Third Sunday in Lent, March 3

9:30 a.m. worship in person and online

with Communion

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

11:00 a.m. worship in person

with Communion

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

2:00 p.m. worship in person and online

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

Nancy Benson-Nicol preaching

Worship bulletin

Celebrating Communion

This Sunday we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper at all three services. Those worshiping with us online are invited to have bread and juice on hand as we share in this meal from wherever we are.

Lenten Candles

Each Sunday during Lent we are extinguishing a candle at the front of the Sanctuary. Just as we lit candles on the Advent wreath to symbolize the light coming into the world through the birth of Christ, so now our extinguishing of candles points to the Lenten progression from light to the shadows of Good Friday and the crucifixion. 

A message from Interim Pastor Tom Are —

Some of you may have noticed, over the past week, that three public expressions of our commitment to Black History Month were vandalized.

• The Black History banner on the fence along Michigan Avenue was stolen.
• Our “Black lives matter to God and to us” sign was defaced with blue tape over the word “Black.”
• And our “Celebrate Black History” flag, flying on the flagpole in the Garth, was stolen.

Those actions are deeply painful, disgusting, and frustrating, to offer but a few words. The vandals took our signs and left us with anger and grief — not for the loss of property but because of the message the individuals were trying to send.

What they could not take, though, is our commitment to Black history, to Black people, indeed to Black joy. Our signs may be temporarily gone, but our celebration and gratitude for Black lives and Black stories is unwavering. 

None of that diminishes our hurt, but it also does not keep us from proclaiming our truth. Untouched by the vandalism is our commitment to bearing public witness to our values as Fourth Church and Chicago Lights. This will not stop us from continuing to place signage on Michigan Avenue for Black History Month, for Juneteenth, for Pride.

Already we have a replacement “Black lives matter to God and to us” sign in place along Michigan Avenue.

And while we were unable to get a new banner or flag delivered prior to the end of February, we are ordering two of each for next year, so that if vandals should try to do this again, they will find our message will still be seen.

Additionally, we have alerted the Magnificent Mile Association of businesses and our alderman’s office, both to the hateful actions that took place in the neighborhood and to our ongoing commitment to Black lives and history, whether our flag and banner are currently there or not.

We will continue to use such signs on the Avenue; they are important signs to the world we live in. So are we. May our lives and what we do here together as Fourth Church and Chicago Lights continue to make ever more visible that Black lives matter to God and to us.

—Tom Are Jr.

We hope you will plan to join us on Monday evening, March 11 when we will welcome back to Fourth Church the Morehouse College Glee Club for a 7:30 p.m. concert in the Sanctuary.

We are honored to again host this musical group whose distinguished 113-year history includes among its many highlights singing at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., performing for United States presidents, and taking part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

You won’t want to miss this moving performance!

Monday, March 11

7:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary

Suggested $20 freewill donation at the door

Our concert calendar also includes our weekly free Friday Noonday Concert series.

Every Sunday you hear our Organ Scholar Michael Rees share the organ bench with John Sherer as they lead us in worship. This coming Friday, March 8 you will have opportunity to hear Michael in concert, as he plays the Friday Noonday Concert.

Fridays

12:10 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

Also available for later viewing on our YouTube channel

You are invited to remember or honor a loved one with a contribution toward the Easter flowers that will decorate the Sanctuary. A list of individuals remembered and honored will be printed in the Easter bulletin.

Contributions can be made online at www.bit.ly/fpcgift and must be received by Sunday, March 17 for names to appear in the bulletin.

For more information, contact Gloria Vicente (312.252.3571).

Beginning next Sunday morning, March 10, our Adult Education time will focus on the Christian Sacraments.

During the two-week class, Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation, will lead us in exploring

• What exactly is a sacrament?
• How do we come to celebrate sacraments the way we do?
• Why are certain words, phrases, and physical gestures so important (e.g., body of Christ, blood of Christ)?
• What exactly are we to understand about the literal and/or symbolic meaning involved in the liturgy?

We will also look at

• Why do Presbyterians only embrace Baptism and Communion as sacraments?
• What about the sacraments celebrated in other Christian traditions and the meaning those traditions attach to their celebrations?

Bring curiosity, bring questions, and come join Nancy for the discussion!

Sundays, March 10–17

11:00 a.m.

Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom

Register here

One Great Hour of Sharing

Throughout Lent we are receiving a One Great Hour of Sharing Offering (OGHS).

This special offering supports Fourth Church Meals Ministry; Chicago Lights Tutoring and Social Service Center; and the work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Hunger, and Self-Development of People programs.

You can make a gift to this special offering by using the envelopes in the pew racks or by designating “One Great Hour of Sharing” when giving at fourthchurch.org/give or via Venmo or by writing it on the memo line of a check made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church.

During a February Ministry Minute, Rena Lovato shared what it means to her to volunteer with Meals Ministry — one of the programs supported by the Lenten One Great Hour of Sharing Offering.

Lenten Devotions

Offered as a resource for personal meditation and prayer, our daily Lenten devotions are written by Fourth Church members and staff. If you would like to receive them in your inbox each day during Lent, simply sign up at www.bit.ly/fpcdevotions or email devotions@fourthchurch.org.

Lenten “Rhythm and Word”

Also available for your reflection during the season is a Lenten “Rhythm and Word” video series. These ten-minute weekly videos are released on our YouTube channel on Wednesday evenings. To receive them by email, sign up online at www.bit.ly/rhythmandwordemail

Meals Ministry Volunteers

Additional volunteers are currently needed for Meals Ministry.

