Looking for ways in this new year to connect with the Fourth Church community and one another? On the church calendar you will find many opportunities to do so online (or, where noted, in person). 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).

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

In person and streamed from the Sanctuary on our YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/fpcvideos

in Buchanan Chapel

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

This Sunday we continue the sermon series “Things Jesus Never Said” with the sermon “Things Jesus Never Said: ‘God Helps Those Who Help Themselves,’” based on Mark 2:1–12.

This Sunday we are honored to welcome to Fourth Church David Daniels III, Professor of Church History at McCormick Theological Seminary.

Dr. Daniels joins us as this week’s guest presenter at the class “The 1619 Project,” in which we are discussing the acclaimed New York Times series on slavery’s continuing legacy of injustice and inequality.

The class concludes next Sunday with Bradford Hunt, Chair of the Department of History at Loyola University, speaking.

11:15 a.m.

in person in Buchanan Chapel and online via Zoom

Register at www.bit.ly/1619class

In observance of Black History Month, our February Cornerstones meeting will present a “Conversation on Critical Race Theory” with our own Joe Morrow, Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Community Engagement, and guest Dr. Jose Morales, Professor of Church History at Chicago Theological Seminary.

The conversation for this online gathering of adults fifty and over will address four fundamental questions:

5:30 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/cornerstones221

The First Tuesday Book Club invites readers to examine the ethical and social issues facing Christians today and provides a forum for thinking Christians and others to wrestle with the complexities of living as faithful people in today’s confusing world.

In February the topic of discussion will be Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump by Heidi Neumark.

For more than forty years the author, a Lutheran pastor, has worked to turn faith communities into sanctuaries amid the turmoil of life. With the sociopolitical upheaval since Donald Trump was elected, Pastor Neumark believes the Christian calling is to live out a counterpoint to spirits of exclusion and hatred.

Using the author’s own bilingual, multicultural congregation as a model, the book moves through the seasons of the church calendar to reflect on what it looks like to live out essential Christian convictions in community with others.

7:00 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, register at www.bit.ly/firsttuesday222

Books by Women invites all interested women to join them online in February for conversation about The Girl Who Wrote In Silk by Kelli Estes.

In this historical novel, modern-day Inara Erickson is “captivated by an elaborately stitched piece of fabric hidden in her aunt’s house. The truth behind the silk sleeve dates back to 1886, when Mei Lien, the lone survivor of a cruel purge of the Chinese in Seattle, found refuge on Orcas Island and shared her tragic experience by embroidering it. ... Through the stories Mei Lein tells in silk, Inara uncovers a tragic truth that will shake her family to its core—and force her to make an impossible choice.”

6:00 p.m. via Zoom

For Zoom details, email Simon Crow

In October we studied the Apostles’ Creed. Next month we will be spending time looking at the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s A Brief Statement of Faith. Join us as we examine what makes the Brief Statement of Faith both universal for Christians and specific to the Reformed tradition and how it serves us as believers, children of God, and people in the modern world.

Following morning worship

In person in Borwell Dining Room and online via Zoom

Register at www.bit.ly/briefstatement222

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 Jeff Doane, Parish Associate for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation, 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.

If you would like to submit a prayer request to our Morning Prayer or Deacon Prayer Ministries, please email caringministries@fourthchurch.org

If you would like to alert pastoral staff to emerging pastoral care needs, please email caringministries@fourthchurch.org; however if the situation is an emergency or requires immediate attention, please call the church at 312.787.4570 to be connected to the Minister on Call.

On Sunday, February 13 we will conclude our sesquicentennial year with a festive service of worship at 10:00 a.m. John Buchanan, Pastor Emeritus, will preach that morning.

We hope that current and former members and staff will come together in worship that day—whether online or in person—as we celebrate this congregation’s legacy and look toward our future.

We also encourage you to visit the web page www.fourthchurch.org/150 to read historical accounts and view videos of pastors who formerly served at Fourth Church as they share memories of their time with our congregation. These collections continue to grow, so do check back periodically!

The Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social Service Center is in need of individuals to donate men’s pants, sweaters, coats, gloves, scarves, and backpacks. They are accepting new and gently used donations that are clean and free from any rips, stains, or tears. Donations can be dropped off at the church reception desk Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. If you have clothes to donate but are unable to do so during that time, please reach out to Lynn Milligan to coordinate a drop-off time.

As Chicago Lights—the nonprofit community outreach arm of Fourth Church—prepares for the March 4 Gala of Hope, they are in need of individuals to donate unique items and services for the Gala’s silent auction. If you have something you would like to offer, please email Laura Woods.

The Social Service Center also needs help sorting, sizing, and organizing donated clothes for distribution to participants. If you are interested in volunteering on weekdays between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. please sign up at www.bit.ly/sscsorting2022.

Fourth Church Meals Ministry needs help serving Bag Lunch and Sunday Night Supper. Bag lunches and hot drinks are served in Anderson Hall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with limited seating to allow for social distancing. Sunday Night Supper is also serving its meal both indoors and as a to-go option. You can sign up to help by using VOMO (www.bit.ly/fpcvolunteers), our Volunteer Ministry platform.

All individuals volunteering in person must be vaccinated against COVID-19; proof of vaccination can be sent to vaxproof@fourthchurch.org

Child of Sarah and Kevin Van Harrison

As we as a community respond to the current COVID-19 surge, all seating for worship is socially distanced.

We continue to require that everyone on the Fourth Church campus wear a mask, fully covering the nose and mouth, at all times. Anyone not wearing a mask fully covering their nose and mouth will be asked to leave, as we know that some people make the decision to worship with us in person—or participate in adult education classes—based on the knowledge that everyone will be fully masked. This is but one of the ways we continue to live out our commitment to value the health and safety of all.

Since everyone is masked throughout the service, the congregation is invited to sing.

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.

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

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

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