On the church calendar are many opportunities to connect online (or, where noted, in person) 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).

For information about additional opportunities, keep reading!

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.

We are marking our sesquicentennial anniversary in various ways this year and hope you will join us for the following!

Next Sunday morning, October 24, we will welcome to the Fourth Church pulpit guest preacher Dr. Otis Moss III, who has been recognized as one of the “12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World” by Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. We are honored that Dr. Moss, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, will be with us, as we continue to give thanks for the many treasured relationships Fourth Church has had with other congregations and community partners over the years.

Also during the 10:00 a.m. service on October 24 we will have the first live performance of “A New Heaven and a New Earth.” This anthem by Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen, which was premiered virtually during online worship on February 14, was commissioned by Fourth Church in honor of the congregation’s 150th anniversary.

We also look forward to using for the first time that Sunday new Ordinary Time banners commissioned to celebrate our sesquicentennial.

10:00 a.m. worship in the Sanctuary

Also livestreamed at www.bit.ly/FPCworship

“Is the Church a Light in the City? Faith in the Twenty-First Century”

How is the church a productive citizen? What is the church’s responsibility to the community? What challenges lie right before us in 2021 and beyond?

At a November 9 Michigan Avenue Forum, Shannon Kershner; Pastor Emeritus John Buchanan; Felicia Davis, President and CEO of the Chicago Foundation for Women; and William Schweiker, Professor of Theological Ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School, will explore these questions as they consider “Is the Church a Light in the City? Faith in the Twenty-First Century.”

7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Also livestreamed at www.bit.ly/fpcprograms

“The Church in the City: The Next 150 Years” is a Saturday morning event that will provide opportunity to further explore the topics discussed at the November 9 Michigan Avenue Forum. Participants will gather in person to exchange ideas with leaders in the areas of arts and culture, caring for others, racial justice, and community.

After an introductory greeting from Shannon Kershner, two breakout sessions will be held, and after a break, a second pair of sessions will convene. Registration details will be forthcoming.

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

in the Gratz Center

“Called to Be a Church Alive” is an invitation to each one of us to join in God’s re-creating and reconciling work in this world through our financial support.

In the days ahead, please prayerfully consider the investment you will make in your Fourth Church family and its work in 2022 and make a pledge by Reformation Sunday, October 31, which is also Commitment Sunday. For details, contact Andrea Miller.

This Sunday morning, John Buchanan and Tom Dozeman will begin teaching a three-week class on the Old Testament figure David: “Shepherd, Warrior, Monarch.” Join us for a lively discussion about the multifaceted life of David and his importance to our faith.

This class will meet in person in the Gratz Center and will also be recorded for viewing online later in the week.

11:15 a.m.

Borwell Dining Room

Register for this in-person class at www.bit.ly/david1021

This Friday, October 15 is the day by which Fourth Church volunteers are to send a copy of their vaccination certification to vaxproof@fourthchurch.org.

Effective this Friday, October 15, all Fourth Church volunteers serving in person must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Proof of vaccination information will be received directly by our Human Resources Department and kept confidential, only being used to confirm your ability to volunteer with the church. Please direct questions to Robert Crouch.

Meals Ministry has resumed offering limited indoor dining—in addition to the continued to-go option—for Sunday Night Supper.

To continue to make this happen weekly, we need additional assistance serving guests on Sundays. Can you help?

You can sign up to volunteer on Sundays or for other Meals Ministry programs using VOMO, our Volunteer Ministry sign-up platform.

For those interested in becoming members of Fourth Church, our next online Inquirers’ Class will be held this Sunday, October 17 via Zoom.

You can register for this one-session class at www.bit.ly/inquirersclass1021

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

The Legacy Society Advisory Council invites you to an evening of online celebration and appreciation with Shannon Kershner on Thursday, October 28.

This virtual reception will celebrate members of the Legacy Society and the special contributions made to Fourth Church and Chicago Lights through legacy giving.

All who are interested in learning more about legacy giving at Fourth Church are encouraged to attend!

5:30–6:30 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/legacysociety1021

For more information, contact Katy Frey Bever, Director of Development

A forum for examining the ethical and social issues facing Christians today, the First Tuesday Book Club continues its autumn conversations in November with online discussion of A Gentle Answer: Our “Secret Weapon” in an Age of Us against Them by Scott Sauls

7:00 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/firsttuesday1121

Meeting on the second Tuesday of the month, Books by Women invites all women to join them for online discussion whenever their schedules allow and the books are of interest to them. The topic of the November conversation will be Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney.

6:00 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, email Simon Crow

Our summer “Rhythm and Word” videos captured a following not only within the congregation but also across the country.

So we are excited to share that we have launched a new autumn series of “Rhythm and Word: Midweek Music and Prayer” videos. (If you missed this week’s video, you can watch it here.)

These fifteen-minute midweek worship experiences weave together scripture, prayer, and music offered by the Fourth Church Jazz Quartet, with a new video made available each Wednesday evening.

You can subscribe to our YouTube channel (www.bit.ly/fpcvideos) and watch the videos there or receive them by email (sign up at www.bit.ly/rhythmandwordemail).

For one-to-one spiritual and emotional support through life challenges, we encourage you to consider being paired with a Stephen Minister. To learn more about this resource, contact David Handley, Interim Minister for Caring Ministries, or leave a confidential message for a Stephen Minister at 312.573.3365.

To set up a time to talk or for more information about how the staff of the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being can be a resource for you, call the Center at 312.787.2729, ext. 2260.

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.

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