If you can help, please sign up via VOMO.

You can find more information about the program and its volunteer opportunities on the church website as well.

Youth Mission Trip Leaders

Volunteers are also needed to serve as adult trip leaders for this summer’s youth mission trips.

• Senior High trip to Youngstown, New York (June 26–July 2)
• Junior High trip to St. Louis, Missouri (July 14–19)
• Montreat Youth Conference (July 27–August 3)

To apply to be a trip leader, complete the trip leader form online.

Trip registration is also open for youth participants. Come join us for a meaningful time of growing and learning together while making connections with one another and the people we encounter along the way!

• Senior High youth registration
• Junior High youth registration 
• Montreat Youth Conference youth registration 

To learn more about participating as a youth or volunteering as an adult leader, email Katie Patterson.

Spring hasn’t even arrived, but already underway is Fourth Church Day School enrollment for the fall 2024–2025 school year!

If you or someone you know would be interested in learning more about our weekday preschool program, please contact Day School Director Kathy Hager or visit the Day School website.

You can also learn more about the Day School through the free class being held on Friday mornings through March 22: “Together We Play: Movement and Family Yoga.” The class takes place from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. on Fridays in the Bumpus Room. 

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the Fourth Church family! The following were received into membership by the Session this past Sunday and welcomed by the congregation during the 9:30 service.

Karen Canham

Janell Cardinal

Matthew Gauen

Mark Greenwood

Shane Hackenberg

Kate Hall

John Hofteig

Kristen Mueller

Paul Talley

Jane Zimmer

Some of our new members live in the Chicagoland area, while others are joining us from locations across the country. As our online community continues to grow, we are grateful to be connecting with one another in an expanding number of ways!

Curious to discover more about this congregation, and the opportunities and resources available to you here, as well as learn about the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

Interested in becoming a member of Fourth Church?

Join us for one of our upcoming one-session Inquirers’ Classes.

Sunday, March 24

12:15 p.m. | Room 5F

Register here

Wednesday, April 10

6:30 p.m. | via zoom

Register here

For additional information about Fourth Church membership, visit our website or reach out to Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children, Family, and Welcoming Ministries, who would welcome hearing from you.

John Sherer acknowledged the ovation of gratitude from the congregation last Sunday when it was announced he would be leaving Fourth Church later this year after twenty-eight years as our Organist and Director of Music. As shared in the congregational letter on Monday, John and his wife, Kara Wagner Sherer, will be moving to Rochester, New York, where this summer Kara will be consecrated Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

In the weeks ahead, watch for details about when John’s last Sunday with us will be and our plans for celebrating his ministry among us.

Last Sunday morning Voices of Light, our gospel choir, sang the Introit under the direction of their new director, Cicely Perry. If you are interested in singing with them, they rehearse on Sundays at 12:15 p.m. in Room 4G.

At an educational program sponsored by Women at Fourth last Sunday, “Dementia 101,” Fourth Church member Jeannine Forrest, Ph.D., R.N., shared helpful insights on the complexities of dementia and offered strategies for communication with those affected.

A group of young photographers came by last week to record every corner of the Sanctuary as a class exercise through Freshlens, a tuition-free photography program for under-resourced Chicago students.

This Sunday you may notice a canopy at the back of the south aisle of the Sanctuary.

Earlier this week small, lightweight pieces of edging surrounding the 1914 Frederic Clay Bartlett ceiling panels in that area fell to the floor. Those specific panels were already scheduled to be restored this year; a protective canopy has been installed below them in the meantime.

The historic Bartlett murals shown above, located in the north balcony ceiling, were restored by Parma Conservation in 2023. 

Death

We give thanks to God for the gift of eternal life.

James Elmes

Died February 16, 2024

New Grief Groups

Grieving is a normal and important part of the human experience, which inevitably includes loss and suffering. Knowing we cannot escape loss, our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being offers Grief Groups to help individuals grieve in a healthy, supported manner so they can move through the experience and into the rest of their life.

These groups meet for four weeks via Zoom. The next one will begin on March 13, with another group beginning May 15.

To learn more or to register for a group, please contact the group facilitator, Sharon Crawford-Tucker.

Conversation and Presence

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.

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, illnesses, hospitalizations, or deaths, please email Gloria Fleming, Assistant for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation; 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.

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.

Prayer

If you would like to submit a prayer request to our Morning Prayer or Deacon Prayer Ministries, please email Gloria Fleming or Nancy Benson-Nicol.

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 weekly at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. On the first Wednesday of the month we also gather at 10:00 a.m. for in-person Morning Prayer in Buchanan Chapel. (Our next in-person Morning Prayer will be on March 6.) For Zoom details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol.

Children in Worship

Children are always welcome in worship at Fourth Church! If you need to step out to comfort your child, the Hospitality Suite, on the second floor of the Gratz Center, is a quiet space for families where worship is livestreamed.

During Sunday morning services nursery care is available on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center for infants through two-year-olds.

Livestreamed Services

Livestreamed worship services (9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) are accessible by going to www.bit.ly/fpcvideos, subscribing to our YouTube channel, or clicking on the photo with a “Play” arrow on the home page of the Fourth Church website.

These livestreams are available to view anytime after the service begins if you would prefer to connect online at a later time. For tips on how to watch — from the beginning — a service already in progress, see www.fourthchurch.org/watch-from-the-beginning

Audio-only by phone is available (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166 just prior to the start of the service 9:30 service.