Sunday, October 22

9:30 a.m. worship in person and online

Nancy Benson-Nicol preaching

Worship bulletin

11:00 a.m. worship in person only

Nancy Benson-Nicol preaching

Worship bulletin

2:00 p.m. worship in person and online

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

Nancy Benson-Nicol preaching

Worship bulletin

Livestreamed Services

Livestreamed worship services (9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) 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.

These livestreams are available to view anytime after the service begins if you would prefer to connect online at a later time. For tips on how to watch — from the beginning — a service already in progress, see www.fourthchurch.org/watch-from-the-beginning

Audio-only by phone for the 9:30 service is available (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166 just prior to 9:30.

Looking Ahead

Mark your calendar!

Not only is next Sunday Commitment Sunday and Reformation Sunday, it is also the day when the Reverend Tom Are Jr. will be joining us as our Interim Pastor!

Tom will be preaching at the October 29 morning services.

We look forward to him being with us that day, to our season of shared ministry, and to welcoming Tom and Carol to Fourth Church!

Since early September the Long-Range Planning Task Force has been in a season of discernment as they work through your comments and suggestions from the congregational survey and interviews, input that serves as the foundational work from which the long-range plan will be developed.

This Sunday they will be sharing the draft strategic directives coming out of the collection of information and gathering your feedback.

This town hall will be held Sunday, October 22 at 12:00 p.m. in Borwell Dining Room (in person only).

In the coming days, the task force will also be making available the recording of last week’s virtual town hall.

Then in November there will be two town halls to take a more in-depth look at the long-range planning work: in person on Sunday, November 5 at 12:30 p.m. and via Zoom on Sunday, November 12 at 10:45 a.m.

We hope you will join us for one of these sessions as we take the next step in developing a long-range plan for Fourth Church!

For details or more information, email the task force.

How is Fourth Church home to you? To others?

Our 2024 Stewardship campaign invites you to consider those questions as you reflect on what will be your 2024 pledge in support of the life-giving mission, ministry, and outreach efforts of Fourth Church and Chicago Lights.

Please plan to submit your 2024 pledge — which you can make using the form mailed to member homes and also available in the pew racks and online at www.bit.ly/fpcpledging — by next Sunday, October 29.

On that day, Commitment Sunday, we will celebrate all we are able to do together through our generous response to God’s blessings in our lives.

“Stop the Shooting”

Beginning this Sunday morning, a new three-week class, “Stop the Shooting,” offers an in-depth look at organizations and approaches for gun violence reduction and advocacy.

This Sunday’s topic will be “The Spiritual Imperative to Work against Gun Violence” and will feature a speaker from Live Free Illinois. This organization is a state chapter of Live Free USA, which works to create safe, equitable communities for all people.

Next Sunday Arne Duncan will talk about the work of Chicago CRED (“Create Real Economic Destiny”), and the following Sunday Pastor Brenda Mitchell will spotlight advocacy and activism.

Sundays, October 22 – November 5

11:00 a.m.

in Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom

Register here for Zoom details 

Each year our annual Michigan Avenue Forum seeks to promote civic formation with public discussions of current issues shaping the community’s ethical landscape.

This year the program, “Understanding Antisemitism,” will feature a panel discussion exploring the history of antisemitism, including the Christian church’s role in its promotion and perpetuation; the recent rise in violent episodes and hate crimes; and concrete strategies for non-Jewish houses of worship to dismantle antisemitism and pursue reconciliation and healing.

Taking place Thursday evening, November 2, the forum will bring together a panel of

• Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, award-winning author 
• Becca Lubow, community organizer at Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
• The Reverend Nanette Sawyer, Associate Pastor at Fourth Church

In a conversation moderated by Hope Daniels of the Michigan Avenue Forum Committee, the panel will discuss how antisemitism works, how it is connected to white supremacy, and the church’s role in upholding it. 

We hope you will join us for this important conversation!

Thursday, November 2

6:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

Widen Our Welcome

This Sunday LGBTQIA+ Widen Our Welcome (WOW) meets for brunch at 12:00 p.m. at a nearby restaurant. To join in this time of fellowship, please meet us at the reception desk to walk to the restaurant together. 

Sunday, October 22

12:00 p.m.

Meet at the church reception desk

Women at Fourth

This coming Thursday Women at Fourth will gather in person in the Manse for fellowship and Halloween-themed trivia. To add to the atmosphere, those attending are invited to dress up in their favorite festive Halloween attire; costumes are welcome (but not required). 

