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—
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Young Adult brunch this Sunday following worship
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Men’s Bible Study on Tuesday mornings
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Horizons Bible Study for women, offered at both noon and in the evening, this Wednesday, July 13, with a summer focus on practicing spiritual disciplines
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Knitting and Crocheting (in person) next Sunday morning, July 17
For information about whom to contact for an event’s Zoom details or the link to register for an event, 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 additional opportunities, keep reading!
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Sunday, July 10
10:00 a.m. worship in person and online
Patrick Daymond preaching
Audio available by phone (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166
Due to the COVID risk level in Chicago, and consistent with the advice of city health officials, we are recommending, though not requiring, that individuals wear masks during worship and elsewhere on the Fourth Church campus.
4:00 p.m. Jazz at Four worship in person
with Communion
in Buchanan Chapel
Nanette Sawyer preaching
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This Sunday morning, July 10, we look forward to welcoming back to Fourth Church Patrick Daymond, who will be our guest preacher for the 10:00 a.m. service.
In September 2005, Patrick joined the Fourth Church staff as a Pastoral Resident, having graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with concentrations in biblical studies and homiletics. Upon completion of the residency program, he was called to serve as Pastor of Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church of Chicago and then as Pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Long Island, New York.
Dr. Daymond is currently Senior Pastor of Covenant United Church of Christ in South Holland, Illinois. His passion is rooted in “engaging and empowering all of humanity, locally and globally, through preaching and teaching the life-changing Word of God and living out the convincing gospel of Jesus Christ.” A sought-after preacher, teacher, revivalist, and conference and workshop facilitator, he has been awarded numerous citations for his community and civic activism and involvement.
We hope you will join us for this opportunity to again take part in worship with Dr. Daymond!
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It is with deep gratitude that we share news of three transformative gifts made to support the future mission and ministry of Fourth Church.
A gift to establish the Griffin Family Fund in Honor of the Genevieve and Wayne Gratz Center. Given by Ken Griffin, this fund will be used to support the church’s endowment expansion and, specifically, endowment support for continued programming for the Genevieve and Wayne Gratz Center, which is named in honor of Ken Griffin’s grandparents.
A gift to establish the Allan L. and Florence H. Book Family Endowment for the Pastor. Given by Cassandra Book, this endowed fund is named in honor of her parents and supports the salary, benefits, and related expenses of the Pastor of Fourth Church.
A legacy gift from Diann Santschi, who remembered Fourth Church in her estate planning. Diann served as a Parish Associate at Fourth Church in the early 1990s. She and her husband, Arden—who was a long-serving usher—were members of this congregation for many years prior to that. Diann went on to a ministry in pastoral care, sharing with many the comfort of God’s love and healing power.
These three gifts, totaling $25.5 million, will form the initial building blocks of a capital campaign that will be launched in the coming year. While that campaign is still in the planning stages, we are inspired to have these early gifts as part of its foundation.
These gifts also highlight the opportunity we all have to contribute to the legacy of this congregation by remembering Fourth Church in our estate planning.
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The Center for Life and Learning (CLL), which offers programming and community for adults sixty and over, is gearing up for their Summer Term!
Running from July 11 through September 1, this eight-week summer session is anchored by a full portfolio of nine weekly exercise and fitness classes offered via Zoom, including Stronger Seniors (twice weekly), Continuing Tap, Continuing T’ai Chi (twice weekly), Silver Barre, Yoga, Zing! Total Fitness, and Range of Motion.
The CLL Summer Membership provides access to those classes as well as member-led discussion groups, meditation classes, and some wonderful in-person outings and gatherings.
The summer is a perfect time to sample what the CLL has to offer.
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Women at Fourth is again collecting donations for the annual School Supply Drive.
The supplies, which will be given to students connected with Chicago Lights Summer Day and the Urban Farm, can be purchased online and shipped to the church using the wish list www.bit.ly/fpcschoolsupplies22
Monetary gifts for purchasing supplies, can be made at www.fourthchurch org/give-online (select “Congregational Life” and then note “School Supplies” in the comment box).
