be able to lift 50 pounds
Sign up by contacting
Robert Crouch, Director of Volunteer Ministry
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Fourth Presbyterian Church | 312.787.4570 | www.fourthchurch.org
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