Third Sunday of Epiphany, January 21

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

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

11:00 a.m. worship in person

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

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

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

Izett Sama Hernandez preaching

Worship bulletin

This Sunday we are delighted to welcome the Reverend Izett Sama Hernandez as our guest preacher at The Gathering: Communion at 2:00.

The Reverend Izett, who previously visited Fourth Church in 2019, is co-director of the Martin Luther King Center in Havana.

The Havana Chicago Partnership — composed of congregations within the Presbytery of Chicago who each maintain a partnership with a congregation on the island of Cuba — has partnered with congregations in Denver as well as New York City, Southampton, and Saratoga Springs, New York, to plan the nearly monthlong visit of the Reverend Izett and her spouse, Glenda Martinez Cabrera, to the US, including a week in Chicago.

Please join us in welcoming them to Fourth Church this Sunday afternoon!

After many months of work, the Long Range Planning Task Force is excited to share the proposed strategic directions and goals with the congregation.

Please plan to join them at one of the upcoming sessions (listed below), where the task force will invite your feedback to the proposed strategic directions and goals.

To ensure everyone has a chance to participate, we are requiring preregistration to manage group sizes and we ask that you sign up for only one of the sessions. (All sessions will present the same material.)

We also encourage you to read the summary materials in advance.

Sunday, January 21

10:45 a.m. in person

Register

Sunday, January 28 

12:30 p.m. in person

Register

Tuesday, January 30

8:00 p.m. via Zoom

Register

Sunday, February 4

12:30 p.m. in person

Register

We look forward to your participation, as your continued input is essential to the long-range planning process!

To learn more or to pass along questions, ideas, or reactions to the proposed directions and goals if you are unable to be with us for one of the above sessions, please email your responses to the task force.

Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice that spans many faith traditions, one that can be a source of healing, a tool for discernment, and a foundation for spiritual renewal.

This June we are excited to offer opportunity to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, one of Christianity’s oldest and most popular pilgrimage routes, as part of an intergenerational group of members and friends of Fourth Church

For six days, we will walk a portion of the Camino Portuguese, a relatively level route that can accommodate walkers with a wide range of experience and ability. Each day we will walk between eight to seventeen miles, stopping when necessary for rest, meals, and sightseeing and staying at simple but comfortable hostels or bed-and-breakfasts.

We will also have opportunities for excursions, worship at local churches, and daily time for devotion and reflection. Our destination will be the city of Santiago de Compostela, the legendary resting place of the apostle James the Elder.

Registration for this trip will be due Wednesday, February 14. If you are interested in learning more about this trip, please attend one of two identical information sessions or contact Associate Pastor Joe Morrow.

Information session options

Wednesday, January 24

5:00 p.m.

via Zoom

For the Zoom link, register here

Sunday, January 28

12:00 p.m.

Room 5F

To let us know you will be attending, register here

“Chicago’s Newest Neighbors:

Examining the Migrant Crisis”

Join us as we cohost with the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy a panel discussion about the influx of migrants moving to our sanctuary city.

The panel will feature Natalie Moore, WBEZ journalist covering race, class, and communities; Aimee Hilado, Assistant Professor at the Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and expert in immigrant trauma and mental health; Theresa Thornburg, Director of the Chicago Lights Social Service Center; and Brandie Knazze, Commissioner, Chicago Family Support Services.

Together they will consider the policy successes and failures, as well as the necessary wraparound supports for health care, education, and the welfare of our newest neighbors.

Thursday, January 25

5:30 p.m.

in Buchanan Chapel

Register

“Christians’ Role in Combating Antisemitism”

Next Sunday we will begin a three-week Adult Education class that will continue the discussion started at the November 2 Michigan Avenue Forum about our role in combatting antisemitism.

Topics will include the scriptures used as the justification for antisemitism, the historical roots of antisemitism, and the rise of antisemitism today.

Our presenters will be

Rabbi Michael Weinberg of Chicago Sinai Congregation (January 28)

Dr. Robert Cathey, Professor Emeritus, McCormick Theological Seminary (February 4)

Joe Grant, Organizer at Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (February 11)

Sundays, January 28 – February 11

11:00 a.m.

Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom

For Zoom details, register here 

Winter at the Center for Life and Learning

The Center for Life and Learning is back in full swing for the Winter Session!

If you are sixty or more, we encourage you to check out the CLL website to explore the opportunities available to you this month and next. There you can register for Winter Session membership, which offers access to twenty classes per week in various formats covering a wide range of topics.

The CLL also has a new event starting this Monday afternoon, January 22 at 2:00 p.m.: “Empire: Art under Napoleon” taught by Jeff Nigro both in person and via Zoom. (Preregistration required for this class.)

“The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Future of American Democracy”

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 31 and plan to join us that evening when we are honored to welcome Robert P. Jones, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future, as the speaker at our next Michigan Avenue Forum.

In a presentation moderated by Fourth Church member Cynthia Johnson, Mr. Jones will explain how the founders of the United States could build the philosophical framework for a democratic society on a foundation of mass racial violence — and why this paradox survives today in the form of white Christian nationalism.

