On the church calendar are many opportunities to connect online 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).

For highlights of some of the opportunities you will find on the calendar, keep reading!

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

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

This Sunday we will continue our sermon series on Jeremiah, “A Prophet of Loss and Hope,” with a focus this week on Jeremiah 18:1–11.

We will also commission new Stephen Ministers this Sunday. Through one-to-one relationships that are confidential, Stephen Ministers extend the pastoral care of Fourth Church clergy staff by providing regular spiritual support for those who are facing one or more of life’s many challenges or transitions.

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 throughout the week at www.bit.ly/FPCworship.

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.

Beginning next Sunday, June 20 we will be offering two in-person worship services each Sunday as we gradually reopen our campus this summer.

4:00 p.m. Jazz at Four service

Because there will be limited seating for both services—as well as self-certification requirements—those who would like to worship in person will be asked to preregister online.

The registration link for in-person worship will be posted on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. (beginning this Sunday, June 13) on the Fourth Church website: www.fourthchurch.org

Watch for this button on the website after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13. (If you do not see it Sunday evening, try refreshing your browser.)

For visitors and those without a way to access technology, a limited number of seats will be available for on-site registration on the day of the service. Those individuals will need to register at the door, in order to provide name and contact information as well as complete the necessary self-certification.

Anyone who can preregister online will find doing so to be the fastest and easiest way to reserve a seat.

The reservation system allots the number of seats but not particular locations. On the day of worship, specific locations will be assigned by ushers, based on household size and the order in which people are seated.

The reservation system will process registrations on a first-come, first-served basis. While there is no wait list for seats, spaces will open up if people cancel their reservations. So if there are no seats available when you try to make a reservation, you might check back periodically to see if any have opened up.

Staff does not have the capacity to make reservations on behalf of individuals. All registrations will need to be made by individuals or families preregistering themselves online or at the door prior to the worship service.

Confirmation of reservations will be sent by email or text. If confirmation is not received, the reservation is not complete and the name will not appear on the list of those with reservations for worship.

Individuals who find their plans change after making reservations are asked to cancel any reservation they will not be using so that space opens up for others.

Masks will be required at all times for all present in the building, regardless of vaccination status.

Social distancing of 6 feet between individuals and those not in their household will also be required at all times.

Seating will be by households only, and ushers will direct worshipers to and from specific seating to ensure the maintenance of social distancing.

Doors will open a half hour before the service, and there will be no seating after the service begins.

Access will be by Michigan Avenue doors only for the morning service and by the Delaware doors to the Gratz Center only for the Jazz at Four service.

Nursery care and child care will not be available; Sunday School will continue to be held online.

There will be no congregational singing, though humming is permitted.

There will be no in-person Coffee Hour; it will continue to be held online via Zoom immediately following the morning service.

We are not checking vaccination status, but by coming on site you will certify that you do not currently have COVID-19, are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and have no reason to quarantine.

We will continue to livestream our morning worship service, though the time will change to 10:00 a.m. beginning June 20.

You can read more about the guidelines that will be in place for in-person worship as well as information about continued online opportunities at www.fourthchurch.org/reopening

Those graduating from eighth grade, high school, college, or a graduate or professional program in 2021 are asked to send their names to Katie Patterson no later than Sunday, June 20.

Fourth Church Meals Ministry is looking for volunteers to help with Saturday breakfast to-go, weekday Bag Lunch program, Sunday Night Supper, and Monday Night Supper.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of these opportunities, please let us know via VOMO, our Volunteer Ministry sign-up platform.

To ensure that there are enough volunteer slots for anyone interested, please do not sign up for more than two dates per month until after June 15.

Yesterday we shared the second of our online midweek worship experiences for summer: “Rhythm and Word: Midweek Music and Prayer.”

If you haven’t yet had opportunity to explore this approximately fifteen-minute weaving together of scripture, prayer, and American vernacular music, we invite you to take a few moments to immerse yourself in yesterday’s offering from Joe Morrow, Rocky Supinger, and the Jazz at Four Quartet.

Then look forward to next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., when we will share another experience of Rhythm and Word, a time to immerse ourselves in bringing together the sacred and everyday life.

If you would like us to email you the “Rhythm and Word” videos each week, simply add your email address to our list at www.bit.ly/rhythmandwordemail

Together with interfaith partners we are planning a trip to the Middle East for June 2022.

Registration is open through September 1, 2021, for those interested in joining us for “Peace and Compassion: A Music and Travel Seminar Trip to the Middle East.”

To register or to learn more about fees, travel arrangements, and other logistics, contact John Sherer or Nanette Sawyer.

God never intended that we struggle through life’s crises alone. For one-to-one spiritual and emotional support through difficult times, be it death, loss, illness, financial insecurity, pandemic fatigue, or other life challenges, we encourage you to consider being paired (virtually for now) with one of our congregation’s trained and caring Stephen Ministers.

To request a match with a Stephen Minister or to learn more about this opportunity, contact David Handley, Interim Minister for Caring Ministries, or leave a confidential message for a Stephen Minister at 312.573.3365.

As many of us are looking for healthy ways to cope with stresses and anxiety, anger and frustration, grief and uncertainty, the staff of our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being is also available to offer suggestions and support through phone appointments or teletherapy, whether for just a few sessions or on an ongoing basis.

To set up a time to talk or for more information about how the Center can be a resource for you, call the Center at 312.787.2729, ext. 2260.

Additionally, 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 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