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While we are not gathering in person this summer, there are many opportunities to connect online with the Fourth Church community and one another.

You will find these online opportunities posted on the church calendar, which is easily accessible from the “Calendar” button of our website (in the upper left corner). 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.

Shannon J. Kershner preaching

The worship bulletin will be available to download and print in advance

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

If our 11:00 worship time does not fit your schedule, the service will be available for viewing throughout the week.

You can also subscribe to our worship and sermon podcasts available via iTunes and Spotify and sign up to receive the weekly sermon by email.

Our online Coffee Hours resume this Sunday following the postlude (around 12:00 p.m.) when we’ll mix and mingle for a time of fellowship using the Zoom platform.

The Zoom details follow, including a phone dial-in option as well. We look forward to chatting with you in online Coffee Hour!

Following the postlude

Also accessible at www.bit.ly/fpcfellowship

(the link is also posted on our website: www.fourthchurch.org)

Meeting ID: 963 5583 1751

Passcode: 631276

Phone: Call 1 (312) 626-6799

and enter Meeting ID 963 5583 1751#

In addition to virtual Coffee Hour, we have a variety of other online fellowship opportunities on our calendar in the days ahead.

This evening, Women at Fourth will gather via Zoom to share and talk about a cherished possession from our homes, whether it’s a special photo, a work of art, a souvenir from a memorable trip, or a family heirloom. There will be time to hear one another’s stories, to reminisce a bit, and to share a piece of who we each are.

This monthly fellowship opportunity for women of Fourth Church will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27 via Zoom; for details contact Anne Ellis.

On Friday, September 4, Cornerstones—a gathering of adults fifty and over—will gather via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. for a time of conversation as well as a presentation by Shannon Kershner. In this time online with one another Shannon will reflect on these months of being “alone together” as well as the many ways the church has adapted to a new reality while adopting new ways of “being church.” Register (required) at www.bit.ly/cfpc0920 by Thursday, September 3 to ensure we have your email information for the Zoom invitation.

On Tuesday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m. the Books by Women book group will be discussing Becoming by Michelle Obama. Newcomers are always welcome to these monthly conversations about books by women; for Zoom details, email Anne Ellis.

Also, if you are interested in becoming a part of one of the new small groups that will be beginning in the fall, please email Anne Ellis.

The above fellowship opportunities are just some of the ways—as Nanette Sawyer described it in this week’s video about “What We’re Doing” in 2020—that ”we’re doing our best to learn to stay connected in new ways.”

If you’ve not yet watched that brief video, we encourage you to do so by clicking on the graphic below. It is our hope that after learning more about our commitment “to our relationships to each other, to meeting and welcoming new people, and to continuing to grow and thrive as a church” you will take up our invitation to join us in connecting with one another in new ways!

The final summer jazz performance on our Friday Noonday concert schedule is this Friday, when we are delighted to welcome back to the series Libby York.

Our online concerts are streamed each Friday at 12:10 p.m. at www.bit.ly/fpcprograms, where they are also available to enjoy throughout the week.

The Nominating Committee has just one more month to gather approximately 200 names of Fourth Church members who you think are good candidates for the offices of Elder, Deacon, or Trustee or Nominating Committee or Chicago Lights Board member.

So if you haven’t done so already, 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/nominating2020. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, thank you for your help!

Are you looking for healthy ways to cope with the stresses and anxiety, anger and frustration, grief and uncertainty that so many of us are experiencing?

Our Stephen Ministers are available to be God’s listening presence during this season when many of us are struggling to sort things out.

If you would like to be in phone contact with one of our Stephen Ministers, who are trained in providing emotional and spiritual care, please leave a confidential message at 312.573.3365.

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.