Sunday, August 28

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

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

with Communion

in Buchanan Chapel

Lucy Forster-Smith preaching

The worship bulletin is available to download and print

Jazz at Four Outdoors on September 4

Mark your calendar and plan to join us outdoors on Labor Day weekend, when we will gather for worship in the Michigan Avenue courtyard on Sunday afternoon, September 4. Come join us next Sunday at 4:00 p.m. for Jazz at Four with Communion.

This Sunday, August 28 is the last day to contribute to Women at Fourth’s School Supply Drive for Chicago Lights Tutoring.

Monetary gifts for purchasing supplies can be made at www.fourthchurch org/give-online (select “Congregational Life” and then note “School Supplies” in the comment box).

Needed supplies can also be purchased online and shipped to the church using the wish list www.bit.ly/fpcschoolsupplies22

For more information, contact Simon Crow.

TwentiesThirties

The TwentiesThirties group for young adults will be gathering for brunch at Aster Hall (900 N. Michigan) following the 10:00 a.m. worship service this Sunday, August 28.

For details, contact Katie Patterson.

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

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 mark your calendar and plan to join us!

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.

Adult education classes begin again on 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 the Orthodox Church and the religious dimensions of the Russia/Ukraine conflict and, if there is participant interest, visit Orthodox churches in Chicago and enjoy a walking tour of Ukrainian Village.

“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 the power of narratives, as seen in the stories of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Howard Thurman, and a panel of writers from Fourth Church.

For more information about these classes, contact Stefanie Schumann.

Fourth Church book groups resume their monthly meetings in September, with 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

Opportunities to make music with Fourth Church resume in September, with Chancel Choir beginning rehearsals on 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 18.

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

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

Each Friday afternoon through the end of October the Farmstand at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm is selling a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Your purchasing fresh produce at the Farmstand directly supports Chicago Lights job-training programs, as students and young adults gain job skills through urban farming, skills that set them up for success as they pursue fulfilling careers.

Fridays

1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm

444 W. Chicago Ave.

Beginning this coming week, scaffolding will be erected over the Chestnut Street sidewalk to facilitate tuckpointing and maintenance and repair work on the parapets and dormers of Parish House.

The following week scaffolding will be erected over the Delaware entrance to the Gratz Center (which will remain accessible, except on the day of installation) to enable tuckpointing and repairs to the stonework of the chimney and surrounding areas.

The scaffolding will likely be in place throughout September.

Death

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

Mary Bernard

Died Monday, August 15, 2022, at the age of 105