Last Day to Make Easter Flower Contributions               

Today is the last day to remember loved ones with contributions toward the Easter flowers that will decorate the Sanctuary this year. In order for names of those honored to appear in the Easter Sunday bulletin, contribution information must be received today, March 22.

Or download, complete, and return the "Easter Flowers for the Sanctuary" card found online.   

To make a contribution

   By the end of the day today, Friday, March 22,

     make your contribution online by clicking here 

For information

   Contact Wydetta Carter 

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Children's Palm Sunday Procession                         

One of Fourth Church's most beloved traditions takes place this Sunday morning: the Palm Sunday processional of children entering the Sanctuary waving palms. This celebrative processional will take place at the beginning of both the 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. worship services.

All children and families who wish to join in this Sunday's processional are invited to participate. 

Sunday School students should go to their classrooms prior to 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., and their teachers will then take them from there at 9:25 or 11:25 a.m. to the Loggia to begin the processional. (Sunday School classes will begin after the processional.)

Children who sing in one of the choirs will gather in Buchanan Chapel at 9:00 a.m. to rehearse and robe.

Those children who have been contributing to the One Great Hour of Sharing fish banks are asked to bring them on Sunday, as the banks will be gathered prior to the processional.

Parents who would like to carry their infants and toddlers in the processional are asked to gather in the Loggia at 9:15 or 11:15 a.m.

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Good Friday worship opportunities include a Noonday service at 12:10 p.m., with Vicky Curtiss preaching, and an evening choral service at 7:30 p.m., both in the Sanctuary. The Good Friday Choral Service will feature works by Allegri, Casals, and Poulenc.

At 4:00 p.m. (see the next story), a Good Friday service specially designed for children will take place in Buchanan Chapel.

Also on Good Friday, the Near North Ministry Alliance (NNMA) is again holding a Good Friday Prayer Walk, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Wayman A.M.E. Church (509 W. Elm St.). All are invited to join Fourth Church and the other partner churches of the NNMA for this time of reflection.

   Good Friday, March 29  
   Noonday Service

   12:10 p.m. in the Sanctuary
     Vicky Curtiss preaching

   Prayer Walk

   2:30 p.m. at Wayman A.M.E. Church (509 W. Elm St.)

   Children's Service

   4:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel 

   Evening Choral Service

   7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary

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Special Worship Opportunities for Children

Children will have opportunity to attend a service designed especially for them this Good Friday, March 29 at 4:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel. This service will begin with prayer and a brief reading, and then families will be invited to explore at their own pace a variety of stations set up around the chapel.

These stations will be loosely modeled after the Stations of the Cross and will have a variety of activities, crafts, readings, and media present for families to engage in self-guided reflection together. In order to ensure that children are exposed to age-appropriate reflections, each station will have a suggested age range listed on it. As families move from station to station over the course of the hour, there will also be a progressive darkening of the lights in Buchanan Chapel.

At the end of the hour, families will be invited back to hear one final message before the lights fully dim and they each leave the chapel quietly.

An Easter Service for children four years of age through fifth grade will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Easter morning, March 31. Parents are welcome to join their children as families will travel from room to room on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center, interacting with figures from the Gospel accounts of the resurrection and making special Easter crafts. After this journey through the Easter story is complete, children will be invited to go on an Easter egg hunt where they'll find eggs filled with messages like "Jesus Is Alive!" as well as a toy.

Please note that children can be dropped off on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center as early as 8:30 a.m. that day. There will be a variety of crafts and a movie playing to keep children entertained before the Easter Family Service begins. The Nursery (on the first floor of the Gratz Center) will also be operating as early as 7:30 a.m. for children under the age of four.

Time and place

   Good Friday Children's Service

   Friday, March 29

   4:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel

   Easter Family Service

   Sunday, March 31

   9:30 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center

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Easter Worship and Brunch    

Celebrate the resurrection of the Lord next Sunday with a variety of Easter worship opportunities: a sunrise service at Oak Street Beach, three Easter morning services in the Sanctuary, and afternoon Easter jazz worship with Communion in the Sanctuary.

The Easter sunrise service on Oak Street Beach will be held at 6:30 a.m., with Joyce Shin preaching. There will be three morning worship services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:30 a.m., at which Calum MacLeod will be preaching. The jazz service with Communion will be held at 4:00 p.m., with Adam Fronczek preaching.

Please note that the last worship service of the morning begins at 11:30 a.m. in order to accommodate the number of worshipers on Easter morning. Also please keep in mind that Sanctuary seating for all morning services fills quickly and early, and there may be possible delays in entering and exiting the parking garages as a result of increased traffic volume.     

We also hope you'll join us for Easter Brunch at 1:00 p.m. in Borwell Dining Room that day. A limited number of tickets are available at Coffee Hour this Sunday and at the reception desk during the week.

Nursery care for children under the age of four will be available on the first floor of the Gratz Center between 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and children four years of age through fifth grade are invited to participate in our 9:30 a.m. Easter Children's Service (see the story above).

Time and place

   Easter Sunday, March 31

   6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service with Communion (Oak Street Beach)

      Joyce Shin preaching

   8:00, 9:30, and 11:30 a.m. Easter Services in the Sanctuary

     Calum MacLeod preaching

   9:30 a.m. Children's Easter Service, Fourth Floor, Gratz Center

   1:00 p.m. Easter Brunch in Borwell Dining Room

   4:00 p.m. Easter Jazz Service with Communion in the Sanctuary
      Adam H. Fronczek preaching

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Music at Fourth Church                    

 
Friday, March 29
Good Friday: No Noonday Concert

Wednesday, April 3

For a full listing of concerts, click here.

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