April 14, 2022
Today is Maundy Thursday, the day we commemorate the Last Supper.

The day takes its name from the Latin “mandatum novum do vobis”: “a new commandment I give to you.” This new commandment, given by Jesus when—during supper, he washed the disciples’ feet—was “to love one another just as I have loved you.” It is his example and thus our call to love and serve that we remember on Maundy Thursday.

As our Holy Week journey continues this holy day, we will gather for worship at 12:10 and 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Both services will include Communion.

The evening service, which will also be livestreamed, will follow the ancient Office of Tenebrae (from the Latin for “shadows”). This service—one of the most meaningful of the year for many—portrays the progression from light to darkness in the passion of Jesus, beginning with his abandonment on Thursday and concluding with his crucifixion. The service ends with the Sanctuary in complete darkness.

Maundy Thursday, April 14
12:10 p.m. Communion Service
Rocky Supinger preaching
In person only

7:30 p.m. Tenebrae with Communion
In person and streamed on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos
On Good Friday, the most solemn day of the church year, we gather for two worship opportunities: a noonday service at 12:10 p.m., with Nanette Sawyer preaching, and an evening choral service at 7:30 p.m., both in the Sanctuary. The evening service will also be livestreamed.

This year the choral service will feature “The Seven Last Words of Christ” by Théodore Dubois and will conclude with the tolling of the bells thirty-three times, once for each year of Jesus’ life on earth, followed by our departure in silence.

Good Friday, April 15
12:10 p.m. Good Friday Service
In person only

5:30 p.m. Program for Children and Families
In person only | in Buchanan Chapel

7:30 p.m. Choral Service
“The Seven Last Words of Christ” by Théodore Dubois
In person and streamed on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos
We hope you will join us this Sunday, as we gather in festive Easter celebration of the resurrection of the Lord!

Easter Sunrise Service
6:30 a.m. at Oak Street Beach
Lucy Forster-Smith preaching

We’ll celebrate the dawning of a new day and of new life when we gather for the annual Easter Sunrise Service at Oak Street Beach.

Members of Tower Brass will be on hand to accompany our singing, and we’ll celebrate Communion as we worship together at sunrise on the lakeshore.


Easter Morning Worship
Shannon J. Kershner preaching

9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
In person only

11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
In person and streamed on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos

From the stirring sounds of a Tower Brass prelude to the Morning Choir singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and the Andrew Pipe Organ sending us out into the world with Widor’s Toccata, our morning services will reverberate with the joyous good news that Jesus Christ is risen today!

See below for more “Notes about Easter Worship”


Children’s Easter Program
9:00 a.m. on Gratz Floor 4

As on every Sunday, children are invited to worship with their parents at any of the services. For those children age 3 and up who are looking for an alternative Easter experience, we invite them to join us at 9:00 a.m. Sunday for a fun Easter program in the Gratz Center.

Parents will use the Delaware entrance to the Gratz Center to drop children off and then go outside to Michigan Avenue to enter through the Loggia doors to attend worship.


Easter Jazz Service
4:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
In person only
Joseph L. Morrow preaching

A favorite Easter service of many, our Easter Jazz Service brings together joy-filled music led by our jazz ensemble, scripture, prayer, and Communion, as our worship echoes with “Christ is risen!”


Notes about Easter Worship
Entrance for the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services will be only via the glass Loggia doors on Michigan Avenue, next to the courtyard. Seating will begin a half hour prior to each of those two services.

There will be no socially distanced seating at any of the Easter services. We invite those who prefer to practice social distancing to join us in worship outdoors for the sunrise service or online for the 11:00 a.m. service.

Nursery care will not be available; as noted above, an Easter program for children age 3 and up will be held in the Gratz Center at 9:00 a.m.

For those who do not have Internet access, we make our 11:00 a.m. livestreamed worship service 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.

On Friday the worship bulletins will be available to download and print for the sunrise service, the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services, and the 4:00 p.m. service.
If you would like to submit a prayer request to our Morning Prayer or Deacon Prayer Ministries, please email caringministries@fourthchurch.org

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 would like to alert pastoral staff to emerging pastoral care needs, please email caringministries@fourthchurch.org; however if the situation is an emergency or requires immediate attention, please call the church at 312.787.4570 to be connected to the Minister on Call.

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 Jeff Doane, Parish Associate for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation, 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.
A Mask-Welcoming Community
Masks are welcome but not required for everyone on the Fourth Church campus.

As a mask-welcoming campus, we affirm that mask wearing continues to be an effective preventative measure for individuals. Thus we not only encourage the wearing of masks by anyone who wants or needs to wear one, but we are also committed to ensuring no one will feel out of place should they choose to wear a mask while at the church.

Since some populations are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others, some programs on the Fourth Church campus may choose to require masks. That is a decision that is made on a program-by-program basis.

With the exception of Easter Sunday, we continue to have a socially distanced seating section at the front of the Sanctuary on the pulpit side. That section is reserved for those required to or choosing to practice social distancing, and everyone sitting in that section is required to wear a mask. The remainder of the Sanctuary will be open seating. On Easter Sunday there will be no socially distanced seating.

Additionally, we are continuing our practice of 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 wear a mask and practice social distancing if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Looking for ways to connect with the Fourth Church community and one another? On the church calendar you will find many opportunities to do so online (or, where noted, in person). Included among them are—

  • Women at Fourth with a program by Debbie Frisch of HelloBaby on Thursday, April 21
  • Interfaith Iftar Dinner on Saturday, April 23
  • Knitting and Crocheting on Tuesday, April 26
  • Cornerstones fellowship for those over 50, with a program on protecting and beautifying the environment, on Friday, May 6

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 highlights about some additional opportunities, keep reading!
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
Fourth Presbyterian Church | 312.787.4570 | www.fourthchurch.org