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CONTENTS
Turning off the Lights for Earth Hour
Waving Palms at 9:30 and 11:00
Tenebrae on Maundy Thursday
Choral Worship on Good Friday
Kindling a Fire in the Michigan Avenue Courtyard
A Look Ahead to Easter
"Black Lives Matter" Service
Chicago River Bridges
Thank You to NEXT and PYM Volunteers!
Participate in This Worldwide Environmental Event
Tomorrow from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Fourth Church will be turning off its non-essential lighting in support of Earth Hour, a lights-off event that started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 and has since grown to engage more than 162 countries and territories worldwide.

Our participation is part of the work of the Care of Creation Committee at Fourth Church, which is committed to raising awareness and taking actions to help Fourth Church conserve resources and care for our environment.

 

Want to know more about Care of Creation or ways in which you can care for our planet? Contact Vicky Curtiss, Associate Pastor for Mission, at 312.981.3598.

 


twoTie a Blue Bow This Sunday
National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month
Join us this Sunday in tying a blue bow in the Commons to help us prepare to recognize April as National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.

Then this coming Wednesday, April 1, we'll wrap the twine to which you tied those blue bows around the trees along Michigan Avenue, creating a visually stunning and thought-provoking reminder for all who pass by.

 

Prior to the 10:00 a.m. blue-bow tying on April 1, a Blue Bows Interfaith Prayer Service will be held at 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. All are invited to take part in this opportunity to remember and hold in prayer all those affected by child abuse.

 

The service will be followed by a press conference, and afterwards volunteers will tie blue bows on our Michigan Avenue trees.

 

To volunteer to help tie bows on Wednesday morning and afternoon, please contact Anne Ellis. 

 

This Sunday after 11:00 a.m. worship, master mosaic artist Verdiano Marzi will be giving a presentation on his first solo exhibition in the United States, "Dall Sogno all' Opus Veritas," in Borwell Dining Room. The exhibition, which is on display in the Loggia, is presented through a collaboration with Fourth Church and the Chicago Mosaic School--the only classic mosaic school the country. Mr. Marzi will conclude his presentation with a gallery walkthrough.


Mr. Marzi became a master mosaicist after studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown of Ravenna, Italy, the cradle of Byzantine mosaics in the fourth and fifth century. He also studied with mosaicist Riccardo Licata at Aecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Besides creating mosaics and showing them at his own exhibitions and with other artists, Mr. Marzi also teaches, in particular at the Louvre, and carries out restoration work.


Save the date! An artist reception for Mr. Marzi will be held on Friday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. in the Loggia

"
Dall Sogno all' Opus Veritas" will be on display--in its first US exhibition--in the Loggia through Tuesday, June 30. 

Time 
     Sunday, March 29 after 11:00 a.m. worship

Place 
     Borwell Dining Room

four1Waving Palms at 9:30 and 11:00
Palm Sunday Worship

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 Palm Sunday logistics for parents and children is available in the latest Children and Families email.) 

 

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

   

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As Well As Communion at 12:10 p.m.

Our journey to Easter Sunday continues on Maundy Thursday, April 2 with worship services at 12:10 and 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Both services will include Communion. John Vest will preach at the 12:10 p.m. service.

 

The evening service will follow the ancient Office of Tenebrae (from the Latin for "shadows"). The service portrays the progression from light to darkness in the passion of Jesus, beginning with his abandonment on Thursday and concluding with his crucifixion. The service ends with the Sanctuary in complete darkness.

 

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sixChoral Worship on Good Friday
And Shannon Kershner preaching at 12:10 p.m.

Good Friday worship opportunities on April 3 include a noonday service at 12:10 p.m., with Shannon Kershner preaching, and an evening choral service at 7:30 p.m., both in the Sanctuary. The Good Friday Choral Service will feature the work Stabat Mater by Frank Ferko.

 

A Good Friday experience specially designed for children will take place at 5:30 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.

 

A Saturday Easter Vigil

The deeply moving Easter Vigil will be held on Saturday, April 4 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 Michigan Avenue courtyard 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! 

 

Time 
     Saturday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m.

 

Place

     Beginning in the Michigan Avenue courtyard

eightA Look Ahead to Easter

Celebrate the resurrection of the Lord 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 begins at 6:30 a.m., with Hardy Kim preaching.

There will be three morning worship services in the Sanctuary at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:30 a.m., at which Shannon Kershner will be preaching.