Supplies are needed by Monday, July 25 for 120 Summer Day students and by Monday, August 8 for 80 Urban Farm students.
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Recently members of Fourth Church’s Racial Equity Council took part in the Est. 1619 Pilgrimage to Charleston, South Carolina. Here they share a brief reflection on their journey.
Members of our Racial Equity Council and Joe Morrow, Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Community Engagement, joined members of Trinity United Church of Christ and other churches from across the country on the Est. 1619 Pilgrimage to Charleston, South Carolina.
The pilgrimage was sponsored by Trinity UCC and organized by Freedom Road. Nearly 200 participants heard lectures and presentations from scholars of African American history and the Gullah people; visited sacred and historically significant sites; and participated in listening circles to share individual responses to what was seen and heard during the pilgrimage.
The listening sessions helped us to see and experience the “Beloved Community” as we shared, throughout the trip, our respective pilgrimage experiences with one another.
Sites visited included locations where people who were enslaved were sold at auction; Mother Emanuel AME Church, where nine African Americans were killed during a church Bible study; the site of the International African American Museum opening in January; and Hunting Island Beach in the Sea Islands, where the Gullah people lived and whose traditions continue.
The group also visited the Boone Hall Plantation, where the wide differences between the lives of those who were enslaved and the contemporary portrayal of their lives were examined.
The pilgrimage offered insight into the lives of African American ancestors. Many participants discovered roots and a deeper understanding of their personal ancestral heritage. Those who do not share African ancestry were embraced within the traveling community and experienced the “Beloved Community” during the entire trip.
Through stories told by the scholars and other contributors, participants connected through the strong faith and spirituality present in the group, personal stories, the history of events previously unknown, and learning about the resilience of African American families.
The pilgrimage generated a much more complete historical understanding of oppression, the enslavement of Africans in our nation, and the vital importance of the antiracism work of Fourth Church.
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Each Friday afternoon through the end of October the Farmstand at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm is selling a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
Your purchasing fresh produce at the Farmstand directly supports Chicago Lights job-training programs, as students and young adults gain job skills through urban farming, skills that set them up for success as they pursue fulfilling careers.
Fridays
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm
444 W. Chicago Ave.
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Our Music by the Fountain series continues on Friday, July 15 with an outdoor concert by guitarist Andy Brown.
We hope you will join us outside for some summertime music on Friday at 12:10 p.m. in the Michigan Avenue courtyard.
For those who prefer to enjoy our concerts online, we are not livestreaming the outdoor concerts but invite you to watch your favorite Friday Noonday Concerts from previous seasons on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos
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Death
We give thanks to God for the gift of life eternal.
Richard J. Hanna
Died July 1, 2022
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If you would like to join in praying for others—members of Fourth Church and those in need—we invite you to gather with us for Wednesday Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom or at 10:00 a.m. in person in Buchanan Chapel. (The Chapel is also open for opportunity to walk the labyrinth between 1:00 and 3:00 on Tuesdays; between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays; and between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. on Thursdays.) For Zoom details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol.
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 Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor 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.
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A Mask-Welcoming Community
Although wearing a mask is not required at Fourth Church, we as a community have made a commitment to be a mask-welcoming campus, encouraging the wearing of masks by anyone who wants or needs to wear one.
With the COVID risk level in Chicago at “high,” we are going a step further to not just encourage but recommend (though not require) that individuals wear masks while on campus.
This is consistent with city health officials recommending that—in light of the “high risk” level—individuals wear masks indoors when they are not certain of the vaccination status of others present.
As a mask-welcoming—and now recommending—campus, we also remain committed to ensuring no one will feel out of place should they choose to wear a mask while at Fourth Church.
Since some populations are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others, some programs on the Fourth Church campus choose to require masks. That is a decision that is made on a program-by-program basis.
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 is open 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.
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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
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