Second Sunday in Lent, February 25

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

with Welcome of New Members

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

11:00 a.m. worship in person

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

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

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

Lenten Candles

Each Sunday during Lent we are extinguishing a candle at the front of the Sanctuary. Just as we lit candles on the Advent wreath to symbolize the light coming into the world through the birth of Christ, so now our extinguishing of candles points to the Lenten progression from light to the shadows of Good Friday and the crucifixion. 

This Saturday is the last day to reserve your tickets to this year’s Chicago Lights Gala of Hope.

You won’t want to miss out on the fun the Gala team has planned for March 1 at the Old Post Office — or on this opportunity to support the life-changing work of Chicago Lights, the nonprofit community outreach arm of Fourth Church.

Make your reservations today at one.bidpal.net/galaofhope2024 and look forward to making a difference in the Tutoring and Summer Day, Urban Farm, and Social Service Center programs, all while enjoying a festive evening of dinner and dancing!

For more information, contact Caryn Blomquist.

Friday, March 1, 2024

6:00 p.m.

at the Old Post Office (433 W. Van Buren)

RSVP by February 24

“Dementia 101”

The impact of dementia reverberates through countless lives, and it’s a reality that will touch even more families and caregivers in the future.

This Sunday, February 25 join Women at Fourth as they welcome Jeannine Forrest, Ph.D., R.N., for the presentation “Dementia 101: Understanding Cognitive and Behavioral Changes, along with Effective Communication Strategies.”

With more than thirty-five years of clinical practice, education, and research in the field, Dr. Forrest brings a wealth of knowledge as a dementia educator, speaker, and private care consultant.

Dementia manifests in various forms, affecting individuals uniquely. Dr. Forrest’s insights will shed light on the complexities of dementia and offer strategies for improved communication with those affected.

Given the widespread impact of dementia, please don’t hesitate to share this opportunity with others who may benefit from the presentation.

Sunday, February 25

11:00 a.m.

Room 5G and via Zoom

Register here

“Christian Sacraments”

Save the date for a new Sunday morning Adult Education class!

Beginning Sunday morning, March 10, Nancy Benson-Nicol will lead us in a closer look at “Christian Sacraments,” as we ask what exactly is a sacrament and how do we come to celebrate them the way we do? 

Sundays, March 10–17

11:00 a.m.

Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom

Register here

The forty-day season of Lent invites us to thoughtfully take up the gifts of faith: worship, study, prayer, and service.

We encourage you to explore the variety of resources and opportunities available to you for your Lenten journey, from daily devotions for your personal prayer and reflection to weekly Lenten “Rhythm and Word” to serving others through the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering.

Lenten Devotions

Offered as a resource for personal meditation and prayer, our daily Lenten devotions are written by Fourth Church members and staff. If you would like to receive them in your inbox each day during Lent, simply sign up at www.bit.ly/fpcdevotions or email devotions@fourthchurch.org.

Lenten Rhythm and Word

Also available for your reflection during the season is a Lenten “Rhythm and Word” video series led by Matt Helms and Rocky Supinger.

These brief online worship experiences (approximately ten minutes each) weave together scripture, prayer, and music and are released on our YouTube channel on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. To receive them by email, sign up online at www.bit.ly/rhythmandwordemail

One Great Hour of Sharing

Received annually during Lent, the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering (OGHS) supports Chicago Lights Tutoring and Social Service Center; Fourth Church Meals Ministry; and the work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Hunger, and Self-Development of People programs.

To make a gift to this special offering, you can use the envelopes in the pew racks or designate “One Great Hour of Sharing” when giving at fourthchurch.org/give or via Venmo or on the memo line of a check made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church.

We hope you will plan to join us on Monday evening, March 11 when we will welcome back to Fourth Church the Morehouse College Glee Club for a 7:30 p.m. concert in the Sanctuary.

We are honored to again host this musical group whose distinguished 113-year history includes among its many highlights singing at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., performing for United States presidents, and taking part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

You won’t want to miss this moving performance!

Monday, March 11

7:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary

Suggested $20 freewill donation at the door

Also on our concert calendar, of course, is our weekly free Friday Noonday Concert series.

