CONTENTS
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Jazz at Four in Buchanan Chapel
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Join Us for 4:00 p.m. Worship with Shannon This Sunday
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As we set the stage this Sunday afternoon to welcome the NEXT Church national gathering to Fourth Church on Monday, setup preparations will begin taking place in the Sanctuary after morning worship.
So for this particular Sunday, March 15, our weekly jazz worship service will move to Buchanan Chapel, where Shannon Kershner will continue our Lenten sermon series "We Were There," and the Lucy Smith Quartet will share the wonderful jazz music they offer weekly.
We will also celebrate Communion and have opportunity to continue bringing our prayers to the cross.
Time
Sunday, March 15 at 4:00 p.m.
Place
Buchanan Chapel
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One Great Hour of Sharing
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Make a Difference This Lenten Season
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Each spring Fourth Church joins other congregations in receiving the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, an annual offering of the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1949. Through the gifts of this offering, we share God's love with those in need, helping others find refuge, start new lives, and work together to strengthen families and communities.
This year, our One Great Hour of Sharing offering supports the Chicago Lights programs of Tutoring and the Elam Davies Social Service Center as well as the Fourth Church Meals Ministry program, which serves bag lunches to those in need in addition to providing hot meals on Sunday and Monday evenings.
A portion of the offering also benefits the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Hunger, and Self-Development of People Programs of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
You can make a gift to this offering
- online via the Fourth Church website by selecting "OGHS Lenten Offering" from the "To Make a Gift" button
- by writing "Lenten Offering" on the memo line of a check made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church (and dropping it off at or mailing it to the church at 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, IL 60611.2014)
- by using the special offering envelopes in the pew racks
Thank you for joining us in this one great hour of sharing with those in need!
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What's NEXT for the Church?
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A Talk with Pastoral Resident Layton Williams
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Want to know more about the NEXT Church conference happening this Monday-Wednesday, March 16-18 at Fourth Church? Want to learn about the history of the NEXT movement and share your own hopes and dreams for the church?
Attend Pastoral Resident Layton Williams' talk, "What's NEXT? Discovering the NEXT Church Movement," offered through the Academy for Faith and Life, this Sunday, March 15 at 11:00 a.m. in the Gratz Center.
Whether or not you are planning to attend the conference, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about the life of Fourth Church and our denomination.
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A Midweek Worship Opportunity
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Join Us for Worship on Wednesday Evenings
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As we continue our Lenten journey, all are invited to join us for a brief midweek worship service on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel.
Come share in a time of candlelit reflection and prayer during this Lenten season.
Time
Wednesdays through March 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Place
Buchanan Chapel
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Hosting Leaders from across the Presbytery
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This past Saturday, Fourth Church hosted the annual L.E.A.D. Conference of the Presbytery of Chicago and McCormick Theological Seminary. Nearly 300 congregational leaders from the presbytery took part in a variety of sessions that day, including a workshop led by John Bell, hymn writer and Church of Scotland minister from the Iona Community.
It the generous gift of time and gracious hospitality of Fourth Church volunteers that made it possible to welcome this conference to Fourth Church. To all who were on hand to make the day run so smoothly, thank you!
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Welcome to NEXT and PYM!
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Upcoming Conferences at Fourth Church this Week
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This coming week Fourth Church will host close to 1,000 people who are traveling to Chicago to attend national conferences hosted by this congregation.
Monday through Wednesday we will welcome more than 600 people to the NEXT Church national gathering, which brings together people in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to foster conversation about how to follow Christ in our particular day and age. This year the focus of these reflective conversations on culture and ministry will be "Beyond Our Walls, Our Fears, Ourselves: Encountering God's Transforming Grace" and will include an evening with church historian and author Diana Butler Bass. For more information or to register for this conference that seeks to make and deepen relational and collaborative connections in the church, visit www.nextchurch.net
Thursday through Saturday we will host nearly 300 people participating in the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference "Fresh Voices, Radical Ideas." This second-annual gathering will bring together a diverse lineup of speakers and youth ministry leaders to share fresh ideas for the theory and practice of youth ministry. It offers a unique opportunity for youth ministry leaders to come together in one place to learn from and support one other while also exploring new ways in which to engage our youth.
To all the many Fourth Church volunteers who have signed up to provide hospitality and assistance during these conferences, thank you! Fourth Church couldn't do this without you!
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A Record-Setting Gala
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A Thank-You to All Who Supported the Benefit
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Thank you to all who supported the Gala of Hope last Friday--whether by attending the event, donating auction items, participating in the Spring Splendor Drawing, helping as a volunteer , serving on one of the committees, sponsoring the evening, becoming a Gala patron, or making a donation to support the benefit!
Thanks to your generosity and hard work, the 2015 Gala of Hope grossed a record-setting $772,000. For the extraordinary impact that will have on supporting the life-changing and hope-filling work of Chicago Lights and the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being in the year ahead, thank you!
For fun photos of the evening, check out the Gala of Hope album on the Chicago Lights page on Facebook.
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Travel to Guatemala with Fourth Church Friends
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Work on Projects through Common Hope
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Join Tom Schemper, Director of the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being, and Spiritual Director Sue Schemper in traveling to Guatemala this July to work on projects through our host, Common Hope. Common Hope, which serves Guatemalans through programs in education, health care, and housing, will provide staff for language translation along with the trip leaders.
Participants will visit families in a local community and help construct a simple home or sort supplies in a warehouse, all while learning about the culture, history, economics, challenges, and gifts of Guatemalan people.
Applications for this July 12-19 trip, which are due Sunday, April 11, are available online. Back to top
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Worship This Week
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Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 15, 2015
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8:00 a.m. with Communion
Matt Helms, Minister for Children and Families, preaching "Torn Down"Scripture texts: Psalm 84 Matthew 24:1-8 Matthew 26:57-68 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Shannon J. Kershner, Pastor, preaching "We Were There--The High Priest Caiaphas"Scripture texts: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Mark 14:53-65 4:00 p.m. Jazz Service with Communion
Shannon J. Kershner, Pastor, preaching
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Passages
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Deaths
We give thanks to God for the gift of eternal life.
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Sebastian Andrew Maggio,
son of Nicholette Marie Andrews and James Christopher Maggio
born February 21, 2015; died March 2, 2015
Services were held at Fourth Church on Friday, March 6.
Charles Van Gorp, March 6, 2015
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. in Buchanan Chapel.
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Concerts at Fourth Church
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The Noonday concerts listed here are free.
Friday, March 20, 2015Orpheus Choir, Olivet Nazarene University
12:10 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Choir of King's College
7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Tickets available through Symphony Center Presents
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Chicago Ensemble
7:30 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
Tickets available through Chicago Ensemble Friday, March 27, 2015
John W. W. Sherer, organist
Organist and Director of Music at Fourth Church
12:10 p.m. in the Sanctuary Friday, April 3, 2015
Good Friday, No Noonday Concert
Good Friday Choral Service
Stabat Mater by Frank Ferko
7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary Friday, April 10, 2015 Jennifer Woodrum, clarinetist 12:10 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel Cosponsored by the Musicians Club of Women A complete concert schedule is available online.Back to top
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Volunteer at Fourth Church
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There are several ways to get involved in the mission and ministry of Fourth Church. See below for details!
Current Volunteer Needs
To sign up for any of these volunteer opportunities or to learn more about them, stop by Coffee Hour on Sunday morning or contact Larry Nicholson, Director of Volunteer Ministry.
A complete list of volunteer needs is available online.
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