Interfaith Relations and Opportunities
Fourth Presbyterian Church has a long history of vibrant and mutually beneficial relationships with neighboring communities from the Jewish, Muslim, and other faith traditions.
The Interfaith Resource Committee of Fourth Church supports our community’s efforts to deepen our Christian faith by engaging the faith traditions of others. We serve as a resource to our church’s members, ministries, and friends in seeking to promote understanding, fellowship, and service for the common good among all people of faith.
The Interfaith Resource Committee invites you to join the committee’s email list by contacting Anne Ellis at 312.573.3369 to learn more about upcoming interfaith opportunities at Fourth Church, including
• Book discussions and public presentations on interfaith topics
• Interfaith worship services
• Tours of places of worship
• Joint service and advocacy projects
• Education on other faith traditions’ practices and celebrations
• Fine arts performances
• Festival meals to celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days and the Muslim month of Ramadan
• Classes with interfaith themes, offered by the Academy for Faith and Life
You can also find us on Facebook at Interfaith at Fourth Church.
Upcoming Interfaith Opportunities with Fourth Church
Upcoming Interfaith Opportunities in the Community
Ongoing Interfaith Opportunities with Fourth Church
Holidays of the Abrahamic Faiths
Previous Interfaith Opportunities with Fourth Church
Resources for Congregations Building Interfaith Relations
Responding to Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
For More Information
Upcoming Interfaith Opportunties with Fourth Church
Religion in Interfaith Homes | Sharing Sacred Spaces Open Houses
Interfaith Thanksgiving Services
Religion in Interfaith Homes: A Series for Couples and FamiliesAs more and more people marry someone from a different faith, change faiths, or choose to embrace more than one faith, religious homes have become complex. This joint program between Chicago Sinai Congregation and Fourth Presbyterian Church explores many of the questions and issues that arise when more than one faith is a part of a religious home.
Team-taught by a Reform rabbi and a Presbyterian minister, with a Catholic priest as a guest teacher, the class takes an open and nonjudgmental approach to questions such as, How do you talk to your kids about God when parents think differently about the Divine? What are we going to do this December? How do we respond to parents and in-laws about our religious choices?
In a conversational and supportive environment, Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor for Congregational Life at Fourth Presbyterian Church, and David Levinsky, Associate Rabbi at Chicago Sinai Congregation, will lead discussion of a different topic each month.
Monthly gatherings are held on Sunday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., alternating locations between the Clare (Rush and Pearson) and Chicago Sinai (15 W. Delaware).
Participants need not attend each month but rather should feel free to take part in discussion of those topics that fit their interests and schedules.
Sunday, January 15, 2012 | “Teaching Your (Future) Children about Human Values,
Christian Values, and/or Jewish Values”
At the Clare (Rush and Pearson)Sunday, February 12, 2012 | “Planning Your Wedding”
At Chicago Sinai Congregation (15 W. Delaware)
Sunday, March 11, 2012 | “What about Jesus?”
At the Clare (Rush and Pearson)Sunday, April 15, 2012 | “Religious Observances in the Home”
At Chicago Sinai Congregation (15 W. Delaware)
Sunday, May 20, 2012 | “Circumcision or Baptism?”
At the Clare (Rush and Pearson)
For information, contact Joyce Shin
Sharing Sacred Spaces Open Houses
Beginning in the fall of 2011, eight places of worship in Chicago are partnering with the Council for Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) for Sharing Sacred Spaces, a series of open houses to encourage interfaith participation and understanding in our community.
The general public will have the opportunity to visit these eight places of worship and religious practice from early October 2011 through May 2012. At each event, members from the community will be available to share information and answer questions about their faith and worship experience.Fall Open House Schedule
Sunday, October 2
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 W. Menomonee St.)Sunday, October 23
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Fourth Presbyterian Church (126 E. Chestnut St.)Sunday, November 6
2:00-4:00 p.m.
St. James Episcopal Cathedral (65 E. Huron St.)For more information and a list of future open houses, visit the Sharing Sacred Spaces webpage.
