What’s coming up on the church
calendar this year? Among other things—
- Inquirers’ Class this Sunday, January 12 for those interested in becoming members of Fourth Church
- Annual Center for Life and Learning Member and Friends Memorial Service in Buchanan Chapel this Tuesday, January 14 to remember those who died in 2019
- Books by Women discussing The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray on Tuesday, January 14
- A Women at Fourth time of sharing stories over hot cocoa on Thursday, January 23
- A hosted labyrinth walk on Friday, January 24
- LGBTQIA Brunch on Sunday, January 26
- Knitting and Crocheting on Tuesday, January 28
- Cornerstones, a gathering of those 50 and over, on Friday, February 7, honoring Black History Month with a program on “Retracing Freedom's March on the Fall 2019 Mission Trip”
- A “Strengthening Communication through the Enneagram” workshop on Saturday, February 8
If you haven’t already, why not
bookmark our calendar to keep up-to-date on the opportunities available to you at Fourth Church in the new year!
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Baptism of Christ: Sunday, January 12
8:00 a.m. Communion
Lucy Forster-Smith preaching
9:30 a.m.
Shannon J. Kershner preaching
11:00 a.m. Baptisms
Shannon J. Kershner preaching
4:00 p.m. Jazz Communion
Izett Samá Hernández, Los Palos Presbyterian Church, Cuba,
preaching
Baptism of Christ Sunday
This Sunday we remember the baptism of our Lord, one of the texts traditionally read after Epiphany, when we continue to focus on the revelation of the divinity of Jesus. As we hear again the voice of the Lord saying at Jesus’ baptism “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased,” we also recall our own baptism, in which God has claimed and named us as God’s own. In grateful thanksgiving we together renew our commitment to live out our call as beloved children of God.
Children in Worship
During the 9:30 and 11:00 services, the Sunday School students will help lead us in worship, as they frequently do on the second Sunday of the month through their participation in the roles of beadle.
Also, for the first part of the services, all children who otherwise take part in Sunday School will instead stay with their parents as they attend worship. The children will then depart for their classrooms, with their teachers, before the sermon begins.
Guest Preacher at Jazz at Four
This Sunday we will welcome Izett Samá Hernández as our guest preacher at the Jazz at Four service. She is pastor of Los Palos Church and supervises the churches of Nueva Paz and San Antonio de los Banos in the Presbytery of Havana. In addition to working at the Martin Luther King Center in Havana, Izett is also secretary of the presbytery and has served as moderator of the presbytery and vice moderator of the synod, which is the whole Cuban denomination.
Parking in the New Year
The 900 N. Michigan garage has increased its parking rates for 2020. With a validation ticket picked up at the church reception desk, discounted Fourth Church parking at the 900 garage is now $9 on Sundays and $7 on weeknights after 5:00 p.m.
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Is exploring new learning opportunities on your new year’s resolution list? If so, why not join us this Sunday morning, January 12 for an Academy for Faith and Life course.
In addition to our “Foundation of Faith” Bible study led by the pastors, which resumes at 9:30 a.m. on January 12, we will also introduce a new class cohosted by our Racial Equity Council: “Beloved Community.”
Beloved Community: Shaping Our Lives Together
Sundays, January 12–26
11:00 a.m. in Room 5G
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a Beloved Community where all people see one another as beloved children of God, developing loving relationships as members of God’s one family. In the Beloved Community, all forms of bigotry and discrimination are replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of belonging.
Barbara Wilson, who received master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from McCormick Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Director, Collaboration and Community Partnerships for the Presbytery of Chicago, Presbyterian Church (USA), will lead the class.
Together we will explore biblical and theological foundations for working toward racial healing, reconciliation, and justice. Class participants will identify what Fourth Church can do on the path toward justice and racial equity, including full participation in every aspect of church life.
January 12
“Being and Doing: The Church as the Body of Christ and Living out the Great Ends of the Church”
This session will be an exploration of the mission statement of Fourth Church through the lenses of the Great Ends of the Church and the Church as the Body of Christ.
January 19
“Becoming Beloved Community: Doing Justice”
The second session will be review of Fourth Church’s mission outreach and justice work through the lenses of the Beloved Community, Reconciliation, and the Five Peacemaking Affirmations.
January 26
“Cultivating a Pattern of Life in Community”
In the last session we will consider worship, hospitality, and service through the lenses of the Belhar Confession, Framework of Hospitality, and Flourishing Together as Disciple Leaders.
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Making your vacation plans for 2020?
Consider joining us for one of the trips planned by our World Mission and Social Justice Committee!
Next Wednesday, January 15 is the deadline for one of them: the July trip to Guatemala.
Travel to Guatemala—and work with Common Hope alongside members of the local community—from July 4 to July 12 with Tom and Sue Schemper.
The
application
for this Guatemala trip is due Wednesday, January 15.
Visit Colombia—an opportunity to inform our own peacemaking efforts by learning from community leaders in Colombia—from August 1 to August 8. The
application for this trip is due Friday, May 1.
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A new mission group has been formed at Fourth Church: the
Employment Network.
The Employment Network is working in partnership with the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center to increase job opportunities for that neighborhood.
If you become aware of any
entry-level job openings where you work or live, please send the details to
employmentnetwork@fourthchurch.org so we might share them with those in the St. Sabina neighborhood who are searching for employment.
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Summer is still a few months off, but it’s already time to start signing up for youth summer trips!
Applications for the Montreat trip are
due this Sunday, January 12; registration for the Detroit and Ferncliff experiences are due later this month.
