With a new year underway, we often find ourselves setting individual goals for the next twelve months and sometimes beyond. This is certainly also true for us as a congregation. In December the Long-Range Planning Task Force shared with Session a presentation of proposed strategic directions and goals for Fourth Presbyterian Church. The task force then invited Elders to provide feedback through the contribution of “I like…,” “I wish…,” and “I wonder…” statements.

The task force needs to hear from you as well.

It is critical that all of us have a voice in shaping the future of Fourth Church, and so if you have not yet attended one of the long-range planning feedback sessions this month, we encourage you to make a point of signing up for one of the remaining three opportunities:

Sunday, January 28 

12:30 p.m. in person

Register

Tuesday, January 30

8:00 p.m. via Zoom

Register

Sunday, February 4

12:30 p.m. in person

Register

If you are unable to participate in one of the sessions, the task force would appreciate receiving your responses to the strategic plan summary by email, which you can send to longrange@fourthchurch.org.

Thank you for your investment in our life together and the mission and ministry of Fourth Church in the years to come!

Another event on our 2024 calendar in which your participation is important is the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Congregation, to be held on Sunday, February 11.

This is the moment in the life of our church when we elect leaders to guide us through their roles as Elders, Deacons, and Trustees and when we celebrate our life and work together and look to our future. Please plan to join us, whether in person or online.

Sunday, February 11

12:15 p.m.

Sanctuary and via Zoom

The Zoom link will be posted on our website closer to the date of the meeting as will be the slate of officer candidates that the Nominating Committee will be recommending.

Also on the 2024 calendar are sabbaticals approved by Session for Rocky Supinger, Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry and Worship, and Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children, Family, and Welcoming Ministries.

As you may recall, in May 2020 Session approved a pastoral sabbatical policy for Fourth Church. This policy, which is a common practice in Presbyterian churches, offers pastors a time for renewal and learning.

Specifically, the Fourth Church sabbatical policy encourages our clergy to take a three-month sabbatical, with full salary and benefits, during or following their seventh year of ministry at Fourth Church. While on sabbatical, the pastor takes a full and complete break from their pastoral role: they do not lead worship, funerals, weddings, or baptisms or take part in any administrative responsibilities.

The pastor commits to remaining with Fourth Church for a minimum of a year after the sabbatical, and their return becomes an intentional period of energizing the ongoing partnership with the congregation as the pastor shares what they have learned in their time away. The exact timing and scope of any sabbatical is subject to Session approval.

For the season ahead, Rocky and Matt have scheduled their sabbaticals with thoughtful planning and preparation. Rocky will be on sabbatical from February 12 through May 6. During his time away, Amy Pagliarella, our Parish Associate for Caring Ministries who also serves as a Confirmation leader, will be the primary staff for youth ministry programs, and Katie Patterson, Manager for Worship and Youth Ministry, will continue to both be a critical part of youth ministry and attend to the details of worship.

Matt will be on sabbatical from June 24 (after VBS concludes) to September 2, with Briana Belding-Peck, Family Ministry Coordinator, serving as primary staff for Sunday School and children’s ministries and clergy colleagues filling in on new member activities during those two months.

We are grateful to be able to offer this opportunity to Rocky and Matt and will hold them in prayer in their times of renewal.

An annual event that also falls in the first quarter is the Chicago Lights Gala of Hope, this year to be held at the Old Post Office!

It promises to be a fun evening and is a fantastic way to support the life-changing work of Chicago Lights Tutoring, Summer Day, Urban Farm, and Social Service Center programs. We hope to see you there on Friday, March 1.

You can learn more about becoming a sponsor or reserve your tickets online or by stopping by the Gala table during Sunday Coffee Hour.

Of course, there is much more going on at Fourth Church in 2024, from an upcoming Michigan Avenue Forum on “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Future of American Democracy” to Zoom Small Groups and other opportunities to connect with one another to a summer pilgrimage walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain — and more!

You can learn about all of it via our weekly News @ Fourth Church newsletter, the “You Are Invited!” section of the weekly worship bulletins, and our website.

We look forward to continuing to connect with you in this exciting year ahead!