This coming Friday, March 1 the performance will be cosponsored by Musicians Club of Women and will feature cellist Geirthrudur Gudmundsdottir.

Fridays

12:10 p.m.

in the Sanctuary and livestreamed

Also available for later viewing on our YouTube channel

Youth Mission Trip Leaders

Volunteers are needed to serve as adult trip leaders for this summer’s youth mission trips.

• Senior High trip to Youngstown, New York (June 26–July 2)
• Junior High trip to St. Louis, Missouri (July 14–19)
• Montreat Youth Conference (July 27–August 3)

To apply to be a trip leader, complete the trip leader form online.

Trip registration is also now open for youth participants. Come join us for a meaningful time of growing and learning together while making connections with one another and the people we encounter along the way!

• Senior High youth registration
• Junior High youth registration  
• Montreat Youth Conference youth registration 

To learn more about participating as a youth or volunteering as an adult leader, email Katie Patterson.

Meals Ministry Volunteers

Monday Night Supper is currently feeding 220 guests a week, an increase of 21 percent over 2022, and as a result has additional need for Meals Ministry volunteers to help with the meals.

If you can help, please sign up via VOMO.

Volunteer opportunities for other Meals Ministry programs are also listed there.

You can find more information about those programs and volunteer opportunities on the church website as well.

You are invited to remember or honor a loved one with a contribution toward the Easter flowers that will decorate the Sanctuary. A list of individuals remembered and honored will be printed in the Easter bulletin.

Contributions can be made online at www.bit.ly/fpcgift and must be received by Sunday, March 17 for names to appear in the bulletin.

For more information, contact Gloria Vicente (312.252.3571).

As part of our Black History Month observances, on Tuesday Micaiah Warren of the Chicago Lights Social Service Center led SSC guests in learning about how trauma has impacted the Black community and discovering ways to manage its effects.

Also on Tuesday, Nancy Benson-Nicol and Joe Morrow led more than forty participants — in person and via Zoom — in the first session of the Lenten Path of Discipleship series. Using Jesus: A Pilgrimage by James Martin, SJ, the group is spending six weeks together deepening their relationship with God and their connections with others.

Surrounding our campus downtown are many businesses made possible by the hospitality workers who staff them. Through the initiative of our Discover Fourth Council, our sign along Michigan Avenue, marking National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day, recognizes those workers in our community.

Last Sunday our World Mission and Social Justice Council hosted two sessions providing opportunity to learn more about Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab. It was a time to highlight the ways in which we as individuals can share our professional skillsets to match with business owners’ questions in an effort to increase job opportunities in under-resourced Chicago communities.

Last weekend Jeff Doane led the first session of the “And There Was Light” Sunday morning class, exploring how spirituality influenced Lincoln’s decision on Emancipation.

Joy and song fill the room each Sunday when Katy Sinclair leads our Cherub Choir in rehearsal!

New Grief Groups

Grieving is a normal and important part of the human experience, which inevitably includes loss and suffering. Knowing we cannot escape loss, our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being offers Grief Groups to help individuals grieve in a healthy, supported manner so they can move through the experience and into the rest of their life.

These groups meet for four weeks via Zoom. The next one will begin on March 13, with another group beginning May 15.

To learn more or to register for a group, please contact the group facilitator, Sharon Crawford-Tucker.

Conversation and Presence

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.

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, illnesses, hospitalizations, or deaths, please email Gloria Fleming, Assistant for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation; 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.

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.

Prayer

If you would like to submit a prayer request to our Morning Prayer or Deacon Prayer Ministries, please email Gloria Fleming or Nancy Benson-Nicol.

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 weekly at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. On the first Wednesday of the month we also gather at 10:00 a.m. for in-person Morning Prayer in Buchanan Chapel. (Our next in-person Morning Prayer will be on March 6.) For Zoom details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol.

Children in Worship

Children are always welcome in worship at Fourth Church! If you need to step out to comfort your child, the Hospitality Suite, on the second floor of the Gratz Center, is a quiet space for families where worship is livestreamed.

During Sunday morning services nursery care is available on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center for infants through two-year-olds.

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 is available (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166 just prior to the start of the service 9:30 service.