Congregational Life is responsible for a critical need at Fourth Presbyterian Church:
creating a web to hold together a large and diverse congregation.
By providing churchwide programming and small group fellowship,
as well as by embodying a personal spirit of warm welcome,
Congregational Life brings strangers together and strengthens existing bonds.

Lenten Retreat:
“Fear of Public Speaking: Learning to Tell Our Faith Stories”
Friday, February 26, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 27, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
at Fourth Church

Are you comfortable sharing your faith with others? Would you be willing to stand up in worship and talk about God?

During this Lentent retreat, particpants will explore the practice of testimony, its history, and its continuing relevance to congregational life. We will examine practical strategies as well as challenges to implementing testimony, using real-life stories from churches of different sizes and contexts, as well as videotaped testimonies.

Lillian Daniel, Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn, will lead our time together.She is also the co-host for the TV program 30 Good Minutes, which airs on Chicago’s WTTW.  A published author, Lillian is a frequent contributor to the Christian Century. Retreat participants are encouraged to read her most recent book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling, prior to the retreat. (Copies are available during Coffee Hour.)

For more information or to regiser (registration deadline is Wednesday, February 24), download the information brochure and registration form or contact Anne Ellis (312.573.3369).

Community Book Group
Join fellow Fourth Church members and friends for a monthly evening of discussion about a book that brings words and faith together.

Each month we will read a different book and then come together for a conversation about it. A member of the staff will begin the evening with a brief introduction of the book, and roundtable discussions will follow. In this casual atmosphere, there will be opportunity to get to know others, exchange ideas, and enjoy a time of being together in community.

Participants need not commit to attend every gathering but rather can join in as their schedules permit and the books interest them.

All of the books are available for sale at the Book Nook during Coffee Hour following the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services on Sundays or through local and online retailers. We continue to look for volunteers for the Book Nook. Those interested in helping with this are asked to contact Anne Ellis.

Schedule for upcoming gatherings of the Community Book Group
Conversations are held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Randolph Room on the following evenings.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
    The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
    Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
    Discussion led by Joann Lee, Pastoral Resident

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Books previously read by the Community Book Group:
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Giving To God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life by Mark Allan Powell
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams by Alexander McCall Smith
The Things They Carry by Tim O’Brien
The Priestly Sins by Andrew Greeley
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
What Paul Meant by Garry Wills
Fight Club: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk
A New Religious America:
     How a “Christian” Country Has Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation
     by Diana L. Eck
The Maytrees: A Novel by Annie Dillard
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Year of Living Biblically:
     One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs
Acts of Faith:
     The Story of an American Muslim, The Struggle for the Soul of a Generation by Eboo Patel
The Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters—and How to Talk about It by Krista Tippett
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
The Mystery of the Child by Martin Marty
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America
    by Paul Tough
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler

For more information, contact Anne Ellis at aellis@fourthchurch.org (312.573.3369).



Moms’ Groups

If you are expecting a child or have had a child within the last year, you are invited to join a New Moms’ Group. The purpose of the group is to make new friends and explore how faith can be a strong resource during these exciting and challenging times. Groups typically meet for eight weeks in a member’s home. Some groups meet during the day, others in the evening. Babysitters are provided, so moms are free to participate in discussions, or babies can stay with their moms.

Other activities include
• Quarterly Moms’ Nights Out — We gather at a restaurant for dinner four times a year.
• Service Projects — Twice a year we cook a meal for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House twice a year.
• “Great Expectations” Shower — We host a shower twice a year for expectant moms at Fourth Church.

To join a group or for more information, e-mail Liz Nickerson at enickerson@fourthchurch.org.