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March 2018
In This Issue
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Sunday, March 4
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The Loft
We hope that you'll join us this Sunday, March 4 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Loft, for one of our favorite TED talks: Brené Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability," an in-depth look at how our willingness to be vulnerable can positively impact our relationships with others.
If you've never been to one of our TED Talk gatherings, our typical structure is
- Twenty minutes of socializing and meeting other parents
- Twenty minutes of watching a TED Talk on parenting
- Twenty minutes in small groups, using a handout with prepared questions to discuss themes and ideas from the talk
We hope you'll join us for coffee, muffins and bagels, and some great conversation! For more information, please contact
Matt Helms.
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Sunday, March 11
During the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services
Sanctuary
All Sunday School-aged children are invited to attend worship with their parents for the first half of the service on Sunday, March 11, as we continue having kids in "big church" on Baptism Sundays.
If you have not had a chance to experience this before, here's everything you need to know:
- All children who would normally attend Sunday School on the fourth floor (age 3 through grade 5) should instead stay with you as you attend worship that morning--nursery-aged children (ages 2 and younger) are welcome in the nursery as usual.
- Before the sermon begins, all Sunday School children will be invited to come forward to the front of the Sanctuary for a short liturgical piece before heading off to their regular classrooms. Our teachers will meet them at the front of the Sanctuary and help make sure everyone gets where they need to go as we exit and head to the Gratz Center.
- After worship, you will pick up your children from their fourth-floor classroom just like you would on any other Sunday.
If your child attends Cherub Choir, you can plan to walk down to worship with them rather than dropping them off on the fourth floor.
For any questions or clarifications, please contact
Matt Helms.
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A Very Magical Family Night
Friday, March 16
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Borwell Dining Room
We'll begin with dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Borwell Dining Room, and then we'll head over to Anderson Hall at 6:00 p.m. for an hour of magic! The show should be fun for both kids and adults alike, so we hope you'll stop on by for a night of laughter and fun.
If you've never been to a Family Night in the past, please know that there is no cost to attend Family Night and there are no RSVPs necessary; we do, however, put out an offering box if you'd like to help us offset the cost. Parking validations for $8 are available at the reception desk, provided that you park in the 900 N. Michigan garage after 5:00 p.m.
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Sunday, March 18
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The Loft
Join us on Sunday, March 18 for Mindful Parenting, a monthly class focused on mindful, creative, and effective parenting, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., in the Loft on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center (located just past Room 4A).
These sessions are led by Sue Schemper, a Fourth Church member, spiritual director, parent, and an educator who has worked for more than thirty-five years with children, parents, and teachers.
Participants will explore a variety of topics, from discipline techniques that develop responsibility to creating a family culture that supports each member in becoming who God intends them to be. The format of each session is thought-provoking and interactive, and we hope that you'll be able to attend!
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Sunday, March 25
9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
The Sanctuary
Our Palm Sunday Processional is an incredible sight--with somewhere around a hundred children marching down the center aisle of the Sanctuary, waving palms in the air and carrying in fish banks as an offering. It also requires a good dealof logistics, so we ask that you read the following very carefully!
Prior to the 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. worship services (note the change to 11:30 a.m. on that Sunday and Easter Sunday), all students will gather in their normal Sunday School classrooms. Classes will then be led by their teachers down through the Loggia and into the Narthex a few minutes before worship begins.
If possible, please try to arrive early to help with the transportation process!
If you are running late, we ask that you wait with your child in the Loggia area (the hallway next to the Sanctuary) until their class arrives. Each class will be holding signs to help you identify where your child belongs.
Parents of infants and toddlers are also welcome to wait in the Loggia area and then to process with the Sunday School classes while carrying their young children.
If you have been filling up a fish bank throughout Lent, please remember to bring your fish banks with you on Palm/Passion Sunday! These banks will be carried down the center aisle as an offering during the morning's processional.
Sunday School classes will still occur following the processional, and you will pick your children up from their normal classrooms on the fourth floor following the service.
Thanks in advance for helping make Palm/Passion Sunday an incredible experience!
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Children's Good Friday Program
Friday, March 30
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Buchanan Chapel
While it is easy for children to get excited about the celebrations of Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter, it is very challenging to communicate with them about the dark events of Good Friday. Our Good Friday children's program seeks to engage with children in an appropriate manner about what Good Friday means and why it is so important in the context of this wider Easter story.
This time will look and feel very different from a typical worship service at Fourth Church. It will begin with a short 10-15 minute Children's Chapel, and then after this opening time families are welcome to explore, at their own pace, a variety of stations set up around Buchanan Chapel. We will have a mixture of new crafts and old classics ("Hot Cross Buns" and "Bermuda Kites" to name a few), which we hope will help introduce many of the themes and concepts behind Good Friday without being overwhelming.
If you have any questions about this service, please contact
Matt
or Briana
.
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Save the Date!
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Spring Family Camp--May 18-20
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Vacation Bible School--August 6-10
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