Sunday, September 4

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

Shannon J. Kershner preaching

The worship bulletin is available to download and print

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

In planning your route to church this Sunday, please keep in mind that DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed throughout the morning from 57th Street to Hollywood Avenue for Chicago’s annual Bike the Drive.

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

with Communion

in Buchanan Chapel

Although originally planned to be outdoors, the service will be in the Chapel this weekend.

Joseph L. Morrow preaching

The worship bulletin is available to download and print

Looking for some three-day weekend reading?

Fourth Church book groups resume their monthly meetings in September (with the first gathering the day after Labor Day!), and there is always an open invitation to join the conversations on months when your schedule allows.

First Tuesday Book Club

The First Tuesday Book Club encourages readers to examine the ethical and social issues facing Christians today and provides a forum for wrestling with the complexities of living as faithful people in today’s confusing world.

In September their Zoom discussion will focus on Father Abraham’s Many Children by Tyler D. Mayfield. In reframing religious diversity through the stories of Cain, Ishmael, and Esau, this book invites us to explore what that reframing might mean for Christians living in a world of religious difference today.

Tuesday, September 6

7:00 p.m.

via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/firsttuesday922

Books by Women

This group of Women at Fourth gathers in person on the second Tuesday of the month to discuss books by woman authors.

In September the topic for Books by Women will be Finding The Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard. A pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence and a leading forest ecologist, the author illuminates the complicated, interdependent circle of life in the forest.

Tuesday, September 13

6:00 p.m.

in the Bumpus Room

Cornerstones

Cornerstones, a group for those fifty and over, will meet for fellowship and a program by John Sherer and Nanette Sawyer on the recent Fourth Church choir tour to the Middle East.

Register (required) for this 5:30 p.m. Friday, September 9 program at www.bit.ly/cornerstones922

Next Sunday, September 11 is Get Connected Sunday at Fourth Church, a day when we will kick off our autumn opportunities, from Sunday School to youth gatherings to adult education and more. We hope you will be with us for this fun-filled beginning of a new program year!

This year we are also pairing Get Connected Sunday with a festive Block Party to which we are inviting the community!

So bring a friend and join us in the Michigan Avenue courtyard between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. next Sunday, September 11.

There will be music by Jazz at Four musicians, opportunity to bring your pet (or a photo of them) for a blessing, an Urban Farm stand where you can shop fresh produce, a photo booth, ice cream treats, bubble prizes for the children, and other activities.

We hope to see you there!

Adult education classes begin again next Sunday, September 11, with two four-week classes launching that morning in Borwell Dining Room.

“Ukraine and the Orthodox Church”

Taught by Dr. Bruce Rigdon

Sundays, September 11–October 2

9:00 a.m.

in Borwell Dining Room

Register at www.bit.ly/ukrainechurch922 for this opportunity to learn about some of the things that make Eastern Orthodox Christians distinctly different from Roman Catholics and Protestants, such as icons, faith, belief, and practices. The class will also look at the Orthodox Church’s role in the invasion of Ukraine and visit some Orthodox churches in Chicago.

“Sound of the Genuine”

Taught by the Reverend Carol Allen

Sundays, September 11–October 2

11:15 a.m.

in Borwell Dining Room

Register at www.bit.ly/genuine922 for this class that will explore how stories we hear and tell can heal our lives, our communities, and our world as well as shape our identity, our sense of purpose, our desires and hopes, what we believe and value, and how we relate to others. The class will look at some concepts that support this premise and discuss how they are reflected in the stories that will be shared, including those of Fourth Church members and authors Arlene Faulk (September 18) and Jim Garner (September 25).

For more information about these classes, contact Stefanie Schumann.

Opportunities to make music with Fourth Church resume in September, with Chancel Choir beginning rehearsals this coming Thursday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m.

On Sunday, September 11 rehearsals resume for Cherub and Children’s Choir (9:30 a.m.); Youth Choir (10:45 a.m.); Handbell Choir (11:15 a.m.); and Gospel Choir (1:30 p.m.).

The Choral Society will begin rehearsals on Thursday evenings in October in preparation for performing Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony “Resurrection” with organist David Briggs on Friday, November 11.

To learn more about these volunteer ensembles, see www.fourthchurch.org/music/choirs or contact John Sherer.

Eighth-grade Confirmation begins with a fall retreat at the church September 23–24 and will meet Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. starting October 2.

If your eighth-grader is interested in participating in Confirmation, please register at www.bit.ly/confirmation2223 by Sunday, September 18.

The Nominating Committee is in need of recommendations for candidates for positions opening in 2023 for Elder, Deacon, Trustee, and Nominating Committee as well as the Chicago Lights Board.

Please take a moment to watch their video and think of Fourth Church members who have demonstrated gifts for leadership and a commitment to the life and ministry of this congregation.

Then add their names—self-nominations are welcome!—to the Leadership Candidate Form online at www.bit.ly/nominating2023

Scaffolding has been erected over the Chestnut Street sidewalk to facilitate tuckpointing and maintenance and repair work on the parapets and dormers of Parish House. Scaffolding over the Delaware entrance to the Gratz Center also enables tuckpointing in addition to repairs to the stonework of the chimney and surrounding areas.

The scaffolding will likely be in place throughout September.