The jazz service with Communion will be held at 4:00 p.m., with Hardy Kim 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 12:30 p.m. in Borwell Dining Room that day. A limited number of tickets are available at the reception desk.

On Easter Sunday, 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 12:30 p.m., and children four years of age through fifth grade are invited to participate in our 9:30 a.m. Easter Children's experience on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center, which will be followed by an Easter egg hunt on the fifth floor.

 

nine"Black Lives Matter" Service
A Call to Action and a Worship Service

On Sunday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel, Fourth Church will host "Black Lives Matter," a call to action and worship service that will provide opportunity to discuss issues of racism. This interfaith service is being planned along with our neighbors, Chicago Sinai Congregation, St. James Episcopal Church, St. Chrysostom Episcopal Church, and LaSalle Street Church.

 

Later that week the Mission Committee will hold an orientation on "Restorative Justice: What Is It and How Can We Be Peacebuilders?" on Thursday, April 16 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 4E in the Gratz Center. For more information, contact Vicky Curtiss.

tenChicago's River Bridges
An Invitation from Fourth Dimension

Interested in learning more about Chicago's many bridges? Join us on Friday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. for "Chicago's River Bridges," a special event hosted by Fourth Dimension, a fellowship group of individuals fifty and over.

 

Patrick McBriarty, author of Chicago River Bridges, will provide a multimedia presentation on Chicago's bridges and the innovation, design, and major contributions by Chicagoans to moveable bridge technology. All are welcome to learn about how the Windy City has long been a center for drawbridge development, making Chicago the "drawbridge capital of the world" and the greatest working drawbridge museum of any city on earth.

 

To register, contact Anne Ellis (312.573.3369) by next Wednesday, April 8.

 

Time

     Friday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m.

 

Place

     Page Smith Room 

   

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elevenThank You to NEXT and PYM Volunteers!

Last week Fourth Church hosted close to 1,000 people who traveled to Chicago to attend two national conferences hosted by this congregation.

 

Monday through Wednesday, March 16-18, we welcomed the NEXT Church national gathering (you can check out online the fun photos from the event), and Thursday through Saturday, March 17-21, we hosted nearly 300 people who participated in the Progressive Youth Ministry (PYM) Conference "Fresh Voices, Radical Ideas."

 

It was the generous gift of time and gracious hospitality of Fourth Church volunteers that made it possible to welcome these back-to-back conferences to Fourth Church. To all who were on hand to make the week run so smoothly, thank you!

   

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worshipWorship This Week
Palm Sunday
March 29, 2015

8:00 a.m. with Communion
Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor, preaching
     "The Politics of Praise"
Scripture texts:

   Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

   Mark 11:1-11

   Philippians 2:5-11

 
9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Shannon J. Kershner, Pastor, preaching
     "We Were There: The Crowd"
Scripture texts:

   Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

   Mark 11:1-11

 

4:00 p.m. Jazz Service with Communion
Shannon J. Kershner, Pastor, preaching
 
Worship bulletins
for this coming Sunday are available online Friday afternoon at www.fourthchurch.org/worship/this-week.html.
 
"News and Opportunities"
is the weekly printed newsletter distributed with the Sunday bulletin and is available online Friday afternoon at www.fourthchurch.org/news/2015/032915no.pdf

Sermons

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

 

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passagesPassages
Death
We give thanks to God for the gift of eternal life.

Louise J. Stiers,  January 25, 2015  

musicConcerts at Fourth Church
The Noonday concerts listed here are free.
 

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

 

Friday, April 17, 2015

Joseph Kingma, pianist

12:10 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel

 

Friday, April 17, 2015   

Camerata Chicago Orchestra 

Conducted by Drostan Hall
Rising Star Series: Emily Frederick, piano
7:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
Tickets available through Camerata Chicago
cameratachicago.org | 630.221.5555

 

Friday, April 24, 2015 
John W. W. Sherer, organist
(Organist and Director of Music at Fourth Church)
12:10 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Friday, April 24, 2015
Lakeside Singers Concert
7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Tickets available through Lakeside Singers  
www.lakesidesingers.com 

 

A complete concert schedule is available online. 

 

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volunteerVolunteer at Fourth Church

There are several ways to get involved in the mission and ministry of Fourth Church. See below for details!

 

Current Volunteer Needs

Tutors for the Chicago Lights Tutoring program 

Tutors are needed one evening a week--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday--from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. New volunteers are asked to attend an orientation session. A schedule is available here.

Book Nook attendants to staff the Book Nook at Coffee Hour after the 11:00 a.m. service 
 

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