Through stories of people navigating these contradictions in three communities, Jones illuminates the possibility of a new American future in which we finally fulfill the promise of a pluralistic democracy.

Robert P. Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for the Atlantic, TIME, Religion News Service, and other outlets. He is also the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity and The End of White Christian America. He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University and an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

Wednesday, January 31 

6:30 p.m. 

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

5:30 p.m. Book Signing in the Commons

Zoom Small Groups are starting again!

Following on Robert P. Jones’ presentation at the January 31 Michigan Avenue Forum, the first Zoom Small Group of 2024 will discuss Jones’ book The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.

Additional groups on a variety of topics will start after Easter.

If you are interested in being part of a group of six to ten people meeting for four to six weeks via Zoom to explore a topic together and connect with others, please let Simon Crow know.

Fourth Church is headed to Florida!

If you live in or are traveling to the Ft. Lauderdale or Naples regions in early February, please plan to join Tom Are as well as other Fourth Church members and friends for a gathering.

To learn more about Florida events planned for February 6–8, email Shawn Fiedler.

What can we learn about joy in a letter written from Caesar’s prison?

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to set aside 15 minutes for this “Rhythm and Word” video to join Tom Are in reflecting on joy.

In this first of our new winter “Rhythm and Word” series led by Tom we begin by looking at Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

To receive future “Rhythm and Word” videos with Tom Are direct to your inbox, subscribe online.

This past Sunday we had opportunity to celebrate the ministry of Lucy Forster-Smith —throughout her whole career and in particular the past six years among us at Fourth Church as Senior Associate Pastor.

As we blessed Lucy’s transition into retirement, she led us one more time in worship — preaching, baptizing, and offering us a final benediction.

Following the 11:00 service, we held a congregational meeting to formally dissolve the pastoral relationship between Lucy and Fourth Church.

Several members who have worked closely with Lucy expressed gratitude and appreciation on behalf of the congregation, and Nanette Sawyer presented Lucy with a gift created by the Benevolent Guild: a decorative pillow evocative of the stole Lucy wore as a worship leader.

During Coffee Hour, we gathered for a special reception in Lucy’s honor, with time to greet Lucy, express our thanks, and wish her and Tom Forster-Smith Godspeed as they embark on this exciting next chapter of their lives in Boston.

The annual Chicago Lights Gala of Hope will be held on Friday evening, March 1, beginning at 6:00 p.m., this year at a new location: The Old Post Office!

This annual event supports the life-changing work of Chicago Lights, the nonprofit community outreach arm of Fourth Church, which includes the Tutoring and Summer Day, Urban Farm, and Social Service Center programs.

To reserve tickets or become an event sponsor, visit one.bidpal.net/galaofhope2024 or stop by Coffee Hour this Sunday.

For more information, contact Caryn Blomquist.

Friday, March 1, 2024

6:00 p.m.

at the Old Post Office (433 W. Van Buren)

RSVP by February 24

Next Sunday, January 28 at the 9:30 a.m. service, we will commission Robert Crouch to begin service as a Stephen Leader in our congregation. Stephen Leaders bring their gifts for leadership, vision, wisdom, administration, discernment, and teaching to select and equip those who will be Stephen Ministers — lay Christian caregivers — in our congregation.

Please join us as we pray for and show our support for this caring ministry and these people whom God has called and equipped for this important role. Following worship on January 28, Stephen Ministers will host a special Coffee Hour in Anderson Hall, providing opportunity to learn more about the work of Stephen Ministry in our congregation. 

For those looking for one-to-one spiritual and emotional support through life challenges, you can also learn more about being paired with a Stephen Minister by contacting Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation, or leaving a confidential message for a Stephen Minister at 312.573.3365.

The Annual Meeting of the Congregation, at which we will elect new officers, will be held in person and via Zoom at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 11.

The Zoom link will be posted on our website closer to the date of the meeting. The recommended slate of officers that will be presented by the Nominating Committee will also be posted on our website prior to the meeting.

Sunday, February 11

12:15 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and via Zoom

February 11 will be a big day at Fourth Church: not only will we hold our Annual Meeting and be led in worship by our youth, but it is also Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday!

You can help score a victory in the Souper Bowl by bringing cans of soup, nonperishable food items, or monetary contributions to the church that day.

Our youth will be on hand that morning to collect the donations, which will support Fourth Church Meals Ministry and the Chicago Lights Social Service Center Food Pantry.

You can also make a Souper Bowl of Caring gift online, selecting the “Youth Ministry (Souper Bowl)” designation.

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!

Wednesday, February 7

Via Zoom

6:30–8:30 p.m.

Register

Sunday, March 17

In person | Room 5F

12:15–2:30 p.m.

Register

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.

Marriage

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

Eloise Cantzon Foster and Larry Allan Braskamp

Married on Saturday, January 13, 2024

Death

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

John (Jack) L. Houston

Died on January 15, 2024

Conversation and Presence

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.

To join a Grief Group facilitated by our Replogle Center, email Sharon Crawford-Tucker.

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 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom or at 10:00 a.m. in person. 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.