Sunday, August 6

10:00 a.m. worship in person and online

with Communion

Lucy Forster-Smith preaching

Worship bulletin

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

Livestreamed worship services are accessible by going to www.bit.ly/fpcvideos, subscribing to our YouTube channel, or clicking on the photo with a “Play” arrow on the home page of the Fourth Church website.

The Lord’s Supper

This Sunday we celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Those who are worshiping with us from home are encouraged to have bread and juice on hand so we might share in this meal together, wherever we are.

Children in Worship

Children are always welcome in worship! During the service nursery care is also available for infants through two-year-olds.

Sunday School does not meet during August; it will resume on Sunday, September 10.

Looking Ahead

After Labor Day we will be adding a second Sunday morning worship service. Beginning Sunday, September 10, we will be worshiping at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

Also on September 10 our afternoon service, which is currently taking a summer break, will resume. Until then we will continue to worship at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays.

Next Sunday, August 13 we will welcome as guest preacher Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. An ordained Baptist minister, he is a longtime leader in the interfaith movement working to protect an inclusive vision of religious freedom for people of all faiths and none.

He has also served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary, the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion, associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University, and a founding editor of Beliefnet.com.

We look forward to his preaching at Fourth Church on August 13!

Save the date: we’re having a picnic!

Our church picnic will follow worship next Sunday, August 13.

Come join us in the Michigan Avenue courtyard that day for intergenerational fun that will include BBQ and optional simple yard games.

We’ll also have popsicles, bubbles, and hula hoops for the kids, with grown-ups with playful spirits also welcome to join in those activities as well!

Ready to share a caring heart?

Join Fourth Church Stephen Ministers after worship on Sunday, August 20 to learn how this vital ministry shares Christ-centered, compassionate listening and prayer through one-on-one connections with people facing life challenges.

If you are interested in learning how to serve as a Stephen Minister, this lunch-and-learn fellowship event will be a unique opportunity to hear from past and current Stephen Ministers about how this ministry has touched their lives and how they got involved.

If you or someone you know are interested in learning whether a caring connection with a Stephen Minister might be a fit, this event is also for you.

All are welcome, including those who are simply curious about how Stephen Ministry serves at Fourth Church.

Bring your questions and your appetite, as pizza and salad will be served.

The Stephen Ministers look forward to welcoming you. If you plan to attend, please register online to help us plan appropriately.

Last Friday, the students of Chicago Lights Summer Day presented a special performance highlighting the activities of this six-week program.

Over those six weeks the students enjoyed a wonderful summer, filled with education and arts programs. During the mornings, students attended educational classes to combat the summer learning loss.

During the afternoons, students were able to experience fun arts and enrichment classes such as Art, Music, Dance, Singing, Fitness, SEL, and Peace Club. On Fridays, students went on field trips! Some of their favorite trips included the Shedd Aquarium and Lincoln Park Zoo.

This past Sunday we were delighted to have the choir of the After School Matters program sharing their talents with us during worship.

During the summer the choir — which is directed by Daniel Henry, a member of our Morning and Men’s Choirs — gathers to learn and share music throughout the city. We are grateful that they were with us last weekend to sing the prelude and anthems.

Last Sunday we also welcomed Damien Morris, Chief Program Officer of Violence Prevention at Breakthrough Urban Ministries in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood, who spoke to us following worship about how and why “violence interruption” both changes and saves lives.

The event was hosted by our World Mission and Social Justice Council, which partners with Breakthrough and other organizations to tackle issues of gun violence, hunger, housing, refugee resettlement, and more.

Through Sunday’s presentation we were able to learn more about the violence interruption method of reducing violence by using trained peacekeepers — youth who’ve seen their own share of difficulties with gangs and other struggles — to de-escalate conflict by establishing relationships with people at the center of gun violence.

Eighth-grade Confirmation kicks off on Sunday, September 10!

That morning there will be a gathering of students and parents at 9:30 a.m. The youth will then meet at that same time on Sundays through April.

If you have an eighth grader who is interested in participating, please register by September 10.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions — at which our August 13 guest preacher Paul Raushenbush will also be speaking — will be taking place in Chicago later this month.

In conjunction with that gathering, we are teaming up with Second Presbyterian Church to present a series of “Organ Concerts for Global Justice and Peace."

These free concerts will take place at 12:00 noon on the following dates and be based on a different theme (listed below) each day.

At Second Presbyterian Church

1936 S. Michigan

Michael Shawgo, organist

Monday, August 14: Women Composers

Wednesday, August 16: Care of the Earth

Friday, August 18: Racial Justice and Civil Rights

At Fourth Presbyterian Church

John W. W. Sherer, organist

Tuesday, August 15: Social Justice

Thursday, August 17: Indigenous People and Diverse Cultures

The annual School Supply Drive organized by Women at Fourth continues to gather school supplies for children taking part in the Chicago Lights Urban Farm and Tutoring programs.

Particularly needed are monetary gifts (with the designation School Supply Drive), which will be used to purchase the remaining supplies on our list.

We are also looking for volunteers to pack backpacks with supplies. We will be packing this Sunday, August 6 at 11:00 a.m.; if you can help then, please email Simon Crow so we know how many people to expect.

In this season we are collecting not only school supplies but also items for the Chicago Lights Social Service Center and our Shower Ministry.

The Social Service Center has an immediate need for men’s casual clothing in all sizes as well as for walking shoes for men and women.

Shower Ministry is in need of unused, hotel-sized bottles of body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant; razors; toothbrushes; and lip balm.

Items can be dropped off at the church reception desk seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Please mark them “Attn. Shower Ministry” or “Attn. Social Service Center.”

Registration for the Autumn Session with the Center for Life and Learning is now open!

The session begins on Monday, September 11 and includes twenty weekly classes as well as several Special Topic classes and events sprinkled throughout the fourteen-week term. You can learn more about the autumn offerings on the CLL web pages.

Before that term begins, the CLL will first wrap up the summer with Encore 2023!

This annual fundraising event for our Center for Life and Learning supports CLL programming and provides scholarships that make it possible for more adults sixty and over to participate in CLL activities.

To join in this evening of fun, which will feature local singer performer Peter Oprisko and his jazz ensemble, make your reservations online; for more information, call the Center at 312.981.3391.

Deaths

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

James Ethan Jacobs

Died August 1, 2023

Edward Mills

Died July 28, 2023