Looking for ways in this new year 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—

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).

The worship bulletin will be available to download and print on Friday

In person and streamed from the Sanctuary at www.bit.ly/FPCworship

in Buchanan Chapel

The worship bulletin will be available to download and print on Friday

This Sunday we join congregations and communities across the nation in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was born ninety-three years ago, on January 15, 1929.

As we do so, we recall these words Dr. King wrote from the Birmingham Jail in April 1963:

“Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless effort of men and women willing to be coworkers with God, and without the hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

This Sunday we continue the sermon series “Things Jesus Never Said” with the sermon “Things Jesus Never Said: ‘Follow Your Heart,’” based on Mark 8:31–36.

This Sunday we are honored to welcome back to Fourth Church, Natalie Moore, WBEZ journalist and author of The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation.

Ms. Moore, who has spoken at Fourth Church previously, joins us as this week’s guest presenter at the class “The 1619 Project,” in which we are discussing the acclaimed New York Times series on slavery’s continuing legacy of injustice and inequality.

Throughout this four-week course our guest speakers are leading us through conversation about the history of slavery; cultural and religious practices brought to America from Africa; the history of the Great Migration in Chicago; the 1919 race riot and its origins; and present-day socioeconomic struggles in America’s and Chicago’s Black community.

In the weeks ahead we will also be joined by guest speakers David Daniels III, Professor of Church History at McCormick Theological Seminary, and Bradford Hunt, Chair of the Department of History at Loyola University.

Attendees are encouraged to read the 1619 Project essays, available at pulitzercenter.org/1619

11:15 a.m.

in person in Buchanan Chapel and online via Zoom

Register at www.bit.ly/1619class

Young adults are invited to bundle up in winter gear for a time of hot chocolate and ice skating next Thursday evening, January 20.

We will gather at Millennium Park for this time of winter fellowship. Due to limited availability, advance tickets are encouraged, so please let us know by Tuesday, January 18 if you plan to attend.

7:00–8:30 p.m.

RSVP to Katie Patterson by Tuesday, January 18

In observance of Black History Month, our February Cornerstones meeting will present a “Conversation on Critical Race Theory” with our own Joe Morrow, Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Community Engagement, and guest Dr. Jose Morales, Professor of Church History at Chicago Theological Seminary.

The conversation for this online gathering of adults fifty and over will address four fundamental questions:

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/cornerstones221

As Chicago Lights—the nonprofit community outreach arm of Fourth Church—prepares for the March 4 Gala of Hope, they are in need of individuals to donate unique items and services for the Gala’s silent auction. If you have something you would like to offer, please email Laura Woods.

The Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social Service Center is in need of individuals to donate men’s pants, sweaters, coats, gloves, scarves, and backpacks. They are accepting new and gently used donations that are clean and free from any rips, stains, or tears. Donations can be dropped off at the church reception desk Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (except Monday, January 17 when the church office is closed). If you have clothes to donate but are unable to do so during that time, please reach out to Lynn Milligan to coordinate a drop-off time.

The Social Service Center also needs help sorting, sizing, and organizing donated clothes for distribution to participants. If you are interested in volunteering on Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. please sign up at www.bit.ly/sscsorting2022.

Fourth Church Meals Ministry needs help serving Bag Lunch and Sunday Night Supper. Bag lunches and hot drinks are served in Anderson Hall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with limited seating to allow for social distancing. Sunday Night Supper is also serving its meal both indoors and as a to-go option. You can sign up to help by using VOMO (www.bit.ly/fpcvolunteers), our Volunteer Ministry platform.

On Sunday, February 13 we will conclude our sesquicentennial year with a festive service of worship at 10:00 a.m. John Buchanan, Pastor Emeritus, will preach that morning.

We hope that current and former members and staff will come together in worship that day—whether online or in person—as we celebrate this congregation’s legacy and look toward our future.

We also encourage you to visit the web page www.fourthchurch.org/150 to read historical accounts and view videos of pastors who formerly served at Fourth Church as they share memories of their time with our congregation. These collections continue to grow, so do check back periodically!

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 Jeff Doane, Parish Associate 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.

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.

Died December 20, 2021

As we as a community respond to the current COVID-19 surge, all seating for worship is socially distanced.

We continue to require that everyone on the Fourth Church campus wear a mask, fully covering the nose and mouth, at all times. Anyone not wearing a mask fully covering their nose and mouth will be asked to leave, as we know that some people make the decision to worship with us in person—or participate in adult education classes—based on the knowledge that everyone will be fully masked. This is but one of the ways we continue to live out our commitment to value the health and safety of all.

Since everyone is masked throughout the service, the congregation is invited to sing.

We are 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 practice social distancing if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

The service is also available online any time afterwards on YouTube.

For those who do not have Internet access, we also make our livestreamed worship services available to listen to via the phone. If you know of someone for whom this audio opportunity would be welcome, please encourage them to call 888.916.9166 (toll-free) at the time of the service.

Our Sunday services are available for viewing following the conclusion of worship and throughout the week at www.bit.ly/fpcvideos.

Worship and sermon podcasts are available via iTunes and Spotify, and you can sign up to receive the text of the weekly sermon by email.

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