One of Fourth Church's most beloved traditions will take place during 9:30 and 11:00 worship this Sunday: the Palm Sunday processional of children entering the Sanctuary waving palms.

Children will gather in their Sunday School classrooms prior to each service; parents with infants and toddlers will meet in the Loggia at 9:25 and 10:55 a.m. They will all then process into the Sanctuary to begin our entrance into Holy Week. (More information about logistics for parents and children this Sunday is available in this week's Children and Families email.)

As we begin our Holy Week journey this Palm Sunday, we hope you'll join us!

Please note that this Palm Sunday the third morning service begins at the regular weekly time of 11:00 a.m.

Good Friday worship opportunities on April 18 include a noonday service at 12:10 p.m., with Judy Watt preaching, and an evening choral service at 7:30 p.m., both in the Sanctuary. The Good Friday Choral Service will feature the work Pange Lingua Variations by Dave Brubeck.

A Good Friday service specially designed for children will take place at 4:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel. Children and their families will have the opportunity to attend a short worship service and then explore a variety of stations with activities, crafts, and readings loosely modeled after the Stations of the Cross.

Also on Good Friday, the Near North Ministry Alliance (NNMA) is again holding a Good Friday Prayer Walk, beginning at 3:00 p.m. on the north side of Seward Park (southwest corner of Division and Orleans). All are invited to join Fourth Church and the other partner churches of the NNMA for this time of reflection.

The deeply moving Easter Vigil will be held on Saturday, April 19 at 8:00 p.m. This special service, an ancient tradition of the church, invites us into the story of salvation as we mark the conclusion of Lent and the dawning of Easter.

We will begin by kindling a fire in the Garth and processing by candlelight into the darkened Sanctuary. As Easter draws near and the light of the Sanctuary increases, we will hear readings from scripture that cover the entire story of salvation, from creation through redemption, and join together in sacred song. The evening will culminate in a reaffirmation of our baptismal vows and the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

Your heart, mind, and body will be engaged by this experiential celebration of the new life we are given in Christ. Please join us! 

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Celebrate the resurrection of the Lord next Sunday with a variety of Easter worship opportunities: a sunrise service at Oak Street Beach, three Easter morning services in the Sanctuary, and afternoon Easter jazz worship with Communion in the Sanctuary.

The Easter sunrise service on Oak Street Beach will be held at 6:30 a.m., with Hardy Kim preaching. There will be three morning worship services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:30 a.m., at which Joyce Shin will be preaching. The jazz service with Communion will be held at 4:00 p.m., with Adam Fronczek preaching.

Please note that the last worship service of the morning begins at 11:30 a.m. on Easter in order to accommodate the number of worshipers on Easter morning. Also please keep in mind that Sanctuary seating for all morning services fills quickly and early, and there may be possible delays in entering and exiting the parking garages as a result of increased traffic volume.     

We also hope you'll join us for Easter Brunch at 12:45 p.m. in Borwell Dining Room that day. A limited number of tickets are available at Coffee Hour this Sunday and at the reception desk during the week.

Nursery care for children under the age of four will be available on the first floor of the Gratz Center between 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and children four years of age through fifth grade are invited to participate in our 9:30 a.m. Easter Children's service on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center, which will be followed by an Easter egg hunt on the fifth floor.

As we look forward to the arrival of the new Presbyterian hymnal this summer, Fourth Church members have been creating their own works of art from retired hymnals previously used in Blair Chapel. Currently on display in the Loggia, the Lenten art exhibit "The Hymnal Project: Upcycling into Artwork" includes a variety of visual art crafted from pages of music.

Stop by the Loggia this Sunday to behold this creative collection! "The Hymnal Project" will be on display through Tuesday, April 22.

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Beginning and long-time cyclists alike are invited to join the Fourth Church Cycling Club for a spring bike ride next Saturday, April 19 at 10:00 a.m. Interested cyclists are invited to email [email protected] for more information about where to meet and the route that day.

Put on a helmet and join us next weekend!

Help the Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social Service Center with its spring cleaning tomorrow--Men's Ministry will be doing some much needed painting and other odd jobs at the EDSSC on the lower level of Parish House this Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m. Following an afternoon of hard work, participants will enjoy a time of fellowship with pizza and beverages.

All men are invited to RSVP with Edwin Estevez. A $10 suggested donation will be received at the door.

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Save the date: The annual youth Pancake Breakfast fundraiser will be held on Sunday, May 4.

Held between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in Borwell Dining Room, a warm breakfast of all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs, and sausage for a suggested donation of $12 will be served. Made-to-order omelets will be prepared by John Vest, Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry, for an additional donation of $5.

Proceeds support the annual youth mission trip, which this summer will take the youth to Haiti, where they will work on house repair and construction.

Tickets for the Pancake Breakfast will be available during Coffee Hour this Sunday, April 13 as well as Sunday, April 27 and at the door on Sunday, May 4.

Come on out and enjoy a tasty breakfast, fellowship with fellow members--and support the work of our youth!

Sermons

from previous weeks are posted online at www.fourthchurch.org/sermons 

Ronald Barnard, April 5, 2014

A memorial service will be held this Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel.

Majorie Rasmus, Tuesday, April 8, 2014

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, April 16 at 1:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.

Friday, April 11, 2014
8:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Lakeside Singers: "Connections to Royalty"
Tickets available at the door 

Friday, April 18, 2014
Good Friday: No Concert

Friday, April 25, 2014
12:10 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Paul Carr, organist 

Friday, May 2, 2014
12:10 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel

Artistry by Twos and Threes
Cosponsored by the Musicians Club of Women

Dishwashers for Sunday Night Supper from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., on rotation