Dear Friends,  

May is a time of transition for our church leaders. Officers who are completing their three-year term meet with their boards one last time. At the same meetings, those officers newly ordained, installed, and commissioned (this year during worship on Sunday, May 3) are introduced to  their new roles.

 

Thus we took time at May's meetings--and in a special reception hosted by LEAD Ministry--to thank the following officers, who have so faithfully served these past three years:

 

Session: Kathi Bates, Ron Bottrell, Martha Brown, Elinor Hite, Joe Jeffery, Tom Leach, Molly McGaan, Bev Pace, Brad Pierce, Arlene Raine, Gary Rayl, Rick Sabol, Ken Walker

 

Trustees: Gerry Bloomer, Ed Miller, Mark Nelson, John Shorney, John Walter, Claudia Winkler, Allison Youngblood

 

Deacons: Elana Aavik, Ruth Beckman, Elena Carbajal-Gaule, Lola Coke, Michael DeVries, Ellen Ericson, Nancy Stevenson Greenberg, Mak Kingan, Daniel Miller, Ruth Mortensen, Don Nelson, Ellen Schaller, James Sinclair, Jeffrey Smith, Leslie Wainwright

 

We celebrated the common calling--one we all share--to serve God and also the ways in which the class of 2015 lived into the vows they took at their 2012 installation. They have served with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love, grounded in the knowledge that this is Christ's church, not ours.

 

We also expressed our gratitude and deep appreciation to Sam Evans, who concluded six years of service as Clerk of Session, and Sara Pfaff, who concluded six years of service as Deputy Clerk of Session. We are deeply grateful for and rejoice in the fulfillment many have experienced because of their service.

 

Ever thankful for the gifts of Christian service, we also welcomed into leadership the new officers you elected at the February 8 Annual Meeting:

 

Session: Blake Anderson, Emily Childers Jurgens, Lola Coke, Michael DeVries, Arlene Faulk, Anneliese Garner, Chris Horsman, Bobbie Huskey, Corey McPherrin, Don Nelson, Cris Ohr, Bill Patterson, Besty Zeiger

 

Trustees: Christine Albright, Lloyd Culbertson, Rebecca Dixon, Amy Gulinson, Maggie Lewis, Ed Miller, David Watkins

 

Board of Deacons: Kristina Bonesteel, David Douglas, Kristin Ellertson, Linda Gibbony, Jennifer Gordon, Randy Huizenga, Julie James, Jared Light, Allison Maxwell, Henry Moore, Alison Van Vark-Naish, Christine Sagath, Tim Schellhardt, Patrick Spence, Betsy Storm, Mark Warner, Nadia Yonan, Sarah Younger

 

When you see them, please join in extending our gratitude to them for answering the call to serve our congregation faithfully in these elected roles.

And for what they are at work doing . . . here are their notes from the May Session meeting!
 

 

 

Shannon J. Kershner

Moderator

  

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The Chicago Lights Board announced their new officers. Their board for the coming year is

 

John Borovicka, President; Lola Coke; Robert Crouch; Victoria Curtiss; Lafayette Ford; Debbie Frisch; Vice President; Roderick Gedey; Christopher Gentry; Ellen Gignilliat; Cynthia Joho; Susan Kostiwa, Secretary; Ryann Meyer; Craig Naish; William Patterson; Richard Sanderson; Elaine Scales; Linnea Schramm; Chad Tischer; Brian Van Klompenberg; Ken Walker, Treasurer; Terra Winston; Stacy Jackson (Ex Officio)

 

Among the May highlights shared by the Board is the graduation of twenty-nine Tutoring students from high school, including some students who have been with the program since kindergarten. This is also the season when the Chicago Lights Urban Farm opens the Farmstand on Saturdays (from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 444 W. Chicago) and offers subscriptions for Community-Supported Agriculture Shares, with delivery in some areas. 

 

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The Youth Ministry Committee presented their annual report to Session, explaining the four areas of their program: Elevation (grades 6-8), Rising/Confirmation (grade 8), Senior Highs (grades 9-12), and Urban Youth Mission (UYM), which welcomes visiting youth groups from other churches who come to Chicago for their summer mission trips. This year 179 individuals are registered to participate in UYM (which is in its second year), which includes staying overnight in the Gratz Center and taking part in education and service projects throughout the city that are related to urban ministry. Several of our own Senior Highs and Chicago Lights Tutoring students will be going on their own mission trip this year, a July "Justice Journey" focusing on the topic of civil rights and racial reconciliation. You can help support their trip at the June 21 bake sale!

  

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The Ecclesiastical Relations Committee reported that the amendment to add the  Belhar Confession to the PCUSA Book of Confession was approved by the Presbytery of Chicago and has subsequently been approved by the necessary 2/3 of presbyteries. That inclusion will thus be ratified at the 2016 General Assembly. The Belhar Confession, which comes out of South Africa, weaves together themes of unity, reconciliation, and justice and will likely be the topic of an Academy for Faith and Life Class in the future.

  

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Chuck Cooper, Fourth Church's IT Administrator, reported on the work that is being done with the Fourth Church database. The efforts are being undertaken in response to one of the RAMP (Resource Allocation and Mission Priority) recommendations, which was to improve the functionality and integrity of the database so that it might serve as a more effective tool for the church and members to build connections with one another. The first steps are to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the basic information, such as addresses, preferred means of contact, connections to various committees, and the like.

 

To accomplish that the IT team is inviting small groups of members, one group at a time, to review their data and update it. This will happen over the next several months, and when you are invited to do so, please take the few moments necessary to update your information so as to ensure that we know how to be in touch with you!

 

Another way the team is working on that is by recording all the information entered on the pads at the end of each pew. Previously it was primarily visitor information and updated contact details that were recorded, but now those who simply sign the pad are also recorded as attending worship that day. This is yet another important way for us to know when you are present with us, and so please do take the time during worship to sign the pads! 

 

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The Mission Committee presented a motion, which was approved, to rename themselves the World Mission and Social Justice Committee. The work they do will continue to be the same. Their new name is simply more descriptive of their areas of focus.

 

In June we will be celebrating one of our world mission partnerships as we welcome Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather to our pulpit on June 21. They will preach at all three morning services that day, giving us opportunity to learn from them about their ministry as PCUSA mission co-workers in South Sudan. There they work with the South Sudan Education and Peace Initiative, which Fourth Church has supported with $500,000 of our $1 million contribution (made from invested funds over the last four years) to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Joining Hearts and Hands campaign. You can read more about that partnership online.

 

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With Sam Evans' term as Clerk of Session at an end, the Pastor, Chair of Personnel, and Chair of Nominating Committee recommended Andy McGaan be the next Clerk of Session. He was unanimously elected by the Session and has begun serving his three-year term

MusicNotes