The Year in Reviewf o u r t h p r e s b y t e r i a n c h u r c h

2017

Six 103-year-old Frederic Bartlett ceiling panels are permanently installed in the Commons. The canvases were

restored after being removed from the South Balcony in 2015 to make a sound opening for the organ chamber.

Our vibrant worship life continues, incorporating, among other things,

the colors of Pentecost, Advent processional banners, and the weekly extinguishing

of candles during Lent.

We welcome a new class of confirmands into membership as they affirm their faith on Confirmation Sunday.

After an extensive national search we call Lucy Forster-Smith to serve in the new position of Senior Associate Pastor for

Leadership Development and Adult Education.

Through worship and adult education offerings we observe the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, begun when Martin Luther posted his hopes for the church on the doors of

the Wittenberg Castle church on October 31, 1517.

Our first spiritual pilgrimage trip takes participants to Iona and Edinburgh, Scotland.

We welcome Alex Wirth to the pastoral staff as he takes on evangelism responsibilities on an interim basis.

In a variety of ways we support those in need in our city, including collecting more than 10,000 snacks—a two-month supply—for Fourth Church Meals Ministry and the Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social Service Center and raising funds for Chicago Lights,

the community outreach arm of Fourth Church, through the Chicago Lights Marathon Team.

We continue our tradition of celebrating the fine arts with exhibits in the Loggia Gallery (above left), dedication of the Victory mosaic by Verdiano Marzi (lower right), and

concerts that include a performance by organist Jan Kraybill in November (above right) to mark the second

anniversary of the dedication of the Andrew Pipe Organ.

The Fourth Church family remembers fondly Associate

Pastor Emeritus David Donovan, who died on March 20. David

served as Associate Pastor from 1978 to 1997.

Children and youth regularly participate in worship leadership

as beadles (left) and liturgists (below). Fourth Church youth

worship together at 11:00 on the first Sunday of each month, with

Sunday School students again taking part in the first half of

the 9:30 and 11:00 services on second Sundays (right).

Fourth Church hosts visiting youth groups from around the country as part of our

Urban Youth Mission program, which offers education and service opportunities in

urban mission and ministry. Here, a youth group from Missouri sorts donated clothing.

The Fourth Church community welcomes Shawn Fiedler as

Worship and Adult Education Coordinator.

Nanette Sawyer, who had been serving as Minister for Congregational Life on a contract basis for the past two years, is called to be Associate Pastor for

Discipleship and Small Group Ministry.

Flags above our Sanctuary doors are a public sign of the welcome and inclusive hospitality we extend to all, from the Pride flag during Pride Week

—when we also walk in the Chicago Pride Parade as part of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, which we joined—to the interfaith flag, under which we gather with our interfaith partners for a prayer vigil (right)

in response to the violence in Charlottesville and the nation.

126 E. Chestnut St. | Chicago, IL 60611.2014 | 312.787.4570 | www.fourthchurch.org | www.facebook.com/fourthchurch

Programs and generations come together in shared activities, including an intergenerational

project with the Center for Life and Learning and Chicago Lights Summer Day.

Congregational Life brings members together for conversation on Sundays during Coffee Hour and highlights

opportunities to connect with the Fourth Church community through learning, fellowship, and service opportunities.

We say farewell to Hardy Kim, Associate Pastor for Evangelism since 2011, who accepts a call to serve as Pastor and Head

of Staff of Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church in California.

We hold our community—locally, nationally, and globally—in prayer in a variety of special services,

including a Healing Service for the Earth and a Service of Lament for all affected by the mass

shooting in Las Vegas and by the pain God’s people too often inflict on one another and on creation.

We gather with millions of others to observe the August 21 solar eclipse, shown here with the Fourth Church steeple and cross.