Dear Fourth Church Family,

What a joyous Sunday of loud hosannas and palm-waving children we celebrated earlier this week! It was good to be with you in worship as we made our entry into Holy Week.

Those festive notes of Palm Sunday have, of course, already faded as the mood has become heavier and darker: our vision turned to the Last Supper and betrayal and now, today, ultimately the crucifixion. We’ll gather in worship for this solemn observance also, and I hope you will join us:

Good Friday, April 18

12:10 p.m. Worship Service 

6:30 p.m. Choral Service

featuring Haydn’s Stabat Mater

with the Morning and Chancel Choirs and members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago

(also livestreamed)

And then on Easter Sunday, as we arrive at the empty tomb, we will come together to rejoice in the resurrection:

Easter Sunday, April 20

6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service at Oak Street Beach

9:30 a.m. Easter Service

(also livestreamed)

11:30 a.m. Easter Service

These are, after all, the most important days in our life together as the church.

There is also a lot going on in the life of Fourth Church this season as we live out what it means to be Easter people — the ongoing work of the Pastor Nominating Committee, our upcoming recognition of volunteers and youth confirmation, the serving of meals to our hungry neighbors, the Encore celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Center for Life and Learning, and so much more.

How we do this work of what we have come to call being a light in the city is guided by the long-range plan your Session adopted last year, a plan focusing on strengthening Fourth Church’s commitment to

• faith formation

• connections and belonging

• community engagement and partnerships

• church sustainability

In adopting that plan, Session also committed to regularly ask you how and where you are currently seeing the plan’s alignment with Fourth Church’s ministry.

One way that will happen is through what we are calling Long-Range Plan Progress Pulse Surveys, the first of which is currently underway. Perhaps you have already responded to it.

If you haven’t, please do take a few moments to complete the survey at bit.ly/fpclrpsurvey25 by Monday, April 21. (You can also find the survey on the home page of our website.)

Your responses to the questions matter. Our long-range plan not only guides our life together now but will ground the ministry you will share with whomever you call as your next pastor. What that looks like — and how this church continues to live into its calling to love God and love one another — will be shaped by your feedback today.

For our input and for your companionship in this journey, thank you.

See you in church!

Tom Are Jr.

Interim Pastor

Fourth Presbyterian Church