The Annual Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Hosted by Chicago Sinai Congregation (15 W. Delaware)
Cosponsored by Chicago Sinai Congregation, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and Holy Name Cathedral
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Upcoming Interfaith Opportunties in the Community
Please check back periodically for upcoming opportunities.Ongoing Interfaith Opportunties with Fourth Church
Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service
Each Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago Sinai Congregation, and Holy Name Cathedral gather for a service of thanksgiving. Each congregation takes a turn hosting the service, with the other congregations providing music and worship leadership.
Interfaith Passover Seder
Each spring, Chicago Sinai Congregation graciously hosts guests from Fourth Church and other congregations at a Passover Seder.
Book Discussions
Discussions of books on interfaith topics, such as Bruce Feiler’s Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, as well as discussions with interfaith partners are among the ways in which we learn about and engage the faith traditions of others.
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Holidays of the Abrahamic Faiths
The following lists major upcoming holidays in the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All Jewish holidays begin at sundown of the day prior to the date listed. A complete listing of religous holidays for this year and future years can be found at www.interfaithcalendar.org/.
October 2011
Yom Kippur: October 8 (Judaism)
This Jewish Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is a day of
repentance and fasting.
November 2011
Eid al Adha: November 6–9 (Islam)
The most important day in the Hajj ritual, Eid al Adha recalls Abraham’s willingness to
sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah.
December 2011
Hanukkah: December 21–28 (Judaism)
Focusing on liberty and freedom and also know as the Jewish Festival of Lights,
Hanukkah commemorates the recapture and rededication of the Temple by the
Maccabees in 165–164 B.C.
Christmas: December 25 (Christianity)
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus.
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Previous Interfaith Opportunties with Fourth Church
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine accompanying an Interfaith Dialogue presented by Interfaith Youth Core
During the Sunday, November 15, 2009, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services
As part of the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services, world-renowned Chicago violinist Rachel Barton Pine accompanied an interfaith dialogue presented by two members of the Interfaith Youth Core, Hind Makki, Outreach Education and Training Associate, and Erin Williams, Chicago Projects Coordinator and the author of the dialogue.
Interfaith Youth Core (IYC) works on college and university campuses to make sure that as religiously diverse young people interact, this interaction leads to positive, cooperative relationships in local communities by inspiring, networking, and resourcing young people to build new relationships built on mutual respect. Instead of focusing a dialogue on political or theological differences, IYC builds relationships on shared values, such as hospitality and caring for the earth, and how those values can be lived out together to contribute to the betterment of the community.
Evolving Faith: Meaning, Faith, and Ethics
An Interview of Public Radio’s Krista Tippet by Eboo Patel, Founder of Interfaith Youth Core
On Monday evening, November 16, in collaboration with Chicago Public Radio and American Public Media
Krista Tippett, who spends much of her time interviewing others on public radio’s Speaking of Faith, became the interviewee for an evening. Eboo Patel, Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, ill asked the questions of Ms. Tippett, who hosts American Public Media’s weekly program on “religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas,” drawing out compelling and challenging voices of wisdom on the most important subjects of twenty-first-century life. She is also the author of the book Speaking of Faith, which she wrote, in part, to answer the question she is often asked: how she went from a life and career of geopolitical engagement to becoming a religious person again and studying theology.
An Interfaith Service of Commemoration Marking the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
On Sunday, September 11, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. at Fourth Church
This service for the community was hosted by Chicago Sinai Congregation, the Downtown Islamic Center, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and Holy Name Cathedral. Youth from each community read during the service, leaders from the communities offered reflections, and a combined ninety-five member choir premiered Aaron David Miller’s “Voices of Peace,” based on poems by children on the topic of peace. A children’s choir from the Downtown Islamic Center also sang, and all worshipers participated in candlelighting. Afterwards a reception was held in Anderson Hall, with each of the cohosts bringing refreshments. A recording of the service is available online.
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Responding to Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
John Buchanan’s Response: September 12, 2010
A Statement from the Session of Fourth Presbyterian Church: September 10, 2010
If you wish to receive periodic updates of upcoming interfaith events, please send your email address to Anne Ellis.
For more information about interfaith relations and opportunities, contact Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor for Congregational Life, at 312.274.3835.