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

Streamed from the Sanctuary at www.bit.ly/FPCworship

in Buchanan Chapel

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

For those choosing to worship with us in person, wearing masks fully covering nose and mouth is required of everyone on the Fourth Church campus, regardless of vaccination status. Those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are also required to practice social distancing.

The front section of the Sanctuary is for those required to or choosing to practice social distancing, with seating by households. The remainder of the Sanctuary is open seating, with masks required wherever one sits.

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.

Doors open a half hour before each service, and there is no congregational singing.

Read about all of the guidelines that are in place for in-person worship—as well as information about continued online opportunities—at www.fourthchurch.org/reopening

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

For those who do not have Internet access, we also make our 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.

This Sunday is our annual “Get Connected” Sunday!

Youth groups and Confirmation will kick off a new program year in person (for details email Katie Patterson), and Sunday School will resume with in-person and online opportunities (for details email Briana Belding-Peck).

The day will also launch a series of Zoom gatherings that will each highlight a different area of opportunity at the church—areas in which you are invited to learn more, become engaged, get involved, and connect with one another.

Those present in person on Sunday will be able to pick up a schedule for these eight Zoom “Reconnect, Renew, and Reawaken” gatherings, which will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. beginning September 14. There will also be live jazz music in the Michigan Avenue courtyard and a ribbon-tying prayer station between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. this Sunday. Those worshiping with us online will be able to access the following schedule and additional details on our website that day.

If you are interested in learning more about Fourth Church opportunities in the following areas—or connecting with others who are—please join us online for as many of these eight Zoom information-and-connection gatherings as you like.

For more information, contact Simon Crow.

Tuesday, September 14

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Thursday, September 16

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Tuesday, September 21

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Thursday, September 23

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Tuesday, September 28

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Thursday, September 30

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Tuesday, October 5

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

Thursday, October 7

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

We are excited to introduce at this week’s Friday Noonday concert our new Organ Scholar, Michael Rees, who will be playing an organ recital for our September 10 concert.

Those who would like to join us in person are invited to do so, noting that all individuals are required to wear masks indoors for the entirety of their time on the Fourth Church campus.

For those who would prefer to join us online, we are also livestreaming the Friday concerts via www.bit.ly/fpcprograms, YouTube (www.bit.ly/fpcvideos), and Facebook, where they are also available to enjoy throughout the week.

12:10 p.m.

Featuring organist Michael Rees, our new Organ Scholar

Looking ahead, pianist Mio Nakamura and trombonist Hugo Saavedra will perform the September 17 concert.

Cornerstones—a fellowship group of those fifty and over—resumes its monthly gatherings via Zoom this Friday, September 10 with a panel discussion on resilience.

In this Zoom gathering we will have opportunity to hear Gunnbjorg Lavoll moderate a timely discussion among Jeff Doane, Robert Edger, and Larry Braskamp on resilience and the importance of understanding ways of dealing with and overcoming adversity.

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/cornerstones921

Adults sixty and over are invited to take part in the online weekday lectures, classes, and exercise opportunities offered by the Center for Life and Learning, which begins a new program year the week of September 13.

For details, see www.fourthchurch.org/cll or email Susan Quaintance.

Few of us haven’t been affected personally or indirectly by adults, adolescents, and preteens who have honestly, sincerely, and at times openly struggled with and embraced a variety of diverse gender identities. As a loving and compassionate church community, we are called to understand, engage with, and minister to all, even when circumstances are confusing or break with traditional religious teachings and customs.

The Fourth Church Adult Education Committee and the Youth Committee invite you to join them online for this three-week Zoom course on understanding gender identity as a church community.

The course, led by Community Outreach staff from Lurie Children’s Hospital, will explore definitions and perspectives on gender identity and foster understanding so that all can feel at home at Fourth Church.

9:00 a.m. via Zoom

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

Resuming its monthly conversations next week is Books by Women, which meets online on the second Tuesday of the month. All women are invited to join in these discussions whenever their schedules allow and the books are of interest to them.

On September 14 those gathering via Zoom will discuss Caste: Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, an examination of the caste system in America.

6:00 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, via Simon Crow

If you would like to read ahead, Books by Women will also be discussing the following titles this fall.

by Virginia Woolf

Tuesday, October 12

by Kathleen Rooney

Tuesday, November 9

Choose a book by Agatha Christie to read and share a summary.

Tuesday, December 14

A forum for examining the ethical and social issues facing Christians today, the First Tuesday Book Club continues its autumn conversations in October with online discussion about Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren on Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is currently delivering aid to those impacted by Hurricane Ida. These outreach efforts will continue, providing not only emotional and spiritual care but also long-term recovery assistance.

To support the work of PDA both in responding to the damage caused by Hurricane Ida and in remaining engaged during the hurricane season of 2021—during which several named storms are expected to impact the region—you can make a gift to PDA online.

The Nominating Committee is in need of recommendations for candidates for positions opening in 2022 for Elder, Deacon, Trustee, and Nominating Committee as well as the Chicago Lights Board.

So please take a moment to 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/nominating2022.

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 David Handley, Interim Minister for Caring Ministries, 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.

For those interested in becoming members of Fourth Church, our next online Inquirers’ Class will be held this Sunday, September 12 via Zoom.

You can register for this one-session class at www.bit.ly/inquirersclass0921

For additional information about Fourth Church membership, please contact Joe Morrow.

The memorial service for Irene Gerrans, whose December 29, 2020, death was previously announced, will be held this Saturday, September 11 at 1:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.

On the church calendar are many opportunities to connect online (or, where noted, in person) with the Fourth Church community and one another. 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).

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