Senior High Montreat Youth Conference
Montreat, North Carolina
Saturday, August 1–Saturday, August 8
(registration is possible after January 12 but the cost of the trip will then be increased)
The Montreat Youth Conference is a high-energy week of worship, recreation, community building, and spiritual reflection involving hundreds of Presbyterian youth from across the United States. It’s for incoming ninth-graders through graduated seniors and involves a day-long van ride there and back.
Detroit
June 20–26
This trip is for all youth who will be in grades 5–8 in the fall of 2020. Through our partnership with the Presbytery of Detroit, a team of Fourth Church youth will spend four days serving and learning around the city, doing such things as sorting clothing donations, landscaping, and serving meals. The trip also includes fun activities like a visit to the Detroit History Museum or a water park (weather permitting).
Senior High Mission Trip to Ferncliff
Little Rock, Arkansas
Saturday, July 11–17
More details about this trip will be available soon. To learn more about the Ferncliff organization, click
here.
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Next week our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being is hoping to launch a Chronic Illness Support Group.
Two more participants are needed in order to begin the group; if you are interested, please contact Bill Singerman at 312.787.8425, ext. 2210 to set up a pre-group conversation to ensure that this program will be a good fit for you at this time.
Chronic Illness Support Group
Mondays, January 13, 20, 27, February 3
7:00–8:30 p.m.
Boyle Conference Room
Led by Bill Singerman and McKenna O’Shea
$40 for four sessions
Coping with chronic illness can be challenging. Such conditions may lead one to feel overwhelmed—emotionally, physically, or spiritually. This group will offer individuals living with an ongoing illness a safe space to connect with others facing similar challenges. Participants will cultivate skills that foster resilience, acceptance, and deepen self-compassion for themselves and others.
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The Replogle Center will be launching another new group next week as well: a Men’s Group to provide a place for men to come together, in a place of safety and respect, to share their experiences, explore the meaning of being a man in today’s world, experience the support of a respectful group, and develop a sense of supportive community with other men.
Men’s Group
Second Tuesday of each month, beginning on January 14
7:00–8:30 p.m.
Boyle Conference Room
$10 per session requested
The format will be
- Welcome
- Opening check-in: what is true for you in this moment?
- Presentation of text, poem, or image selected by the leader or a member to prompt discussion
- Open conversation
- Closing check-in: reflection on the experience
For more information, call group facilitator Jacob Kaufman at 312.787.8425, ext. 1704. Jacob worked for twenty years in law and real estate before getting a master’s degree in mental health counseling. He now works closely with men, guiding them towards lives that are more fulfilling, where feelings are honored and experienced in ways that create closer relationships and deeper meaning.
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Invitations for this year’s Gala of Hope are being readied and will be in homes by January 17––but at this Sunday’s Coffee Hour you can get your tickets early!
This annual benefit supports the life-changing work of Chicago Lights––our nonprofit community outreach arm––and our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being.
Highlights of the evening will again include a a three-course seated dinner, live music and dancing provided by the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra, silent and live auctions featuring unique experiences, getaways, entertainment, and more.
Mark your calendar, stop by Coffee Hour Sunday to get your tickets, and plan to join us for an evening of fun that makes a difference in the lives of so many!
Friday, March 6
5:30—11:00 p.m.
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel
221 N. Columbus Drive
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Our lineup of wonderful concerts to kick off the new year continues this Friday when a favorite of Noonday Concerts and past CLL Encore benefits return: siblings Beatrice Chen and Noah Chen. Come enjoy some fabulous string music!
Friday, January 10 at 12:10 p.m.
Beatrice Chen, Viola
Noah Chen, Cello
in Buchanan Chapel
Friday, January 17 at 12:10 p.m.
David Jonies, Organ
in the Sanctuary
Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Chicago Ensemble
in Buchanan Chapel
Friday, January 24 at 12:10 p.m.
Lyric Opera Stage Artists
in the Sanctuary
Friday, January 31 at 12:10 p.m.
John Sherer, Organ
in the Sanctuary
Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m.
St. Olaf College Choir
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Is volunteering on your list of New Year’s resolutions? If so, we could use your help! Specifically, we are in particular need of individuals to
- Tutor one evening a week at the church with the Chicago Lights Tutoring program, which currently has thirty unmatched students and fifty students on the wait list; a one-session orientation will be held on Wednesday, January 15 at 6:00 p.m.
- Help with the Book Nook during Coffee Hour following the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services
- Run the Chicago Marathon with the Chicago Lights Marathon Team in support of our nonprofit community outreach arm; for details, contact Devon Stewart
To register as a Fourth Church volunteer, we encourage you to sign up with our new volunteer management software, VOMO, which allows you to easily sign up for and manage your volunteer engagement with the church:
www.bit.ly/fpcvolunteers.
When registering, simply click
join on the right-hand side of the VOMO page and fill out the requested details. That's it!
Once you receive notification that your registration has been received, you can then proceed to
review and sign up for the volunteer opportunities listed.
To learn more about the above volunteer opportunities with Fourth Church and Chicago Lights or for assistance signing up with VOMO, please contact
Robert Crouch, Director of Volunteer Ministry.
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Deaths
We gave thanks to God for the gift of life eternal.
Lois Charlotte Bromm Anderson
Widow of Harrison Ray (Lad) Anderson Jr., son of former Fourth Church Pastor Harrison Ray Anderson
Died December 30, 2019
A memorial service for
Elizabeth (Libby) Kuhn, whose death was previously announced, will be held this Saturday, January 11 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary.
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Fourth Presbyterian Church | 312.787.4570 | www.fourthchurch.org
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