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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“Earth-Keeping as a Spiritual Practice” adult education class on Sunday mornings, both in person and via Zoom
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Men’s Bible Study on Tuesday mornings
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Books by Women discussing Flights by Olga Tokarczuk on Tuesday evening, May 10
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Benevolent Guild on Wednesday mornings, this week in person
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Live podcast taping with Matt Helms and Rocky Supinger on “Top 10 Mysteries of the Bible” on Sunday morning, May 15
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!
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Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 8
10:00 a.m. worship in person and online
Nanette Sawyer preaching
Audio available by phone (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166
4:00 p.m. Jazz at Four worship in person
with Communion
in Buchanan Chapel
Nanette Sawyer preaching
Immediately following that service Shannon will begin her three-month sabbatical. Please join us both in holding Shannon in prayer during this time of renewal and in anticipating the opportunity to learn from her experiences this fall!
Next Sunday morning, May 15, we look forward to welcoming guest preacher Barbara Lundblad to the Fourth Church pulpit. The Joe R. Engle Professor Emerita of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Dr. Lundblad served sixteen years as a parish pastor in New York City, as well as campus pastor at Lehman College and New York University. She has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Hebrew Union College and has served as president of the Academy of Homiletics. She is also author of Transforming the Stone: Preaching through Resistance to Change and Marking Time: Preaching Biblical Stories in Present Tense. We hope you will mark your calendar for this opportunity to hear Dr. Lundblad preach!
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As we return to more on-site programming, Fourth Church and Chicago Lights are also implementing, effective Monday, May 16, a new safety and security practice.
Beginning May 16, anyone present on the Fourth Church campus will be required to wear a campus badge while on site, except on Sundays and for other worship opportunities, concerts, and Meals Ministry meals.
Anyone who does not already have a campus badge when they enter (except for those exceptions noted above) will be asked to pick up a single-day badge at the 126 E. Chestnut reception desk. Reusable badges will be issued by some programs with regular, ongoing weekly programming, such as Chancel Choir. These reusable badges will only be available from the staff of those programs, not from the reception desk. Anyone who does not bring their reusable campus badge will be able to pick up a single-day badge.
To facilitate this process—as well as for safety and security reasons—all access to the building will be through the 126 E. Chestnut entrance only, except on Sundays and for other worship opportunities, concerts, and Meals Ministry.
Our ongoing commitment to the safety and security of all on our campus undergirds this practice, which was been under discussion since prior to the pandemic. (Implementation was set aside while the campus was largely closed.)
The campus badges and single-entry access point were strongly encouraged by our safety and security consultants and advisors and are also consistent with practices at other large, spread-out, multi-use buildings with spaces and uses like ours. The badges enable us to know who is in the building throughout the day. (Previous unlimited access has at times resulted in unknown individuals hiding in corners of the campus.) The badges also ensure that should we ever have to evacuate the buildings, we will know who was on site and needs to be accounted for.
As a congregation, we value radical hospitality and welcome for all, and we believe an integral component of that is our care for the well-being of those who are present with us. This safety and security practice is but one expression of that. For those who will be joining us on site as programming on campus continues to expand, we look forward to seeing you!
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The Chicago Lights Social Service Center is in particular need of the following items, either new or gently used:
- brown paper grocery bags
- large cloth bags for groceries and clothing
- adult backpacks
- push carts for groceries
- suitcases
- men’s jeans and casual pants (sizes 34–42 waist)
- white socks for men and women, sizes L and XL
- men’s tennis shoes (sizes 10–14)
- and women’s tennis shoes (sizes 8–13)
Donations can be dropped off at the church reception desk (enter via the Chestnut Street doors) or shipped, if ordered online, to Chicago Lights Social Service Center, c/o Theresa Thornburg, 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, IL 60611.2014.
Fourth Church Shower Ministry is in need of the following unused hygiene items
- travel-size toothpaste
- toothbrushes
- deodorant
- shampoo
- bandages
- combs
Donations can be dropped off at the church reception desk, to the attention of “Shower Ministry.”
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Our World Mission and Social Justice Council is recruiting volunteers to assist sponsored refugee families coming from conflict areas around the world. Included in what will be needed are items to help these families settle into a new home. Those who are interested in helping are asked to email refugeeproject@fourthchurch.org.
Fourth Church Jail Ministry is looking for additional volunteers to take part in our Jail Ministry. Those who are interested are invited to attend an informational meeting on Sunday, May 22 at 11:15 a.m. in Room 4F or email jailministry@fourthchurch.org.
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Fourth Church offers a variety of ways to connect with one another online. One of them is new Zoom Small Groups.
If you would like to connect weekly with five to seven other people via Zoom for four to eight weeks for a time of fellowship, relationship building, and spiritual formation or simply want to learn more about our small-group opportunities, email Simon Crow. |
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If you have not yet had opportunity to respond to the brief Michigan Avenue Forum survey, please take a moment to do so before the survey closes.
As the Forum Steering Committee plans future events that feature important religious and secular thinkers discussing current civic, ethical, and religious issues, they would like to hear what topics and formats would interest you.
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Birth
We give thanks to God for the gift of new life
Logan Alan Nuehring Su
Child of Devlin Su and Kate Nuehring Su
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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 9:00 and 9:45 a.m. on Wednesdays and between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. on Thursdays.) For Zoom details, email Rocky Supinger.
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
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.
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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