Thursday, October 26

5:30 p.m.

in the Manse

Register by Tuesday, October 25

Cornerstones

Already this fall Cornerstones — a group for those fifty and over — has gathered for a program by Jay Tunney, talking about the close friendship of his father, famed American boxer Gene Tunney, and Nobel prize-winning playwright George Bernard Shaw ...

... and a program by Nanette Sawyer, Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Small Group Ministry, sharing her personal practice of creating contemporary icons.

Next on the Cornerstones calendar is a first-Friday-in-November dinner and presentation by Armedia Houston, Director of Chicago Lights Tutoring and Summer Day, who will highlight the impact those programs have on participants, both in the present and for their future development.

Friday, November 3

5:30 p.m.

in Borwell Dining Room

Registration required

“Spooktacular” Organ Concert

John Sherer has another “Spooktacular Halloween” organ concert planned for the last Friday of October.

That day the free Friday Noonday concert will be musically alive with “bats in the belfry” and “dancing spiders.” Come enjoy the fun!

Friday, October 27

12:10 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

Concert Honoring Morgan Simmons

This autumn’s Fourth Church Choral Society concert will present the works of Morgan Simmons, former Fourth Church Organist and Choirmaster.

We hope you will be with us for this special evening of honoring Morgan and celebrating his musical gifts and contributions to Fourth Church and beyond!

Friday, November 10

7:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

Organ Anniversary Concert

Each November a Friday evening organ concert marks the anniversary of our 2015 Andrew Pipe Organ dedication.

This year we are delighted to have Isabelle Demers, a native of Québec and a doctoral graduate of the Juilliard School, in concert on November 17. Associate Professor of Organ at McGill University, Dr. Demers, who is in high demand to present programs to her organist colleagues, has performed extensively worldwide. We look forward to hearing her at Fourth Church.

Friday, November 17

7:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

When we think of fall at Fourth Church, quick to come to mind are new program years for Day School and the Center for Life and Learning, for Sunday School and adult education, for youth groups and Chicago Lights Tutoring, for fellowship groups and choirs.

But that is not all that has been happening in the past month.

Hosted by Fourth Church, the autumn Covenant Conversation, sponsored by the Covenant Network of Presbyterians and Presbytery of Chicago, explored how Christians can show true hospitality to anyone who walks through our church doors, especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Co-founded by Pastor Emeritus John M. Buchanan, the Covenant Network has a longstanding relationship with Fourth Church, one that continues today with Lucy Forster-Smith currently serving on its board.

The Covenant Network’s Executive Director, Brian Ellison, joined us as our guest preacher on World Communion Sunday.

We gave thanks for the gift and companionship of creatures great and small during our annual Blessing of the Animals service ...

... welcoming neighborhood friends and pets of Fourth Church members.

The purple ribbons along Michigan Avenue have been installed by Women at Fourth and longtime partner Between Friends. They bear public witness, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to all affected by domestic violence.

Visitors from across the globe enjoyed learning about Fourth Church and its story, as shared by our volunteer hosts, as once again we took part in the Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago weekend.

We have three urgent volunteer needs. Might you be able to help?

Tutors

There is a waitlist of Chicago Lights Tutoring students in need of tutors on weekday evenings (ninety minutes a week) — in person (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and online (Mondays).

For details or to sign up, please visit the Chicago Lights website, www.chicagolights.org.

Medical Professionals and Students

Meals Ministry is in need of doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and medical students to assist with our medical services program for guests attending Sunday Night Supper.

To learn more, please contact Mike Usiak.

Communion Servers

Communion Servers are needed for our Sunday, November 5 celebration of the Lord’s Supper during morning worship.

If you are interested in serving, please email Katie Patterson.

We hold in prayer our siblings in Israel and Palestine and all impacted by the violence.

For those seeking a way to put those prayers into action, gifts to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, providing humanitarian assistance in the region through partners on the ground, can be given at www.bit.ly/pdagifts.

Marriage

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

Morgan Elizabeth Zemaitis and Graham Matthew Haydon

Married October 7, 2023

Prayer

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 join in praying for others—members of Fourth Church and those in need—we invite you to gather with us for Wednesday Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom or at 10:00 a.m. in person. For Zoom details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol.

Conversation and Presence

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 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.

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 Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor 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.