Second Sunday in Lent, March 5

10:00 a.m. worship in person and online

Shannon J. Kershner preaching

Worship bulletin available to download on Friday afternoon

In person and streamed from the Sanctuary on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos

Audio available by phone (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166

Livestreamed worship services and concerts 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.

4:00 p.m. Jazz at Four worship in person

with Communion

in Buchanan Chapel

Rocky Supinger preaching

Worship bulletin available to download on Friday afternoon

Digital Pew Pads

On Sundays we ask all those who are worshiping with us to please fill out an information form so we might know you are with us in worship and to ensure we have current contact information. In the Sanctuary this happens by passing the pew pads down the row.

Those worshiping with us online will find a link to the online form—a digital pew pad, as it were—included in the descriptive text below the video. (For those who are viewing full screen, you will need to briefly exit full-screen view to see the description and link.)

A QR code is also displayed during the “Welcome and Announcements” that can be scanned with a phone camera to take you to the form.

Thank you for taking the time each Sunday to let us know you are worshiping with us!

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. 

Exchange of Peace

Also during Lent our worship includes the Exchange of Peace. In the Reformed tradition this follows the Declaration of Pardon and is a response to God’s forgiveness. This exchange of signs and words of unity and of Christ’s peace is an ancient greeting of siblings in Christ.

It is a time when we extend to one another what we ourselves have received from God in Christ. We might simply say “The peace of Christ be with you” or “Peace be with you,” the greeting of Jesus Christ to his disciples after his resurrection. By exchanging the Peace of Christ to one another, we witness to God’s reconciling love.

Sermon Series

This Sunday we continue the sermon series “I believe...” — an opportunity for us to take a closer look at the Apostles’ Creed, which we use as one of our Affirmations of Faith. This week we will focus on “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.”

If you have ever wondered why we often say this ancient creed in worship, have found yourself pausing after stating “I believe,” or maybe have at times thought that perhaps you did not believe all of the phrases, we hope you will join us in worship this Lent and Eastertide as we explore what we believe together!

The Ancestors in Genesis

This Sunday, March 5, a favorite Fourth Church adult education instructor, Tom Dozeman, returns to teach a class on the ancestors in the book of Genesis, individuals who provide identity both for ancient Israel and for contemporary readers.

This course will explore the themes of identity that emerge in the three cycles of stories about Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar; Isaac and Rebekah; and Jacob, Leah, and Rachel—stories that are complex and hardly heroic.

We will also look at the aim of the biblical authors in composing the literature and different ways in which readers have found identity in the stories.

Sundays, March 5–19

11:15 a.m.

in Borwell Dining Room (in person only)

Register

Join the Michigan Avenue Forum Committee

If you enjoy unique events that feature important religious and secular thinkers discussing current civic, ethical, and religious issues, the Michigan Avenue Forum Committee invites you to consider becoming part of that committee.

The most recent Forum was “The 1619 Project Revisited” — featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones and local award-winning reporter Natalie Moore —and as we plan future Forums, the committee is looking for additional individuals to help develop and deliver these events that promote civic engagement within the church and the Chicagoland community.

To learn more about this volunteer opportunity or to express interest in participating, please contact Lucy Forster-Smith.

Awakening the inner terrain of God’s Spirit. Kindling connections with others from Fourth Church. Finding ways to care for creation.

If this sounds intriguing, consider joining Nancy Benson-Nicol and Lucy Forster-Smith for a Ghost Ranch Pilgrimage of Faith and Learning this May 15–19 in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Mornings will be spent in conversation with a speaker; there will be hiking and exploration of the area in the afternoon; and evenings will offer time together as a group with guided conversations and worship. There will also be one afternoon and evening in Santa Fe enjoying the museums, dining, and wonder of that city.

To express interest in the trip, please complete the simple “Expression of Interest” form at www.bit.ly/ghostranchinterest23; an application, which will be due March 15, will be available in the coming days.

For additional details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol or Lucy Forster-Smith.

Are you interested in joining the Fourth Church Choir trip to India in February 2024?

This seventeen-day trip will include visits to Old and New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Mumbai.

Travel details for this tour, which is open to singers and non-singers alike, are included in the trip brochure and are also available by contacting Emily Cox.

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the Fourth Church family, who were received into membership by the Session and welcomed by the congregation during worship this Sunday, February 26.

Niccole Alexander

Clarisa Wilmatta Bonilla

Melissa Buchmeier

Barbara Buddig

Roger Buddig

Anna DeGroot

Grace Faulkner

Jon Finson

Michael Mirza

Laura Perkett

Christopher Reynolds

Ethan Sayre

Valerie Sayre

Gillian Schmidt

Nathan Schulz

Lauren Whittington

Michael Whittington

Morgan Zamaitis

Are you interested in becoming a member of Fourth Church? We encourage you to sign up for a one-session Inquirers’ Class, which will next be offered in person on Sunday morning, March 19 (register here) or via Zoom on Wednesday evening, April 12 (register here).